In 1929, Gladys Brookes and her friends formed the Sparklers, later renamed Cheerio in 1931, a club based in the Western Suburbs and Woodville. They won their first A Grade premiership in 1933 and by the 1950s had become a competitive force, winning consecutive premierships in 1953 and 1954. The club's identity remained closely tied to the local community, and after a break due to World War II, Cheerio resumed playing competitively in 1948, eventually fielding multiple teams and achieving consistent success in the following decades.