By Phil Skeggs

Ivanhoe Amateurs has lost another link to its glory years of the 1950s and ’60s with the death of triple premiership player and life member Noel ‘Scotty’ Ryan.

Noel was a member of the 1953 and 1955 Under 19 premiership teams and the 1962 Reserves premiership team. A tough and uncompromising back pocket, Noel won the under 19’s B&F in 1955. After a decade playing for the Hoers, Noel was awarded life membership at the end of the 1964 season.

Club legend Don Blackwood recalled that Noel was a “merciless, hard hitting back pocket player and a real presence on the field”.

Noel was also a member of the famous Ryan family who owned the original Ivanhoe Hotel in Upper Heidelberg Road. The pub was a popular watering hole for club members and supporters up until its demolition in the 1980s.

A carpenter by trade, Noel relocated to Shepparton in the 1960s. He died on December 21, aged 84. His funeral was held at Le Pine in Ivanhoe on December 30.