CATTERY FAREWELL FOR VIC
CATS STALWART FAREWELLED
THE common theme that shone through at Vic Fuller’s funeral on Friday was that he was a man who could mingle with anyone and changed for no one.
Fuller was generous, it was noted on several occasions, he was honest, caring and a great family man.
But after close to 50 years of service as a volunteer at the Geelong Football Club, he was capable of rubbing shoulders with everyone from the boot studder to the CEO, from the trainers to the senior coach, from the timekeeper to the club president.
So it made sense that among the crowd of 1000 mourners at GMHBA Stadium — capped because of ongoing coronavirus restrictions — were not just his family, his friends and the current playing group and staff at the Cats, but a mix of people whose job titles made for an impressive list.
There was a federal politician, the AFL general manager of football operations, an AFL club chief executive, a high profile player manager, a director of a prolific commercial real estate agency and many more.
Some had travelled from interstate to attend, just to pay their respects to a man who leaves behind four children, 11 grandchildren and his wife of 58 years, Nola.
Among the speakers at Fuller’s farewell were members of his extended family as well as Bruce Nankervis, Stephen Wells and Joel Selwood.
His family shared memories of his time growing up in Drysdale, his work as an in
surance broker in the T&G building in Moorabool Street and his love of travel.
While there were three Fs that dominated his life — family, friends and football — there was no clarity around which one sat in order of priority at any given time, although it was abundantly clear how deep the affection
for his wife, kids, and grandkids ran.
Fuller was team manager for Nankervis when he was coach of the Geelong reserves in 1984, and on one occasion when asked to write some motivational messages for the players before a game, took it upon himself to disregard the coach’s words and instead
write down his own — leading to a victory for which he later claimed credit.
Wells, who has made a name for himself as one of the game’s great recruiters, recalled the pair often joked about the fact that Fuller — in his role as manager of the then Geelong VFL scholarship squad — was the man responsible for Wells never playing for the Cats. He said despite Fuller receiving life membership in 2004, he could have been bestowed that honour three times over for everything he had done for the club.
But it was Selwood whose words hit home the most about just what effect Fuller had on the lives of anyone who wore the blue-and-white hoops.
The Geelong captain said his mother told him when he was young that you can’t help who you fall in love with. Selwood said he could not have imagined falling in love
with a married man almost 50 years his senior, but that it had happened almost instantly, such was the way in which Fuller found a connection with new arrivals immediately.
A common expression nearly every player and staff member heard after first arriving at Kardinia Park has been Fuller’s famous line, “I was here when you got here and I will be here when you leave”.
And, so it was that Selwood reassured mourners that despite his passing at training last week, Fuller would ultimately be proven correct.
“You’ll be in the hallways, you’ll be in the change rooms, you’ll be on the boundary line and you’ll be in the race on game day,” Selwood said.
“You will never be forgotten, and Mum, you were right, too — you can’t help who you fall in love with.
“I love you, Vic, I am going to miss you, mate. Rest peacefully.”
YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN … I LOVE YOU, VIC, I AM GOING TO MISS YOU, MATE.
CATS CAPTAIN JOEL SELWOOD