Wahgunyah mourn passing of sporting icon John Voss at age 94

John Voss OAM, whose career ran from the late 1940s to the late 1960s, and who played A-grade tennis into his sixties, passed away earlier this month at age 94.

He played 375 games for Wahgunyah and won five premierships, six league medals (four in the Coreen league and two in the Chiltern league) and nine club best and fairests.

"We all knew it was coming at some point, I saw him several weeks ago and he was in tip top condition mentally, still talking about footy," Wahgunyah life member and neighbour of 10 years Steve Grantham said.

"He was our Bradman. He was phenomenal. He played the most games, he coached the most games, he won the most medals.

"But he was a gentleman. We used to talk footy over the fence and I never heard him say a bad word about anyone who played against him.

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"It was always 'he was quick', or 'he was strong or tough'; it was always what the player's strengths were."

The centreman, who could play anywhere, famously abandoned an opportunity to play with Essendon in 1954, instead taking up Wahgunyah's coaching post.

His dominance saw then-club president Laurie Talbot and Voss decide to make him ineligible for votes for the last eight years of his coaching reign.

The man known as 'Mr Wahgunyah', who won his first flag in 1948 and last in 1968, was also a talented tennis player and held positions on Wahgunyah Tennis Club's committee from 1954 onwards.

He was last year re-elected to the North East Region Tennis Association treasurer's position.

In addition, he coached juniors, volunteered endlessly and was instrumental in the securing of the $1.1m grant for the new tennis and netball facilities to be opened next month.

"He was an absolute inspiration for a lot of juniors and just having the tennis club be as successful as it is," tennis club president Sandra Johnstone said.

"He was a cagey player. He could hit it hard if he had to but he was more likely to get you with the drop shot from the back of the court.

"On the sports side 'winning wasn't everything, it was the only thing', but he was very humble, he used to say; 'it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice'."

In 2000 Voss was one of the inaugural winners of the Australian Sports Medal for his service to grassroots sport and in 2013 was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in recognition of his service to Wahgunyah, particularly in the area of sport.

Voss, who spent the bulk of his working life at Jones Plumbing in Corowa, also was a torchbearer ahead of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics alongside then-councillor Ken Jasper.

He continued to travel to Wahgunyah to volunteer weekly after moving to Wangaratta and after the passing of his wife Mona.

He is survived by his sons Robert, married to Trish, of Wangaratta and Gary, married to Bernadette, of Melbourne, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The service will be held from 11am at the club.

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