Former Tocumwal football coach, Donald Michael Whitten passed away on December 28, 2021, at the age of 86 years and is survived by his daughter Carol and sister Edna Fitzgerald, nephews Ted Whitten Jnr and Michael Fitzgerald.
A service of celebration for the life of Don was held at the chapel of Tobin Brothers, North Melbourne on Thursday January 6 and was attended by a number of friends from Tocumwal and the surrounding area.
For convenience, a mini bus was hired for the return trip and several stories and memories of time with Don were exchanged on the way to Melbourne.
During the service, Ted Whitten jnr, speaking on behalf of Don’s daughter Carol, told of how Don was first and foremost a father.
He and Carol shared a special bond which became even stronger when his son Russell passed away as the result of an accident.
They shared many experiences over the years, including one incident when Carol finally got the opportunity to find out what it was like to be coached by her father.
‘‘I always wondered what it was like to be a player that Dad coached,’’ she said.
‘‘Well, I came close.
‘‘One day we were in the hotel at Tocumwal and we had a post office box which was located at the end of the street.
‘‘I asked Dad if I could go and pick up the mail.
‘‘He gave me the big set of keys which had the key to the hotel safe on it, and off I went.
‘‘I happened to meet a friend on the way and started chatting. When I got home, I gave Dad the mail.
‘‘He asked me for the keys, and I muttered ‘oh no I have left them in the letter box.
‘‘Dad said run back and get them. I started to jog slowly, and Dad yelled out ‘I said run hard, now move it’.”
Rob Crow and Jeff Quick from Tocumwal were given the opportunity to tell of their experiences of being coached by Don, when they were junior footballers.
Both expressed their admiration and respect for Don and the manner in which he took all players, including juniors, to heart.
They always felt involved and that Don was always there for them.
Don and his family arrived in Tocumwal in November 1963 and local resident, John Jones, has many fond memories of the impact Don made on the community.
‘‘When Don came to Toc he had the offer of Tocumwal or Wangaratta,’’ John said.
‘‘At Wangaratta he was offered a very nice brick house, and the club was a very successful one.
‘‘At Tocumwal he was offered the coaching job with a very ordinary fibro house, terribly old clubrooms, and a beautiful football oval and our club was at a very low level.
‘‘However, Don told the club he wanted the challenge of lifting a lowly club to be successful, and he certainly achieved this aim.’’
Don lifted the team from the bottom of the ladder to fifth in 1964.
The Bloods then played in three consecutive grand finals, losing in 1965 and 1966 then winning in 1967 — defeating bitter rivals Cobram in the grand final at Finley.
‘‘Toc versus Deni at Nathalia 1966 – Don had not been very fit for a couple of weeks, so nearing Nathalia he ran the last 5km to the oval to prove that he was fit to play,’’ John recalled.
‘‘It worked, as we defeated Deni in that game which put us straight into the grand final.
‘‘Two weeks later we lost to them in the final at Cobram.’’
During Don’s time in Tocumwal, every Murray League club was coached by an ex-VFL player and the league was rated as one of the strongest in the VCFL.
As a result of being coached by Don, the Murray Football League reached the VCFL grand final played at Cobram.
Don retired in 1972 after playing his 150th game with the club, and having gained the reputation of being a master tactician.
When the family first moved to Tocumwal, Don worked at Batescrew Engineering for some years before purchasing the licence for Tattersall’s Hotel.
At the hotel — Whitten’s pub, as it became known — Don was very much supported by his wife Isabelle.
Although they later separated, Izzi continued to be there for Don, especially later in life when it was necessary for him to enter into aged care.
When Don left Tocumwal, he continued to work in the hotel industry before finally taking a position with the Werribee Shire Council.
Don spent the last few years of his life at Westhaven Residential Aged Care where he would put a smile of the faces of his carers by singing ‘Oh you beautiful doll’ and making everyone’s day a happier one.