Three-time Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin (centre) delivered a signed ball to volunteers of the Rochester Sports Museum. Photo: Oliver Shedden
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Oliver Shedden
Three-time Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin dropped off a special new exhibition piece at the Rochester Sports Museum on Thursday.
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The exhibition piece is an AFL grand final football signed by the 2017 premiership-winning players.
Getting the ball to the museum was a team effort by a few key individuals in the community.
Former sports journalist, television presenter and Lockington native Brad McEwan was given the ball when he hosted the September Club event for the 2021 AFL grand final.
He then asked his friend Shane McCurry, who is from Rochester and works as a culture, leadership, and organisational development consultant with the Richmond Football Club, to see if he could get some signatures on the ball.
McEwan and McCurry thought it would be a nice addition to the Rochester Sports Museum and could raise the community’s spirits following the devastating October 2022 floods.
After some time, McCurry finally secured all of the signatures, the last of which came only a week ago when recently retired Richmond legend Dustin Martin finally got to sign it.
With all the signatures on the ball, former Richmond captain Trent Cotchin, who skippered the side to the 2017, 2019 and 2020 premierships, volunteered to deliver it to the museum.
Cotchin was thrilled to be able to visit the museum and deliver the ball, having briefly visited the town numerous times.
The new edition will fit right in with the AFL and other sports memorabilia donated by the late John Forbes to the museum. Photo: Aidan Briggs
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
“My family have holidayed in Echuca-Moama my whole life, and I’ve driven through Rochester and stopped off at the bakery many times,” he said.
“I’ve never visited the museum before, and I didn’t realise how special it was. It’s great to see all of the rich history that’s inside.”
Cotchin was glad he could lift Rochester’s spirits as the community continued to deal with the floods’ aftermath.
“I don’t think you realise the devastation (of the floods) until you come here and hear some of the stories of the locals who have been doing it tough,” he said.
“I love coming to country regions because there’s such a strong sense of community and support, which makes these areas so special.
“It’s a pleasure to be here, and I’m glad the Tigers can contribute in any way.”
Rochester Lions Club vice-president John Atley, who has been instrumental in curating the Rochester Sports Museum, was thrilled to have Cotchin in town and to see the museum.
He also emphasised the importance of the community, seeing that people still care about and want to help the people of Rochester.
“Trent is very community-minded, and he saw that Rochester was hurting and wanted to do something to lift our spirits,” he said.
“It’s fantastic for (Trent) to come and do this; it gives the town a bit of a lift when residents see that he cares because there are still many people rebuilding.
“It just shows the community that there are people out there still thinking of us, and it’ll become pride and place at the museum; it’s a wonderful new addition.”
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