'There is no bigger figure in the history of Sandhurst': Vale Danny Ellis

It's a mighty 40 years worth of contribution, but these 21 words from the Dragons certainly encapsulate Ellis' standing within the club and his legacy.

"There is no bigger figure in the history of Sandhurst and the contribution from Danny over 40 years is simply astounding."

Those words were part of the Dragons' social media post this week announcing the passing of Ellis following a 10-year battle with leukemia aged 57.

Ellis has been a staple of the Dragons since joining Sandhurst from Heathcote in 1984 and such is the esteem in which he is held in one of football's oldest and most successful clubs, he was this year given the honour of being elevated as just the third legend in the Dragons' history behind legendary coach Bob McCaskill and much-loved long-time trainer Max Healey.

Ellis' deeds on the field were as a key forward.

Following a year in the under-18s in 1984 - which included kicking 28 goals on one memorable day against Northern United - Ellis went on to play 115 senior games for the Dragons between 1985 and 1993.

He was twice the Dragons' senior leading goalkicker in 1986 and 1988, with 1988 also the season in which Ellis won the Bendigo league's Ron Best Medal as the competition's No.1 forward with 78 goals.

Ellis is a rarity in Ron Best Medal folklore, earning the accolade in a team that missed the finals after the Dragons finished sixth that season.

More than 30 years on he remains the last Sandhurst player to have won the Ron Best Medal.

But it's post his playing days where Ellis certainly made his most indelible mark on Sandhurst and embodied one of the most valuable traits of a sporting club - that of the volunteer.

Ellis joined Sandhurst's committee as a players representative in 1996 and the following year took over the demanding role as president.

He spent 11 years as president between 1997 and 2007, while in three of the seasons (2004-2006) also carried out the double duty of treasurer as well.

Following his tenure as president Ellis moved into the role of Dragons' secretary from 2008 to 2021, devoting hours upon hours to his beloved club.

He was awarded life membership of the Dragons in 2004; included in the club's inaugural Hall of Fame in 2012 as part of its 150^th anniversary celebrations; was named the Sports Focus Administrator of the Year in 2012; received life membership of the BFNL in 2019; and this year had the Sandhurst legend status bestowed upon him.

"I don't think there's any bigger name in the history of Sandhurst than Danny Ellis," Dragons president Mark O'Farrell said on Friday.

"You can go back to the original godfather so to speak of Bob McCaskill, who was a coaching guru (coached nine Sandhurst premierships) back in the 1920s and 1930, but I don't see anyone who has made a bigger contribution than Danny to Sandhurst.

"When Danny took over as president in 1997 there was a bit of turmoil at the club... at the time he was only 28-years-old and he really did just take the club under his wing through that period and has done it ever since.

"There was three years where he was doing both the president and treasurer role and I remember that when you went to his house through those years his kitchen table would be just completely taken over by the club.

"He had all the jumpers and club merchandise sitting in the back of his car... he pretty much just did everything."

While Ellis is an enormous figure in the long and storied history of Sandhurst, his contribution to the club has been in partnership with his wife Kylie, who became part of the fabric of the Dragons in 1998 when she joined the social committee and has been an integral member since.

In a 2005 story in the Bendigo Advertiser the Ellis' spoke of their passion for the Dragons, with Danny making particular note of the support of his family.

"If you didn't have the support of your family, you wouldn't do it," Danny said.

"Footy is such a passion for a lot of people and it encompasses a lot of people. People always look forward to Saturday - it's pretty central to a lot of people."

Again, a humble Ellis made sure to acknowledge the support of his family after being named the Sports Focus Administrator of the Year in 2012.

"While we don't do it for the acknowledgement, I suppose the feeling of belonging and the feeling of being a part of the club is fantastic,'' Ellis said.

"75 per cent of this is my wife's (Kylie). If there's ever difficult jobs I'll ask her to do them. It's a pleasure to get this award and recognition and share it with members of the Sandhurst FNC."

Ellis' 11-year stint as president coincided with Sandhurst's drought-breaking premiership win in 2004 when the Dragons under coach David Collins upstaged Gisborne by 29 points in the grand final.

It was Sandhurst's first senior premiership since 1983.

"I can still vividly recall that day; there was a lot of emotion because it had been 21 years since the club last won," O'Farrell said.

"It was great that Danny was able to tick that off for the club... they are very hard to win."

Having initially joined Sandhurst's committee in 1996 Ellis never left it, still being part of it this year as the head of the club's sponsorship.

"Danny was still doing our sponsorship up until a couple of weeks ago and still very much involved at committee level," O'Farrell said.

"We'd regularly be ringing him up as a sounding board because he has so much knowledge and history.

"When we played South Bendigo last month at the QEO he was there parked in the car as he had been a little bit of late just keeping an eye on things and how the place was going as he had done for so long.

"He'd be as well known as any administrator in country Victoria I would have thought."

Ellis is survived by his wife Kylie and children Genevieve, Jeremy and Audrey.