HE might be one of the AFL North West's newest umpires, but on Saturday Raymond Mason will become one of the most experienced in the country.
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Saturday's women's clash between the Moree Suns and Gunnedah Bulldogs, and the men's game between the Suns and Tamworth Swans, will mark Mason's 749th and 750th games.
Hailing from Preston in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Mason's football journey has taken him from powerhouse Victorian leagues like the Northern and Goulburn Valley, to metropolitan Queensland leagues.
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However, the man affectionately known as "Razor Ray" said his journey as an umpire started after a chance meeting with an AFL legend.
"I met the iconic Indigenous umpire Glenn James after the 1984 VFL grand final and he told me umpiring was the best job in footy," Mason said.
"I was playing at the time with my brother, who had won several league best and fairest awards, while I was just plodding along in comparison.
"That was when I made the decision to turn my hand to umpiring in 1985 and this is my 22nd consecutive season without missing a game."
After moving to Inverell at the beginning of the year, Mason was quickly recruited by AFL North West president Sonia Martin.
Having umpired many greats of the game including 2001 Brownlow Medalist Jason Akermanis and Saverio Rocca, Mason said the game had given him wonderful memories.
"I've met a lot of great people and made many lifelong friends through umpiring," he said.
"One of my fondest memories was in the Northern Football League days when a toddler wandered out onto the field.
"I wasn't sure if I should red card her or give her my whistle to play with until her parents came to collect her.
"That was pretty funny looking back and I have got so many memories like that."
Mason's record as an umpire speaks for itself and includes a total of 22 senior men's and women's grand finals, as well as three inter-league grand finals and eight masters carnivals.
However, the Victorian native said he was still chasing a grand final birth this season.
"Just like it is for the players, a grand final is the pinnacle for an umpire," he said.
"I have to say the women's competition here is one of the best I've seen, and I also umpired my first under-17 game in 25 years this season.
"However, I'm still really keen to get a grand final and hopefully I'm umpiring well enough to deserve one."
Martin said it "can be hard to find umpires in our game, particularly one with Raymond's experience".
"He has been fantastic for us in helping to develop some of our younger umpires and the experience he passes on is invaluable," she said.
"We are very lucky to have him our ranks this season, that's for sure."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
