“Good on ya mum Tip Top’s the one good on ya mum.” For those of us old enough to remember, that was the iconic advertising jingle for Tip Top bread which has been part of Australian ​family life for than more 50 years. History tells us that bread was central to the formation of early human societies and continued to be so in the modern world in many other facets including ​sport. In our case it was cricket. Tip Top bakery on the South Gippsland Highway, established the Dandenong Bakeries Cricket Club to provide its employees and their families a game of ​cricket.

The club held its inaugural annual general meeting in November, 1967. The only surviving record of the early Bakeries/Silverton history is contained in a book that features the hand written ​constitution formulated more than half a century ago, plus the minutes of meetings held up until the 1979-80 season. Like baking bread, it took some time for the club to rise in what is ​arguably the best suburban competition in Melbourne, the Dandenong District Cricket Association. And it didn’t take much dough to become a member. In 1967, yearly subscriptions were $10 ​seniors and $2 for juniors. In 1979, they were $12 seniors, while juniors remained at $2. Even at those unbelievably cheap fees of 1979, compared to those of today, the club was still able to ​make a tidy profit of $1118.

The logo worn on the all blue Bakeries caps was the Tip Top shield that appeared on its bread wrapping at the time. It had the DB on the top, and CC below on a red, white blue back ground, ​the same colours worn today. Hemmings Park was one of the club’s early grounds, and with no club rooms, the garage of Bakeries legend, and Life Member, Dennis Street, was where the ​players met for an after match cold beer. Just how 30 odd cricketers of varying height, weight, and build, all fit into such a small, confined space defied all scientific logic and would have ​failed every health, and occupational health, and safety regulations that exists today! Anyone opening the garage door at the Doveton home for the first time would have been greeted by a ​cloud of cigarette smoke and having to the duck the darts that didn’t always hit the board while making their way to the bar. Everyone knew when stumps were being drawn when Dennis’s ​wife Pam, came in with a straw broom and started sweeping around the now no to steady feet of those still in attendance. With the addition of juniors and senior numbers on the increase, ​the garage’s colourful history came to an end and a search for larger premises began. The club finally settled at Lois Twohig Reserve in Dandenong North were it had its most successful era ​in its relatively short history.

We made the finals consistently and won several junior and senior flags while becoming one of the biggest clubs in the Association. The club had its most significant change to the club’s ​junior program with the addition of virtually a whole junior team from the defunct St Gerard’s Cricket Club. Such was the level and skill of the group that it went onto win the under-16 ​premiership, coached by life member, and club great, Fred North. One of its most memorable and famous wins was when the young Bakers dismissed the opposition for just one run. And ​that came by way of a no-ball! It’s fair to say that that group elevated the club to a junior power house in the DDCA and started a proud tradition that continued for many years after. It was ​during that time that many of the club’s traditions originated. Like the club’s theme song which went:

We are the Bakers, the Baker boys are we

We come from Dandy the premiers we will be

We will fight until the game is won, then we’ll drink and have some fun

Baker’s is our name, cricket is our game.

And we will play again.

It became a tradition that after the close of play, that a new player or someone who had performed well on the day was given the honour of leading everyone in a boisterous rendition of the ​club song which helped create a great atmosphere and team spirit.

The Baker Burger made its debut. Cooked in the unique Baker style (in the same oil and fry pan every week, it had the lot, and of course all contained in a Tip Top bun). It would fail every ​health test and regulation required today but was a must have on Saturday nights. Proof of the burger was in the eating along with the beet root and sauce stains our gastronomic delight left ​on one’s whites. The presentation of tankards for outstanding performances was presented to players on a Saturday night. The silver tankard was inscribed with the player’s name along with ​his match figures and filled with beer which was sculled in front of his cheering team mates.

Two brothers, Jim and Dennis Street, were without doubt, the cornerstone to the club’s existence and its success during the Twohig Reserve era. Jim served as president on numerous ​occasions, organised social and fund raising events, was Chairman of Selectors, and a Life Member. He was an inspirational first eleven captain and one of the competition’s best all rounders. ​He was a proud Pom, but lived and played like a fair dinkum Aussie. Dennis was arguably the best cricket administrator in the DDCA. A life member, he was an efficient and hard working ​secretary that included writing and printing the club’s newsletter, Howzat! He was also The Dandenong Journal newspaper’s cricket correspondent for many years during which the club ​featured prominently each week. He was typical English off spinner in the mold of Derek Underwood, shrewd, cagey, and tight. It’s fair to say he was a specialist No 10 batsmen and fine leg ​fieldsman. Their combined contribution is a foundation brick in the road in the club’s 50 year journey and beyond. The Twohig Reserve era came to an abrupt end when the club was advised ​by the council that it had to move out and make way for the North Dandenong Cricket Club.

With the start of a new season just around the corner, the club had no home, no entity, and seemingly, no future. There were suggestions of a merger as one way of saving the club’s identity ​and history. Unofficial talks were held with several clubs to gauge the level of interest. One such discussion (which from memory) was with the Monash Cricket Club. A merger was agreed to ​in principal as was where their honour boards would be placed in their new clubrooms.

Enter Danny Knott.

He was determined to find a new home and fight for the survival of the club in its own entity. The merger proposal was scrapped. There were no grounds available the council said, there was ​nothing it could do the council said, except to advise the club to accept its fate. The club was on the brink. Undeterred, Danny pursued every avenue possible but without success.

With the start of season just around the corner things were looking grim until one day he was driving along Jackson Road and spotted a sports ground and pavilion being built. It was far from ​finished, but it was enough for Danny to make application to the council for use of the ground named Turner Reserve. The council initially refused saying the ground wasn't ready for use and ​wouldn’t be for months. But after much argy bargy, they relented, and the club had found a new home. An extra ordinary meeting was held before the start of the 1979-80 season to vote on ​changing the name of the club to Silverton, the name of the estate. The motion was passed unanimously, and while one era ended, a new one had started.

Danny was elected Silverton’s founding president. His was the single most important contribution in the evolution of the Silverton CC. He had found the Promised Land. Training started on ​the ground that hadn’t yet been sowed, had piles of top soil scattered around the oval and was crisscrossed with drainage trenches. It was far from being ready in time for the upcoming ​season. While players honed their batting and bowling skills, they also improved their agility by jumping and side stepping the exposed trenches. How players didn’t turn ankles or suffered ​something more serious in the lead up to its debut season was a miracle.

The council, to its credit, made Turner Reserve a priority and brought forward works to have the ground ready and safe to play on in the time available. And so the Silverton journey began. ​The club’s initial logo was a snake like S with a C on either side of it. But it was soon replaced by the red, white, and blue big S. The same logo was used by the neighbouring Silverton Primary ​School. Permission to use the logo was sought and agreed to by its originator, the now defunct Silverton Mining Company. In its heyday Silverton was a booming mining town after the ​discovery of large silver deposits and silver lead zinc ore. Then came the bust and today Silverton is a virtual ghost town with population of around 90 with tourism its main attraction. Many ​past players have had been photographed standing outside the iconic Silverton Hotel which has appeared in many movies including Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The town of Silverton is ​north of Broken Hill near the NSW/SA border.

Silverton became one of the biggest clubs in the DDCA with multiple senior and junior teams. At its peak the club fielded up to 11 teams in total. Premierships soon followed, especially at ​junior level with a talented group of youngsters who were arguably the best in the Association at the time. It was Silverton’s golden era of junior cricket. At senior level the club’s top team ​competed in A grade and had representation in all the synthetic grades below. It won several senior premierships in various grades over several seasons. Because of its size and success, the ​DDCA approached the club to see if it was interested in being promoted to its growing turf competition. Cricket’s ultimate playing surface. The club jumped at the chance and its top team ​now played turf cricket which was a water shed moment in its relatively short history. Next on the agenda was a new club theme song. The original song was the same as the ​Fitzroy/Brisbane Lions Football Club’s, and sung to the tune of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem. But it was soon given a fond adieu, and replaced by the Richmond Football Club ​theme song sung to the tune of Row, Row, Row, a show tune from the Ziegfeld Follies of 1912. The song better suited the words and lyrics and the ethos of the club and was tweaked to give ​it a cricket slant. The song is still in use today and has been belted out any where the Spirit of Silverton can be found.

Oh we’re from Silverton

A fighting fury, we’re from Silverton

In any weather you will see us with a grin

Risking head and shin

If we’re behind then never mind

We’ll fight and fight and win

We’re from Silverton

We’ll never weaken till the final ball is bowled

Like the Bakers of old, we’re strong and we’re bold

Oh we’re Silver

Red, white, and blue.

Oh we’re from Silverton.

The Zigger Zagger ending wasn’t part of the original song but was added as the final chorus a short time after. The song was never sung so loudly and enthusiastically as when the club won ​its first turf premiership. Phil Thomson led the team to the 1983-84, Turf 2 premiership, and in doing so, elevated the club to the competition’s elite turf level for the first time in its history. But ​it was a tough initiation. The newcomers struggled against the power house clubs of the competition who had decades of experience at the top level, and the financial clout to recruit quality ​local and overseas players. While there were several performances that proved the club could match it with best they weren’t consistent or sustained enough to avoid relegation.

The following years were something of a rebuild and putting into place the lessons learned from its disappointing season in Turf 1. It wasn’t too long before the song was again sung with ​great gusto. Captain Coach Damien ‘Fish’ North steered the club to its second Turf 2 flag in 1989-90 with a team of talented youngsters many of whom had come through the junior ranks. ​The club approached its second tilt at Turf 1 with a lot more confidence and optimism. But again, as many other clubs over the years have found to their chagrin, the step up in class again ​proved a bridge to far. The harsh reality to why so many new comers in Turf 1 don’t survive is that they just don’t have the financial resources to successfully compete in a semi- professional ​competition. Several senior grade flags followed but it would take more than two decades for the club’s next turf premiership. More recently the club’s future looked much brighter with the ​return of juniors after more than decade through the sterling efforts of Mick McLeod.

Season 17/18 saw Justin King’s team win a nail biting turf 5 grand final and was the catalyst for the club’s rejuvenation. Again in 21/22 seen the 2nd eleven bring home another turf​ premiership. It’s fair to say that the club has struggled on and off the field in the past decade or so and faced some desperate times. So desperate that on several occasions it looked like the​ club would disappear. But thanks to the indomitable fighting spirit of a special group of people who have red, white, and blue, running through their veins, the club survived. Those people,​ and all those before them, have left their own indelible foot print on the road in the club’s 50 year journey. Now a new generation will follow in their footsteps. They will create their history​ and pave the way to the future success of the club over the next 50 years.​

And along the way they will be reminded of our proud history by an old message made new: “Good on ya mum, Silverton’s the one, good on ya mum..."​