“I heard about Zac coming home to run the water. How humbling is that? They’re great boys who have never forgotten their home.
“We have Paleface Park in the heart of town where we have an elite sportsperson’s walk of honour in the shadows of a big statue of the great [pacer] Paleface Adios. The inductees need to be retired for five years, and one of those inductees is [former Australian and NSW representative] Trent Barrett. There is plenty of room to add these boys.”
Zac Lomax runs the water for the local Temora first-grade side last weekend.
There are 6100 people in Temora, which has also produced North Queensland coach Todd Payten, and Hawthorn forward Luke Breust.
The Dragons are contenders to win the Group 9 competition this year, but for the first time failed to field an under-16s and under-18s team.
Martin said he was claimed by Temora, Barmedman and West Wyalong, where he attended school.
Angus Crichton was born in Temora Hospital.
“Barmedman only has about 100 people, it’s 20 minutes out Temora, and whenever I run into people back home, they will tell me, ‘you’re not from Temora, you’re from Barmedman’.
“I played my footy in Temora. I played with Zac’s older brother, Hayden. I love getting back there. At Christmas time there are always around 60 of us who get together.”
Barrett, who is Martin’s first cousin, was the person who informed him he would be making his Origin debut in 2021.
Lomax said of his Temora roots: “You love getting back and having a beer with your mates and people who are so interested to see how you’re going. They’re all so genuine.”
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As a newborn Crichton weighed 2.5kg, but was 51cm, and spent five days in hospital after being delivered by local obstetrician Roger Thatcher. His parents owned property in Temora, and his mother, Pip, taught at Temora West Public School. The locals often joked the only two times you crossed to the western side of the tracks was to “attend the school fete, or be buried”.
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