History
The Chiltern & District Football Association was first established in 1912 from the following Australian Rules Football clubs - Barnawartha, Chiltern, Chiltern Valley, Christmastown, Southern and Wodonga.
The Southern Football Club was made up of employees from the Great Southern Mine from South Rutherglen. [2]
1500 spectators attended the inaugural grand final match at the Chiltern Park Oval to watch Chiltern Valley defeat Wodonga in 1912. [3]
In 1913, there was much speculation about which club won the minor premiership, with Wodonga FC claiming they had the most goals and points for the season. [4] Three matches were deemed void due to protests and clubs were ordered to replay these matches, just before the finals too. The Southern FC refused to play Wodonga in a semi-final due to an appeal not being decided on, [5] while the other semi-final matches was played with Brown's Plain defeating United Miners. Finally, the C&DFA Delegates decided to abandoned the season. [6]
The club jumper colours worn in 1919 were as follows - Chiltern: red & white, Chiltern Valley: yellow & blue, Rutherglen: green & gold, Springhurst: blue & white, Wahgunyah: black & white. [7] Rutherglen's senior team played in the Ovens and Murray Football League in 1919.
In 1920, when the Ovens and Murray Football League went into recess, three of the four competing clubs, Howlong, Lake Rovers and Rutherglen joined the C&DFL [8] and the fourth club, Corowa joined the Coreen & District Football League. In June 1920, there was a match between the C&DFA and the Albury Border Football Association. [9]
Both semi-final matches In 1929 had to be replayed after appeals were lodged by both Chiltern and Rutherglen. [10]
In 1932, A Costin - Howlong & H Scott - Wodonga, tied on 12 votes each for the Rudduck & Co Best and Fairest Award, with Costin eventually winning on a countback. [11]
The 1933 C&DFA grand final saw Wodonga defeat Beechworth Wanderers. [12] Wodonga's Clive Bohr was judged as the best and fairest player in the grand final. [13]
In 1937, Barnawartha's, Leslie A. Winnett, won the Chiltern & DFA best and fairest Award, the Hooper Cup. [14]
The C&DFA club jumper colours in 1939 were - Albury - blue and gold; Balldale, royal Blue and gold braces; Barnawartha - yellow and black; Chiltern - red and white; Corowa - black and red; Howlong - red and blue; Springhurst - red, white and blue. [15]
Towards the end of World War Two, the C&DFA was re-established in 1945 from the following five teams - Barnawartha, Beechworth, Chiltern, Howlong and Rutherglen, with Chiltern defeating Howlong by eight points in the grand final.
In August 1950, Gerry O’Neill kicked 24 goals against Springhurst in round 16, to bring his goal tally to 116 for the season. [16] O'Neill finished the 1950 season with 139 goals, after kicking nine goals in the grand final win against Howlong. [17]
