From hay carter to headline creator

For most of society, storytelling and opinions are pretty much kept to the sanctuary of family dinners, sporting changerooms and — in more modern times — the occasional Facebook rant.

Gus has shared his opinions and his stories with a much larger audience since he was a teenager, sometimes celebrated for his brave and clever reporting, while also being occasionally berated by those who may not share the same opinion on a certain subject — particularly when it comes to sport.

Not much stirs the emotions more than the words of a scribe who rates a sporting performance lower than that particular sportsperson viewed it.

If the test of time is any measure, there have been many more in the affirmative column in relation to their acceptance of the lifelong sporting enthusiast’s judgment than there have been at the opposite end of the spectrum.

There has been nothing anonymous about Gus Underwood, his face generally accompanies his columns, which have carried titles such as Talking Sport with Garry Underwood, In the World of Sport with Garry Underwood or, since 1970, Gus Underwood’s Sporting Snapshots.

While most of us age out of sight, photographed only for the purpose of family portraits or special occasions, an image of Gus with a phone in his left hand (and a pen in the other, no doubt) — along with a serious look on his face — has been a staple for readers since the 1960s.

The photos Kyabram historian Eileen Sullivan has been able to uncover date back to 1964, then flow through the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and into the 21st century.

Gus has been the one constant at the Free Press throughout this incredible age of change and rarely missed a trick in regard to the latest century maker or star recruit for the region’s sporting teams.

Close friend and colleague of 40-plus years Ian Purdey was on his way in the door of the Free Press as Gus was walking out of it.

The pair formed a strong partnership after Gus returned to the business when Brian Meldrum (younger brother of Molly) was recruited to the Sun newspaper in the 1970s.

They worked together for the next 39 years, Mr Purdey moving from accounts and advertising to become the manager in 1984.

Mr Purdey stayed connected to the Free Press as a director until 2015, instrumental in locking away what was a ‘lifetime’ deal as a contractor for his close friend and fellow newsman.

Mr Purdey said this of his former editor:

“I started the day Gus left, on June 10, 1965.

“We had a unique working relationship. Gus returned to the typewriter after five years hard toil replacing Brian Meldrum, who had scored a job at the Sun.

“He became editor in 1984, the same day I became manager. And the day I retired, in April 2009, Gus also ‘retired’ as editor and became a contractor, which he still is today.

“An exceptional wordsmith, Gus really started his journalistic career while at Kyabram High School — contributing the school cricket notes under the nom de plume of ‘Gus’.

“His ability to capture the events of the local sporting scene saw the Free Press regarded for many years as ‘the best coverage of local sport in country Victoria’.

“We also became known as a nursery for producing cadet journalists who went on to establish themselves in the media across Victoria. Jo Lyon, Geoff Adams, Lisa Ryan, Angela Barlow, Grant Payne, Geoff McGowan and Michael Maskell are just a few success stories that commenced their careers under the editorship of Gus.

“Work experience contributors Gen Lally, Kristen Hilton and Cameron Smith also come to mind as people who got a start using the columns of the Free Press.

“One quick story to finish. All court cases were covered by our paper up until the 1990s. People loved their name in the paper, but not in the court briefs.

“One well-known local stormed into our office after his name appeared on the front page, in a court case, telling Gus and I that our lives were in jeopardy!

“Gus calmly informed our intrepid reader that he was lucky that his name only appeared, as we were unable to find a photo of him to go with the story.”

The same man who now brings us Around the Traps has weaved his masterful writing techniques under a variety of catchy column titles, including one from 1961: Garry Underwood Looks Through the Kyabram Key Hole (see the attached graphic).

Industrious Kyabram historian and life-long associate of the Free Press legend Eileen Sullivan was a key player in the development of today’s article.

It doesn’t take a lot to send her scurrying through her impressive array of files, but for an old friend she went the extra yard.

She sifted through years of Free Press editions from the 1960s and 1970s to collect early photographs of the now 80-year-old scribe.

One of those discoveries was a full-page article that was contributed by Gus while he was on his sabbatical from journalism. It was called ‘The Saga of Speedy Quicksilver’.

It was from a time when he had exchanged a business shirt for a short-sleeve football jumper and was lifting hay bales on to the back of a truck instead of running butcher’s paper through the platen (roller) of his Olivetti typewriter.

And who was Speedy Quicksilver? A big-talking and muscle-bound short-time employee of Gus’ hay-carting business.

The story has all the hallmarks of a Gus Underwood yarn — fluent, witty and quite easy to picture in your mind as he describes the frustration of dealing with a work companion that over-promised and under-delivered.

That was never, and still isn’t, a trait of Gus Underwood’s.

To that end we celebrate the 80th birthday of a man who has contributed so much to the Kyabram community and rarely goes anywhere without his ear being kept firmly to the floorboards for any addition to his weekly contribution.

Whether that be from the sanctuary of an air-conditioned vehicle while watching a summer sport, in conversation with one of his long-time harness racing contacts while putting his Sulky Shorts column together or from the lofty heights of the timekeeper’s box at the Kyabram Recreation Reserve.

Happy 80th, Gus.

• As for his five favourite stories, here’s what Gus had to say.

“Selecting what I deem as the best and most enjoyable sports stories I have written in my time involves a bit of self-indulgence.

“My mission as a journalist has always revolved around being informative and entertaining, and in 60 years a lot has happened in Kyabram‘s sporting scene.

“Of the thousands of sports stories I have covered in my time, those that stick in my mind include:

“1. Being lucky enough to be coach of the Kyabram Football Club thirds when they caused a major upset in winning the 1983 GVL premiership. Garry Lyon was the headline act in that side but every player made a contribution to cause the massive upset.

“2. Melbourne Country Cricket Week in 2002 also rates highly on my list of favourite stories down the years. That was when the former Kyabram and District Cricket  Association beat all the heavyweights of Victoria country cricket to claim the coveted Provincial Group crown, the first and only title the former KDCA won at the elite level of country cricket.

“Again, not wearing only my journo hat but also being president of the KDCA at the time made it an even more special win.

“3. Being involved in the visit of Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Danny O’Brien to his home town of Kyabram with the 2019 Melbourne Cup won by Vow And Declare was a gesture the town and district fully embraced, and provided Australian and world-wide publicity for the town.

4. Covering stories of Kyabram’s Marathon Man, Keith Marshall, was always rewarding because you had to appreciate what he went through and the commitment and sacrifices he had make to fulfil his feats of endurance. Will always treasure the memory of one Westfield Melbourne to Sydney run in which he ran past several contestants over the concluding stages to finish fourth after being near the rear of the field for most of the way.

5. Major upgrades and new sporting facilities in the town, such as the Wilf Cox Community Complex, the Showgrounds Sports Stadium, the installation of a state-of-the-art lighting system at the Kyabram Recreation Reserve and, more recently, the additions of the catering facilities at the Parkland Golf Club have all been vital assets to the town’s progress.