The name of Giblett is synonymous with the Manjimup and Bridgetown districts. One Tree Bridge and Fonty's Pool are just two famous landmarks in the area that largely owe their existence to the pioneering Giblett family, while one of the main streets in the town keeps the name in perpetuity, ensuring the legacy of the Giblett family will not be forgotten.   They were a hardy mob, and the grandson of a bullock driver, Ray Giblett was no exception.  A tough, strong, half back, who knew no fear, Ray Giblett played ninety one games for East Perth between 1959 and 1965, was a premiership player who represented Western Australia in a “second side” in 1961, and later coached the club, after learning the trade in Tasmania and New South Wales.  Ray Giblett is one of the most unassuming characters you would be likely to meet.  Listen to him and you would come away with the impression that the bloke was an ordinary player who over achieved. But talk to teammates “Dobbie” Graham and Laurie Kennedy, who should know, with 424 games of league football between them, and they will tell you different.  “There was no way I thought I could break into the East Perth side in 1959,” Ray told us. “Ned Bull copped a crook knee after I'd played seven ordinary reserves games, and I took his place. Never got a kick in the first one, was surprisingly selected again the following week, with much the same result, then the third week I lined up in the centre against one of the toughest centremen ever, Kevin Clune from Claremont.” “After that I couldn't believe my luck to be in the selected side on the Thursday night, on a half back flank. It wasn't until some years later that I was told that coach Jack Sheedy always gave his new young players a few weeks to settle down.” Giblett went on to become a member of the East Perth premiership side that year.    Ray Giblett was a promising junior player, and was selected in the Warren District schoolboys side for a match at Donnybrook, along with another youngster of note, John Todd, from Deanmill. “John was an outstanding player, even then,”said Ray. Furthering his education at Denmark Agricultural College, Giblett played with Jardee seniors on his return, and was part of a premiership. With a few of his mates playing at Deanmill, Ray wasn't sure  where to continue his career, Jardee or Deanmill, with his father's advice being: “If you want to learn the game, stay with Jardee, if you want to play with a good mob of blokes, go to Deanmill.”  He went to Deanmill. His league career began with similar uncertainty. Lining up in three scratch matches in 1959 with Perth,(they were paying me five pounds petrol money each week, so why not?), he and fellow Manjimup player “Dobbie” Graham ran into another local in Charlie Walker, who was playing for East Perth. As  they walked off the ground, Walker asked Giblett and Graham what they were doing. When told they hadn't yet signed anything, and no one at Perth had shown much interest, Walker ushered the pair upstairs, where they were joined by reigning Sandover Medallist, Ted “Square” Kilmurray.  “For an impressionable country boy, it was a bit daunting, with Kilmurray telling us we'd played well, and Strempel wanting us to sign up,” Ray recalled. “We both committed to the Royals, and, nothing against Perth, it was the best thing we could have done, considering the comaraderie we have enjoyed over many years and continuing today, with some champion players and people.”    After his memorable debut year, Giblett was struck down by hepatitus early in 1960. Expecting to miss a season's football, he joined the East Perth club on it's mid season Eastern States trip, and played in a couple of games. Resuming in the league side afterward, he played in a losing grand final, against West Perth. Selected in a WA second side against Essendon in 1961, he once again was a member of a losing grand final, this time against Swan Districts. It was to be his last grand final with the Royals league side. A cartilege injury forced him out of the majority of the 1962 season, and proved to be the forerunner of a series of spells on the sidelines, including the cartilege on his other knee. It resulted in Giblett asking Kevin Murray, who was coaching East Perth in 1965, if he could see out the year in the reserves, which resulted in a premiership in that grade.  Giblett decided a change would be a good idea in 1966, and almost went to Fitzroy with Murray, but was enticed to West Torrens in the SANFL, where he played for a season. Offered the job as playing coach with Tasmanian club, Sandy Bay, he moved to the Apple Isle for three years. “It was a terrific three years, it's a nice part of the world down there,”he said. Sandy Bay made the finals in his third year at the helm. Appointed coach of Kedron Bay in Queensland in 1970, Giblett stopped over at Broken Hill, where his wife's parents lived, and was talked into staying at the mining city, where he was quickly snapped up by West Broken Hill, where he stayed for two years before transferring to South Broken Hill for a further two year period.  “I was in Perth on holiday in 1974, and was having a yarn and a few drinks with a couple of East Perth committeemen when word came through that Kevin Murray had been unable for personal reasons to take up the club's coaching position after being appointed to the job,” Ray said. “One of them quipped: “it's OK, we've got Gibbo standing by,” to which there was much laughter.  Lo and behold, next day I was contacted by the club asking if I was available for an interview, with the result that I walked out with a two year contract to coach the East Perth Football Club.” Following the exit of the Royals in the first semi final of 1975, Giblett returned to Broken Hill, where he became a radio commentator and special comments man, and later had another stint at coaching, this time with North Broken Hill, taking the club to a flag. Retiring for two years, he was lured back to North with just a year in mind, but a petition persuaded him to stay another season.    He named Barry Cable and Billy Walker as hardest opponents, with “Polly” Farmer in a class of his own as best team mate, with honourable mentions to Neil Hawke, “Dobbie” Graham, and Jack Sheedy.   One Tree Bridge near Manjimup was formed by the felling of a karri tree over the Donnelly River by the Giblett brothers  in 1904. Resisting bush fires for forty two years before being mostly swept away by the floods of Sixty Six, the bridge epitomised the spirit of the pioneering Gibletts, Muirs, Brockmans and others. Ray Giblett played the game as tough as that karri tree, in a fashion that would have won the approval of his pioneering forebears.