Ramblers stalwart named ‘legend of the tongs’
A volunteer cook and team manager has been recognised as part of a national campaign by a retailer and the AFL.
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They knew it already at Ramblers, but now it’s official: Trevor Tabe is a legend.
Specifically, he has been named a “legend of the tongs” as part of a national campaign by hardware retailer Bunnings and the AFL.
The initiative is intended to recognise the volunteers who perform a much-needed role on cold winter mornings at footy grounds around the nation.
As a result, Murray Bridge’s Rambler Football Club scored a Jumbuck barbecue and a collapsible marquee.
Mr Tabe will go into the running to win $25,000 worth of products and materials for his club and – perhaps equally as valuable in a year in which the Crows look this good – a chance to win two tickets to the AFL grand final.
A semi-retired carpenter and Ramblers life member, he serves as manager of the club’s reserves side as well as manning the barbie, and was named club person of the year in 2024.
His footy week starts on a Tuesday night, when he gets a fire going, fills water bottles and doles out footballs for training, then vacuums changerooms, switches the lights off and locks up as everyone heads home.
Thursdays are the same.
For away games, he rolls up to Le Messurier Oval on a Friday night and loads up a trailer full of equipment, then brings it back on a Sunday morning and washes the guernseys, too.
For home games there is more to do: cleaning toilets, firing up a barbecue and sorting out a couple of dozen players.
It’s a lot for a small volunteer team.
He held out hope that more players’ parents or partners would step in to help with some of those jobs – hopefully in the near future.
“I’m 70 this year … we’ve got to get these younger people to step up,” he said.
“We (volunteer) so that the junior parents can watch their kids play, then we hope they might reciprocate and work in the afternoon.”
Volunteers were what kept the River Murray Football League going, he said.
Mr Tabe originally played junior colts at Imperials, but would follow his dad – a coach – to Mypolonga before shifting to soccer with Murray Bridge United for a couple of years, then returning to footy with Karoonda United and Murray Bridge Redlegs.
In his post-playing days, he was an assistant coach with the soccer club until his sons, Peter and William, ended up playing back at Ramblers.
“My dad had been a coach here, and my wife’s father was a coach here, so I came here … and I’ve been here ever since,” he said.
Bunnings and the AFL will recognise five volunteers around Australia each week during the footy season.
Eight of those winners will travel to Melbourne for the grand final in September, and one of the eight will win the major prize for his or her club.
Bunnings Murray Bridge manager Derek Smith said he was glad to be able to support Ramblers.
“Our Legend of the Tongs campaign celebrates the some of the bests part of our local community.
“Whether it’s at their local club grounds or as part of our weekly sausage sizzles, unsung heroes like Trevor tirelessly show up, week in and week out, to support their players and raise much-needed funds for their clubs.
“We feel privileged to be able to gift the Murray Bridge Rambler Roosters Football Club with improved equipment to support their volunteers.”
Ramblers’ B grade side, ranked seventh with a 4-7 record, had a chance at playing finals this season, Mr Tabe suggested.
Ramblers are not scheduled to host any finals matches this September.
Maybe – just maybe – that will give Mr Tabe a chance to put the tongs down for a bit.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Mr Tabe had played junior colts at another club.
