In the beginning...
It was shortly after East Fremantle beat cross town rivals, South in a Derby Grand Final at Subiaco Oval in 1979 that a group of unaligned Media individuals gathered to find a better way to impart a joint voice for those covering the code.
Old East’s had prevailed in that match before a crowd of 52,781 fans crammed – mainly standing – into Subiaco Oval. Packed to its limits, in the Media box, at the rear of the old members stand, it was much the same.
In those days there were four AM radio stations broadcasting WANFL matches, ABC, 6PR, 6IX and 6PM (now FM 92.9), each with two commentators, a comments man and technician, and an around-the-grounds commentator at all grounds providing progressive reports, along with newspaper match reporters, their offsiders and TV crews all vying for the limited work space in the Media facilities.
The Sunday Times, Sunday Independent and Weekend News all published special Saturday evening editions within an hour the final siren. Each newspaper engaged a match reporter plus an assistant. There was also The West Australian and Daily News. Then throw in Ch 7, Ch 2 and time keepers . . . all adding up to a very tight fit.
Although the Subiaco facilities were a touch better than those at other league grounds in those days, and later saw big improvements post venue re-developments, Media boxes at most venues, with a couple of exceptions, were generally extremely sub-standard. There seemed little interest from home clubs to make improvements. It wasn’t uncommon to turn up to a ground and find vandals had destroyed phone lines, as most facilities were insecure and open to week day intruders.
It took a long time for the Media accommodation situation to undergo modest improvements despite constant deputations from the Guild. Extract from FMG Minutes, August 8, 1989 in reference to the Subiaco facility: “In the Press section of the Media box there are 13 writers in an area 13ft (4.9m)”
The Guilds formation meeting in October 1979, held in the old members bar at Subiaco Oval, was attended by Geoff Christian (The West Australian), George Grljusich (ABC), Bob Cribb (Sunday Independent/6PR), Alan East (The Sunday Times/Westside Football), Colin Hopkins (The West Australian), Peter Poat (Sunday Independent/Westside Football), Frank Sparrow (Ch 7/6IX), Allan Stiles (6PM), Robbie Burns (Daily News/Weekend News), Robert Bennett (Sunday Times), Ken Casellas (The West Australian), Colin Hopkins (The West Australian), Bob Shields (ABC), Rex Hill (Sunday Times), Tim Flynn (6PM) and statistician Peter Phillips.
Although inadequate working conditions were largely responsible for the creation of the Guild, there were other facets’ which the founders determined would be better served by a unified voice.
The Guild got under way formally at the start of the 1980 season and it wasn’t long before it had attracted more than 110 members.
President: Adam Papalia
Vice President: Ryan Daniels
Treasurer: Richard Camm
Secretary: Frizz Ferguson
Committee: Allan Stiles, John Townsend, Steve Allen, Paddy Sweeney, Ben Cameron, Mitchell Turner
Geoff Christian (1980-1981)*: Our first president was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Guild. He had excellent connections to footballs hierarchy and held particular status with the then WANFL. He started as a football scribe with The West Australian in 1952 and by 1961 he was appointed the papers chief football writer, a role he held until his retirement in the late 1980’s. He was a member of the ABC’s Saturday Sportstalk program for 14 years until just prior to his death in November 1998. He is a member of the WA Football Hall of Fame and one of only five West Australian Media inductees into the AFL Hall of Fame.
Alan East (1982-1983)*: Another driving force behind the establishment of the Guild, went on to serve in many roles, including secretary from 2007 til 2009. He joined The West football team in the mid 1970’s after stints in London and Collie. He later moved to The Sunday Times, was a co-founder of Westside Football with Peter Poat and was the inaugural sporting editor of the Western Mail in 1980 as well as being on the editorial team of the Football Budget and a match reporter for 6PR. He authored and edited a number of football publications. He passed away in January 2018.
Frank Sparrow (1984-1985)*: Became the first former WANFL player to be elected Guild president. He played 163 games with East Perth from 1943, 51 with Swans, 6 with West Perth and represented WA 17 times. He retired from coaching West Perth in 1957 and immediately began a long Media career as a radio commentator with 6PR and 6IX. He chaired Ch. 7’s World of Football for 13 years and finally hung up the microphone in 1995 after calling the first eight years of AFL football in Perth, often travelling East to call games. It bought to a close over fifty years of football involvement at top level. The broadcast Centre at Subiaco Oval was named in his honour. He passed away in December 2000.
John O’Connell (1986-1987): Another Guild president who joined the Media after a stellar playing career. He played 156 games in two stints with Claremont interrupted by 81 games with Geelong (including 1956 and 57 VFL finals), plus 11 state games stretching from 1950 to 1963. He became a radio commentator shortly after, and went on to call games for 6PM, 6KY, ABC and 6NR. He resigned from the Guild presidency mid 1987 to take up the role of WAFL General Manager, a post he held for five years. In 2004 he was awarded the Guilds Phil Matson Legends Award for 50 years service to the game.
John Campbell (1987-1988)* More commonly known as “Todge” was a tireless worker for the Guild in its formative years, he took charge of the Media Social Room in our first headquarters at Subiaco Oval for the first decade. Playing in the underage competition with East Perth during the Second World War, he captained the side in 1943 and was F&B the following year. He joined the Daily News shortly after as a sporting photographer and was responsible for many iconic football photos over a long career.
Peter Poat (1989-1990): Commenced writing football in Bunbury, before moving to Perth where he led the Sunday Independent football team from 1979, later joining the Sunday Times. Wrote and edited the WA Football Register from 1972 until 1987 He was co-founder of the popular weekly Westside Football in 1979, started the WA Football Statistical Service, which included on-air updates on 6NR, contributed to the Football Budget and other magazines. Following his presidency, he continued for many years on the committee and was treasurer from 2002 to 2005.
Gary Stocks (1991-1992): Started with the Albany Advertiser in 1977, before moving the Western Mail for a short stint in 1981, prior to joining Westside Football for three years to hone his talents to join The West Australian in 1984, where he worked on the football team for 17 years, which included the birth of the West Coast Eagles. What he regards as his “dream Job” started in 2000 when he joined the Eagles as their Communications Manager. In that role he has written and edited a number of publications and books. As well as his Guild presidency he served as treasurer in 1986-87.
John McGrath (1993-1994): The first of two successive Guild Presidents to enter Parliament (2005-2021), started a long career with The West Australian in the 1950’s during which time he spent periods as chief football writer and sports editor. He covered 13 AFL grand finals and won awards for covering other sports, which added to his AFL Best News Story Award in 1993 and two successive the Alan Newman Best Feature Story Awards in 2003 and 2004. He later played an important role, while in Government, with the development of Perth Stadium, pushing for the Burswood location.
Trevor Sprigg (1995-1996)*: With McGrath, entered State Parliament in 2005 and passed away in office in January 2008. His involvement in football spanned 45 years, beginning as a 18-year-old with East Fremantle in 1965, going on to play 151 games in two stints. In 1969 he moved to Tasmania to captain-coach Glenorchy where he won the States top award the William Leach medal. He represented WA five times and Tasmania ten. He was chairman of selectors for the 1992 West Coast premiership team. His Media career included radio – 6PR, 6NR, ABC – television ABC and Ch. 7 and newspaper , the Sunday Times. He was still on the Guild committee at the time of his sudden death and his funeral at his beloved East Fremantle Oval, where his ashes are scattered, was attended by 1250 people in January 2008. Our former bar at our Subiaco headquarters was named in his memory in 2008.
Allan Stiles (1997-1998): Another Guild President who entered the Media following a league football career. He played 150 games for Perth between 1966-75. He won the Prendergast Medal (reserves competition) in 1968 and the 1970 Simpson Medal when WA narrowly beat South Australia. His Media roles included stints with 6PM, 6NR and Ch. 7 Following his presidency, he took on the role of Guild Treasurer in 2006 and still held the post in 2022. For many years he was host at the Guild’s Media room at Subiaco Oval. He has served several posts with the Perth Football Club and unsuccessfully stood for the role of WA Football Commissioner in 2020. He is also a WAFC and Perth Football Club Life Member and Demons Club Legend (2009).
Phil Lamb (1999-2000): Following a 227 game career with Subiaco between 1976 and 1987, which included the ’86 Grand final, he took on a match reporter role with 6PR in 1988. He joined 6NR in 1990 for five seasons as a match commentator, which included regular trips to Melbourne to call West Coast Eagles games. In 1997 joined the ABC, where he called both radio and live WAFL telecasts until 2014. He was a state selector between 1997-2010. Chairman of selectors Subiaco 1995-96. Retiring from the Media, he retained a close interest with the Subiaco FC and since 2004 has been a member of the WAFL Match Review Panel. In late 2020 was appointed to the West Australian Football Commission for a three year term to continue a 45 year involvement in the game. He is a WAFC Life Member.
Tracey Lewis (2001-2002)*: Our first – and only - female president, started with the weekly Westside Football in the mid 1990’s. She than began a two decade involvement with the WAFL match-day Football Budget, serving as editor for much of that period. While in that role, she also served as WAFL media manager for a three year period. Three years after stepping down as Guild president she took on the role of secretary, to assist her husband Ross who had taken on the presidency. Her incredible popularity in the sporting world was testified when huge numbers turned out for her funeral after she died , aged 46, in December, 2020.
Karl Langdon (2003-2004): Began his football career with Subiaco in 1986 and was part of their premiership team that year in only his fourth league game. After playing in their losing grand final team the following year, he was drafted by the West Coast Eagles and debuted in 1988. He was a flamboyant half-forward and played 100 games with the Eagles, including their historic first ever premiership side in 1992. A knee injury the following year sidelined him for the entire 1993 season. Post football he took to radio like a duck to water and has worked at 6PR as a commentator and critic continuously since.
Ross Lewis (2003-2004):A football Journalist with The West Australian, AAP and The Sunday Times from 1987 to 2009 before taking on the Seven West Media’s on-line sports editor role. Kept his hand in writing for the WAFL Football Budget while perusing other interests. When his wife Tracey ascended to the Guild presidency in 2000, he made it a family affair by serving as Guild secretary. He also won the Guild’s Best AFL News Story Award in 2006 and was a seven-time winner of the Best WAFL Story. In 2011 he collected the Best Overall Online Performer and Best Online News Story.
Steve Lague (2007-2008): A member of The West Australian’s football writers team between 1997 and 2004 covering both the WAFL and AFL competitions. He did occasional stories for Westside Football and comments for 6PR. Won the Jack Lee Best News Story awards in 1990 and 1991 and also the Bernie Kirwan-Ward Award in 1991. In 1997 he won an award for the best story involving Subiaco, his club of choice. He has a long history as coach and committeeman in Amateur football ranks with the North Beach Football Club.
In 2010 the Guilds constitution was amended to allow presidents to stand for five years in place of the restricted two year terms which had been set in the Guild’s first two Constitutions. The 2018 revision has deleted any time limit.
Tim Gossage (2009-2011): Joined Ch 10 Perth in 1990 as their nightly sports news presenter, a role he held for 31 years until 2020. He combined this with radio stints on Hot FM, Racing Radio, Nova 937 and 6IX. In 2009, he briefly headed up the 3AW (Melbourne) football coverage. He has also worked as a commentator and boundary rider on Ch 10 and Fox Sports, commentating on AFL games involving the Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles. For several years he hosted The Western Front, a half-hour TV show highlighting all aspects of WA football, which over its life developed a colt following. He is currently a member of the SEN Perth radio team. He has also been a host of Sandover Medal presentations.
Clint Wheeldon (2012): After stints with several Sydney radio stations and NSW’s Ch 10's Sports Tonight, he moved to Perth and worked as a sports reporter and presenter for Ch 10. In 2007, he joined the ABC Grandstand team in Perth, calling AFL and WAFL matches. He also presents Perth's two local ABC programs, Sports Talk and Sports Extra. He has called six AFL grand finals between 2014 and ‘21 to a National audience and won a number of awards, including the FMG Best Radio commentator .
Basil Zempilas (2014-2017): Our equal longest serving president, played 24 games for West Perth between 1990 and 1994, kicking five goals in a semi final in 1993 before injury forced him into early retirement. He joined Ch 7 in 1994 and presented sport on the stations nightly news. He is also a member of the stations football commentary team. For a period he hosted Basils Footy Show on the station. He has worked on 6PR and FM 92.9 and 1116 SEN (Melbourne) and currently Perths’ Triple M. He has won two major FMG television awards. In 2020 he became the third former Guild president, following John McGrath and Trevor Sprigg, to take on a powerful civic role when he was elected Lord Mayor of Perth.
Adam Papalia (2018-): Another who started his Media involvement writing for Westside Football, before beginning as a sports producer for 6PR in 2007 while at the same time calling WAFL matches for Radio Fremantle. Beginning in 2009, he spent three seasons stationed in Melbourne calling AFL matches for 6PR and from 2012, back in Perth, he continued working with 6PR, where he is the current Sport Director. From 2016 he has also travelled the nation calling games on television for Fox Footy. In 2014 “Paps” was elected vice-president of the Guild and in 2018 ascended to his current role as president.
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