The Queen’s funeral
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
BBC’s coverage of The Queen’s funeral is amazing. The pallbearers from the Grenadier Guards are stoic, dignified, unflinching. No-one does major events, like the British.
I started the day by chairing a meeting of the Queensland Rugby League History Committee, at the QRL’s temporary offices at Kelvin Grove. Their HQ at Milton, is still out of action because of flood damage.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
‘The cane’ was a common punishment at school in the 1960s. Memories of such punishment are raised at brunch at Eden Gardens, Carseldine as couples, from what is known as the St Flannan’s Playgroup mob, have a catch-up. I got ‘the cane’ at Mt Patricks, Murwillumbah and even Murwillumbah High, while Paul Grady (from Boondall) was caned by the Christian Brothers in Adelaide.
At Samford Pub, a woman expresses her hopes that television will return to normal, now that The Queen’s funeral has been held. Channel 7News has a lovely cover of ‘The Funeral’.
Fellow Samford Grove resident, Wally Young has died, suddenly, of a heart attack, while gardening. My wife had only seen him yesterday, and he seemed in fine fettle. Wally was a stalwart of the Normanby Rugby League Club and a former player with Wests Toowong, where a teammate was former Australian team manager, Graham Kerr, the former Souths Magpies’ CEO.
Dumped Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos’ halfback, Brodie Croft (Salford) is named ‘Man of Steel’ as the best player in England’s Super League. At the Brisbane Broncos’ awards night, halfback, Adam Reynolds is named Clubman of the Year.
Learn of the passing of colourful French rugby league referee, Julian Rascagneres, at the age of 77. A former player with XIII Catalan, Pia and St Cyprien, Rascagneres took up the whistle on his retirement as a player, and controlled the 1982 and ’86 Great Britain v Australia Tests in England, as well as the 1985 series between Britain and New Zealand. I covered the ’82 and ’86 Roo tours, and while Rascagneres generally did a good job, particularly in the way he allowed play to flow, I thought he was enamoured with the Australians and leant their way a little too much.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
There are death stares from the participants as I walk-in on Chair Yoga in the auditorium at Samford Grove. It’s a serious business. In the Samford Grove library I browse through a book about music in Australia, and read that The Aztecs were among the early pioneers of pub rock. Also read some of the History of Top Deck Travel, which was started by Queenslander, Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner in the UK, in the mid-1970s, using old double decker buses.
‘NRL 360’ on FoxSports debates the future of Australia’s national rugby league side, the Kangaroos, if State of Origin becomes essentially a battle between Polynesian footballers. Paul Kent, like me, is concerned about participation levels in the game, outside the Polynesian community. Brent Read dismisses those concerns. I wish I shared his optimism.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
Bill Longford, a regular at Men of League functions, says he was 96kg when he finished work. “I drank too much Coca Cola,” he says. He is now 75kg. Men of League magazine contributor, Barry Ross says the Broncos were not happy with the standard of ballboys in Sydney in the club’s early years. The Parramatta ballboys, in particular, were slow to return the ball to the playing area, when the Broncos were in possession. Barry was the Broncos’ Sydney stats man.
One of our neighbours, John Jones (not the John Johns who played for Manly and the Crushers), is a volunteer at Piccabeen, Mitchelton. The average age of residents here is 77.5 years. There are 36 couples; 43 singles. Reside Communities bought Samford Grove in June, 2018. Marie and I moved in, from Grange, in June this year.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
A minute’s silence is observed for Wally Young at Happy Hour at Samford Grove. I play Kelly Pool with a few other blokes. Dutch born lady, Willy Kranenburg joins us, and shows us up.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
Our eldest son, Damien; his wife, Emma and daughters, Parker and Evan (from Ayr) are staying with us and they walk all the way to the Pine River. Damien’s former coach at Burdekin Roosters – Steve Sheppard – has been appointed to an Elite Pathways role at North Queensland Cowboys. Vintage sports cars descend on Samford.
Norths made it back-to-back Queensland Cup premierships with a 16-10 win over Redcliffe at Redcliffe, with winger, Brayden McGrady scoring two tries. Centre, Jacob Gagan wins the Duncan Hall Medal as Player of the Match. The video referee takes forever to rule a ‘No Try’ when Redcliffe’s Kiwi import, Valynce Te Whare looks like he might have scored. Those sort of delays turn people off rugby league, when a game like Australian rules is non-stop.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
There are a few surprise visitors for my 70th birthday, family get-together, at Samford Pub – former schoolmate, Tom Tartan; fellow media man, Steve Haddan (and his son, Billy); and ‘The Ferrett’, Paul Hayes, the archivist on the QRL History Committee. There are apologies from Dolphins’ Media Man, Trad McLean; my former Courier-Mail colleague, Bernie Pramberg; former Grange neighbours, Peter Skerman and Len O’Brien and former Australian Associated Press journo., Wayne ‘Ticker’ Heming. Family members in attendance are my wife, Marie; our sons, Damien and Lliam; Damien’s wife, Emma and their daughters, Parker and Evan; my sister, Gay Lynch, and her husband, David, as well as their son, Patrick and daughter, Eliza; plus my youngest brother, Stewart.
There is a large group of bikies at the pub, and I think they are bikies, as opposed to bikers.
Dual British Rugby International, Jason Robinson is interviewed by SkySports ahead of the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford. One of the Sky commentators is Terry O’Connor whose son, Jarrod is playing second row for Leeds. St Helens win 24-12, with coach, Kristian Woolf to join new NRL outfit the Dolphins, in November. Leeds were coached by Rohan Smith, who took Norths to the 2021 Qld Cup title.
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