In 1993, when I was researching for my book Gravel Rash, Boulder Football Club identity Max Viskovich took me to visit Pom Holland. The story didn’t make it into the book. Probably should have. Here it is.

Arthur ” Pom ” Holland sat at the kitchen table in his humble little Boulder house. The late afternoon sun shining through a window lit up the right side of his face. He’d been a handsome bloke in his younger days, you could see that. Now he was approaching 90-years-of-age and a bit unsteady on his feet.

He used to like a beer but he refused the one we offered him. “Haven’t had a beer in 12 months,” he told us, “don’t even feel like it any more.”

Arthur was born in Yorkshire, he was 13 when his family moved to Australia in 1916.  He spent a short time at the Boulder Primary School and there picked up the nickname that was to stick. “Don’t write about Arthur,” he said, “or half the people who know me wouldn’t know who you were talking about.”

Pom was not a great footballer but he can lay claim to a proud and possibly unique record; he was captain of the Kurrawang football club’s first premiership team, he captained the first Moonta Turks premiership team in 1925 and when Boulder City B grade won the premiership in 1931 he was again captain. He is a life member of the Boulder City Football Club and in 1963 was awarded life membership of the GNFL.

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