John Polmear and Daniel Haines Honored with Life Membership

The Peel Thunder Football Club had the recent privilege of honoring two new life members into the Club in Daniel Haines and John Polmear.

John and Audrey moved to Falcon in 1997 and it didn’t take him and his wife long to get involved with his friends, Ron & Margaret Howarth, in the then Mandurah Football and Sporting Club.

In these early days he accepted an invitation to help with the Friday night raffles and assist in the Members draw.

By the early 2000’s, John had begun an involvement with the Peel Thunder Past Players and Officials Association and as they were struggling for a Committee, he nominated and was elected to the position of Secretary/Treasurer in 2005.  A position he still holds to this day.

Those early years of the Past Players were very tough and fundraising was quite exhausting when fundraising achieved a gross turnover of approximately $6,000 only for the entire year.  Through John’s efforts since 2006 to 2013 the Past Players and Officials Association turns over in excess of $50,000.  This has been achieved by the hard work John does in organizing:

1. Canteen and Bar – home games and Scratch matches.
2. Swap meets at the Mandurah Forum which entails leaving home at 4.30am to organize stall and collect stall holder’s fees, often not finishing before 12 noon.
3. Friday night members draw and raffles.
4. Various players BBQ’s and Social Day BBQ’s throughout the year...
5. Peel Football League Grand Final Canteen and Bar.
6. NAB Cup Canteen and Bar.

In his previous life prior to moving to Mandurah, John was an active member of:

• Swan Athletic Football Club.
• Swan Districts Football Club.
• President and Life Member of the Bellevue RSL Club.
• State President of the Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers.

Through all his time at Mandurah John has been a passionate supporter of Peel Thunder and the Mandurah Football & Sporting Club, he knows what it means to the district and to the development of junior players. John has always been prepared to assist whenever called upon even at late notice and when necessary. Both he and Audrey enjoy the companionship and friendships that evolve in a Club such as Peel Thunder. He is a worthy recipient of a Life Membership of the Peel Thunder Football Club a position he will cherish and uphold the responsibility that goes with being a Life Member.

Daniel Haines was born 11 April 1981 and is a former midfielder who played for the Fremantle Dockers in the Australian Football League and the Peel Thunder in the West Australian Football League.

Haines played junior Club football at South Mandurah, and played Colts and Development squad football with the Peel Thunder shortly after it joined the WAFL in 1997. Daniel broke into its senior team in 1999. He was then drafted to the AFL by the Fremantle Dockers to its rookie list in 2001, and was elevated to the senior list at the beginning of the 2002 season. He made his senior AFL debut in Round 6 2002.

After playing a total of 16 games in 2002 and 2003, numerous injuries to his knee, big toe and Achilles tendon have kept him out of the senior side and he was finally delisted at the end of 2006.

Throughout his career at Fremantle, Daniel continued to play senior football for Peel when he was not selected in Fremantle's AFL team. Following his delisting from Fremantle, he considered a move to South Australia to play in the SANFL, but ultimately remained at Peel as his passion for the Club remained strong. He played a total of 128 senior games for Peel Thunder from 1999 to 2010, before retiring after a knee injury. He won the Peel Thunder Dudley Tuckey Medal for the Best & Fairest player in the League side in 2004 and 2007, and was Club captain from mid-2008 until his retirement. Daniel continues to remain involved with the Club through coaching and a variety of other roles, which included playing this season for one game to help the Club. This epitomizes what Peel means to Daniel and he thoroughly deserves this honor of life member.