Vale Pat Connell and Bill O’Conner

Reposted on request.

I am writing this, to inform the Victorian Athletic League Family,  that over the past few weeks, we have learnt of the passing of two of its long serving supporters of the League.

They are Pat Connell from the Burramine Gift and Bill O’Conner, a long time athlete and Starter for the Victorian Athletic League.

Pat Connell, as many of us know, was the husband of Francis Connell, the long standing secretary of the Burramine Gift Committee.

The Connell’s were one of many proud farmers from the Burramine district just outside of Yarrawonga in Victoria’s Central North on the Murray River that supported the League by holding an athletic event initially in Burramine before moving to the J. C. Lowe Oval in Yarrawonga where if ran for over 60 years continuously.

Pat worked mainly behind the scenes in the annual lead up to the Gift by “knocking on doors” chasing sponsorship each year so that both the Cycling and Athletic events would go ahead. In the later years, the Cycling dropped off and the Athletics continued on.

Pat was also the “Groundsman” who would play a huge part in the preparation and marking out of the track each year and would officiate as Chief Judge or back up Timekeeper.

Always a keen follower of the league, seen regularly at both the Wangaratta & Stawell carnivals along with his long time love of his life, Francis.

His funeral was held last Friday in Yarrawonga where there was a huge gathering of locals from the Burramine District and with some representatives from the VAL in attendance.

Bill O’Conner, a long time Niddrie resident, along with his wife, Carmel, had been involved with the VAL in one way or another for many years.

A successful athlete during the years that he competed, won many races during his career including the  Keilor Gift in 1957 in the afternoon after fighting Grass Fires in Niddrie in the morning.

When Bill retired from running, he took up the “art” of Starting for the League for many years until his retirement in the mid 1990’s. Back in the day, there was only One Starter at each of the meetings and he shared the season with Syd Jackson as the Two Starters of the VAL.

I was fortunate, along with many other athletes to have been started by Bill during his tenure. It was only because of Carmel’s insistence, that as President of the VAL at the time, I “retired” Bill from his starting duties. Having done that task, he handed me the Guns and then said “Good luck with your starting career” and that was when I started my career as Starter for the VAL.

I, along with the Victorian Athletic League Family, wish to pay our respects to both Pat’s & Bill’s families during these sad times.

Vale, Pat & Bill.

-Matthew Webster