wanderers football club
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Katanning Wanderers, or Wanderers as it was known, was formed in 1922 and played in a small association of local and district clubs which included Wanderers, Imperials, Rovers and Railways. The colours of black and yellow have always been associated with the club, as has the tiger emblem and nickname.
Wanderers Football Club – Premiers 1920
Post Second World War, after a gap of six years, Wanderers reformed and in the late forties and fifties was very successful on the field. During that period the club won five premierships: the first in 1948, followed in 1953, 1955, 1956 and 1957.
The Quartermaine family, (a Quartermaine has played for Wanderers every year since its formation) were early settlers in Katanning in the 1860’s. Family members were prominent members of the club with Eric, Ross, Fred, Alan and Ken outstanding players over the years.
Wanderers Football Club – 1952
Back (L-R): A Bruce (Assistant Trainer), L Dowling (President), A Reynolds, W Porter, A Voss, A White (Secretary), W Haddleton (Coach). Middle: F Quartermaine, E Gaby, P Perry, E Quartermaine (Vice Captain), R Quartermaine, P Brown, N Heberle, N Giles. Front: B Garstone, G Melville, K McAuliffe, K Robertson (Captain), C Brown, L Mosscrop, A Leach.
Inset: L Wanke, C Philpott, W Holbrooks, R Mills, B Coventry, A Quartermaine. Absent: J Richards (Trainer).
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CON REGAN ERA
Cornelius John (Con) Regan
The 1960’s were also a fruitful era for the club with premierships in 1963, 1967, 1968. The last two were under East Fremantle Football Club Hall of Fame and West Australian Football Hall of Fame player Con Regan who came to town as the local police sergeant and coached the club during his time in Katanning.
Con Regan was a tremendously accomplished and versatile footballer for East Fremantle over 262 WANFL games between 1953 and 1965. Besides being one of the game’s all time great full backs, he could hold down a key attacking role with almost equal aplomb, and indeed topped Old Easts’ goal kicking list in 1955 with 61 goals.
Besides being one of the game’s all time great full backs, Con Regan could hold down a key attacking role with almost equal aplomb, and indeed topped Old Easts’ goal kicking list in 1955 with 61 goals. Con Regan represented his state on half a dozen occasions and was a member of East Fremantle’s 1957 and 1965 premiership sides. In 1997, he was allocated the full back position in the club’s official ‘Team of the Century’.
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THE EARLY YEARS
LEWIS FARMER
Lewis Farmer was born in Katanning, Western Australia in February 1896. He was the fourth son of William Pegg Farmer and Emily Coyne who were of Aboriginal descent. Lewis’s father William was a highly respected land guide in the Katanning area, whose mother was linked to the Beverley district; whilst his mother’s family came from the Bremer Bay area.
Lewis was raised and educated in Katanning where he was an active member of the Senior Cadets and the Katanning Wanderers Football Club.
On 28 December 1914, Lewis enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) at Katanning. He joined the 28th Battalion at Blackboy Hill in March the following year and trained with the 11th Company Australian Garrison Artillery at Arthur’s Head in Fremantle. On 9 June Lewis embarked at Fremantle on the HMAT Ascanius A11 for Egypt along with his older brother Larry, Randell Mason and Charles Hutchins.
Lewis embarked for Australia on the HMAT Anchises A68 on 28 February 1919 and berthed in Albany on 7 April. Within two months of landing, Lewis was playing football again and scored two goals in his first match with the Katanning Wanderers club against Broomehill. Read Lewis Farmer’s full story here and scroll down to page 14. [2]
FOOTBALL
ROVERS V. WANDERERS.
Tambellup Times
7 May 1919 – P3
A scratch match will take place on the local Recreation Reserve, next Saturday, commencing at 3 p.m. sharp, between teams representing Rovers and Wanderers, as divided by the provisional committee, and as this is probably the last game prior to the association fixtures, as many players as possible are asked to attend, so that the full strength may be placed in the field.
Rovers will be selected from:
Hall, Mettam, Forbes. Woodcock, Gilbert, Sampson, Blurton (2), Norrish, Mackay, Cruttenden, Longmire, Walsh, Keeley, Manton, Overington. Justins, Smart, Slater, Thomson, Stock, Colby, White, Dawson, Burrows, Quartermaine. Treasure, Rennie, Jones.
WANDERERS V. ROVERS.
Southern Districts Advocate
5 June 1922 – P2
There was a large attendance at the Katanning recreation reserve on Saturday last in anticipation of a good game between the above teams and, in this, they were not disappointed. It was one of the finest games seen here for a long time. Stein and Fitzmaurice were absent from the Wanderers, whilst Rovers played a new man in Meagher, who acquitted himself very creditably.
From starting time to final bell, it was fast and furious, up and down the ground with neither side gaining any great advantage. It was football worth watching and enthusiasm ran high, especially in the last quarter, the only fault being towards the end of play when too many men were crowding on the ball.
Where nearly every player on either side played to very best form it would be unfair to individualise, but special mention must be made of the juniors, each of whom acquitted himself creditably. “Grassy” Haddleton for Rovers played the game of his life, proving he was worth his place in the team.
Young Fred McGovern for Wanderers is also to be complimented on his performance right through the match, notching two nice goals from that little left foot of his. During the course of the game Farrell’s ankle gave way, and he was out of action for a good part of the play, merely being able to hop about in goal.
If the teams can keep up Saturday’s performance for the rest of the season, they should be assured some good gates. Umpire Polak had charge and gave general satisfaction.
Following were the scores at the various quarters:
First quarter – Wanderers 3.7, Rovers 2.2.
Second quarter – Wanderers 1.2, Rovers 1.2.
Third quarter – Wanderers 2.2, Rovers 3.4.
Fourth quarter— Wanderers 1.0, Rovers 0.5.
Total scores Wanderers 7.11, (53 points), Rovers 6.13 (49 points)
Following were the teams:
Rovers: Hastie, Vincent, Gilbert, Meagher, Mettam, Bell, Haddleton, O’Malley, Roberts, Shaw, Sampson, Dorries, Keeley, Inglis, Norrish, Hanna, Shenfield, and Tylor.
Wanderers: Wakefield, Baker, Old, Evans, Roberts, McGovern (2), Shenfield, Betteridge, Fewings, McAuliffe (3), Hanna, McDonald, Farrell, McLeod, Lawson.
During the half-time interval opportunity was taken of presenting to G. Mettam, who left by last night’s express for Perth, a pipe, and tobacco pouch, on behalf of the sporting community. Captain Sampson, in a brief speech, spoke of Mr Mettam’s services as a secretary and all-round sport and, on behalf of the donors, wished him the best of luck. Captain Old of the Wanderers supported, and after Mr Mettam had briefly responded, the game was resumed.
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THE 1960’s
The 1960’s were also a fruitful era for the club with premierships in 1963, 1967, 1968. The last two were under East Fremantle Football Club Hall of Fame and West Australian Football Hall of Fame player Con Regan who came to town as the local police sergeant and coached the club during his time in Katanning. The 1968 Grand Final against traditional rivals Kojonup will forever be remembered for the fierce hail storm during the game that forced the game to be abandoned and replayed the following week.
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LATER YEARS
The 1970’s was a lean period for the club and it went from 1968 till 1983 before another premiership. The club recruited Adrian Edwards, Michael Allen and Allan Campbell to the club and with a wealth of young talent won premierships in 1983, 1985 and 1986 under Campbell’s coaching. All had played previously for a second Katanning Football Club; the Australs Lions before playing with clubs in Wagin and in Perth.
During this era Wanderers played in the Central Great Southern Football League (CGFSL), against teams from Cranbrook (folded in 1978), Nyabing (moved in 1972 to the Ongerup Football Association (OFA), Dumbleyung, Tambellup, Kojonup, Katanning Australs and (in 1983) Kukerin, which had moved from the old Lake Grace League.
In 1990, a drastic change occurred when the CGSFL folded as Kukerin and Dumbleyung amalgamated in 1992 and moved to the Upper Great Southern Football League (UGSFL). Wanderers secretary Arthur Todd, who was also president of the CGSFL at the time, and recalls the trauma of the two small towns, Dumbleyung and Kukerin, losing their individual football clubs.
Meanwhile Australs, Wanderers, Tambellup and Kojonup moved to the newly formed Great Southern Football League (GSFL) which is centered in Albany. Local football identity Fred Wolfe, a stalwart of the Katanning Australs club and local football in general, was CGSFL president at the time of that change.
The GSFL league was formed in 1991 after an amalgamation of the Southern Districts Football League (Denmark, Royals, North Mt Barker, North Albany, Railways and South Mt Barker) and CGSFL (Katanning Australs, Kojonup, Tambellup, Katanning Wanderers, Kukerin, Dumbleyung). Katanning Wanderers played-off in four GSFL league grand finals but was unable to win one.
The GSFL, with ten teams, became a new challenge for Katanning Wanderers. Katanning Australs and Tambellup both folded, North and South Mount Barker amalgamated, and Kojonup moved to the Lower South West Football League. This made the GSFL a six teams competition with Katanning Wanderers the only northern based team.
Katanning Wanderers decided to leave the GSFL and joined the UGSFL in 2003 to provide a better competition for its junior side. In the UGSFL the under 14’s competition played on the same day as the Colts, Reserves and League teams. The current UGSFL competition comprises Boddington, Williams, Wickepin, Narrogin Hawks, Wagin, Katanning Wanderers, Kukerin/Dumbleyung and Brookton/Pingelly.
Katanning Wanderers played-off in the 2011 grand final against Williams but without success. The Reserves, Colts and Under 14’s have won multiple premierships in the UGSFL with the club having a strong following both at home and away.
In 2017, the club finally broke the league premiership drought when it had
strong win over the Narrogin Hawks.
More reading…
Photo credit – Andrew Pritchard
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SANDOVER MEDALISTS
ALAN QUARTERMAINE
In 1971 Alan Quartermaine [2], a former Wanderers player, won the Sandover Medal (Western Australian footballs highest individual honour) playing for East Perth in the West Australian Football League.
He may not have been the greatest player ever to win Western Australian football’s most prestigious individual award, the Sandover Medal, but to suggest, as some have done, that East Perth’s Alan Quartermaine does not warrant a place among the game’s elite is palpably unfair. Quartermaine, who played a total of 108 WANFL games and kicked 180 goals for the Royals between 1969 and 1979, was not always a first choice senior player, but performed consistently well during the 1975 season to win his Medal with 16 votes, two more than team mates Peter Spencer and Ross Glendinning, and Stan Nowotny of Swan Districts. Continue reading
HAIDEN SCHLOITHE
Inspired by his starring role in WA’s historic win over Victoria in May, Schloithe towered over the competition in June when he gathered 30 or more disposals in five straight games and landed four bags of at least four goals.
He polled 30 of a possible 35 votes during a seven game streak after the State victory with top votes coming from brilliant efforts against West Perth, Claremont and Swan Districts. Continue reading
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KATANNING FOOTBALL GROUNDS
During the early years of football in the region games were played at Prosser Oval (now Prosser Park) before moving to the showground. which has since been developed into the Katanning Recreation and Leisure Centre.
During the 1960’s and early 70’s both Wanderers and Australs co-located at the newly developed Kupara Park sports complex which had been built over a disused rubbish tip.
Both teams then again moved in the mid 1980’s to O’Callaghan Park for a couple of seasons while the Kupara Park oval was refurbished. On completion of the refurbishment Katanning Australs returned to Kupara Park while Katanning Wanderers remained at O’Callaghan Park.
With the establishment of the Katanning Recreation and Leisure Centre in the mid 90’s, and due to the condition of O’Callaghan Park, both clubs were invited to again move and co-locate at Quartermaine Oval. Katanning Wanderers took up the opportunity while Katanning Australs decided to stay at Kupara Park.
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