Brothers Tim and Mick Woollam lived here, there and everywhere as kids, but chose to settle down in Wyndham as adults. The pair both started playing with the Werribee Masters Football Club this year, and tell Charlene Macaulay about playing footy, their families and what they love about the area.
What’s your connection to the Wyndham area?
Tim: Our dad was in the air force, so we started off in Canberra and then moved to a couple of towns in New South Wales and were in Malaysia for three years … our first experience with Melbourne was a posting in 1987. Mick’s stayed since then. I moved off, met my wife and had kids and didn’t come to Melbourne until 2000. And now I’m in Werribee.
Mick: I’m in Tarneit, I’ve been in Tarneit and Hoppers Crossing for six years now. Before that, we were in Laverton. My wife wanted to move here because the housing was cheaper than Altona.
What do you each like about this area?
Tim: It’s still got a feel of a smaller town, but you’ve still got all the amenities. I don’t think I’ll ever leave this area for that reason – 20 minutes out one way and you’re in the You Yangs, 20 minutes in the other way and you’re at the beach, or you’re in the busy metropolis of Melbourne.
Mick: Pretty much the same thing. It’s an easy pace, although not so easy any more.
Tell me about your families.
Mick: I’m married with three kids, I’ve got Joshua (10), Stephanie (9), and Jessica (2). I met my wife, Jenni through, a blind date with some friends.
Tim: I have three kids – I have Brad, who’s 25, Ashleigh (23) and Kristen (17). They’re all older now – we can go and do stuff and don’t have to worry about the kids. I’m married to Sharon, we’ve been married for 22 years, and I met her when I was five.
You both play for the Werribee Masters Football Club. Have you always played Aussie rules?
Tim: I had never played before.
Mick: I had never played, but I had trained with a few clubs just to get a feel for the game.
Tim: We got involved through the Western Bulldogs program Sons of the West … they do a 10-week pre-season and they held it here, and we got talking.
I never thought I’d play. I wanted a bit of fitness, a bit of mateship. I ended up playing three games – not very well, but I get out there and I scare people when I run at them (laughs).
Mick: I really didn’t have any intention of playing, either – I just wanted to get my fitness on track.
But I came down and played in a practice match and I got the bug. I played the first four, then got injured, and then played a quarter … five games isn’t too bad when I had no intention of even playing one game.
Will you both play next year?
Tim: For sure. My wife comes down as well and helps out in the kitchen … Mick brings his kids and wife down. And we bring dad – he rocks up every Sunday and wears his jumper.
Mick: It’s a good family club.
What’s one of your favourite Wyndham locations?
Tim: I love the zoo – that’s my favourite spot.
Mick: My kids play basketball, so we enjoy going to Eagle Stadium and hanging out there a bit on a Saturday morning.
