WHAT is it about country footy clubs that we love so much?
If you want to see the answer to that question, captured in pictures, get in the car, or better yet, get on your bike and ride the Great Southern Rail Trail out to Meeniyan and visit the Meeniyan Art Gallery.
But hurry, a wonderful exhibition of photos by professional photographer Ken Spence, which opened this week, will grace the walls of the gallery until Monday, June 26.
The photos are a moment in time at the Stony Creek Football Netball Club, telling a story in superbly produced pictures, of everything about country footy clubs; the game, the winning, the losing, the team, the supporters, the families, the friends, the volunteers and the stunning scenery of South Gippsland.
“I loved doing it, loved it,” said Ken this week.
“I loved seeing what’s behind it, the power of it, and the community.
“I went out to a sportsman’s night at the club last year, when they had Hawthorn legend Peter Hudson and his son Paul down for the night to speak.
“He caught COVID and nearly died but that’s another story.
“It was a great night, about being with family and friends, and I’ve got some photos of it I didn’t use in this exhibition.
“But I was talking to a young bloke out there about what he likes about the footy club, and he just said, ‘where would I be if I wasn’t here with friends enjoying the night? I’d be down at the pub or at home on my own’.
“These clubs are more than just football and netball,” said Ken.
“I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while so I reached out to Mark Le Page (club president) and asked if I could do a series on the club and he said ‘sure’.
“I went to about 60% of the games last year and to some of their functions and meetings. They forgot I was even there after a while which was good.
“The only thing I haven’t got in the exhibition is the netball and there’s a lot in that too, but the way I did it with the footballers, in and around them, it wouldn’t really have worked.”
But that said, the images are exceptional and really encapsulate the story of an unpretentious sporting club, right in the sweet spot of what country footy clubs are all about.
The Stony Creek footy club hasn’t got a town to speak of to rally around it.
There isn’t a great population base to call on for players and supporters or obvious business operators to provide sponsorship, although plenty do.
But there’s been a premiership win every generation or so to stoke the fires and the club has made great strides in recent years improving the oval and facilities for players and spectators.
Although, much to Ken Spence’s delight, the players’ clubrooms resemble more someone’s loungeroom than the sort of concrete bunker you’d expect to find.
“That all adds to it,” he said.
“Initially I was most interested in capturing the excitement of the games, however as I spent more time with the team I began to realise that the Stony Creek football team was much more than just a sporting team. It was a community, a family, and a symbol of resilience,” said Ken in an introduction to the exhibition.
“Through my lens, I witnessed the strong bonds of friendship and support that existed between players, coaches and fans alike. I saw how the team brought people from different walks of life together and united them under a common goal. It was this sense of community engagement and respect that truly captured my attention and inspired me to continue documenting the team’s season.”
Ken has always been a keen photographer, and a member of the Camberwell Photography Club for many years, including as its president but until recently he weaved that interest in and out of a career as a corporate tax and takeover consultant.
Assignments in professional travel photography played second fiddle to his finance work until recently, but he’s full-time in photography these days, taking photos for hotels, travel magazines, landscape and nature photography for the likes of Australian Geographic and also event photography including weddings.
A regular finalist in the Australian Institute of Professional Photography Awards, he won the Victorian Travel Photographer of the Year Award in 2017.
