{xtypo_dropcap}E{/xtypo_dropcap}ncounter Bay is located on the south central coast of South Australia, some 100 km south of Adelaide. It is named after the encounter on 8 April 1802 between  Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin, both of whom were charting the Australian coastline for their respective countries(Britain and France). The encounter between the scientists was peaceful, even though their countries were at war at the time.

One hundred and eighty seven years and six months later, the town was almost renamed Beecroft Bay, after the local football team broke a twenty two year premiership drought to defeat old rivals and Great Southern Football League powerhouse Willunga by ten goals. It was a reversal of the previous year’s result, when Willunga destroyed the Bays by a similar margin.

The win bestowed legendary status on West Australian Bob Beecroft, who captain-coached the Encounter Bay team, and made a huge contribution to the win with eight goals. It was also a long-awaited premiership for Beecroft, whose only previous flag had been as a fifteen year old at Williams, Western Australia, in under sixteen competition some twenty two years earlier.

It turned out to be Beecroft’s swansong.He retired at the age of thirty eight a year later, after excelling in three States across the country.

Despite not playing the game until he turned thirteen, Bob Beecroft was under notice from an early age. Playing in the ruck for the Williams side as a sixteen year old in the strong Upper Great Southern Football League, he won the club’s fairest and best award, and attracted the attention of league clubs.    

A bank officer, Beecroft was surprised to receive a visit at work from Swan Districts legend Billy Walker, accompanied by recruiting officer Jeff Scrivener. Over a milk shake at morning tea time they persuaded the youngster to move to Bassendean, with the added sweetener of a promised transfer with the bank.   

Beecroft was also a promising medium quick bowler, and was padded up awaiting his turn to bat in a local club match in the summer of 1969 when another visitor turned up and parked himself on a chair close by. “Mal Atwell, how’s things?” he introduced himself, and when Bob gave him the bad news that he was a week and a milk shake too late, the Perth coach wasn’t impressed to say the least.

Bob’s relocation to Swan Districts saw him try out at Midland-Guildford Cricket Club, where he played in the second eleven before football commitments ruled a cricket career out. He had his first taste of training at league level at Cottesloe Beach, with sixty or seventy other hopefuls and regulars. “This was my big chance,” he recalled. “I wasn’t going to let it slip.”

Beecroft was selected to lead the ruck for Swan Districts in round one of 1970 against the strong East Fremantle combination. Their ruckman, Brian Roberts, wasn’t known as “the Whale” without a reason, but he was surprised by the high leaping new boy from the bush, who provided Swans with their only highlight in a dismal opening to the season, as they conceded a sixty nine point defeat in front of nine thousand people.

“I was nervous as buggery,” laughed Bob. “I went through the turnstiles and paid to get in. I copped plenty over that from all and sundry.” But it was to be the start of a good year for the debutant,who quickly established himself as one of the side’s best players, and in short time among the WAFL’s top ruckmen.

In 1972 he played his first game for Western Australia, against South Australia in the Australian Carnival, and gave notice of things to come with a brilliant display against an opposition ruck battery which included Dean Ottens(father of Brad), John Wynne, and Malcolm Blight. A spectacular grab sitting on South Australian centreman Peter Maker’s head was the cream on the cake. Following that up with four goals against Tasmania, he again impressed against Len Thompson and Gary Dempsey in Western Australia’s loss to Victoria.  

“I was sitting in the change rooms after the Victoria game when Mal Brown came up to me and said: “You’re in.” “In what?” I mumbled. “Don’t you realise you’re in the All Australian side, you little bastard?”  I had no idea. It was a huge shock.”

Beecroft’s memorable 1972 season was completed with a tour of Europe as part of an Australian "All Star" team which played three matches against Carlton. Mal Brown was also part of the All Star contingent, and was consulted by Bob’s mum, who was concerned that her boy may get into strife. “Don’t you worry about a thing Mrs Beecroft, I’ll look after your boy,” Mal assured the worried woman.

“I came back an alcoholic,” laughed Bob.   

Fitzroy signed Beecroft after the 1972 season, but the Swan Districts heirachy at the time barred anyone from talking to their prized ruckman. “I would have been much better off if I’d gone to Victoria then, when I was twenty two,” he said. “There were things I was told by the committee, promises made, I still am angry at how I was treated.”

Swan Districts made two preliminary finals in 1974 and 75, but were beaten in both, by Perth(15 points), and South Fremantle(13 points), respectively. Beecroft continued with the black and whites, representing WA in 1974 and 1975.

A week before Christmas, 1975, still without any commitment from Swan Districts about a clearance to Fitzroy, Bob Beecroft with a wife and small daughter, jumped in his car and drove to Melbourne. “There was plenty of angst from Swans, but I finally got the OK on the Friday night before the first game of the season,” he said. “I let myself down in the early games with bad kicking, played nine games with the reserves  and had trouble settling down.” After thirteen league appearances in 1975, Beecroft was placed at full forward by Fitzroy the following season and went on to top their goalkicking list four times with a best of 87 goals in 1979, which was at the time a club record. He kicked 10 goals in a match twice and by the end of his short VFL career he had managed 291 goals.

“After the 1980 season I had decided to return to Perth and Swan Districts, but a call from the Woodville club in South Australia persuaded me to give the SANFL a go,” Bob said.

Beecroft enjoyed five good years at Woodville, including three under Blight, who he described as a top coach. “He would always be out to get the best from his team. I had always admired his talents as a player. In my opinion he is the best I’ve seen.”  Bob kicked 219 goals in his eighty six games, but a bad back caused his retirement from league football in 1986, despite the cajoling of Blight to stay.

Twelve months later, his back improved, Beecroft headed for Moonta, on the Yorke Peninsula, where he captain-coached the side into a grand final(1989) during his three years at the helm. The Moonta experience readied him for the challenge awaiting at Encounter Bay, and he enjoyed his time at the club, for whom Tony Modra would later play.  He then assisted Phil Carman, who had taken the coaching job at Sturt.  

“I always intended to return to WA,” he remarked. “But it was a bit of a longer stay in SA than originally planned. I remarried in WA, then worked as an estate agent in Perth before looking for a more relaxed lifestyle, which I’m happy to say we’ve found at Northam.”  Bob now works with Max and Stephanie Hubble at Avon Valley Mower and Chain Sales, where you can always rely on getting a great deal and personalised service.

Bob made a return to the football arena as coach of Railways, in the Avon Association, but is adamant that he won’t be back. “It’s tough coaching a country side these days, it’s a battle to get blokes to training, not a lot of commitment.”

These days Beecroft spends most of his leisure time redeveloping houses. “The hardest one to do was ours,” he joked. Wife Sally enjoys the country life, son Brett played twenty-odd games with Sturt, and a couple with Swans, with another boy, Aaron, and daughter Tanya.

It’s no surprise that fullbacks dominate Bob’s hardest to beat. Jeff Southby, Kelvin Moore, David Dench,  and Mike Fitzpatrick are his nominations for that honour, while Malcolm Blight is the best he’s played with.     

Bob Beecroft excelled in three States and capped his career off with a memorable premiership that lifted the spirits of a country town.

As a career spawned from a milk shake deal that would be hard to shake.