Vale Gordon Elder

Gordon Elder started playing junior lacrosse with Malvern in 1958 along with Eric Granger and Neville Bell, a product of Frank Lansbury’s recruiting skills at the local Spring Road School.

Gordon progressed through the ranks at Malvern as a goalkeeper, played in the Victorian No 2 team in 1968 along with two of his friends and team mates, Keith Daly and Eric Granger.

Gordon was clearly interested in refereeing even while still playing, and in 1967 when his team had a bye he was allocated a B grade game between Footscray and Coburg, and he recalled Tom Finnigan from Coburg coming up to him after the game and commenting what a good job he did.

Fast forward to April 1975, when after some efforts to try and establish himself in the Malvern ‘A’ Grade team, and after only the first match of the season, he realized it probably wouldn’t happen, and it was then that he made the decision to become a professional referee and become a member of ALRA.

Given there was a lack experienced and senior referees to mentor new referees in 1975 he was very fortunate to be teamed up with the best in Victoria and Australia at that time, Don Reyment, who took him through the basics and set him on his journey as a referee for 48 years.

Gordon progressed quickly through the ranks, he had the same calm demeanor and influence as Don Reyment, and was selected for his first senior carnival in 1977 and regularly selected after that up until 2003, a total of 17 appearances at senior Australian championships.

On the International stage Gordon refereed at the 1982 world championship (Baltimore), 1990 (Perth) and 1994 (Manchester). Gordon also officiated on 2 international tours, one in Japan (1989), where Australia played its first international game against Japan, and the other a tour to the USA (1990).

Starting in 1975 and retiring in 2022, at age 74, Gordon refereed 1190 games at club level, which does not include the hundreds of practice matches and state team trials, and refereed in 23 state league finals.

Gordon was an active member of ALRA on and off the field and was awarded a life membership from ALRA (Vic) in 1990 and was awarded life membership of Lacrosse Victoria and the M.C.C. Bowls Section in 2025.

Gordon was fortunate to work with, and learn from Don Reyment, when he commenced as a professional referee in1975 and he learnt the basic and key attributes of being a good referee. The crowd is not there to see the referee, the sign of a good referee is when no one recalls who refereed the game. That is the way Gordon refereed, he wasn’t officious or controlling, he just shaped the game so that it could flow, he would like to let it run and only pull up the obvious stuff. When tempers got a bit flared he would step in and calm things down, he was a director rather than a controller.

He realized the game was about the two teams trying to win the game, it wasn’t about him. He was highly respected by the players and coaches, and probably more importantly to him, by his peers. Always calm, never over-reacting or theatrical, more focused on getting the calls right than making dramatic signals or gesture, and that is the way it always should be.

A well managed life and lacrosse career, he enjoyed a good life and always up for a bit of humour, even in the most intense situations, whether it be a C grade game or an interstate final, the game was the winner - and so were you Gordon Elder.

Vale Gordon Elder