She becomes only the second female, Helen Bell was the first, to receive the award in the club’s 131-year history.
With her brother David Collins, a former graceful left-handed gun Redbacks batsman, they are now the only sister-brother to be honoured this way by the club.
But life memberships are not new to Judy.
She is also a life member of the Kyabram Football Netball Club.
She becomes the 27th life member of the Kyabram Cricket Club, receiving the award at the club’s premiership celebrations last Thursday night at Hurley’s Hotel, the major sponsor of the club.
Life member Troy Thomson presented a full resume of Judy’s 27 years of tireless, hands-on contributions, but her association goes back to the 1960s and 1970s when she was a keen spectator at Kyabram games when her brother David played for the club.
Judy was a bit shellshocked with the honour which she never saw coming, but said she just ‘‘lives for cricket’’ from which she derived a lot of satisfaction, particularly with her sons Sam and Tim playing with the Kyabram Cricket Club.
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Will Archie Watt be Kyabram’s next product to play at AFL level?
Watt lined-up with the West Coast Eagles’ WAFL side at the weekend in his debut for the club.
He stood out at times with eight handballs and three kicks.
It wasn’t a great start to the new season for West Coast, who lost to Perth 24.9 to 13.10.
I rate Arch as one of the best young players to emerge from Kyabram’s ranks since Brett Deledio, so I hope it’s the start of something big for the talented utility who was a member of the Bombers’ premiership side last year.
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New Benalla Football club coach Nick Pearson hadn’t coached a game of GVL football before last weekend, but has been named as the league coach of this season’s representative side.
Pearson will be in charge of the GVL side which meets the Victorian Amateur Football Association side at Elsternwick Park in Melbourne in July.
Pearson will have Shepparton United coach Trent Freer and line coach Peter Banfield as well as Benalla legend Will Martiniello as support coaches.
Pearson has been coaching in Queensland and is a widely respected coach who is expected to lift Benalla this season, although the Saints were beaten by Seymour convincingly in the opening GVL round over Easter.
An interesting recruit who is expected to give the Saints a huge boost this season is Williamstown midfielder Toby Triffett who has played nearly 100 VFL games.
He didn’t play for Benalla in its opening round loss.
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The result of the GVL 2025 grand final ‘replay’ between Kyabram and Rochester at Kyabram on Good Friday produced a final result almost identical to last year's season decider.
Kyabram won last year's grand final by 29 points and on Friday had a winning margin of 28 points over the Tigers.
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The GVL Board has had a star recruit join its ranks as a board member.
Mark Stevens, a former Shepparton News sports reporter who went on to a media and TV career, has been voted onto the board where his knowledge and experience in the game is expected to be of great value to the league.
Stevens was raised in Shepparton and his mother and sister still live there.
He will remain Melbourne based, but is only a telephone call away when his opinions are required.
He actually attended the Kyabram-Rochester opening round clash at Kyabram on Good Friday along with GVL president Peter Foott.
Foott said Stevens will work with his board on high-level communication and stakeholder matters in the GVL’s move to a stand-alone league competition from next season.
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