Wahgunyah's Local Legend

When researching family history, there's no doubt that it's great to make big discoveries, such as finding out you are related to Leigh Matthews 😏. But every now and then, as you add to your tree what you think is just another name in just another town, you do a little Google search and discover that he or she is actually a bit of a big deal in their community. And so it was when I was following one of the Davenport family branches recently, and came across a man named John Voss from Wahgunyah. While he might not have been a flying ace in World War Two, or become a ground-breaking surgeon, or even reached the AFL (though he did play footy!), he is one of those well-respected citizens who love their community, the type of person that deserves a shout-out every now and then. 

But first, where does he fit in to my tree? In 1892, John and Elizabeth Davenport's youngest daughter, Louisa Mary (born in 1868, three years after my great-grandmother Florence), married William John Allan from Coimadai near Bacchus Marsh. (Incidentally, just as two Davenports had married two Stones from Mornington, this was the second marriage between the Davenport and Allan families. Frank Davenport, the eldest son in the family, had married William's older sister Elizabeth Jane Allan in 1886). William was a farmer at Coimadai, and at the time was also responsible for opening up antimony deposits in the area. The wedding took place in Ascot Vale at Louisa's sister's house (which I suspect means that it was at my great-grandparents', Florence and Joseph Cowan). The couple lived at Coimadai, and their first child was a son named William John Hutchison Allan (known as John), born 1893. John served in the First World War, and then in 1923 married Elsie May Wright, a girl from Wahgunyah up on the Murray River. They made their home there, John working as a chaffcutting contractor. Of their five children, the middle one was a daughter Monica Elsie Allan, and it was she who met Wahgunyah local John Edwin Voss. 

The first thing I found out about John was his illustrious footy career for Wahgunyah. He began with the club in 1947, and played as a centreman. His picture appeared in the local paper in September 1949, being the winner of an award for the most outstanding performance in the Coreen Football League (see below). Wahgunyah won back-to-back Premierships in that league in 1948-49, before then moving to the Chiltern and District Football League. In 1950 he finished equal runner-up in the club's best and fairest in 1950, before going on to win it for five years in a row from 1951-55. He and Monica marry in 1951 (and John received a crystal lamp as a wedding gift from the club the following year). In April 1954 Voss was trying out for Essendon in the VFL, a newspaper reporting that he 'tries hard.' While he did not make it there, that year back at Wahgunyah the newspaper mentions him starring in a match and said that 'boys, if John has time to coach, you have time to go down [to] training.' At the end of that season Wahgunyah won the 1954 Premiership in the Chiltern and District League, and the league's vice-president said that 'if Wahgunyah had left John Voss at home, the result might have been different.' He was also Secretary of the club that year, while his wife Monica was President of the Ladies' Auxiliary. He became coach (while still playing) the following year. He won the Chiltern league's best and fairest award in 1955 and 1956, before the club returned to the Coreen & District league, where he notched up four more league best and fairest awards (1957, 1961, 1965-66). He coached 1954-56, then again from 1961-64 and again in 1966. He won a sixth B & F in 1957, then incredibly followed up with three more to take his total to nine in 1965, 1967 and 1970, by which stage he must have been around 40 years old if not older. Unsurprisingly, John was afforded life membership of the club!

John also had a passion for tennis. In 1953 he began playing for the Wahgunyah Tennis Club, and the following year was elected 'orgainising secretary' of the club, and would continue to serve on the committee in all executive roles until last year (sometimes he was president, secretary and treasurer all at once), when he finally retired as secretary and treasurer - nearly seven decades of service! He also coordinated senior and junior teams for many years, and was a mentor to many up and coming junior players. He has received Life Memberships of the Corowa and District Tennis Association, Wahgunyah Tennis Club, and North East Regional Tennis Association ('Last Volley for Voss', Corowa Free Press, 28/10/2020).

Voss played a major role in transforming the Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve into a multipurpose sporting facility, and 'ensured a high standard for all facilities dedicating much of his spare time maintaining the grounds and buildings.' Recently the reserve won a $1.2 million boost from the Victorian Government which was helped by John's 'diligent filing and record keeping' that enabled the paperwork to be fast-tracked. He has an oval in the Reserve named after him.

Other accolades include Indigo Shire Volunteer of the Year, but the big one was the Order of Australia Medal which was bestowed upon him in 2013. As well as the oval, a footbridge nearby also bears his name. On 21 August 2013 he was given a tribute night in Corowa, at which Tom Hafey spoke, where he was recognised for his lifetime contribution to the Football Club, Tennis Club and many other community based committees. ('Terrific Tribute to a Legend', Corowa Free Press, 28/8/2013). Today he would almost certainly be into his 90s and as far as I can tell is still going strong!