It was good. I was one of 10 children.

My family had no money. We had a tough upbringing. I was six-years-old before we got a car.

The family farm was on 82 acres. I left school at the end of form two because I was no good at school.

I just never liked school. I started milking cows when I was seven years old.

It was great having so many siblings, as there would always be a game of footy or cricket being played in the back paddock.

We used to cart hay in the summer months and chase rabbits at other times.

There used to be rabbits everywhere. We used to sell the rabbits for 20 cents each back in the 1950s and 1960s.

It would be nothing for my brothers and me to walk 10 miles a night with our dogs, looking for rabbits.

I note you've got an old Nirranda South jumper. How old would that jumper be?

It's got to be nearly 40 years old. I never played a game in the jumper.

I've just kept it at home – it's in mint condition.

I'll probably get it framed and donate it to the club.

I don't think there would be many old Nirranda South jumpers still in existence.

What was the rivalry like between Nirranda South and Nirranda when they played back in the 1950s, '60s and 70s?

The rivalry was fierce. Both clubs used the same ground for training and playing in that era.

Players for both clubs came of farms around the area. They were big families on farms in those days. 

The funny thing is a lot of the players from both clubs were related back along the family line.

Nirranda South only trained once a week for a game. It was on a Wednesday afternoon. We would have a bit of a kick-to-kick, nothing major to get us ready for Saturday's game.

Les, what year was your first premiership at Nirranda South ?

It was in 1960. We beat Nirranda. I played as a rover in that game. It was a really tough game.

There was never an inch given when you played against Nirranda.

The second premiership was in 1966. We defeated Port Campbell. We were the only side that beat Port Campbell in that season.

Port Campbell were a powerhouse side, but we had some great players in that side including the late Bill Couch.

He was a tough player. I'll never forget in that game Couchy had three players on him.

John Lucas was another top player for us. He kicked six goals in the first quarter.

What was the name of the league that Nirranda South was playing in back then?

It was called the Purnim League. We then played in the Purnim Heytesbury League, and then the Heytesbury League and now they play in the Warrnambool District Football Netball League.

Nirranda and Nirranda South merged at the end of the 1975 season as both clubs were struggling for players.

You've mentioned that you played in two premiership sides with Nirranda South before the merge with Nirranda. Did you play in any other premierships?

Yes, I played in one with Terang's under 18 side and I also played with South Purrumbete when they won a flag.

How many years did you play with South Purrumbete?

I played with South Purrumbette for six seasons from 1972.

I was married, so we took over as share farmers down there.

We won the flag in 1973. We beat Lorne by three points in the grand final.

The standard of footy was very strong.

What can you tell me about the under 18 premiership win with Terang?

It was in 1958. Colac was going for three premierships in a row in the under 18s when we defeated them up at South Warrnambool.

Apart from winning premierships, did you win any personal footy awards?

I won three league best and fairest awards plus five club best and fairest awards. I also played interleague footy on five occasions.

I've filled various roles at Nirranda over the years including boundary and goal umpiring. I really love the place.

Did you have a chance to play at a higher level?

I played two games for Warrnambool on permit. The league rules meant you were only allowed the two permit games, so I went back to play with Nirranda South.

Nirranda defeated Old Collegians to win the senior flag a few weeks ago. What did you think of the victory?

It was an amazing win. It was not a total surprise to me. We had young blokes that were playing with confidence. We stopped Old Collegians’ run. It was a great win for a small community club. The celebrations were really big.

The win was the first flag victory for the club since 1999. It was great to break the drought.

Les, have you been involved with any other sports apart from footy?

I played a little bit of cricket with Nirranda but I soon realised it was too hot to chase a ball around during the summer months.

I've played a lot of golf over the years.

I started out at Peterborough before playing at Cobden and then Terang.

We've lived out at Framlingham for the last 28 years so I've spent a lot of time playing golf at East Framlingham. I play golf over the summer months on Wednesdays and Saturdays. My golf handicap was 18 when I last looked.

I've been very lucky, I've had a great life.

Lianne is the best wife anyone could have. We've been married 44 years … as I said I've been very lucky with my lot in life.