Elders pass torch to new Pie generation

IT HAS been four decades in the making, but on Wednesday night the Garbutt Magpies will field a women’s side in the Townsville AFL.

But that first centre bounce will amount to more than a seismic shift in their on-field presence, it will mark the next step in the club’s intergenerational transference.

On Saturday night a jersey presentation will take place, with elders in the community to pass the torch on to the new wave of players eager to make their mark in the competition.

Garbutt junior secretary Leon Stubbs has had a longstanding involvement with the club through his work as a teacher with Garbutt State School.

For years he has seen the impact of community elders taking part in the Garbutt Magpies Cup — a cultural carnival, which last year pitted 17 schools against each other.

That impact has been built on by the efforts of Magpies president Nicole Ross and Bombers acting president Randall Ross.

Stubbs said the club had already been calling on the teenagers involved to mentor the younger generation, while also harnessing the connections between the community elders and the up-and-coming cultural representatives.

“All of these connections are all about Garbutt Magpies, when Garbutt played in those days (the 1980s) a lot of people came to watch. There was a lot of action on the field and it was a challenge in the community,” Stubbs said.

“Then it was lost, boys didn’t have somebody to look up to. Transference for boys to men in the A-grade was lost, so what we’re doing is about transferring those boys into men and girls into women, and giving that respect back and building those skills in our communities.

“It’s about reconciliation, it’s about a learning environment for our community and it’s about building respect.”

This season the Garbutt club will only be able to field its senior women’s side and an under-17 boys outfit as the Garbutt Bombers.

So many women put forward their names to field a team the club unfortunately had to turn some away.

Next year, with state government funding secured to enhance the clubhouse, change rooms and lighting, the club will seek to become a powerhouse of Aussie rules.

“Next year will be a big year for us, we’ll have our clubhouse back, and we’ll have the lights and the change rooms so we’ll be up and running,” Stubbs said.

The Magpies will take on University Hawks from 7.45 on Wednesday night.