Wilson McShane, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

If Minlaton’s Ivan McMahon is asked to pin down exactly what he does in his spare time, he might have a hard job answering.

Ranging from being a school bus driver, former shoe shop owner (70 years), husband to Carlene and proud dad of three — Travis (Polocrosse Association of SA secretary), Scott (former North Melbourne footballer) and Layton — McMahon is a jack of all trades.

However, one title which is arguably the must unique is being the oldest polocrosse player in South Australia.

At age 74, McMahon is still known to don a Minlaton maroon shirt to compete in the Yorke Peninsula Polocrosse Club, 61 years after playing his first match.

While he admits he has not played continuously since 1963, due to injuries and work commitments, he most recently returned to the sport about 12 years ago and enjoys playing.

“It’s just a good social thing and I’m not a social bug, but I just enjoy getting out and about,” McMahon said.

“It gives you something to do, because I used to show jump, but got too old for that… so I like polocrosse and keep doing it.

“I came back to play because Travis, my son, was playing and I was working his horse, so when he wasn’t here, I thought, ‘Well why should I work and not play?’, so I started playing again.” 

McMahon, who has had horses his whole life (currently six), said getting to play with and teach junior players made his playing experience worthwhile.

“When we’re playing against them (younger players), I help them and help try to show them the right way.

“The (YP Polocrosse club) A grade has set teams but the B grade is whoever turns up so you get mixed and matched, which is good because I get put in with the young ones and help them.” 

Although he has had several health concerns, including breaking his femur and losing an eye (in an accident with a horse), McMahon has still played a handful of A grade matches this year.

“It has been a bit of a challenge because it’s my right eye and being right-handed you have to look with your whole head.

“It made show jumping hard as well because you’ve got no perception of distance,” he said.

McMahon is one of YP Polocrosse Club’s 44 members — it is the largest of the state’s three clubs — and said, while he had played basketball and football, horses had been his longest passion.

This is so much so that, when he was younger, he wanted to become a jockey.

“I used to ride trackwork and would’ve been a jockey only my wife said, ‘If you become a jockey, well, I’m going’.” 

However, he said as long as his “body holds up” he wanted to continue playing polocrosse.

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 10 December 2024.