Taken from The Courier, the following newspaper early 1970’s newspaper article gives a good overview of the club’s early history:

“BRIDGEWATER BRIDGE GAP

On April 5, 1967, four soccer fans came together for what is now regarded as the inaugural meeting of the Bridgewater Soccer Club. With no assets but their enthusiasm, the four got to work and a week later the first 11 members formed a team to play their first fixture in the old White Division against Parafield Gardens Reserves.

With a borrowed ball and goals made up out of scrap timber faced with 4 inch floorboard, the Blues lined up in all sorts of socks, shorts, shoes and white singlets.

The result is not important now, as the game was declared void anyway with the official referee apparently not knowing his way in the Hills and presumably he also managed to get himself stuck in the mud somewhere.

For the next match against Adelaide Fijians, a blue set of shirts was acquired from the results of a ‘little’ house party. The result of this game deserves a mention for the score of 14-0 for a long time stood as the biggest defeat I in the League. A dubious honour, but a record never-the-less.

From then on things improved gradually, and at the end of their first season Bridgewater boasted a total of 18 members, all of whom had an active part in attaining 11 premiership points for their club.

Looking back at these first months of soccer in the Adelaide Hills town of Bridgewater, some members will undoubtedly remember the celebration in the oval clubrooms after the teams first victory. What a night that was, with sore heads for the next couple of days, and no more wins for the next four weeks.

Most of the original side have now left the club, but two men have remained. And it is no coincidence that both have played an important part in the establishment of Bridgewater S.C., namely Werner Karschimkus and Eric Ladhams.

First year President and thereafter Secretary, Werner Karschimkus hardly needs an introduction. Everyone in amateur soccer circles has conveniently forgotten his tongue twisting surname and just calls him Werner.

Werner has been the driving power, and without him there probably never would have been a soccer club. His dearest wish is to see soccer accepted in the Hills district on a large scale. And this means right from senior players down to the Under 10’s, complete with a large following and a new soccer ground. Anyone who knows Werner well enough will realise that this aim will one day become fact.

Eric Ladhams is by now one of the oldest registered players in the soccer association. He played for Ascot Park when most of us were still spending time in our cots. From the day Bridgewater was established, Eric mowed, marked and watered the pitch, and looked after the clubrooms. As a player he always spurred on his team-mates through his own fitness and stamina and as a 50-year-old, he can still compete with many a youngster.

He accepted the position of coach in the 68-69 season and took the first team to their best performance yet. He has been talking about retiring for nobody knows how long, but his love for sport has kept him going right into his 37th season.

At present the Adelaide Hills District is still very much a footy stronghold, and as the Bridgewater Soccer Club is the only club in the area. It considers itself responsible for the promotion of our code in that district.

The management committee has set itself two goals to ensure good progress in the development of the game.

First there is the start of a Hills High School competition followed by a Primary Schoolboys’ League. The second aim is the establishment of the club’s own soccer grounds. Both projects will take time to materialise, but with dedicated men on the committee, success is assured.

Socially and financially the club is very sound. It is probably one of the few clubs with their own Soccer Queen and the social nights are always a success, while this season was started with a complete new outfit for the players as well as new goals and nets.

As far as playing is concerned – well, we can’t all be champions, can we?”

The above article is amazingly prophetic regarding Werner’s ambition to create a separate soccer facility in the Hills. It wasn’t until 31 years after that article was printed that his dream became a reality with the redevelopment of Bradwood Park into its present state of twin pitches, fencing and floodlighting under the control of the soccer club.

Werner played a large part in the success of the clubs government grant application by pursuing local state and federal politicians David Wotton and Alexander Downer relentlessly over a two year period.

Another article in The Courier at the end of 1970 gives an insight into to a playing legend of the club, Frank Schoof.

“PERSONALITY PARADE

If the ability to score goals is a primary ingredient to win games the Bridgewater Soccer Club should consider itself fortunate to have a man like Frank Schoof in their midst.

Their number one centre forward has been with the club from the early days of its inception, and as their first player-coach he gave his team-mates enough valuable advice to start them off in the Amateur League.

Frank has been kicking a soccer ball about since the day he could walk, and learnt the basic skills in street matches after school.

Born and raised in Holland, he joined the Dutch First Division club Vitesse, and went through the ranks until he was selected to play his first league game as an 18-year-old.

Many games followed after that introduction into top class soccer, until he left Holland in 1959 to come to Australia.

The family established itself in the Adelaide Hills, and with no soccer club in the area at the time Frank took to the other code and did well.

His love for the round ball game persisted though, and when the Bridgewater club was established, he quickly switched back. Since then he has proved himself a real goal ‘sneak’, scoring a total of 90 goals in 70 games.

He was top scorer for Bridgewater in the 1967-68-69 and 70 seasons and in Division Two of the Amateur League in 1968, when he was also awarded representative honours.”