THE Rathgeber surname is well-known in the sporting circles of Stawell, but just how far spread the name goes might surprise a few.
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Jack Rathgeber played football at the Stawell Football Club alongside his brothers, but from 1966-1967 Mr Rathgeber also served as the Stawell Athletic Club president.
12 years since his passing, and at the 140th running of the Stawell Gift, Mr Rathgeber's wife Nat sat down with the Stawell Times-News to share some fond memories of Easter in Stawell.
An icon of Australian sport, the Stawell Gift has been held in all but five years since 1878, and is one of the world's most famous and prestigious foot races.
Every Easter thousands of runners and athletics fans from all over Australia and all points of the globe make the annual pilgrimage to Central Park, the professional running mecca, in the small historic gold-mining town of Stawell.
Born in Stawell, Mrs Rathgeber can remember the huge crowds that would come up for the long weekend.
"The Stawell Gift is a very important event for Stawell," she said. "It's set in a lovely place and it brings all the friends and family home for Easter. There is a such a rich history of the Gift and it makes part of the town."
Mrs Rathgeber said she can remember the cars lining up on Easter Monday to return back home when she was growing up.
"As soon as the Gift was run, all the cars started coming down and it was like a parade leaving town," she said.
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"I can remember that quite clearly. You never really noticed cars coming in on the Friday, maybe because they wouldn't all come in at the same time.
"Easter in Stawell was a really exciting time for a child."
During her husband's tenure on the Athletic Club committee from about 1953, Mrs Rathgeber said she wasn't involved too much as she was caring for their five children at home after they were married in 1955.
"It was a feature of the town and Jack did a lot of work for the athletic club," she said.
"I had five babies in about seven years. So I was pretty busy at home and didn't go to many early meets but Jack always shared his memories.
"It was always a real festive crowd and a busy place. Jack continued to be on the committee for a long time after we were married - nothing was as busy as the year he was president though."
Mrs Rathgeber chuckles when she remembers how the year was always split into seasons.
"We moved from football season, into cricket season, into Stawell Gift preparations then back into the football season," she said. "Of course after Easter, was then the football season. The Stawell Gift was like the calm before the storm that was the football season. After Easter he could drop everything at the Athletic Club and focus on football. He worked hard. He had his own business as well. He never came home and just sat in the chair - he was always doing something."
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