East Perth have boasted many top class wingmen over the years, but none were more courageous, gave more for the club, and were bigger favourites among the Royals fans, than the diminutive Gary Gillespie. Gillespie made light of his small stature to stand tall in WANFL ranks in the sixties and early seventies, and he wore the blue and black with distinction.

Recruited from Morley Juniors as a rover, Gillespie played in the Royals thirds, coached by former player Terry Lavater, playing in that position for two years before graduating to the league side in 1963. It was when he was in the thirds that another ex East Perth player,Seff Parry, advised him to try out on a wing, because he felt he had the attributes to become a good player in that position.

Gillespie’s pace and stamina suited his new role, and he soon made the spot in the East Perth league side his own. “Playing alongside Derek Chadwick and Syd Jackson, with John Burns later on, was a thrill”, Gillespie said. “They were the examples I’d look up to and try to match,” he said.

It was Kevin Murray who, after becoming playing coach of the Royals in 1965, identified that Gillespie needed to toughen up, so the young tyro was sent to ju jitsu lessons. Whether or not it was due to those lessons, he became a regular in the blue and black.

East Perth’s 1972 premiership was a highlight of Gary Gillespie’s career. “ It showed what you can achieve with a side that wasn’t chockfull of stars”, he remarked. Another was representing Western Australia in the 1972 Australian Football Carnival.

Gillespie had chalked up 197 league games with East Perth at the completion of the 1975 season, and made an attempt to butter up the following season to make the two hundred, but after completing the pre season training, decide to hang the boots up.

In 1981, he was team manager for the reserves at East Perth, a position he held again in 1986. He was team manager for Wanneroo in 1987-88, returning to East Perth in the same role under Ian McCulloch’s coaching.

Gillespie is an ardent admirer of the players he played with, as well as having a great respect for those he played against. “They were all good players”, he said. “They wouldn’t have been playing league football if they weren’t.” Among his hardest opponents he rated Perth wingman Greg Brehaut and Subiaco’s George Young, while he gave us a list of players as big as a telephone book as the best he played with, but finally singled out Chadwick, Jackson, Keith Doncon, Mal Brown, and “Dobbie” Graham.

We asked him about today’s football. “I’m not a great lover of the modern game.”he commented. “ I don’t like the way rule changes are being made. It’s not the spectacle it used to be, when the individual clashes between stars of opposing teams were highlights, and they were anticipated throughout the week prior to the game.”

“Having said that, I have nothing but admiration for the way the stars of today play, like the Judd’s and the Hird’s. They were great players.”

He is critical of the way the game is umpired today, with umpires seeming to be bigger than the game, and compares them to the men in white of the past. “They were a part of the game, not above it,” was his observation. “Blokes like Ray Scott and Ron Powell added to the game with their approach.”

He related a couple of stories to illustrate his point: “Ray Scott made what I thought was a crook call against me one day. I called him a @$%^& *&^%. He said “What did you say, flea?” I repeated what I’d said. Scotty said”Righto, flea, you won’t get another kick today.”

“He was right. I didn’t.”

“After the game, as we were leaving the ground, Scotty galloped up to me and pointed upstairs. I thought, here we go, problems here.

When I joined him upstairs he said, “your shout”.

“Johnny Hayes got whacked by someone in another game with Powell umpiring. Hayesy said to me don’t worry, I’ll get him back. Which, of course ,Haysey did. The opposition player remonstrated with Powell, to get the retort: “You’re both even now, get on with the game”

“I hated the umps in those days, but I respect the same blokes now”

Gillespie told us about the time the East Perth players went almost en masse one pleasant Sunday morning to “Bomber” Wylie’s Carlton Hotel in Hay Street to utilize the gym and sauna they had out the back. Chaddy and the Flea decided not to go.

After the boys had been away a little while, Chaddy and the Flea looked at each other and said “why not?”.

They bundled the discarded clothes of their teammates into the car and transported the apparel back to Perth Oval, eventually to be followed by a horde of blokes wearing only towels. Realising the seriousness of the situation, Gillespie retreated to the top of the scoreboard, where he spent a not so pleasant Sunday afternoon. “I have no idea where Chaddy went,” he laughed.

And we couldn’t leave without a Brownie story.

“Brownie claimed he had concussion one day” Gary laughed. “ He asked Kenny Deards to hit his jaw. “Deards said “I can’t do that, you’re the coach.” Brownie said “hit me”.

Kenny hit him. “ Bugger me, Deardsy, I never said you had to hit so bloody hard” was Brownie’s painful yelp.

Gillespie also told us how he got his nickname. “It was Brian McGregor”, he said. “But that’s all I’m telling”

Formerly sales manager for a manufacturing company, Gillespie is now retired and enjoys a game of golf.

Gary Gillespie was a great team player and crowd favourite at Perth Oval, and has some terrific memories of a long career, but they are surpassed by the memories he gave to East Perth fans.