Tamworth

Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to sport and the Tamworth community

WALLY Franklin might not have been a champion on the sporting field, but his record behind the scenes is almost peerless.

The 65-year-old has devoted much of his life to volunteering in sports administration both in Tamworth and on the Mid North Coast.

He served in the Northern Inland Academy of Sport from 1998 to 2013, including 10 years as chairman, and is a Tamworth Sports Dome board member.

Mr Franklin, a Vietnam veteran who played grade rugby in both Queensland and Sydney, firmly believes in the power of sport as a force for good in the community. 

“We put 2500 athletes through those programs over the 14 years and I don’t remember one of them coming out of the courthouse,” he said.

“So that’s rewarding for me to see (those) young athletes grow up as good people and nice people, and talk to them in later years.”

Mr Franklin said Tamworth’s sporting scene was “very healthy”; however, a shortage of volunteers could be a problem in the future. 

Mr Franklin is married to Jill, with whom he has three children: Wade, Hayley and Elke (dec).