BRIAN Jacobson, who passed away two weeks ago, aged 76, will be remembered as a legend in local football and cricket circles – and a devoted family man.

Originally home and schooling was at Coleraine, following which he had a range of jobs including shearing.

Along the way he met Cheryl Picken. They married in 1971 and moved to Casterton with Brian working for Vicroads in Hamilton.

Their two children, Darren and Robert, were born while in Casterton.  

They subsequently moved to Hamilton in 1980 and had resided here for 45 years when Brian retired.

Brian played around 250 games of football with Konongwootong, Harrow and Pigeon Ponds, before he took up umpiring at age 26 in 1972.

 He started his umpiring career as a central umpire in the Mininera and District Football League.

 His first two games on the same day were a one-umpire system, officiating the under-16s and the reserves at the old Lake Bolac football ground.

 He was under the watchful eye of his great mate Graeme Hamilton, who umpired the seniors that day.

 That same day Brian arrived home at Casterton at about 11pm to be greeted by Cheryl.

 For some reason she thought he must have umpired at South Melbourne to get home so late, because back in those days it was about the only ground in Victoria that had lights to umpire under.

Brian’s first senior game as a central umpire was between East Gambier and Penola, still in the one-umpire system.

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 BRIAN was a central umpire for 15 years and then took up goal umpiring at age 41.

He had held numerous committee and executive positions with the Western District Umpires Association, including selector and coordinator of the body’s social and fundraising events for some 20 years.

 His lowlights were mainly the illness and injury that caused him to miss three seasons.

 The real highlight, Brian once told the Spec, was the enjoyment and camaraderie he got from umpiring, as well as the friends he made over the years.

Wife Cheryl has some stories to tell about Brian’s umpiring antics over the years.

“You could write a book about him,” she said in an interview coinciding with a 1000 milestone.

 After one grand final she commented to Brian on the Sunday morning that he was up bright and early to go to the toilet.

 It took some years for Cheryl to discover, from overhearing an umpire named Craig, that Brian was actually just getting home at 6am.

 The second story also involves a Mininera grand final where, following some quiet drinks with a fellow umpire, they both fell asleep talking to each other, only to be awakened by Cheryl.

 Rumour has it, she recalled, that the fellow umpire went home and put his dinner in the microwave to warm it up, only to realise it was a salad.

Brian was the number one goal umpire in many WBFL eyes for many years.

 When he hit the ground on match day, he was a man of concentration and knew what it took to do it well.

 He was respected for his knowledge of goal umpiring and regularly coached and mentored younger and older umpires.

Football highlights

• Life membership with the WDUA

• Won a “golden whistle” in the umpires association (for the most outstanding umpire during the year)

• Goal umpired five WBFL senior grand finals and three senior interleague games

• “Flagged” his 1000th game with son, Darren, in the middle

• Umpires’ best clubman award in 1992

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AND then there was Brian’s love of cricket.

He was a life member of the Hamilton & District Cricket Association.

He umpired for many years and accepted the role of president of the HDC Umpires Association in 2008.   

According to fellow cricket umpire, Allan Flavel, he regularly held leadership positions with this body but never put his name forward to do senior games, preferring minor grades where he believed better social skills made for more enjoyable afternoons.       

Allan remembered Brian used to play with North Hamilton and City 11, took up cricket umpiring in the mid- 90s and finally retired around 2016.