Dan Donovan was a founding member in 1963 and organised the plaque to recognise people who have given years of service to the club.
While not as active in the club as he used to be, Dan has many memories of the popular events the club ran and the many people who made them possible.
“I made so many friends through the club. It was a collection of people who wanted to make something great for the area,” he said.
“And great it was. People packed into the events and got behind the competitors. The roar of the crowd is something I’ll never forget.
“We never heard a bad word about the events we put on. That’s because of the amazing team of people we had working to make it happen.”
Not only did Dan have a hand in the club’s formation, he was also a successful trainer, winning multiple events in Victoria.
“I won two open sheep dog events at the Royal Melbourne Show in the early 2000s. I’m also pretty proud to say I won the Snowy Mountains Championship at one point,” he said.
“I still can’t quite believe the number of people those events attracted. When it went well, the noise the crowd made was spellbinding.
“They were big events with fierce competition, but I’ve been lucky to have worked with some very skilled people and some very loyal animals through the years.”
Dan’s love of dogs came from his father, who was a drover at Euroa. Some of Dan’s earliest memories are of his dad guiding cattle vast distances with expertly trained dogs.
“I remember taking 300 head of cattle up the old Hume Hwy through Violet Town and up to Benalla without incident,” Dan said.
“Watching my dad work as a team with his dogs was something else. I was proud to be part of that trip and the bond between Dad and his dogs stuck with me.
“I jumped at the chance to be involved with the sheep dog club and I’m very happy to see it is still running popular events.
“It was disappointing to see it postponed due to the pandemic, but I know it will be back and as good as ever.
“And I look forward to when the pavilion is finished and the names of the founding members can have their place on the wall.”
The commemorative plaque was made by Seymour's Burgess Signs.
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