Obviously the first name that springs to mind is dual international Andrew Walker.

But before he burst on the footy scene in 1992 with the St George Dragons, which was followed by stints with the Sydney Roosters and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles as well as the ACT Brumbies and Queensland Reds, Walker's older brother, the late Alfie who passed away suddenly last week aged 54, made a name for himself.

After starting his career with the Bomaderry Swamp Rats, Walker played for a range of teams across the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands - which led to him playing professionally with the Canberra Raiders in 1986 and 1987 on four occasions.

One guys who had the pleasure of playing alongside Alfie Walker at Bomaderry was his good mate John Pender, who recalls those days quite fondly.

"Alfie and I played together at Bomaderry from under 7s through to under 15s," Pender said.

"After that, he moved to Goulburn and eventually moved onto the Raiders - he always encouraged me to come with him, as he stupidly said I could have played outside him at Canberra if I did so.

"Regardless of the team, it was always great fun playing with and being around Alfie, as we both learnt a lot about the game from his talented brother, including Richard who would have played NRL if not for breaking his leg.

"As a player, Alfie was one of the best tacklers you'd ever meet - if he chopped you, you felt it for days.

"He was also so clever with the ball, which saw him eventually move in form a winger into half.

"My fondest memory of playing with him wasn't actually in league, it was in union playing for Bomaderry High School in the Buchan Shield in 1979.

"Neither of us had ever played union before but our team made it all the way to the final that year, which played as a curtain-raiser for a NSW vs Queensland match - played in front of 15,000 people, which was a huge honour."

In Swamp Rats colours, Walker, Pender and their side lost grand final in under 7s through to 11s against Warilla-Lake South, before breaking through in under 12s to defeat the Gorillas 11-9 at Shellharbour - which was the first of four straight premierships, ending in under 15s.

During his time in the nation's capital, Walker played alongside league legends Mal Meninga, Gary Belcher and Chicka Ferguson.

To Waker, football was his passion and art - as he also got involved a mentor, captain, coach and all round encourager.

It was in this role that he inspired his youngest brother to go ont to have the career he did, with Andrew calling Alfie 'his biggest footy idol'.

His ever-lasting impression of rugby league in the region saw all Group Seven referees and a number of junior teams, including the Sussex Inlet Panthers, wear black armbands at the weekend's matches, across the South Coast.