The University Football Club is proud to announce that Jarryd Little and Ken Washbourne have been awarded life membership of the club in 2023.

Both of these fine men dedicated a large period of their life to the UFC and are well deserving recipients of the award.

Jarryd Little.

“Little Dog” played 176 games for Uni across the A Colts, Ressies, Pirates and Dingoes.

Jarryd started his Uni career in 2005, part of an A colts side that didn’t win a game all season! However, in his second season, the A Colts fortunes were turned around under the tutilage of club great Greg Shine.

One of only three players from the 2005 side to continue on in the A colts, Jarryd was appointed captain and aptly deputised by another club legend in Tom O’Rourke. It took Jarryd a year and 3 games to sing the club song for the first time.

The 2006 “Miracle Flag” was the first glimpse of Little Dogs leadership ability and playing skill on the field.

He then progressed into the Ressies before settling in the thirds for a long stint. Later in his career, he transitioned to the Dingoes and was instrumental in rekindling the off-field culture we cherish today.

Little Dog was known for his tenacious in-and-under playing style. Not blessed with silky skills, he made up for it with endless effort, dedication and leadership.

Where he truly shined was off-field, leading the bus trip Ra Cha Cha’s and always involved in some form of “humorous mischief.”

Little Dog took over as the coach of the thirds between 2012-2014, a job that no one else put their hands up for. In this position, he always took the younger players under his wing and ensured their UFC introduction was memorable and enjoyable.

Five years on the committee topped off his commitment to the club, Recognised as a key contributor to the social club and part of putting the AJ back on the map, culminating in the infamous O Day Party which resulted in the club being banned from the club rooms for a number of weeks…

His party trick was removing his false tooth and bragging about how he lost it playing footy, when in fact the accident occurred while at Adventure World!

“Just as pleasing as his commitment to the UFC is how he has built on his leadership and teamwork skills developed at the UFC has transitioned into his professional career in the building industry where he has gone from strength to strength,” said Peter Toll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ken Washbourne 

Ken started his career in the A Colts back in 1976. Starting the year under Gavin Woodward and playing on the half-back, it wasn’t until the late great Neil Donaldson took over that Ken was moved to the wing.

In the Green Machine, Ken recalls how Neil turned up for training one day, explained that he’d taken over, ratcheted up their training regime, gave them one of his stirring addresses, and “[They] were hooked!”

The mid-season change worked and the A Colts ran away with a comfortable 14-goal win against Mt Lawley in the grand final. On the day, Neil had posted paper cut-outs of the Mt Lawley players over the urinals with the instruction to “piss on Mt Lawley.”

In 1976, Ken joined McGhie’s Bs and slotted back into the half-back line comfortably. A successful season resulted in the side falling just short in the semi-final to Scarborough as the A Grade side beat old foes Wembley.

At the end of ’77, Ken took over from Stuart Finch as Club secretary, a position he held for two years. Frustrated by the club’s distinct lack of record keeping, Ken teamed up with Tom Naylor to rectify this.

“Ken set to work to provide the playing history of everyone who had played for University between 1951 and 1977.”

Ken’s role as secretary involved a lot of admin and attempts to bend the rules due to a lack of organisation from the various sides. He found himself in the unenviable position of having to explain the numerous club indiscretions away on a Monday to association secretary Gra Grosvenor, often with only a limited knowledge of what actually occurred.

One occasion was when Alan Quartermaine (1975 East Perth Sandover Medalist) was called to fill in for an F Grade game against Bayswater. When called to Gra’s on the Monday, Gra said “Ok, just admit it. take the $10 fine!”

To which an incredulous Washbourne denied all claims and the decision was taken to the tribunal.

As it turned out, the Bayswater side had cottoned on to the fact that Alan was playing and scrambled to find a camera and document the evidence. When presented in the hearing, they had photographed number 15. In typical Uni fashion, they had two number 15s on the ground at the time and Bayswater had captured Ken Baker instead “Who neither looked nor played like Alan Quartermaine.”

The case was inevitably thrown out and it was clear that Ken had somehow pulled off a miracle! We might need to bring Ken back after the Uni 3s were caught playing unregistered players this year, only in this instance they were 18-year-old C-Colts players recruited at 8 pm the night before instead of a Sandover Medalist…

In 1982, Ken was recruited to Williams’ G grade side as part of a lower grade blitz. Despite commuting up from Bunbury for games, Ken was a strong contributor in delivering a flag for the ’82 side against Coolbinia.