Talking Parrots Podcast
An oral history of the Leongatha Football Netball Club.
Episodes
35 episodes
#34 Terry Benton
As captain-coach of our first premiership in the Latrobe Valley/Gippsland League—one of the most famous Grand Final victories in Leongatha's history—Terry Benton holds a special place in the hearts of the Parrot faithful. Some still suggest Ben...
#33 Curly Tales: The Ian Salmon Story
Over generations, the Salmon name has been royalty at Leongatha, and Ian 'Curly' Salmon remains one of Gippsland's greatest sportsmen. Four senior premierships with the Parrots (1970, 1977, 1979 & 1982), four best and fairest awards (1970, ...
#32 Ross Johnson
Ross Johnson played seven VFL games with Hawthorn (1971-72), winning the 1972 reserves premiership with the Hawks alongside future Legend, Michael Tuck. In 1975, after two seasons as playing coach of Coleraine in the Western Border League, John...
#31 Ben Harding
As surely one of Leongatha's best ever first-year recruits, WA-born Ben Harding enjoyed a remarkable debut season at the Parrots in 2025. Playing predominantly on the wing, he not only claimed the Gippsland League senior best & fairest awar...
Mary Haywood on Trevor Haywood
In this special edition of the Talking Parrots Podcast, Mary Haywood remembers her late husband Trevor's remarkable career at Leongatha which included an equal-club-record five senior premierships.This podcast is proudly brought to you b...
#29 Adrian Campbell
One of the all-time great Parrots, Adrian Campbell came to Leongatha via Traralgon, Footscray and Melbourne. He played in the 1995, 1997 & 2001 senior premierships and in 1997 became the first Parrot to kick 100 goals in a season; in two ga...
#28 Don Allen
Former Parrots president, Don Allen, reflects on his time at Leongatha (2004-05), which coincided with several major projects, including a re-sizing of the football ground, a much-needed irrigation upgrade, and improvements to the social club, ...
#27 Gary Webster
When the Leongatha Football Netball Club one day establishes a Hall of Fame, Gary Webster, with a resume as fine as any footballer in club history, will surely be an inaugural inductee. 'Webby' played 233 senior games (top five all-time), won f...
#26 2017 Gippsland FNL Grand Final - The Drought Breakers
In this special extended podcast, four of Leongatha's 2017 premiership heroes - forwards Jack Ginnane & Chris Dunne, plus co-captain Hayden Browne & coach Beau Vernon - look back at the heart-stopping one-point Grand Final victory over ...
#25 Ken Fleming
One of just eight to play 300 senior games (football and netball) at Leongatha in the Gippsland League era, Ken Fleming is one of the club's finest servants. A four-time premiership player (1979 reserves; 1989, '95 and '97 seniors) and four-tim...
#24 Sean Westaway
On the cusp of breaking Leongatha's senior games-played record, which he currently shares with former great, Peter Helms (235 games), four-time premiership defender Sean Westaway reflects on the many kilometres he's travelled over a 15-year sen...
#23 Kate McCarthy
Returning to Leongatha after a brief stint with Stony Creek FNC, netball great Kate McCarthy sits down with both Dan and Ernie to reflect on a fine career in green and gold that has included three premierships (2003-04 A-grade, 2012 B-grade), f...
#22 Presidential Round Table: Graham Fixter, Keith Kuhne & Glenn Wright
In this special edition podcast, three former Leongatha presidents—Graham Fixter (1983-84), Keith Kuhne (1995-2000) & Glenn Wright (2006-10)—reflect on their respective eras in the presidential chair and discuss the different challenges the...
#21 Des Thorson
Success and Des Thorson went hand-in-hand throughout his remarkable three-decade career with Stony Creek (1971-76), Leongatha (1977-82 & 1984-87) and Meeniyan-Dumbalk United (1988-94) football clubs. Three premierships with the Parrots (197...
#20 Laurie Moloney
Speaking from his home in Queensland, former Parrot, Laurie Moloney (1970, 22 games), recalls his childhood spent in South Gippsland in the 1960s, being part of a famous premiership at Leongatha - its first in the Gippsland League - then his 80...
#19 Dyson Heppell & Aaron Heppell
In this humorous episode, popular Leongatha-born brothers, Dyson & Aaron Heppell, reflect on their respective journeys to Essendon, where Dyson has played 235 games in red & black (2011-23), captained the club (2017-22), won a Crichton ...
#18 Bronwyn Lynch & Wayne Lynch
The Lynch name is royalty in Gippsland sporting circles; Wayne Lynch & his late brother Peter are legendary at Leongatha. In this episode, Wayne is joined by Peter's wife, Bronwyn, to discuss the family's roots in Yarram & their time at...
#17 Tim Maxwell
In a rare visit to his former hometown, Tim Maxwell - a dual Leongatha premiership player (1977, 1979) & triple best & fairest winner (1975-77) - remembers fondly his time in the district where, as the son of local legend, Keith 'Pud' M...
#16 Trent McMicking
Having been granted unprecedented access to record the coach's pre-game & in-game addresses throughout 2023, Dan Eddy sits down with Parrots coach, Trent McMicking, to discuss at length his life in football & specifically the memorable ...
#15 1979 Latrobe Valley Football League (now Gippsland FNL) Grand Final
In this special extended podcast, three of Leongatha's 1979 premiership heroes - Chris Howard, Chris McRae and Ian Salmon - revisit the '79 LVFL Grand Final, providing a fascinating account of a record-setting premiership for the Parrots over T...
#14a 1982 LVFL Grand Final (Part 2 of 2)
In this second part of the 1982 LVFL Grand Final recap, played between Leongatha and Warragul, Parrots coach Neville Stone, full-forward Graeme Salmon, and wingman Peter McCaughan, dissect the game quarter-by-quarter and discuss their respectiv...
#14 1982 LVFL Grand Final (Part 1 of 2)
In episode one of a two-part recap of the 1982 Latrobe Valley Football League Grand Final, Leongatha's dual premiership coach, Neville Stone, plus full-forward, Graeme Salmon, and wingman, Peter McCaughan, discuss their respective journeys to t...
#13 Kevin Howard & Alan Sperling
Two of the greats from the Parrots' successful 1960s era, Kevin Howard (a triple premiership player, captain & later president) & Alan Sperling (three senior premierships & a reserves flag), discuss the club's time in the South Gipp...