Dear Junior (Bill Gray)
Further to your request for information dated 12 May 1999 the following is my broad recollections of my three years as President of the CCLC –
• I retired as a player in 1980 and commenced refereeing in 1981. During that year I had a lot of contact with my former team mates who had indicated that they were unhappy with the way the Club was being managed and I was asked to consider running for President in 1982 which I did.
• Unfortunately the Club really started a downward spiral from 1977, the year in which we reached our first State League grand final, and gradually the numbers started to dwindle and we changed coaches on an annual basis.
• Unfortunately a lot of support I was promised did not materialize with a lot of supporters leaving the game and unfortunately two of our most senior players left the Club and went elsewhere due to friction within the Club. So we not only started with fewer players but we lost two of our best players and role models.
• During my three years as President we tried to retain our senior players and focus on junior development.
• The Club during that period was financially sound, we ran a reasonable number of successful functions but we remained fairly weak on the field.
• The most divisive issue during the three years was the Skewes Case – Given that Chadstone was struggling to put two teams of eleven to twelve out each week we could not afford the player, let alone the quality of a player like Nick Skewes to be taken away to play with Melbourne Uni – infortunately the Uni rule was biased in that you could play for your Club if you were attending a tertiary institution unless you attended Melbourne Uni. From memory Melbourne Uni had two teams with 53 registered players (Which they quickly reduced when our appeal was lodged), playing in divisions 2 & 3. Our case was simple, we were desperate and needed Nick (who was selected in the National U19 allstar team) and Melbourne Uni had more players than it knew what to do with – We won the case (the first ever) but the forces of evil protested, the establishment illogically supported them, and we lost the appeal. Despite further attempts, including a general meeting of the VALA, we lost the case, lost the case, lost a key player, and the game lost a lacrosseur in Nick Skewes.
• We considered playing Nick despite the decision and the Association warned the Club it could be thrown out of the Association if we continued.
• Our number became so thin that I had to put my refereeing aspirations on hold for most of one season as the Club did not have the numbers to provide a Club referee – this certainly didn’t help my refereeing career but we were desperate.
• The Club remained a part of the CR&CC during my Presidency but clearly relationships were deteriorating, particularly due to bar losses/theft and generally unacceptably low standards of behaviour from the Football Section.
• We were hoping the Football Section may fold based on its financial position and obtain use of the main oval but this did not happen until several years later.
• The key worker was Neil Clough and we had great support from Dick Morgan who was the only member of the old guard left at the Club. Bill Daw was senior coach during my term and tried very hard but had limited numbers and talent.
• Business and family commitments meant that I should have resigned as early as 1983 but could not find a lot of support from past players or supporters let alone a new President.
• Overall it was a tough and frustrating period to be President of the Club with very little success on the field but the Club was travelling reasonably well off the field.
• We had a few English players play with us during my time as President, one of whom was an All England player but unfortunately he had to return to England due to some health issues.

I trust the above is of some value to you. Unfortunately I don’t have any great highlights or memories as President of the Club, many disappointments, and over a few beers I might really let my feelings and views be known on some of the people and events at that time.