Peter Woods was a “great fellow”, who commanded respect and was looked up to by all.
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The man who helped found the Dubbo Demons AFL Club in August 1981 passed away on Monday, December 17 at Albury, aged 77.
Mr Woods’ coffin will carry his Dubbo Australian Football Club guernsey and a football presented to him by the Central West Australian Football League.
Before he passed away, Mr Woods recalled the beginnings of his beloved club.
“People used to say to me ‘do you like living at Dubbo’?’’ said Mr Woods, who played seniors with the Rennie Football Club, the Grasshoppers, in southern NSW, before he injured his knee in the early 1960s.
“I said ‘if they played footy here, it would be a good spot’.
“An ex-Corowa resident, Allan Tolman, worked at the bank in Dubbo and recommended a staff member who had relocated from Tamworth, and was a good football player.
“I met him (the player) on the Monday night at the pub and we had a beer.
“Cushla was secretary of the Dubbo Chamber of Commerce and put an ad in the Daily Liberal – the sports journo put it over the back page.
“So, we had a meeting at the Amaroo Hotel with people coming from everywhere.”
The first annual meeting was held on August 21, 1981, with 46 attendees, with money and footballs being donated.
Mr Woods was elected president and Bob Coady as secretary.
The next day it was all over the front page of the Daily Liberal – the phone never stopped after that!
- Peter Woods.
“The next day it was all over the front page of the Daily Liberal – the phone never stopped after that!” Mr Woods said.
“Within 10 days, we held a meeting in Orange to form the Central West Football League with seven teams – Forbes, Parkes, Orange, Cowra, Young, Bathurst and Dubbo.’’
The formation of the Dubbo club became a reality in September 1981 when the colours of the club jumpers were agreed upon.
They would be ochre red to reflect Dubbo’s meaning of “red earth’’, an idea conceived by Peter’s wife Cushla.
Trial matches had already been held by that time between teams from Bathurst, Orange and Young.
A telegram was received by Peter Woods from the Victorian Football League president Dr Allan Aylett congratulating the Dubbo committee on the formation of an Australian Football Club in the city.
The Central West Football League comprised teams from Dubbo, Bathurst, Orange, Young, Forbes, Parkes and Cowra.
The Daily Liberal reported that Mr Woods was one of the best on ground in a clash against Bathurst in April 1982.
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“At 41 years old, I pulled the boots on and played with my son Lex in the seconds in 1982,’’ he said.
“Lex won the best and fairest and got a game in the seniors so I retired after having two generations on the ground in the one day.
“Cushla knew nothing about football and she would hide in the hotdog shed where the other girls would ask her what was happening on the ground.’’
Life member Joe Knagge, who joined the club in 1983, said Mr Woods “will be remembered always by the Dubbo Demons”.
“He was somebody who was not just well-liked, but everybody looked up to him as the president of the Dubbo Demons,” Mr Knagge said.
“He commanded a lot of respect in the club and was a great person.”
Mr Knagge met his wife of almost 40 years, Jane, at a club barbecue.
“[The news of Mr Woods’ passing] was extremely sad for her because she was there with Peter at that very first game,” Mr Knagge said.
Mr Woods remained with the club for “the most important” early years, before moving back to the Riverina.
But he returned for each of the club’s 10, 20 and 30 year reunions.
“It was obvious that that was an important achievement in Peter’s life; the formation of a footy club in a new AFL league, something he was very proud of,” Mr Knagge said.
“I’m sure Peter was very proud of all that history … He’s part of our history.”
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