The YJFL is very proud to announce that Life Member Lawrie Barnett has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the Australia Day Honours List.
As a teenager Lawrie was a founding member of the Hawthorn-Kew Pedal Club and later the Balwyn Pedal Club during the mid 1950’s. Pedal Clubs were formed in most Melbourne suburbs to get children together under adult supervision for various healthy activities and competitions on most Saturdays.
He then became involved with Involved with Doncaster Little Athletics in 1979. He was Club and Centre President from 1981 – 1987, coached Relay teams from 1981 – 2017, organised and attended exchange visits for junior athletes with Bankstown Athletics Centre in Bankstown NSW in 1985 – 1986. He was Eastern Metropolitan Region Treasurer for 1982 – 1995, General Announcer and Presentations Announcer at Region and State Championships since 1982.
At the association level – now Little Athletics Victoria, he was a member of the Public Relations Committee 1984-1985 and then Competition Director 1987-1989. Lawrie was Convenor of the Australian Little Athletics Championships in Melbourne 1993. He was the Assistant Manager of the Victorian Team for the Australian National Championships in Perth1992. Lawrie was a Parent/Coach at Victoria Little Athletics Association Coaching Camps for 20 years from 1986. The camps averaged 100 participants each year.
In recognition of Lawrie’s contributions to Little Athletics Victoria he was appointed a Life Governor.in 1995. He has also been appointed Life Member of Doncaster Little Athletics Lions Club, Doncaster Little Athletics Centre and Little Athletics Eastern Metropolitan Region.
Lawrie has had a long association with junior football. From 1980-1982 he co-ordinated the Doncaster Primary School Saturday morning football skills clinics now known as Auskick.
From 1981-1996 he was Match Manager for Fitzroy Lions Little League at VFL/AFL venues.
From 1997-2019 he was Match Manager/Co-ordinator for Adelaide Crows and other AFL Clubs a total of 39 years.. From 1982-1987 he was manager for East Doncaster Junior teams and from 1988-1993 coached East Doncaster and Beverley Hills Junior Football Club teams.
From 1990 – 2004 Lawrie coached several Interleague and Victorian Metropolitan teams including taking 3 teams to play in Nauru in 1995, 1998 and 2000, and 1 team to Alice Springs in 2001. He coached the VFA under 12 representative teams from 1990 – 1995 and was Assistant coach for the Under 14 Schoolboys Teams at Oakleigh Chargers, Eastern Ranges and Dandenong Stingrays from 1996 – 2000. He has also been an organiser of the YJFL Under 8 and Under 9 days for 24 years.
Lawrie also umpired in the Doncaster Junior Football League and then the Yarra Junior Football League for over thirty years. Lawrie is still umpiring junior games for the Yarra Junior Football League with over 1400 games during a 31year period beginning in 1989.Through his printing business he has also sponsored the YJFL in recent years.
The remarkable service Lawrie has provided to junior football resulted in Lawrie being granted Life Membership of the Yarra Junior Football League and the Yarra Junior Umpires Association.
The YJFL would like to congratulate Lawrie for this recognition of his outstanding contribution to sport over a lifetime. Always cheerful, always helpful, Lawrie is a deserving recipient of this high award.
Lawrie’s full list of achievements can be found here on the Honours List Facility.
