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Fitzroy and Bears stalwart Robert Walls was inducted as a Brisbane Lions Life Member at last Friday’s Club Champion dinner.

To qualify for Life Membership, an individual must serve a minimum of ten years and have made an outstanding contribution to the Club.

Walls has a combined playing and coaching total of 265 games with the Club - 41 as a player for Fitzroy from 1978-1980, 115 coaching Fitzroy from 1981-1985, and 109 coaching the Bears from 1991-1995.

He was recruited as a player in 1967 and made a name for himself as a skilled forward in 218 senior matches with Carlton, before moving to Fitzroy in 1978.

Walls recalled on Friday the stark difference between the two Clubs when he first turned up at a Fitzroy training session.

“I went to Fitzroy to play my last three years, and I remember I saw footy from the other side of the fence,” Walls said.

“I’d come from a successful club to a club that was really battling, and it really opened my eyes up to what footy was about.”

He went on to play 41 games for Fitzroy, before immediately taking over the reins as coach upon his retirement in 1980, and steered the team to its most successful era in decades.

Following a stint at Carlton, where he led the Blues to a premiership in 1987, Walls was then appointed coach of the Brisbane Bears, where he remained for five seasons.

Now a media commentator, Walls said that being named a life member of the Brisbane Lions was one of the highlights of his football career.

“Let me say I got the phone call and I was just absolutely thrilled and proud and honoured that this football club would think that of me, and I genuinely mean that,” he said.

“My time with Fitzroy and the Bears, I look back on so fondly.”

“They were wonderful times with some good memories and hard work done, and achievement and success coming along the way.”

Walls’ latest honour came just 24 hours after the Club farewelled another of its Life Members, Larry Maddison, who passed away aged 91 last Thursday. Maddison was a former Fitzroy trainer who gave wonderful service to the Club over a long period of time.