The eighteen year old Ron Bayens made the first of his 184 appearances for Subiaco in 1969 at centre half back, ironically against South Fremantle. Ironically, because he had originally signed with the Bulldogs two years previously, and had always been a South supporter.Bayens had come under the notice of South Fremantle while playing for Hilton Park Junior Football Club about 1965. Later, when playing for  Wongan Hills senior team at the age of sixteen, a visit to the wheatbelt town with a form four by South’s coach John Todd had accomplished it's mission, resulting in the promising Bayens being signed to Souths.Ron Bayens started his junior career at the football nursery of Palmyra, where the roll call of past players looks like a who's who of stars, getting his first taste of  football by being a member of an undefeated Premiership team in 1960 as a ten year old. Later he played  with Hilton Park for five years. A move to Wongan Hills by his family saw the young Ron in the senior grade, before attending Northam Senior High School and lining up with the school side.Commencing as a trainee teacher Bayens moved to the city, starting pre-season training in 1969 with Souths .However new coach Hassa Mann was trumped by Subiaco’s Haydn Bunton when a swap was arranged and Ron continued playing  but now at Subiaco Oval. An injury to Peter Eakins gave him his opportunity in league football. “ I was a rawboned eighteen year old. It was a lifelong dream to play league footy and to be  alongside stars like Sarre, Robertson, and Bunton. It was hard not to be over awed,” Bayens recalled.In and out of the first eighteen for his first year or two, Bayens emerged in 1973 as a centre half forward of class. A strong competitor and team man, Bayens was a good exponent of the drop punt, a reliable mark, and was a part of Subiaco's forward line in their assault on the 1973 flag, the thirty two point grand final win over West Perth breaking a forty nine year drought. He was at centre half forward for Western Australia when they defeated South Australia at Subiaco Oval in July of that year.He played three more times for his State four years later. “ I played on Bruce Doull when we played Victoria,” he recalled. “ I took a few marks, and each time I could feel Doull go whooshing by, so I was ready for whatever may come. I copped David Dench , so it was never easy against the Vics.”Midway through the 1978 season, Subiaco had a cleanout of players. At the age of twenty eight, the man who just a year previously had been selected three times for Western Australia was told he wasn't a required player at Subiaco.“ We were going awfully,  and it was devastating at the time,” Bayens said. “ but a call from Brownie at Souths was reassuring, and so I decided to give the Bulldogs a try.” And so after originally signing and training with the red and whites thirteen years previously, he eventually got to play with them for part of the 1978 season.During seven games with South Fremantle in 1978, including a final, Ron developed the seventies version of osteopubisdisease. The following season, he acted as a runner with Subiaco coach Peter Burton. In 1980 he resumed playing with amateur side South Perth and reserves with eventual Premiers, South Fremantle. The next year he returned to the Lions, where he played his final four games of league football.A teacher, Bayens was posted to Carnamah in 1982, and was promptly appointed as playing coach of the local side, before a transfer to Tincurran in 1984 saw him take on the playing coach's role for  Wickepin Football Club. It was an incident at training one night at the local oval that Bayens got that flash of realisation that sooner or later comes to every footballer. “ It was during a regulation training drill,” Ron laughed. “ I was making a run with the ball and one of the local blokes came from a mile behind and caught me easily. I thought right then and there: I'm too bloody slow to be still playing this game.”Back in Perth and looking for an easier pastime, Ron lined up with Wembley in the Seniors Association, and was picked in the Western Australian side.It was in 1986 that Ron Bayens turned to umpiring. “ I had not thought about  umpiring while playing but I thought I would give it a go,” he said. “ Surprisingly it was something I enjoyed doing.” Ron became a member of the league umpires panel in 1991 and officiated in fifteen league games thus gaining entry to the prestigious “200 game club”, He was appointed for a three year stint as Regional Development Officer in 1995, and was involved in, among other things, accreditation courses for coaches.Ron reckoned that ex North Melbourne defender Peter Steward was the toughest man he had to play on. “I couldn't get a handle on him,”he conceded. Cam Blakemore, Brian Sarre, and Gary Buckenara  were his nominations for best teammates. Stephen Michael “wide array of skills..a complete footballer,” and Maurice Rioli, “tough, skilful and fast,” were great Souths team mates.“When Brian Seirakowski joined Subiaco from St Kilda in 1972, he brought a big, black dog to training and chained him to a jumper rack on wheels,” Ron went on. “When  Serra ran onto Subiaco Oval one Sunday morning , the dog gave a delighted bark and proceeded to bound after his master, still chained to the rack down the narrow players’ race.”All fortunate enough to witness the sight were in fits of laughter.“Then there was Peter Burton,” Ron said. “ Peter was a “wag”, One of his tricks occurred when a player celebrated a milestone game. As befitting the moment, the feted player always  led the team out at the beginning of the game and proudly commenced running  around Subiaco Oval in front of a big crowd applauding their new star. On turning around he realised he was by himself on the wide expanses of Subiaco Oval. His ”team mates” were clapping politely near the changerooms.”These days Ron Bayens is a golfing”hacker”, (his description), trying to master Melville Glades, is a keen swimmer, and coaches a girls hockey team. “My daughter, Jessica, volunteered my services,” was his  explanation. He also enjoys spending time with his two girls, Sarah and Jessica, and wife Helen, doing some travel when they can. A “long suffering” Fremantle Docker member, he also likes to keep up with the Lions, with whom he is a life member.A modest man, Ron Bayens underplays the contribution he made to the Subiaco side of 1973. “ I was fortunate enough to play with a lot of great players,” he says. Which is fair comment, but 191 league games and four State games plus fifteen league umpiring appointments is a pretty fair achievement in this writers' book. He was also selected in a “best ever” Subiaco side of the years 1946-76 by a specially selected Subiaco Football Club panel in 1976.