ST KILDA member Joyce ‘Minnie’ Champion celebrated her 100^th birthday on Sunday November 17 and she is determined to be around to see the Saints next premiership.

Minnie knows she is in ‘time-on’ in the last quarter, but despite the fact some people twenty years her junior wouldn’t risk buying green bananas, Minnie still signs up her Saints membership every year.

In fact, she’s already taken out her membership for 2014, her 70^th year as a member of the St Kilda Football Club.

It is an incredible achievement. Minnie Champion has been a member for half of the club’s 140 year history.

As a young girl growing up in the country, Minnie didn’t barrack for anyone but when her brother, Des Nisbett, started playing for the Saints, she was hooked. Minnie has fond memories of watching Des play. “He was perfect to me, played on the backline and then there was Ken Mulhall and Brian Muir,” Minnie said.

The centurion can’t go to the football anymore but loves to watch “her boys” on television. “I barrack for them too, tell them what they’re doing wrong, you’d think I was playing with them,” Minnie said with a chuckle.

Minnie and her husband were popular with the neighbours when television was introduced to Melbourne in time for the 1956 Olympic Games.

“Oh that was something out of the ordinary, I think we were the only ones in the street that had it. We had all the kids in, my husband used to bring all the kids in, they would be sitting watching it,” Minnie said.

Ten years later the Champion family saw their beloved Saints win the 1966 premiership on that same TV set and was she happy.

“Ohhhh, happy? Just delighted. Couldn’t sleep that night.” Minnie paused to enjoy the flashback in her mind and then added, “But anyway, we will win another one.”

Saints.com.au’s impertinent correspondent asked, “Will you see it?”

“I hope to, my eyes are bad see, bad eyes,” Minnie said.

When saints.com.au admitted to her that what was meant by the question was would she still be alive to see it? Minnie didn’t miss a beat, “Oh yes, well I hope to!”

Minnie scoffs at those who say the club had a tough year in 2013. She was a teenager through the Great Depression of the 1930s. “Mum always had a feed for us, didn’t matter how poor we were, she always had a feed. We never went hungry,” Minnie recalled.

She was in her 20s during World War II when rations were a way of life. Minnie worked in a fruit shop for her brother-in-law before leaving to get married. In those days getting married meant the automatic loss of your job.

Minnie got married after the war but lost her first child, Leslie, when he was only three months old. It was one of the first things she mentioned in the interview with saints.com.au, the recognition of his loss more important to her than the centenary of years she celebrated with her surviving daughter, Wendy and her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

In a life of more highs than lows, barracking and being a member of the Saints has been a constant. Even though there was a long guest list of family and friends, Wendy arranged with the club for one more guest, St Kilda Football Club legend, Neil Roberts. Neil presented Minnie with a special leather bound, limited edition of Russell Holmesby’s book, Strength through loyalty.

Even at the age of 100, Minnie remains as sharp as a whip and can vividly recall a young Neil Roberts on and off the field. “Oh I loved him, a real woman’s man but a nice fella, a very nice fella. Good player, very very good. When he got the ball, that was it, he’d do something with it,” Minnie said.

St Kilda Football Club has seen many champions over the years but none better than Joyce ‘Minnie’ Champion. A dedicated and passionate Saints member for 70 years.