Keith Mills, a former Assistant Secretary of the Carlton Football Club and an identifier of football talent of the calibre of Jim Buckley and Ken Sheldon, has died after a short illness. He was 77.
Mills was appointed to the position of Assistant Secretary just over 40 years ago, in April 1974, on the resignation of Greg Matthews. At the time, Allen Cowie had just replaced Bert Deacon as Secretary (CEO), Deacon having suddenly died at the age of 51.
At the time of his appointment, Mills had previously served as Honorary Secretary of the Northern District Football League and, as was recorded in Carlton’s annual report of that year, “his (Mills’) experience has proved most beneficial to the club”.
Mills served as Secretary on the club’s Recruiting Sub-Committee, which was chaired by Wally Taylor and included the dual Carlton Premiership Coach Perc Bentley, together with former players Newton Chandler and “Ansell” Clarke as field officers.
Under their watch, the likes of Buckley and Sheldon (each destined to represent Carlton in three Grand Final victories) were amongst those recruited from the fertile Bendigo League in 1975, with Des English and Peter McConville (dual and triple Premiership players respectively) later joining the club on their recommendations.
Buckley recalled briefly staying at Mills’ house in Rosanna after making the move to the big smoke from Kyneton almost 40 years ago.
“Keith was like a father to me,” Buckley said. “He was one of the great recruiters of Carlton and a real gentleman. He was a superstar bloke and a true Blue, and my deepest sympathies go out to his family.”
This photograph, kindly supplied by Heath Mills, features his father to the right of Sheldon, Jim Canfield and Buckley not long after the players’ recruitment to the club. The photo carries Buckley’s signature and the accompanying message “Bulldog, thanks for everything”.
Mills also sourced talent closer to home – and there’s a famous (or rather infamous) account of him and fellow Carlton talentspotter Arthur Moxon heading 17 kilometres north to Thomastown in search of a likely kid called Alex Marcou.
The story goes that Alex’ late father Arthur, then working in a local fish and chip shop, became rather annoyed with the recruiters’ persistence – so much so that he pointed a fileting knife at the pair with the none-too-subtle suggestion that they both back off his boy.
Marcou himself couldn’t verify that part of the story, but said of his father “I wouldn’t have put it past him”.
“I know that Newton Chandler had been out to have a look at me, then Arthur Moxon and Keith Mills, and that Dad was pissing off Arthur and Keith” Marcou said.
“In the end, Chris Pavlou came to the door, started talking to Dad in Greek, and the old man said ‘Come in’.”
Marcou would later represent Carlton in three Premierships – the first of them in ’79 – and it was in the MCG winner’s circle after that one that all was forgiven and Mills found himself on the end of a hearty Arthur Marcou hug.
Mills’ role at Carlton changed in April 1976 when Cowie suddenly died in office. On Cowie’s passing, Keith McKenzie was duly appointed Carlton Secretary, with David Allen named Assistant and Mills Promotions Officer (a position later filled by Shane O’Sullivan). Mills’ brief was to arrange for senior players and officials to conduct football clinics – from Panton Hill to Heathcote and everywhere in between – with more than 250 clinics held on an annual basis through the 1970s.
An amusing tale told by Heath relates to a road trip to a clinic in Wycheproof, where the Mills family vehicle led a five-car convoy of Carlton players.
“We were on the way to the clinic with the players following and my Mum told Dad to stop the car because she’d just spotted a white kangaroo,” Mills said.
“We all laughed, but Mum was certain it was a white roo, so Dad completed a U-turn and so did the five other cars . . . and when we got to the spot we saw a sheep standing there looking at us.
“The players couldn’t believe what had happened and Mum never lived it down.”
The long-serving former Carlton Property Steward and Transport Officer Ken Kleiman remembered Mills (whose nickname was later inherited by the property steward Wayne “Bulldog” Gilbert) as a well-liked club person.
“Keith was a good Carlton supporter, he used to help other people out. I had no worries with him,” Kleiman said.
“He had a big hand in all those blokes out of Bendigo. He got a lot of good players for Carlton, he did a good job in that respect.”
In the years after completing official duties for Carlton, Mills committed to the cause of Amateur football outfit Banyule, which last year rewarded him with Life Membership.
In a recent final gesture, Mills returned to Visy Park to hand over a gavel last wielded by the then Carlton President Lew Holmes to call committeemen to order back in ’64.
Mills, whose wife Lorraine pre-deceased him, is survived by his children Tharren, Peta and Heath, their respective spouses and six grandchildren.
A service to celebrate the life of Keith Mills will be held in the Diamond Valley Baptist Church, 309 Diamond Creek Road, Plenty on Friday, commencing 11.00am.