{xtypo_dropcap}R{/xtypo_dropcap}ex Townsend was all set to play football with University after finishing his schooling at Christ Church College when by chance he accompanied his mate, Ron Bennett, to East Fremantle Oval in the last weeks of the 1968 season.

 “Ron talked me into going along for the ride, and I ended up signing with them and playing for the Sharks fourths the following week,” he recalled. Although the East Fremantle heirachy would have been patting themselves on the back, because it effectively tied the ruckman to the Sharks for the following season, they would not have envisaged the years of valued and loyal service, both on and off the field, that it would bring to the club.

Townsend went on to become a centurion as a player, a developer of many outstanding young players as a junior and colts coach, a co founder of a junior club that has been most productive in it's provision of East Fremantle and AFL draft talent, a committeeman, and a President of the East Fremantle Football Club.

Rex Townsend was himself a product of the East Fremantle juniors, who played in their under twelve competition before attending Christ Church College, where he played football for seven years, coming into contact with some of the best in coaches. “Clive Lewington( South Fremantle legend), East Fremantle star Don Gabrielson, and Merton Davies, also from East Fremantle, were excellent coaches, who were big influences on my approach to the game,” he said. “Lewington, in particular, changed the way the school approached it's football programme. A quietly spoken man, he commanded respect with his method of coaching, and it had an effect on me. When he arrived, the football team was lagging behind the other schools, but in his year there we beat Aquinas, which hadn't happened before, and laid the groundwork for the following season, when, under ex State Amateur player, Gordon Peters, we finished equal top for the first time.

Playing as a rover in the under sixteens, Townsend grew quickly, and it was as a ruckman that he won the Christ Church fairest and best in 1967.

In 1969, Rex was in the East Fremantle colts side, coached by Harry Neesham, and played fourteen colts and two reserves games before making the first of four league appearances that season, against South Fremantle as a ruck rover. “I was supposed to be changing with Tony Casserley, but you would have needed a crowbar to get him off the ball,” he laughed. “I got about three minutes of action, the rest of the time I spent in a forward pocket opposed to Tony Ryan.”

Townsend played in the triumphant colts premiership side on grand final day.

A good team man, Rex Townsend was at six foot two an agile ruckman, who used handball to a nicety, and was a dependable mark around the ground. During the turmoil of the 1970 season, when the club changed coaches midstream, he managed a dozen appearances, and under new coach Harry Neesham Townsend developed into a regular league player.

Third to David Hollins in Lynn Medal voting in 1971, Townsend became a leader in the East Fremantle side, but just as a premiership loomed, injury struck. “In round fourteen of 1974, against West Perth, Bill Dempsey fell on my leg, badly damaging a cartilage. Toddy took me all around the place trying to find a remedy, but eventually it had to come out,” he said. “It cost me a place in the 1974 grand final win over Perth, and pretty much ended my career, although I played on for a few years.”

“In the 1974 grand final, Terry Williams, one of the characters around the club, came on as a reserve and put in a sound contribution,” Rex went on. “During the celebrations, we were all carried away with the occasion and worse for wear, went for a run down Hay Street. Terry, wearing the old bell bottoms and flares of the day, had quite a spring on him, and decided to test it out, full of ink, over a parking meter. Well, the bell bottoms caught on the meter, and the meter went up the bell bottoms, and he was stuck on the parking meter.”

Attempting to resurrect his career, Townsend trained in preparation for the 1976 season, but only did more damage to the knee, managing twelve games over the year. In 1977 he had a year off, returning a season later and making fourteen appearances. The arrival of Bradley Smith as coach spelt the end for Townsend, the new mentor declaring the ruckman too old, so, after one hundred and twenty games, his league career was over.

In 1979, work commitments took him to Karratha, where he joined the Karratha Kats, returning to East Fremantle in 1980 as colts coach at the Sharks. “I coached the colts for three years, and left after that because I believe three years is the right period for a coach,” he said. “ Although my main aim as coach was to develop young players into future stars for the East Fremantle Football Club, a premiership in the second year of my stint was most satisfying.” Players who were developed under Townsend's watch included twenty who became regular league or AFL players, including Peter Wilson, Paul Harding, Michael Brennan, Darren Bennett, and Neil Lester-Smith.

The wheel turned full circle for Rex Townsend in 1984, when he took on the coaching role at Christ Church. “They hadn't won a game for five years,” he recalled. “In my first year as coach we had five wins, the second season eight, and then the third year we were runners up. And it was my fault we didn't win. We had Chris Lewis absolutely burning, and, although the rule requiring students to play exclusively for the College was still in force, I managed to talk them into giving permission for him to play in the Teal Cup, which, while the right thing to do for Chris in particular and football in general, did cost us our best player.”

In 1987, Rex helped form the Rostrata Junior Football Club, which has since become one of the most productive junior clubs in the State, serving as Vice President and delegate to the Junior Council, as well as sitting on the Junior Council Protests and Disputes Board from 1993 to 2002.

Elected onto the East Fremantle Football Club committee in 2002, Townsend served as President for two years.

He regards John Hayes(East Perth), Ross Prunster(West Perth and Perth), Bill Valli(West Perth and Subiaco), Bruce Duperouzel(Claremont), and present West Australian Minister for Sport and Recreation, Terry “Tuck” Waldron, who he played against while at Christ Church, as the hardest to beat, while lauding Doug Green, David Hollins, Graeme Melrose, and Brian Peake as the best he played with.

Rex was also a more than capable lawn bowler, representing the South Perth club in first division red. These days he is a busy electrical contractor, alternating between Perth and Kununurra, and is a member of both Kununurra and Willeton Golf Clubs, where he tries to get a round in when time permits. He also still helps out with the Protests and Disputes Board on a part time basis.

Son Clay is a fast bowler who played with Gosnells Cricket Club.

Rex Townsend's career with East Fremantle went far beyond his onfield efforts, where he was a consistent and loyal team player and leader. His work in the development of the youth of the club, as well as the juniors in the Rostrata area immeasurable, capped off by his service on the club's Board of Management, added up to a fine contribution for the East Fremantle Football Club.