Sunset
INCORPORATING DIARY OF A RETIRED RUGBY LEAGUE WRITER
FRIDAY, JULY 19
Dolphins’ Director, Tony Murphy views current assistant, Kristian Woolf as a 10-year head coach, and I think he is right. As Tony points out, Kristian has well and truly proved himself, taking Merseyside club, St Helens to the top in England, and also coaching Tonga to an historic Test match win over Australia. When the Dolphins appointed Wayne Bennett as their inaugural coach, they were very comfortable with it being a two year post, with Woolf as his right hand man. I have a nice chat with Murphy, Bob Jones and Trevor ‘Charlie’ Day at Brisbane domestic airport. My wife Marie and I are leaving for Cairns on a two week break, while the Dolphins’ stalwarts are accompanying around 40 corporate backers to Sydney for the match against Penrith on Sunday. The corporates are staying at Crown Plaza, Coogee, which often was my base when covering rugby league for ‘The Courier-Mail’. Bob Jones, a former Brisbane representative hooker, is Dolphins’ chairman, and Trevor Day is on the board. Murphy and Jones are from Gunnedah originally, and still support New South Wales at State of Origin time, so they are on a high after the Blues’ series clinching win on Wednesday night. They can’t understand how I go for Queensland, given I am from Murwillumbah. Trevor Day is a true blue Queenslander, playing for Redcliffe in the early 1970s, and also having a season with Babinda in North Queensland in 1974. ‘Charlie’ helped the Innisfail representative side to a Foley Shield triumph and also represented Queensland Country, under the coaching of former Test hooker, Brian Fitzsimons. Trevor’s older brother, Ken represented Australia and played for Wests in Brisbane alongside the likes of Alex Watson and Barry Muir. Trevor coached Wests in the 1980s. The Courier-Mail’s lead story is about the need to protect Qld fullback and Broncos’ superstar, Reece Walsh. On Sydney Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast, former New South Wales’ skipper, Laurie Daley says it is up to the League to protect ALL players. There are lots of Origin fans leaving Brisbane, the Queensland supporters looking forlorn.
Marie and I left our car at Andrew’s Parking on Nudgee Road, costing us $170 for ‘Andrew’ to look after our wheels for the fortnight we are away. Our driver to the airport – Tony – is a gem. Polite and up for a chat, without being over the top. There are two sisters on the courtesy bus with us, off to Melbourne for the weekend. O’Brien is their maiden name, and they are originally from Bowen in North Qld, and the youngest went to school with my former Brisbane Brothers’ teammate, Murray Schultz.
Our flight leaves on time, and is generally uneventful. A woman across the aisle coughs non-stop. She has a mask, but no lozenges. The bloke beside us – in the window seat – is a fidgety type, who is shat off by the person behind him pushing against his back. Twice he elbows the pack of his seat, and on another occasion leaps back in his seat. Our cabbie is formerly from Wellington in New Zealand, and hasn’t been home for 22 years. We book into Mercure in Cairns’ city centre, and walk the Esplanade to Hemingway Brewery, enjoying the soup of the day at Cairns RSL Club on the way. I try the beer of the month – Pitchfork Betty’s Pale Ale – at the brewery, while Marie has French Rose. On the table next to us, a gentleman of around my age, enjoys a glass of wine, and wrestles with ‘The Australian’ newspaper, as the wind plays havoc with the broadsheet pages. A man after my own heart. The Cairns Post building in the CBD is all hoarded up. Evidently a major shopping and dining precinct is planned around the historic building. Outside Woolies, three Asian lasses try Tim Tams for the first time, and seem to enjoy the treat.
At 5.39 p.m. our youngest son, Lliam phones from Brisbane to say there has been a worldwide computer glitch, and we should get cash, because card machines etc are down. Fortunately, being of a certain age, we have plenty of cash on us. We tuck into deep fried seafood from a stall at the Cairns Night Markets, while I enjoy local Macalister Beer from Blue Lagoon Bar. Get back to our room in time to watch the second half of the Raiders v Warriors NRL match. The Raiders get the money, largely due to the Warriors’ poor goal kicking and silly mistakes.
SATURDAY, JULY 20
An Indigenous chap wearing a Collingwood AFL top, is completely unaware of yesterday’s computer glitch as he orders his coffee at Barista Sista at Cairns’ excellent ‘Rusty’s Market’. Fortunately, he has change. A vegetable stall holder identifies where I got my coffee, and tells me I should ask for a left handed cup next time. He says the female barista loves that request! The stall holder came out from Watford in England when he was just 12, on a ship which sailed through the Suez Canal. A Vietnam vet., he loves Australia (obviously) but doesn’t think we are the easy going, knockaround people we were when he arrived. “You have to be so careful about what you say now,” he says. So true. Last night my wife had an ice cream from the Mungalli Dairy, on the recommendation of a lovely lass we met at the Night Markets. Today I see the same lass at Rusty’s and thank her for the advice, because the ice cream was delicious. Marie buys Daniel’s 100 percent Rainforest honey, as well as fruit, vegetables and cakes.
Marie and I get 11 a.m. Ferry to Fitzroy Island, with an AIMS (Australian Institute of Marine Science) research vessel leaving just before us. We enjoy a picnic lunch in the rainforest on arrival. As we enjoy a drink from the pool bar, a staffer tells the barman he just had to rescue a chap at Nudey Beach, and this fellow offered him $50 as thanks, something the staffer declined to accept. When we try to get into our room, the key won’t work. The lock barrel is buggered, and the resort handyman – who is from Chile – has to install a new one. Watch a beautiful sunset over the mainland coast, as we enjoy drinks at Foxey’s Bar, alongside a couple from the Sunshine Coast. She lives at Black Mountain, inland from Noosa, while he (ex-Parramatta) lives at Maroochydore. We also dine at Foxey’s. Marie’s calamari is lovely. My steak sandwich is passable. Watch Spike Milligan – the Unseen Files – before retiring. I didn’t realise that Spike was such a tortured soul.
SUNDAY, JULY 21
Macca (AB’s Ian McNamara) is broadcasting from the Esplanade in Cairns. A cane farmer from Silkwood talks about the versatility of sugar. Our grandson, Connor Ricketts, scores three tries for Norths in just his second game of tackle rugby league – against Aspley.
Marie and I swim at Nudey’s Beach, after watching fish feeding from the jetty. Nudey Beach is not what it seems. It is not a ‘free beach’. Well it is – you don’t have to pay to go there. But it is not clothes free. There is one heavily tattooed chap wearing a t-shirt with the message: “Tattoos are not just for sailors and whores”. A humpback whale goes by, capturing the attention of those on the beach.
The Dolphins lose to Penrith in golden point extra time, thanks to a 40-metre field goal by Nathan Cleary. Dolphins’ coach, Bennett hates golden point, and believes a draw is a good result. I agree. After watching the first half of a super fast Manly v Titans game at Brookvale Oval, we again enjoy sunset at Foxie’s Bar. With 15 percent added on for holiday loading, it costs us $78 for four drinks – two beers (Balter) and two cocktails. A tender from a flash catamaran moored out in the bay brings to Foxey’s a tour guide and four or five passengers. I think they are from India based MMTravel.
My sister, Gay Lynch and her husband, David are in Marseilles as part of grand world tour.
Huge news from the USA – Joe Biden will step down as President at the end of his current term.
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