DIARY UPDATE: Week 44, 2021

DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER

WEEK 44 2021

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1

Former Test fullback, Gary Belcher has taken on the role as President of the Tweed Branch of the Men of League Foundation. It is great to see a former star footballer get involved with the charity, and also someone not yet in his 60s (although he is close). The Foundation (of which I am a member) needs an injection of youth.

Don Bullock, who was captain-coach of Murwillumbah Brothers in the Tweed competition in 1960, has died aged 85. Also learn of the passing of former Murwillumbah Old Boys’ star, Ian Booth, 62. Don was a soccer star, who converted to league at the urging of Brothers’ great, Brian Davies. He played for Brothers in Brisbane, and remained involved with the club in different capacities, including as a member of the Leagues Club’s Golf Club. I met him at Murwillumbah Brothers’ reunion, and he was a real gentleman.

William Jolly Bridge is shut because of protests by Extinction Rebellion. My wife, Marie and I lunch at Samford Pub, where the calamari entrees are huge. Our waitress got out of the wrong side of the bed. I’ll cut her some slack. She might have been trying to get across the William Jolly Bridge in peak hour.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2

Marie backs Melbourne Cup winner, Verry Elleegant. Marie went to a Cup lunch, hosted by good friend, Milla Linari, at Milla and husband, Harry’s apartment at Hamilton. Our youngest son, Lliam opens up the boardroom of Supply Partners (17 Mile Rocks) to the staff, to watch ‘The Race that Stops the Nation’. Our daughter-in-law, Emma attends an East Ayr State School P & C Cup lunch, where music is provided by young singer/songwriter, Trent Bell. Our son, Damien taught Trent in Year 8 at Kirwan State High in Townsville.

England’s most southerly county, Cornwall will field a team in English Rugby League’s League 1 competition in 2022, sharing facilities with Penryn Rugby Union. Cornwall has a long history in rugby union. Travel commitments could be the new club’s undoing, given most of their rivals are based in the north of the country.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3

‘The Courier-Mail’ has a page 3 yarn about Fortitude Valley Diehards being excluded from the State-wide Women’s competition in 2023. Valleys’ official, Chris Leeson says the club had recruited under-19s, for the women’s comp., because they had no inkling they would be punted from the top level.

1937-38 Kangaroo tour vice-captain, Jack Reardon has been inducted into the Queensland Sports Hall of Fame. Jack, who died in 1991, was Chief Rugby League Writer for ‘The Courier-Mail’ for many years. It is a popular choice. Scott Watson, the son of former Test centre, Alex Watson, said Jack acted as a mentor for his father.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4

Marie and I witness a prang on Raymont Road, Grange. A small blue car, coming down the hill, towards Webster road, sideswipes a parked vehicle. The driver, obviously on his/her smart phone at the time of the prang, keeps on going. We follow the car around the block before it disappears. Back at the scene of the prang, people are comparing their smart phone details of the incident. It appears the bystanders have the number plate and make of the car.

I interview former Valleys’ centre, Alan Beauchamp for an article in Men of League magazine. He has a great bar at his Gaythorne residence.

Prominent business strategist, Marty Rowen and former player-manager, Col Davis, both Rockhampton lads, enjoy an ale at Stafford Tavern. Marty is working for a law firm.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Wild bus ride to the city – our female driver takes the wrong turn at Royal Brisbane Hospital, and then, rushing ‘around the world’ to get back to where she should have been, she has passengers either laughing or expressing their anger. In my case, her erratic driving triggers back pain. There is an Indian Cultural Festival in King George Square. The purpose of my city visit is to interview brothers, Ron and Paul Beauchamp for an article in Men of League magazine. The Beauchamp family insurance business is based in the Queensland Hotels’ Association Building in Edward Street. I spend an enjoyable 90 minutes in the boardroom, chatting to these two great men, and another 90 minutes in their company at a nearby cafe. I played alongside Paul at Brisbane Brothers in 1976 and ’77. He represented Brisbane against France in 1977 and should have played for Queensland. But his First Grade centre partner, Mark Thomas grabbed the limelight in ’77, representing his State and Australia. Ron played for Queensland, from Toowoomba, in the period 1969-1971. Paul and Ron are cousins of Alan. The article will cover the exploits of all three men.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6

Five Star Cinema, New Farm is packed for the premiere’ of movie, ‘Brothers Close and Far’, produced by Anthony O’Brien. There are former Brothers’ players from many different eras in the audience, men such as Reg Cannon, Stan Damro, Eric Gelling, David Wright, Trevor Bailey, Joe Kilroy, Eric Kennedy and Clinton Mohr. Anthony interviewed me for the movie, and I feature more than I expected. It was sad to see vision of the late Mick Moore, celebrating after Brothers’ 1987 Grand Final triumph. Mick was the Melbourne Storm’s inaugural football manager, and died in an accident in Auckland in 2000. His family still have a close association with the Storm. One of the action sequences that really caught my attention was a try by Peter Lehman, a nuggety, bullocking five eighth – one of my favourite players. Peter, a school teacher, attended the premiere. There was hilarious footage of mischievous Craig McErlean tackling coach, Ross ‘Struddy’ Strudwick during Mad Monday celebrations. ‘Struddy’ is a no show for the movie. At the cinema, I chat to the likes of Joe Kilroy and his wife, Deb; Clinton Mohr (who still looks so young), Lonnie Newman and Robert Grogan. Deb is critical of today’s players for being so boring in interviews. “Everything is so sanitised,” she says. Many of us adjourn to Brunswick pub afterwards, where we enjoy a few ales. At the pub I catch up with the likes of former Test centre, Mark Thomas and former Queensland utility player, Peter Gill, as well as former Brothers’ halfback, Tony Jones. Also chat with author, Joe Gorman; former Brothers’ and Penrith halfback, Craig McAlpine (who loves this blog) and former Brothers’ utility, Vince O’Brien. Vince tells me St George came to Brisbane to sign him in ’87, but got Mark Coyne instead, after injury ruled Vince out of the Grand Final and the then 20-year-old Coyne got his chance. Vince went to Barrow in England.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7

A bloke from Squash New South Wales phones ‘Macca’ (ABC Radio) to say the sport is going OK. That’s good to hear. My wife played squash for many years, when it was one of Australia’s most popular sports.

Nice chat with former Queensland State of Origin hooker, John Dowling. John reminds me he once got a maximum 10 in Rugby League Week’s Player Ratings. He kicked five goals from five shots in the same game, after first choice kicker, George Grant was injured. John says one the toughest games he played was against France at Lang Park in 1977, when he represented Brisbane. “They kicked the crap out of me in the scrums,” he says. John also reminds me he and older brother, Gary (known as ‘Mouse’) worked in the tomatoes at Tumbulgum in the spring of 1971, with Ray McCarron and Kerry Twohill. So what, you might ask. McCarron credited that hard work with getting him into shape for the 1972 season, when he returned to Brisbane from the Tweed, and represented Queensland.