Duly honoured; Glenn James OAM, celebrated during the Sir Doug Nicholls Round

2023 SIR DOUG NICHOLLS ROUND HONOUREE...Glenn James OAM grew-up in Shepparton, attending Gowrie Street Primary School and later working at the Ardmona Cannery. Much-admired Uncle to Greater Shepparton City Councillor, Cr Greg James, Glenn was delighted to have been honoured during this year's Sir Doug Nicholls Round, an inspirational figure who the young Glenn heard speak at 'The Church of Christ in Mooroopna'. Photo: Supplied (Getty Images)
2023 SIR DOUG NICHOLLS ROUND HONOUREE...Glenn James OAM grew-up in Shepparton, attending Gowrie Street Primary School and later working at the Ardmona Cannery. Much-admired Uncle to Greater Shepparton City Councillor, Cr Greg James, Glenn was delighted to have been honoured during this year's Sir Doug Nicholls Round, an inspirational figure who the young Glenn heard speak at 'The Church of Christ in Mooroopna'. Photo: Supplied (Getty Images)

By Natasha Fujimoto

SPORTMANSHIP, fair play and professionalism are inherent in umpiring any sport, taking a strength of character and a steely focus that is admirable.

For Yorta Yorta man Glenn James OAM, however, being the first and only Indigenous man to umpire senior VFL/AFL games, the tenacity and talent it took was not only groundbreaking, but seminal.

2023 SIR DOUG NICHOLLS ROUND HONOUREE...Glenn James OAM grew-up in Shepparton, attending Gowrie Street Primary School and later working at the Ardmona Cannery. Much-admired Uncle to Greater Shepparton City Councillor, Cr Greg James, Glenn was delighted to have been honoured during this year's Sir Doug Nicholls Round, an inspirational figure who the young Glenn heard speak at 'The Church of Christ in Mooroopna'. Photo: Supplied (Getty Images)
2023 SIR DOUG NICHOLLS ROUND HONOUREE…Glenn James OAM grew-up in Shepparton, attending Gowrie Street Primary School and later working at the Ardmona Cannery. Much-admired Uncle to Greater Shepparton City Councillor, Cr Greg James, Glenn was delighted to have been honoured during this year’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round, an inspirational figure who the young Glenn heard speak at ‘The Church of Christ in Mooroopna’. Photo: Supplied (Getty Images)

Having umpired 166 matches between 1977 and 1985, including the 1982 and 1984 VFL Grand Finals, James has been named this year’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round honouree across matches 10 and 11 of the AFL premiership season, drawing pride and acclamation from both the Indigenous and football communities.

A teacher, and a Vietnam veteran, James’ grew up in Shepparton attending Gowrie Street Primary School and later worked at the Ardmona Cannery.

Colouring his earliest memories, football was from the start a life-long passion for James, spending Sunday afternoons playing the sport in a vacant lot before attending The Church of Christ in Mooroopna, where his hero Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls sermonised.

Returning from the draft in 1968, James played for Wunghnu in the Picola & District Football League before a broken jaw thrust him into umpiring where he was soon scouted by the VFL and sent to Melbourne.

Remembering his first senior VFL game, James said, “It was just fantastic. It was Fitzroy and Footscray out at VFL Park in 1977. After the bounce a player handballed it out to Bernie Quinlan and he banged it through from about 70 metres out. I knew straight away that this was a different type of footy, this was a different game.”

Despite fostering a famed rapport with players and reaching the pinnacle of his craft not once but twice, James nevertheless faced racial abuse throughout his career.

AUNTY PAM PEDERSEN OAM AND HONOUREE GLENN JAMES OAM... together at the 2023 Sir Doug Nicholls Round Launch at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Photo: Supplied (Getty Images)
AUNTY PAM PEDERSEN OAM AND HONOUREE GLENN JAMES OAM… together at the 2023 Sir Doug Nicholls Round Launch at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Photo: Supplied (Getty Images)

Outraged at a young age, by the bigoted vitriol hurled at his uncle during a game, Greater Shepparton City councillor, Cr Greg James said his uncle simply shut it out, telling him, “I don’t have to handle that, I just put the earmuffs on and block it out because I have a job to do making decisions on the ground,…if I worry about what’s being said it detracts away from what I’m being paid to do.”

Reportedly over the moon about being this year’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round honouree, Greg James said of his uncle,

“It is such a great honour for Glenn being the first and only Indigenous umpire in the AFL/VFL to be honoured…What he has achieved needs to be immortalised.

“I don’t think he realises what it has actually meant to our people in regard to building that relationship of reconciliation. We’ve always been acknowledged for our sporting skills on the field but never before for our umpiring.”

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