In August, 1995, at the age of thirty eight, Ross Ditchburn played his last game for Kukerin. It was almost twenty one years to the day since he kicked seven goals in the grand final of 1974, against Newdegate, as a seventeen year old. As well as twenty eight appearances at Carlton, in which he bagged ninety one goals as well as a premiership, and a hundred and ten games with Claremont, Ditchburn headed the goalkicking in the Central Great Southern League and later the Upper Great Southern League for most of, if not all, the seventeen years he played with Kukerin. In 1991, he booted a record hundred and fifty five goals in the qualifying rounds and added another twenty to that tally in the finals.  His best individual effort was a twenty goals from twenty shots return in a match against Towns.   Two time winner of Kukerin's fairest and best award, plus League fairest and best twice, he was the Caris Medallist as best player in the Great Southern Carnival, captained and coached the State Country side, and as a coach won the prestigious J.J.Leonard Coach of the year trophy. President of the Kukerin- Dumbleyung Football Club for four years, he also served on the WA Country Executive for six years, and is a life member of Carlton and Kukerin- Dumbleyung. Surely one of the most decorated of country players, Ditchburn proved himself at all levels of the game.   Ross Ditchburn was a strong six foot three forward with a straight, penetrating kick and a reliable aerialist . But it was as a centre half back that he made his mark as a junior for Aquinas College.    Captain of Aquinas, he won the fairest and best for the College in 1974, before moving to Claremont the following year, where he played one colts game and three in the reserves before making his first league appearance, at centre half forward. Ditchburn became a regular in the key attacking position for the Tigers, and made the State squad a couple of times, but was unable to force his way into the State side, with his path blocked by players like Adamson, Bayens, Hargrave, Sewell, Sidebottom, and McKay. He was on the shortlist for the 1978 State of Origin inaugural match, but the nod went to Neil Balme. After being part of Claremont's finals disappointments of 1979, when they went out in straight sets, to the Fremantle teams, Ross Ditchburn shocked the Tigers by quitting league football at the end of the 1980 season. “I had played a few years of League, and decided to return to the farm so that my brother John could have a chance,” he recalled, when we spoke with him. John was to play only thirty games with South Fremantle before doing a cartiledge.  “As fate would have it, Claremont took the flag the following year,” he said, ruefully. While Ross was minding the farm and playing at Kukerin, moves were afoot behind the scenes to lure the forward East. “Ken Hunter drummed the Blues up,” he said. VFL Premiers, Carlton, were lacking a presence at full forward, and saw in Ditchburn a possible remedy. After a slow beginning, in which he “did OK” in most of the scratch matches, including a bag of eight in a practice match against Richmond, he struggled at centre half forward in the reserves. Selected in the league side in round six, he got just two kicks before being dragged by coach David Parkin. “I spoke with Parkin later,” he said, “and asked to be switched to goalsneak, as I felt the man on man style of game in the VFL wasn't suiting me.” After a few improved performances in the reserves, at full forward, Ditchburn got another opportunity, this time in front of goal, against Melbourne. A six goal haul that day was followed by twelve against St Kilda, and Carlton were in raptures. “I started on Simon O'Donnell, and maybe it was that performance that convinced him to concentrate on cricket,” Ross laughed. Ditchburn ended the 1982 home and away games with sixty one goals, leading the club's goalkicking list.  Added to the forty five he notched up in the reserves, it was a respectable effort after a slow beginning.  Winning the club's best first year player award, he also became a premiership player when Carlton took the flag again. “I was knocked out at the twenty minute mark and had to ask who won,” he quipped. 1983 turned out to be a tougher assignment. “It was a much wetter year,” Ross recalled. “Although I played in most of the games, I found it much more difficult, rainy days aren't ideal for leading full forwards.” Ditchburn kicked forty six goals for the season, in which he missed some games with injury, and Carlton were bundled out in the preliminary final by Essendon. Football wasn't the only thing on Ditchburn's mind in 1983. His father was becoming increasingly affected by Parkinson's Disease, and at the end of the season Ross returned home to help care for him and run the farm. Carlton's loss was Kukerin's gain, however, and Ross gave them a further twelve years of on field brilliance, followed by a coaching role for another decade, and has done everything for football in the area, from bottle washer to field umpire. When son Troy was born prematurely at King Edward Hospital in Subiaco in 1985, Ross made a dash to Kukerin for the game, and kicked twenty goals. Exactly six years later, on Troy's birthday, he grabbed another twenty. The Ditchburn name is still part of the football scene, with sons Troy and Nathan back at Kukerin after representing South Fremantle and Peel respectively in WAFL ranks. Rod Carter(Sydney) “he always had a firm grip on everything you had on,” Ron Andrews(Essendon), Kelvin Moore(Hawthorn), David Dench(North Melbourne), and Gary Malarkey(Geelong) were his toughest opponents, not a bad group of players to ensure a hard time on a Saturday afternoon, while another champ, Bruce Doull, was his pick as best he played with. Ross shared a yarn about his Claremont days, when the Tigers gave him a brand new football to kick around on the farm, with commitments proving a hamper to a proper training schedule. “I was having a few kicks, when the ball lodged in a tree which I was using as a goal post, and it got stuck.,” he said. “ Ever the thinker, I reached for the .22, and shot a bullet at the branch.  It bisected the football clean as a whistle.” Ross Ditchburn was also a talented cricketer, who could have gone on to higher things in that sport had it not been for an edict by Claremont coach Mal Brown to concentrate on the winter game. A member of the Aquinas first eleven in 1973-74, with Terry Alderman and Peter Spencer as team mates, he played with Fremantle in the WACA first grade pennant competition the following season. Fremantle beat the favoured Scarborough, who boasted names such as Ken McAullay, Derek Chadwick, Rob Langer, Rod Marsh, and Sam Gannon, in the final that year. After his league football days were over, he donned the flannels again. Among his feats in later years were 128 in 28 minutes in a Country Week match, 202 in a final for Kukerin against Lake Grace, and nine for sixteen in another Kukerin appearance. He played for the State Country X1 against India twice and England once. Ross Ditchburn has served his local area well, not only as sportsman and sports administrator and coach, but as Shire Councillor. He is still a busy man on the farm , with golf and bowls his sporting interests these days, and he and wife Jodie are looking forward to watching a new generation of Ditchburns growing up. There could well be a few football clubs around the country sharing that interest.