John Vukman was a stylish and skilful wingman/half forward who played a hundred and thirty six games for the Cardinals between 1961 and 1970. His delivery of the ball from either foot was a delight to watch, and his contribution to full forward Ron Evans’s Bernie Naylor Medal win in 1963 cannot be under estimated.  Yet it was the efforts of a rival WANFL club that were instrumental in getting Vukman to Leederville Oval in 1961.“An eighteen year old in 1960, I had been assured that my first posting as a teacher would be in the metro area, and I was looking forward to playing with West Perth,” he recalled. The star junior, who had represented Western Australia in both football and cricket at State Schoolboy level, and was outstanding as a centreman in the strong Mt Hawthorn Metropolitan Juniors side, looked ready made for league football, and the eventual assignment to Wagin was a blow to both Vukman and the Cardinals.Playing with Wagin Federals on Sundays that year, Vukman made the trip to Perth each Saturday to continue with Mt Hawthorn. Federals made the grand final, only to lose to Narrogin Towns. “It turned out to be an enjoyable year,” said John, “ but it did let a few of my contemporaries such as Richie Haddow, Ron McBride, Mel Whinnen, and others steal a march from me at West Perth.”   It was East Fremantle who were instrumental in organising a transfer for Vukman to John Curtin High School after just one year in the country. “They were pulling strings, and coach Bob Johnson was a regular visitor, but I had already played a thirds game with West Perth in 1959, and they weren’t going to let me go anywhere,” John recalled. Vukman had enjoyed a productive apprenticeship, being coached by league stars Brian Humphries, Eddie Wylde, and Ross Ayre, and had names such as Neville Hebbard, Barry Armstrong, Brian France, and Norm McDiarmid(West Perth), Warren Roper(Collingwood), and Merv Screaigh(Subiaco) playing alongside him each week. He was also a better than average cricketer, vice captain under Graham McKenzie of the State Schoolboys, at the time an opening batsman with West Perth Cricket Club, but later playing A Grade Pennants at North Perth.   On the bench for West Perth’s first game of 1961at Claremont Oval, Vukman replaced McBride during the match, and did enough to be given an assurance he would be in the side for round two, but a torn quadriceps muscle at training put him out for the entire season. He played the first game the following year in the centre, flanked by Whinnen and Haddow, and quickly established himself as a regular.It was at East Fremantle one day that, forced into roving duties by an injury to Peter Medhurst, John found himself thrust into a half forward/roving role, and that was where he was to spend several seasons before eventually moving onto a wing. His ability to play on the ball, as a forward, or fill a centreline position made him a vital cog in the West Perth eighteen. Out of the finals for the first few years of his career, Vukman claims some of the credit for Claremont’s 1964 flag. “We were fighting with the Tigers for a place in the four,” said John. “In the second last round of the season, it was a virtual final between the two of us. Three points behind, I ran into an open goal in the dying seconds and missed.”“The Claremont supporters cheered madly.”West Perth improved in ensuing seasons, losing the first semi final of 1965 to East Fremantle, but gaining revenge over the same side in the 1966 first semi, in which Vukman was best on ground, before going down to East Perth in the preliminary final. In the summer of 1967 John was coach of the State Schoolboys cricket team that played in Melbourne, and a series of events saw him sign a form four with Hawthorn. “David Parkin was teaching at the Uni High School, and got in touch, meanwhile Don Williams set me up for a training run with Melbourne,” he recalled. “I decided on Glenferrie, and played some pre season scratch matches in the middle on Graham Arthur. I felt at home there, and it was tempting, but I had just begun a new business career, was newly married, and in the throes of buying a house, so decided against it.”After another first semi final defeat in 1967, West Perth looked the goods the following year, winning eighteen of their twenty one qualifying rounds, but went out of the finals in straight sets. A much more focused outfit  in 1969, they won a memorable flag over arch rivals East Perth. But Vukman wasn’t part of the triumphant twenty. Injured late in 1968, he was struck down by what we now know as osteo pubis in early1969, and missed the season. Teaching at Hollywood High School, he did pre season training in 1970, but did the groin again in a Teachers v Students game, when he played on Keith Watt, who later played with Subiaco and Western Australia. It was in 1969 that Vukman’s life changed on two fronts.“After the premiership win, a comment from Graham Farmer set me thinking,” he said. “Polly said: “Why don’t you go into insurance, John?” With the help, guidance, and inspiration from Neil Garland, I set myself onto the path that has taken me along a forty year road.”  Over that time John Vukman has earned recognition as a leader in the field of Corporate Superannuation. His firm, JVA Financial, is the most awarded advisory group in the AMP umbrella nationwide. The articulate John Vukman’s football knowledge and communication skills hadn’t gone unnoticed, and a family holiday at Rottnest soon after his retirement was interrupted by a phone call from broadcaster Frank Sparrow.  He joined 6PR, as comments man for Sparrow and Percy Johnson, later being targeted by 6KY, who wanted a “fast and furious” style of commentary, targeting the young fans, and  was accompanied at the station by John O’Connell, Eric Sarich, and David Dyson.Channel Nine also used John’s dulcet tones on television, with David Parkin and Bruce Walker his offsiders.Vukman was finally recruited by George Grljusich at the ABC, where he worked with Ian Brayshaw, Bob Shields, Keith Slater, and Sarich. “It was a lot of good fun, an involvement in the game, and it was a shame that the evolvement of the VFL eventually sent the local game on a slide,” he said.   John coached West Perth’s reserves and colts sides in separate stints after his playing days were over. Not a flamboyant player, he did make the headlines of the old green Saturday night  Weekend News football special one weekend. “Why The Crowd Roared” the bold print blared out around the metropolitan area one Saturday evening. On the front page was a picture of Vukman’s backside.“I lost my shorts during the game, and the bloody ball followed me around,” he laughed. “I got at least three kicks in my jockstrap.”On the Monday morning the notice board at Mt Lawley Senior High School, where he was a phys ed teacher, was adorned by blown up photos with banners proclaiming “behind the play,” “bum footballer,” and other innovative headings. Vukman gave Perth and East Perth tough man Mal Atwell top marks as a hard opponent, and was full of praise for team mates Brian France, Bill Dempsey, and Brian Foley. “Brian would stop everything, Bill had hands like magnets, and Blue would never drop a mark,” he said. “If you were roving to a pack with Foley in it, there would be no crumbs.”He also had some bouquets for a couple of coaches who didn’t meet with a lot of success at West Perth. “Clive Lewington was a very good coach, and Bob Spargo did a lot of ground work for the club in setting it up for later glories.” John’s brother, Alex, played reserves at West Perth.Although still heavily involved with the business, he is a keen fisherman, is embarking on a project to conquer The Cut golf course, and enjoys travel with wife Jenny. John Vukman was one of several highly skilled, fleet of foot midfielders and forwards who wore the red and blue in the sixties. The presence of a top class centreman in Mel Whinnen kept him out of his preferred position, but nevertheless he was a star player for the Cardinals.