Gilbert Road bridge over Kedron Brook
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Wake to the news 53,000 households in Brisbane are without power, and 5,000 homes have been evacuated because of flooding. In Northern New South Wales, Rocky Creek Dam is in danger of bursting its banks, after a ridiculous amount of rain. Water has even gone through St Carthage’s Cathedral in Lismore, even though the cathedral is built on a small hill. My wife, Marie and I were married there, as were my parents and my mum’s parents. The Bishop had to be evacuated by boat. Nearby Trinity Catholic College (formerly Marist Brothers) has effectively been destroyed. People say the floods are the worst in the Richmond Valley region since the 1880s. Here in Brisbane, there are amazing scenes on Kedron Brook, with devastating erosion. There is a container full of soccer balls wedged up against the Gilbert Road Bridge, carried here from Mitchelton Football Club. A lovely Jacaranda tree in the children’s playground, near Grange Bowls Club, has fallen. Our grandsons, Ethan and Connor loved to climb that tree.
A State Funeral is held for Rugby League legend, Johnny Raper at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Current St George Illawarra players form a guard of honour. Johnny’s widow, Carol speaks so well. Former Prime Minister, John Howard (an ardent Dragons’ fan), and former Rugby League Week editors, Geoff Prenter and Ian Heads are among the mourners.
TUESDAY, MARCH 1
Former New Zealand and Samoan international, Sam Panapa is my interview subject at a Tarragindi cafe. I am keen to get a story about a Polynesian leader in the Men of League Foundation magazine, and Sam fits the bill, given his wonderful record as a player, and the work he does for the NRL/QRL. I am keen for Polynesians to become MOL members. A few hours later, I interview former Broncos’ hooker, John Driscoll, at his magnificent Grange residence, just around the corner from where we live. John is a member of our Brisbane Men of League committee.
Reports filter through about sporting clubs hit by the flood. Stanley Rivers Rugby League at Kilcoy; Easts Tigers at Stones Corner and Brothers St Brendan’s at Rocklea, all have issues.
Andrew Varley takes his wife, Sandy to Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspurs match for her 70th birthday. Varley always was such a romantic. I will concede that Sandy would have been pleased, given she is an ardent Leeds’ fan. But she would not have been pleased with the result. Spurs 4-0. Andrew is United’s official photographer, and also has the contract with Leeds Rugby League, across town, at Headingley.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2
Queensland rugby League boss, Rohan Sawyer says the code boasted 63,000 participants last year.
THURSDAY, MARCH 3
A group of friends, led by Graham ‘Bruno’ Brennan, have organised a lunch at Stafford Tavern, to farewell me, given Marie and I are moving to Samford to live. Not sure when, mind you, because our Villa is far from finished. One of those in attendance is Gympie boy, Mark Daunt, who came to Brisbane to try his luck back in the mid-1970s. Brothers’ great, Johnny Gleeson had huge wraps on Mark, telling him he would play for Australia. Mark says Albert Park, the home of rugby league in Gympie, has often been flooded by the Mary River. Others in attendance at the lunch include Rod Humphries, Tony Martyn, Jeff Smith, Al Murdoch, Alan Beauchamp and Jim Batzloff.
British Rugby League legend, Ellery Hanley is to coach an All Stars team in a match against England. On Radio SEN there is discussion about the glory days of squash in Australia. My wife was part of that, an A grade player in Brisbane for many years. One radio chap says Sandgate and Daisy Hill were top clubs in south east Queensland. Ian Healy played for Garden City.
Learn of the passing of former Australian wicket keeper, Rod Marsh. Top cyclist, Dean Woods also has died. I interviewed Rod once, during a Sheffield Shield match at the Gabba in the 1980s, when Queensland keeper, Ray Phillips wore hockey shin pads under his longs. I asked Western Australian keeper, Marsh what he thought of the initiative. He wasn’t impressed – with my question, or ‘Razor’s initiative. Rod was one of the all time great keepers, but when he first came into the Australian side, in place of Brian Taber, his keeping was pretty ordinary, and he earned the nickname ‘Iron Gloves’. Former Australian off-spinner, Kerry O’Keefe says Marsh dropped three catches in his Shield debut at the Gabba, but lit up a cigarette and cracked open a XXXX at the end of the day, and looked forward to a better times, as players did, in those days. “He had legs like billiard tables,” O’Keefe says.
Our eldest grandson, Ethan, turns seven.
FRIDAY, MARCH 4
Breakfast Creek Hotel workers are cleaning up flood damage as I head through the pub’s forecourt, on my way to musculoskeletal specialist, Paula Nutting. The staff are enjoying well deserved drinks, as I return to my car. A digger is towing out cars from the basement at Paula’s, while pumps are doing their stuff in a tunnel on the inner city bypass. Evidently the flooding from the Creek is not as bad as 1893, when no-one had to worry about basement car parks. Paula and her partner, Ian cooked meals for other, less fortunate tenants of their high rise building. Paula, a member of Royal Queensland, says there is a boat on one of the greens.
The NRL cancels its planned season launch and donates $500,000 to the flood appeal. Polish born, Wakefield Trinity rugby league player, Mikolaj Oledzki has a Ukrainian flag on his jersey.
SATURDAY, MARCH 5
Cricket great, Shane Warne has died, aged 52, after apparently suffering a heart attack, in Thailand. I never interviewed him, but got a thankyou from him on a flight from Sydney to Brisbane, when he was sitting across from me, and one of his children lost his/her dummy, and I retrieved it from the floor.
Catalan Dragons have a great away win against Warrington, with Carpentras’ product, Arthur Romano one of the best. St Helens’ halfback, Johnny Lomax is so good, in the Merseyside club’s big win over Hull Kingston Rovers. England coach, Shaun Wane says there is great depth in the French junior system. I hope he is right, and I also hope rugby league can keep them, in the face of cashed up rugby union scouts.
Our youngest son, Lliam and some of his mates, have prepared meals for members of the ‘Mud Army’, the volunteers helping clean-up Brisbane’s flood devastated inner suburbs.
SUNDAY, MARCH 6
Ian ‘Macca’ McNamara plays Greg Champion’s ‘I Made 100 in the Backyard at Mum’s’. Back yard centuries will soon be a thing of the past, certainly in cities, as there will not be any back yards. A bloke from Broadwater Sugar Mill, on the Richmond River in Northern New South Wales, says the mill has been devastated by the floods. A lady from Bexhill says she is housing four families from Lismore. At 8 a.m. Macca’s show is terminated for flood coverage, but ‘Macca’s cover of the floods is better radio, and just as informative, in its own way.
ABC rural affairs show, ‘Landline’ is celebrating 30 years, and the ABC flash back to the first show, which featured that great character, Doug Murray. There is an interview with the locals in the Rosevale Retreat Pub in the Lockyer Valley, a pub which is now closed – I think. Former Broncos’ prop, Shane Webcke, who has a farm on the Darling Downs, says he made his ‘roomie’, dual rugby international, Brad Thorn, watch ‘Landline’ on match day.
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