At the conclusion of each Goulburn Valley Football League grand final, the winning captain holds the premiership trophy high in the air.  That trophy is called the Hastie Cup, named after one of the GVL’s longest serving administrators.

Tom Hastie was a farmer near Tatura and commenced his football career with the Tatura club in 1913.  Unfortunately after his second season with the Bulldogs in 1914, he like many other young players were unable to play the game in a competition as the GVL was forced to go out of existence during the First World War.

At the completion of hostilities Tom was ready and eager to play the game again when the competition was resumed.

He became a prominent centre half back for Tatura in 1920 and captained the team for four years.  Tom also represented the League during that time.

He retired from the game after the 1925 season and immediately began a long association with the administrative arm of the League.

He served as a GVL tribunal member for a total of 37 years and became the League President in 1939.  He strove to maintain high sporting standards.

With the Second World War raging in Europe,  Tom had to deal with abandoning competition from 1941 to 1945.

He was back at the helm when the competition resumed and remained as President until 1964.

As well as football administration Tom took on civic duties as a Councillor for the Rodney Shire for 45 years from 1921 to 1965.  One wonders when he attended to his farm work.

In football, Tom welcomed back to the League the Mooroopna and Shepparton clubs who had been playing in the Wednesday competition. He took much of the credit for the revival and growth of the league during the post war development period.

His contribution to the League was recognised with a Life Membership and following his passing in 1965 the League honoured his memory by naming the premiership trophy the Tom Hastie Cup.

The Shepparton NEWS referred to him as “the grand old man of Goulburn Valley Football”.

The eulogy to Tom in the GV Footballer concluded with the comment “His passing removes a kindly, conscientious personality whose watchword was integrity”.

A fitting tribute to a man who had given so much to the League, a man we are now inducting into the GVL Hall of fame.