IF the local football and netball club is the heart of a rural community, then Footy’s Favourite Farmer 2024 winner Greg Lumby is the beating pulse that shows Rutherglen is thriving.

Greg, who runs a cattle, sheep and cropping farm in nearby Brimin, has won $10,000 worth of safety improvements tailored to his business and a further $10,000 to spend on safety upgrades for the Rutherglen Football Netball Club (RFNC), where he is president.

The annual competition, in collaboration with AFL Victoria and Netball Victoria, celebrates the unsung heroes and unique role of sport in farming communities.

Greg is a highly regarded farmer who has been working on the family property since he was a teenager and is an outstanding leader, passionate volunteer and generous philanthropist within the local community.

In 2021, he and wife Kaylene purchased land next door to the home ground and donated more than 4000 square metres of space for a much needed second netball court and additional car parking, a gift that will benefit the club for generations.

He has also volunteered countless hours of his time, which he said is all part of belonging to a community that values supporting and keeping each other safe, both at the club and at work.

“It’s so important that we can enjoy and get home from our work safely so that we can enjoy a day at the footy and the netball on the Saturday,” Greg said.

“WorkSafe have been fantastic with the support they bring to footy netball clubs and it’s vital that the safety message gets out there, not only to our workers but to our families so that they understand the dangers.”

WorkSafe chief executive officer Joe Calafiore said volunteers like Greg demonstrated why it was so important to stay safe at work, so that people can get on with the important business of being part of a thriving community.