Australian rugby league forward, Sam Thaiday chases Samoa’s Ben Roberts
MONDAY, JANUARY 16
Former Test rugby league forward, Sam Thaiday is undecided about whether to play another season with Samford Stags, who have resumed training for the Brisbane Second Division competition. My wife, Marie chats with Sam during her morning walk, here in Samford. Dave Rennie has been sacked as Australian Rugby Union coach, replaced by Australian Eddie Jones, who has been coaching England. In the Sharks (South Africa) v Bordeaux Rugby match there is a gouging allegation against the Sharks’ Springbok winger, Makazole Mapimpi, but there no TV angles to support it. Play stops forever, and the ubiquitous ‘Sweet Caroline’ is played. Bordeaux halfback, Maxime Lucu, is the complainant. One of our neighbours, Mary Staunton, is related to former Test cricket umpire, Lou Rowan, who had a banana farm at Wlson’s Creek, in the Tweed District of Northern New South Wales. Lou, a Queensland police officer, achieved Test status out of Brisbane. Mary was born at Billinudgel in Byron Shire, and married one of my former Murwillumbah Brothers’ rugby league teammates, Barry Staunton.
It is snowing at seaside Sandsend in North Yorkshire, where our close friends, Andrew and Sandy Varley have a residence.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17
Dual rugby international, Lote Tuqiri admits Eddie Jones can be a ‘punish’. “He can wear you down,” Lote says. Tuqiri, who finished his career back in rugby league, says rugby union today is almost unwatchable. Former Australian wicket keeper, Ian Healy, says so much work is put into rugby scrums, but they invariably go with the feed. News Ltd rugby writer, Jamie Pandaram (predictably) has a story about Eddie targeting rugby league staff and players. It is the only way rugby can get space in the News Ltd press – by connecting it with league. Eddie fires a broadside at NRL supremo, Peter V’landys, saying he spends too much time in the TAB. V’landys wears two hats, as League and NSW Racing chiefs. Stephen Tillett, an inaugural North Queensland Cowboys’ listed player, has been appointed inaugural First Nations Justice Officer. I think his role is to somehow lessen the number of Indigenous who are incarcerated.
Marie and I have lunch at Latin Shack, just outside Samford, and are served by a Colombian lass. Our empanadas and fish tacos are excellent. The drive through is busy. We walk off lunch at Morrison’s Crossing, where a dad and his two little boys are skimming stones in the creek. The crossing is named after the pioneering Morrison family.
Senator Jacqui Lambie has an excellent newspaper column emphasising the fact ADF does not stand for Australian Disaster Force. It is Australian Defence Force, and its numbers are far too low now, so there is no way our troops should be deployed to every flood or bushfire around the place. Their job is all about being ready for combat, not holding a hose or sweeping out mud from underneath a house.
Learn of the passing of Australian singer, Renee Geyer, aged 69. I love her music, and one of my favourite songs is 1981 hit, ‘Say I love You’.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18
Former World surfing champ, Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew, went to Miami High on the Gold Coast, at a time when it was a noted rugby league school. Wayne’s dad, an agriculture teacher, coached rugby league at Murwillumbah High when I was a student there. But ‘Rabbit’ was more into surfing and Miami High principal, Bill Callinan, who represented Queensland in Rugby League from the Brisbane Souths’ club in 1949, introduced surfing as a sport, mainly to keep ‘Rabbit’ and his ilk attending class. ‘Rabbit’ says surfies were seen as beach bums in the 1970s, and they wore the tag as a badge of honour.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19
Food at sporting club canteens is a topic of discussion on RadioSEN. Getting a mention are the likes of Kilcoy Races (steak sandwiches); Norths cricket (Northie dog); Salter Oval, Bundaberg (boiled peanuts) and Helensvale Hornets (potato scallops). My fellow league writer, Steve Mascord used to rate food at the different grounds in Australia and England, for Open Rugby Magazine. My mother, Lola Mary Ricketts (nee Kelly) worked in the Brothers’ canteen at Murwillumbah Showgrounds in the late 60s/early 70s. The food must have been good because each year the auxiliary handed over a sizeable cheque to the football club. Our grandsons, Ethan and Connor Ricketts, have registered with Norths’ Devils Juniors. I played for Norths’ Seniors in 1979.
Our chiropractor, Darren Comer says his Kiwi mate, Paul Sheppard has moved back across the ditch. Paul was Head of Production at ‘The Courier-Mail’ when I worked there. He wants Darren to visit him when the famous Bluff oysters are in season. While we are receiving treatment at Darren’s practice at Albion, a lady, with a screw driver walks in asking if this is a massage place. Not sure what sort of massage she wants. She says she will come back when she has money.
Learn of the passing of David Crosby from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. I have their Ohio single, which I have played to death. Crosby was also co-founder of another iconic group, The Byrds.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20
A big truck makes a ridiculous amount of noise entering Main Street, Samford. Sadly, it is a common occurence.
Morning tea with Laurie Parker from Charleville at the Gabba. Laurie is in Brisbane to see his niece, Lillian Oxenford, in the Queensland Ballet. I then catch up for lunch at the Pineapple Hotel with Members of the Brisbane Beer and Beef Club, including Noel Lupton, Don Gailer, Glenn Mitchell and Danny Burke.
English rugby league coach, Shaun Wane is a guest at Skolars v Broncos Capital Challenge in London. Shaun is a former Wigan forward.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21
Great Britain now contest the World Sevens tournament, rather than England, Wales and Scotland. Doesn’t seem right having the name attached to the rugby union side, when ‘down under’ we always associated Great Britain with rugby league. Roosters’ rugby league doctor, John Orchard is on duty at the SCG for the Big Bash cricket. FoxSports’ commentator, Mark Waugh says don’t ask Dr Orchard a question, because it will be half and hour before he stops talking. Parramatta league star, Mitchell Moses and a few teammates are in a corporate box near where one of Steve Smith’s sixes lands. Smith hit nine sixes in an innings of 125. All rounder, Dan Christian announces he will retire at the end of the Big Bash. A former student at rugby league stronghold, St Gregory’s Campbelltown, his rugby league hero was Andrew ‘Joey’ Johns. Chase Butler, the grandson of my former Murwillumbah Brothers’ teammate, Greg Grainger, captains Mindaribba to victory in the ‘Battle of the Countries’ Koori rugby league tournament in Wollongong, and is named player of the tournament. He is one of five Kurri Kurri lads in the side.
Marie and I walk a country path to the Yugar (rail) Tunnel to the north of Samford. There is lots of the weed, lantana, but evidently it is a haven for tiny birds. The rail line from Brisbane to Dayboro closed in 1955, and this was the only tunnel on the route. On our return to town we have an ice cream (which is not creamy) while across the road at the pub, the singer is belting out ‘I am, You are, We are, Australian’ as a multi cultural group walk up the street. Just a coincidence, but it seemed appropriate, somehow.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22.
Highvale’s Adrian Petrie, a former rep., with fuel company, Esso, is a great cricket devotee. The ex Gregory Terrace student is part of the congregation at Mass at Sacred Heart Church, Samford, where 90 percent of those in attendance could be described as ‘old’. Adrian donated Keith Dudgeon’s cricket bat to the Queensland Cricket Association. Dudgeon was caught Marsh, bowled Lillee for 69, on November 2, 1969, the first man to fall victim to this legendary duo in first class cricket. Dudgeon has a cricket warehouse at The Gap in Brisbane’s west, a place where we bought cricket gear for our eldest son, Damien. Adrian is impressed that I know that it was West Indian pace bowler, Wes Hall who first threw a cricket ball over the peanut silos in Kingaroy, and not Queensland all rounder, Phil Carlson, as reported by ‘The Ear’, Mark Oberhardt. Sorry ‘Obbie”. After Mass, Adrian introduces me to a relative of legendary Queensland Rugby League official, Peter Scott, and she asks about the trophy, which used to be played for by teams leading after the second round of the Brisbane Rugby League.
The Sunday Mail publishes letters from people opposed to the closure of the walking track to the top of Mount Warning (Wollumbin) in the Tweed Valley, including one from Pam McGahey, OAM, who lives at Samsonvale in the Samford Valley.
Marie and I to ‘Little Tree’ bar/restaurant in Samford for live music. A female singer belts out a song I would describe as ‘anti-men’. Her three back-up musicians are all men. She is quite good, by the way.
Former English Rugby Football League boss, David Oxley CBE, has died, aged 85. (see Vale David Oxley this site).
About Author
