Emerald’s Bill and Robyn Kuys have been recognised for their passion and dedication to the town’s senior football club. 51454
By Tania Martin
BILL and Robyn Kuys’ love of football is about more than just the game.
The Emerald Football Club president and secretary said it was like having an extended family.
But they never thought all their hard work could lead to a top award but it has.
The husband and wife team was recognised last month with Cardinia Shire’s Stan Henwood Award for outstanding community achievement.
Mr Kuys said they were shocked by the nomination let along winning the gong.
But it was lucky they were able to accept the award at the presentation on Thursday 22 July.
They had been due to fly out a wedding in Darwin early that day.
But after Mayor Graeme Legge asked if someone could be there to accept the award on their behalf they soon changed their plans.
“We go to the presentation every year and we are always so proud to see the people winning the award but we never once dreamed we would be doing that ourselves,” Mrs Kuys said.
The pair has been country football volunteers for more than 30 years, working to build up both the Emerald junior and senior clubs.
Cr Legge said the Kuys were very worthy recipients of the award.
“Bill and Robyn have displayed strong loyalty to the club and committees they have been involved with,” he said.
Bill has been the president at the Emerald Senior Football Club for nine years and Robyn has been his right-hand woman as secretary for more than eight years.
Mrs Kuys said it wasn’t just her love of footy that kept her going.
The pair was also involved with the junior club helping to bring it back from the brink.
When they moved to Emerald more than 30 years ago there was no Auskick and Mr Kuys was instrumental in getting it up and running.
“When we got involved with the juniors there was Robyn and me and on other person on the committee and it was about to fold,” Mr Kuys said.
“But we got others on board and got the teams up and going and again it was a similar story at the seniors club in 2006 they were down to just 19 players.”
“Now we are the only club the Yarra Valley league a team in every competition and again it was about getting the right people involved,” Mr Kuys said.
The Kuys said they could never have done any of it without the help and support from the volunteer committee members.
“It’s been great,” Mr Kuys said.
“This is our second home, our second family. This football family keeps people and communities together, it’s great you make such lifelong friends,” Mrs Kuys said.
Mr Kuys said one of the biggest challenges the seniors club had faced was changing the drinking culture.
“When we were at the juniors this club had a reputation as a place where people go to drink… when our son got involved here (seniors) we saw something needed to done to change that culture,” Mr Kuys said.
The Kuys have spent the past few years turning the club around to make it a more family friendly environment.
“That’s our mission and now we have a lot more families involved with partners of players bringing down their kids while the games are on,” Mr Kuys said.
The couple is still a little shell shocked by the award, saying there are many other people who could have taken it out.
“There are a lot of people who do what we done and we don’t know why we have been singled out – it was totally unexpected,” Mrs Kuys said.
“But it a great honour and very humbling.”
