All star guests and community pay tribute to John Forbes OAM

Tragically, Mr Forbes, who was the national promotion manager at Puma for 22 years, passed away in 2021.

The Rochester community showed out in force on Saturday, March 16, for the event, with tickets selling out in three days and over 170 people in attendance.

Rochester Lions Club vice-president John Atley was thrilled with the evening and the community’s support to pay tribute to Mr Forbes and celebrate the town’s resilience in recent years.

“This came about tonight because of the John Forbes museum here in Rochester; we wanted to honour him, so we thought what better way than to have a sportsman’s night,” he said.

“This gala night, it’s given Rochester a bit of a smile.

“It’s something to say, thank you to the town; we’re back for business; this weekend, the community has been buzzing.”

The evening included an all-star line-up of Australian sporting greats who either had a relationship with Mr Forbes or lived in the area previously and wanted to support the town.

The event included guest speeches from icons such as AFL greats Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt, Scott West, Chris Connolly, Melbourne Cup winning jockey Michelle Payne and former Australian Netball captain Sharelle McMahon.

‘Spida’ Everitt, a St Kilda Football Club Hall of Famer, was excited to honour Mr Forbes, who he had a professional relationship with but also considered a dear friend.

“I’m honoured to be able to come to Rochy to honour Johnny Forbes; I was fortunate enough to be associated with Puma for 15 years during my career,” he said.

“Whenever we wanted to do something with Puma, ‘Forbesy’ was supportive, so the least I can do is come up and show my appreciation for the great Johnny.”

‘Spida’ was thankful to the local community, which came out in force to honour Mr Forbes in a place he called home.

“What a great hall we are in tonight, and what a great place filled with local people that knew Johnny, and speak highly of him,” he said.

“It’s great to see all these people being able to come together; I think it’s fantastic; there’s nothing like being local.”

Australian netball legend and Sport Australia Hall of Famer Sharelle McMahon, originally from Bamawm, was excited to be back in Campaspe Shire to visit family and attend the gala evening.

“I love coming back here; Mum and Dad still live here; I love this community. It still feels like home for me; it feels comfortable,” she said.

“It’s amazing to see the hall with so many people in it, to be honest, and to hear tickets sold out in three days is crazy.

“That’s the great support that people are giving John Forbes and this community, which is awesome, and it’s just a great feeling in the room already.”

Ms McMahon was glad to see the Rochester community enjoying the evening and demonstrating their strength after the devastating floods.

“I always love coming back, and obviously, it’s been a tough period over the last couple of years with the floods and everyone recovering from that,” she said.

“To see so much joy in the room is nice.”

Michelle Payne, who won the Melbourne Cup in 2015 atop Prince of Penzance and is the only female jockey to do so, was reflective yet excited to be back in Rochester where she previously lived.

“It feels really special to be here; we didn’t spend all my childhood growing up here, but the time that I spent taught me about resilience,” she said.

“We had a dairy farm, and it was tough; Dad was always worrying about rain and saying to us kids that we need rain and just understanding how hard it was, I think, set me up for a life of resilience in general and in my sport.”

Ms Payne was pleased she had been able to catch up with old friends at the gala and celebrate the community.

“I’m loving it. It’s so good to be back here; it brings back so many memories, even walking down the main street,” she said.

“Just catching up with old friends and sharing old stories is special; it’s been a really good time.”