Galvin was secretary of the Cootamundra Rugby League Club between 1972 and 1975.

In that time Cootamundra won their first reserve grade title and Galvin, with the rest of the committee, set up the Coota club as a powerhouse in Group Nine by bringing quality players to town including Brendan Lindsey, Geoff Greenland, Mick White, Charlie Elkin and the Doyle brothers, as well as encouraging local players to success on the field.

Galvin resigned as secretary of Cootamundra in ’75 to become secretary of Group Nine – the first person from the Cootamundra Club to hold that position since the group was formed. 

He retained the Group Nine secretary’s role until 1983. 

Always a man who loved football and loved research, his skills and meticulous effort in documenting various aspects of the game is a legacy that lives on today. 

In 1978 he completed a job that is still regarded as one of the biggest research undertakings ever by a football executive by gathering the results of every Maher Cup challenge from its inception in 1921 to its last game in 1971 – a total of 719 challenges. 

Galvin’s book was published in 1978 as part of the Group Nine yearbook. 

He resigned from Group Nine in 1983, however rarely missed a Bulldogs game from that time. His heart and soul remained firmly with club he loved. 

Travelling to away games he would head off with Allan Crowe and the late Bill Boyd or more recently with Tony Morton and at home games, Galvin could be found in his favourite seat in the members’ bar of the grandstand. 

Before his death, Galvin compiled an extensive history of local football memorabilia which he collated into a book ‘A History of Rugby League’.

His daughter Sue Chambers is carrying out his legacy and hopes to release the book for purchase during this year – the centenary year of the Cootamundra Bulldogs. 

On Saturday, during the five rugby league matches, Sue was in the new Wal Galvin Clubrooms selling some of his old many photos from the vintage days of the Bulldogs.