FOOTBALL, cricket, campdrafting, netball, rodeo, basketball, lawn bowls and more: if you name a local sport, The Western Star has covered it over our 145-year history.

Sports clubs are the cornerstone of every community in our district, and for many of our readers, the sports section is where they have started their reading every Tuesday and Friday.

Among them is John Birkett, stalwart and former president of the Mitchell Magpies.

He said the Star sports pages have always been incredibly valuable to the clubs and communities they play for.

“The history in this paper dates back a long time and I for one have grown up with it, especially reading the sports pages, as most men, I start reading the paper from the back to the front,” Birkett said.

“Being associated with rugby league for along time, I looked forward to reading the weekly Roma & District report, years ago it was ’Between the Goal Posts’, ’MagSpy’ but especially ’Football with Flynn’, which was very popular.

“I know social media and online media has taken over and some might say for the better, but for the older generation and people that aren’t tech savvy, it is a huge loss.”