Ken 'Kanga' Johnston, Myrtleford FC's 70-year heart, dies aged 85
Ken 'Kanga' Johnston gave 70 years to Myrtleford Football Club after losing an eye in 1963. He died aged 85.
Ken 'Kanga' Johnston earned the nickname 'Kanga' for his deep love of North Melbourne, but Myrtleford Football Netball Club became his life. Johnston played 92 senior games for the club between 1957 and 1963, then lost his eye in a timber-cutting accident that same year.
Five days later, he married Margaret. For the next seven decades, Johnston threw himself into almost every role the club needed: secretary, treasurer, timekeeper.
He organised weddings at the clubrooms, catered during seasons, and sat at most at pre-season training right up until recently. Locals remember him quiet but with a dry sense of humour, always working behind the scenes.
Johnston was a life member and Hall of Fame inductee, and devoted equally to Rotary, earning the Paul Harris Fellow award for 50 years' service.
- 70-plus
- Years at club
- 92 from 1957 to 1963
- Senior games played
- 1969 to 1974
- Secretary tenure
- 13 years following secretary role
- Treasurer tenure
Why it mattersA local institution leaves a profound gap in a small Victorian community that built itself around him.
AustraliaMyrtleford Football Netball Club and the wider Ovens and Murray region lose a beloved volunteer whose seven-decade presence shaped the club's identity.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 12 d ago
