Ballarat Football Netball League club Redan is remembering and paying homage to Lions great Fred Carpenter.
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The club's number one ticket holder died on Saturday night after a life as a heralded footballer for the Lions and skilled athlete. He was 87 years of age.
Redan president Garry Goyne said it was a sad time for the whole club community.
He said Carpenter was a giant of a man within the club, the general football community and athletics, and rarely missed a Redan game - senior or junior.
"He will be sorely missed by all."
Living near the Western Oval, Carpenter was always going to play his football with Redan.
He played in a run of junior premiership sides - including 1950 under-16, and 1951, 1952 and 1953 - and won the 1952 BFL under-16 best and fairest and goalkicking awards.
Carpenter went on to win the 1966 BFL reserves best and fairest, and play in reserves premierships in 1969 and 1970.
He played 260 (senior and reserves) games for the Lions, which is fourth on the club's all-time list.
One of Carpenter's greatest football memories came as a 16-year-old in 1953 when he played in a Redan side which defeated Essendon's VFL team in a practice match in Ballarat.
His playing career spanned more than 20 years, ending in 1970, and he went on to be honoured with a life membership and club hall of fame membership.
Carpenter was elevated to legend status in 2018.
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Football was not his only sporting pursuit.
At the same time Carpenter also had a passion for running, which he reflected on in an interview he did for the club's "My Redan Story" series, which is published on the club's website.
"I would run everywhere back in those days," he said.
"I would run around Lake Wendouree before a game to warm up.
"This was to help warm up an injury with my hamstring and the coaches had no problem with this.
"I would run to Clunes then get picked up. Then to Maryborough games, but not to play, just there to watch. This was around 1966-68.
"I would often run 20 miles from my country workplace to the SEC depot at Lake Wendouree which was the old Fry's Flour Mill, south of Mill Street and the Lake View Hotel."
Long training runs would also include Ballarat to Learmonth and back, Ballarat to Dereel, or Ballarat to Linton.
He ran as a professional from 1959-60, competing in every state and winning races at venues such as Stawell, Devonport, Bendigo, Ararat and Ballarat.
Carpenter also completed his first marathon in 1967 and went on to have a best time of two hours, 30 minutes.
