Nudey Beach
MONDAY, JULY 22
Former Wallaby, Sam Scott-Young is an exuberant person, and that is a conservative description. Sam and I touch base over the phone because he is to be guest speaker at the next Brisbane Beer and Beef Club lunch – at the Pineapple Hotel – on August 16. He has big plans for the interview. “We have to make the guests laugh, Steve.” I interviewed Sam in 1993, when he was contemplating a mid-season switch to rugby league with Wally Lewis coached, Gold Coast Seagulls. Sam says television personality, David Fordham, a close friend of Wally’s, acted as an intermediary in discussions with Seagulls’ CEO, Larry Maloney. “Seagulls had won only one game, and ‘Fordo’ told Larry he should include a ‘lose bonus’, if he wanted me to sign,” Scott-Young said.
My wife, Marie and I are staying on Fitzroy Island, off Cairns, and today we walk to the Island’s now disused lighthouse, which was built in 1973, on the site of a previous light house, and a World War II radar facility. When the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1990, it became an information centre for walkers. It appears the vandals got the better of the facility, which is now locked up. Chat to a number of walkers, in particular a couple from Garfield in Victoria, where a mini-series about Australia’s world champion Indigenous boxer, Lionel Rose was filmed in 1991. This couple tell us Garfield is famous for asparagus. He is a chippy, and she works in admin., at a school in Pakenham. They stayed in Cooktown before here, and loved it, the views looking down the Endeavour River from their accommodation being to die for.
After an incredibly steep descent from ‘The Summit’, we swim at the southern end of the main beach, where there is a family that takes forever to change into scuba diving gear, before staying in the water for a grand total of five minutes. Back in our apartment we watch Jane Campion movie, Bright Star, about English romantic poet, John Keats.
At the resort’s Zephyr Restaurant, out waitress, Jeanne, is from Nancy in France and she asks if we have been to the American war cemeteries in Normandy, and while we answer in the affirmative, we emphasise that we prioritised visits to the Australian war cemeteries. She had no idea Australia was involved in the European wars. Our young Maitre d – surname Mulligan – is from Kildare in Ireland, and updates us on Gaelic sports finals.
Channel 7 News Cairns has coverage of three levels of rugby league – the NRL (Cowboys); Qld Cup (Pride) and district club football – Cairns women’s semis. There is a preview of the Q Cup game to be played in Cooktown next weekend – between Pride and Wynnum-Manly. Channel 7’s local weather man, Livio Regano has a segment at the end of the forecast, in which he urges people to study the behaviour of the native animals, leading up to changes in the weather. Livio points out that “humans have only been here a couple of hundred years”. I’m sure that is news to the Cairns’ bloke who does the ‘Welcome to Country’ at the local footy.
TUESDAY, JULY 23
A fellow holiday maker says ‘Go Chooks’, as I order a drink at Foxey’s Bar. I am wearing my Sydney Roosters’ cap. Earlier, poolside, a ‘high’ Townsville couple sat beside us, and she was vaping, which was not allowed. They urged us to stay for a drink with them, and when we declined they wished us a ‘happy, sexy time’. Marie and I did the Secret Garden (rainforest) walk early this afternoon. We get takeaway barramundi, chips and prawns at Foxey’s to have back in our room for dinner.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 24
My father, Jon William Ricketts would have been 95 today. He was born in Sydney in 1929 and died in Brisbane in 2014, pre-deceased by his wife, Lola Mary (nee Kelly). I fondly remember dad’s 80th, when we had a lovely family gathering at a Vietnamese restaurant at West End in Brisbane, with Dad’s only sibling – Bill Ricketts – there with his wife, Nola (nee McClymont). I last spoke to Bill after Dad’s passing, and I have no idea whether he and Nola are still alive They were residing at Ballina in Northern NSW, but the last time I phoned their number, it was disconnected. It is so sad to have lost contact with my ‘Uncle Bill’ and ‘Aunty Nola’.
Get the sad news that former Queensland Rugby League front rower, Len Dittmar is in palliative care at Brisbane’s Wesley Hospital. Len’s great mate, former Test prop, David Wright, delivers the news, via a group-email to former Brisbane footballers. David and a number of other close mates of Len’s have visited the larger than life character in hospital, some taking a bottle of red to share.
Noted author/journalist, Hugh Lunn writes about his recent dinner with News Ltd heavy, Lachlan Murdoch, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of ‘The Australian’
newspaper. During Channel 9’s cover of the Olympics a female host says Australian discus thrower, Matt Denny is from the ‘Outback Queensland Town’ of Allora. If Allora is the Outback, what is Birdsville? Queensland Rugby League CEO, Ben Ikin had invited me to a sportsmen’s lunch at the Commonwealth Hotel, Allora this week, with Ben and fellow State of Origin legends, Trevor Gillmeister and Shane Webcke the guest speakers, and my former Courier-Mail colleague, Bernie Pramberg, the MC. Proceeds go to the local sports museum.
Marie and I enjoy a morning swim at Nudey Beach and dine at Zephyr Restaurant that night.
THURSDAY, JULY 25
Channel 9 News has sports live crosses to Marseilles, Melbourne and Samford – yes, Samford. The village is the home of former Test rugby league forward, Sam Thaiday, who is Channel 9’s league man in Queensland. Sam talks up the fact Australia has been chosen to host the 2026 Rugby League World Cup. The event was supposed to be held in France next year, but the French abandoned hope of hosting it when they failed to get the desired government support, with conspiracy theorists convinced the French Rugby Union had a lot to do with that. I wouldn’t rule it out completely, but whereas the Rugby Union regarded league as a major threat in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and even into the 60s and 70s, they now dismiss the 13-man code as a joke. Former ABC contributor, Lyle Beaton is furious at the decision to give the 2026 hosting rights to Australia, and is also stunned there will only be 10 men’s teams and eight women’s teams. “Only rugby league seeks to improve the international game by limiting it so much,” Beaton says in a text to me and QRL CEO, Ben Ikin. “The announcement was made as an afterthought, lost in the Olympics build-up and start. Just the way they wanted it – ignored. No doubt they’ll just farm out the jobs to NRL staff again – a la 2017”. I tell Lyle that I agree with what he has to say and that the decision – I assume by the International Board (is there such a thing any more?) – lacks ambition and foresight; that the decision illustrates the fact there is no money in the game outside Australia. And that International Rugby League is an afterthought – the NRL and Origin coming first.
Our glass-bottom boat trip is something of a non-event, given the rough conditions. There probably was never much chance of seeing anything and it is debatable whether it should have gone ahead. Our guide – Ethan – tries to make the trip as interesting as possible, taking us to Shark Fin Bay (named after a rock, but there are heaps of sharks here, he says), and then to Nudey Beach, where we at least see some coral, fish and a couple of clams. Ethan has been on the island for six weeks and previously worked in north west Western Australia, where he says there were some surprising reef visitors, including an Antarctic Leopard Seal. We have seen several turtles; dolphins and a whale during our time on the island.
As our ferry enters port in Cairns, three trawlers leave, one of them ‘Ambition IV’. Super yacht, Anawa, is in port. It is owned by Brazilian billionaire, Jorge Paulo Lemann. We pick up hire car from Meteor, and head south to Cardwell, stopping for coffee at Babinda Bakery. The public toilet in Babinda was an air raid shelter in World War II. We also stop for bananas at a stall at Liverpool Creek and then we are stopped by a sugar cane train crossing the highway at Silkwood. In Cardwell we dine at one of the two pubs – the Marine – where the licensee for many years was former Queensland Rugby League fullback, Allan Power. It is now a Woolies pub. I played against Allan when he was just starting out in senior football with Surfers Paradise Pirates, and then alongside him at Brisbane Brothers, although not often, given I was primarily in the lower grades. Marie and I have local fish for dinner and it is excellent. The kitchen ‘staff’ appear to be all of Indian descent, a family I think. They probably lease the kitchen. A barmaid on duty is from Perpignan, and is delighted when I tell her I have been there many times. She knows all about the Catalans Dragons’ rugby league side. A large table of people near Marie and I talk power prices and the Katter Party.
FRIDAY, JULY 26
Wake to the news the ‘Tillies’ had lost their first game in the Olympics. I was only saying to Marie last night the hype over the Matildas is way over the top, especially as they have never won anything, and without Sam Kerr I predicted they would go nowhere in Paris. Early days, I know.
Marie and I walk the esplanade to Cardwell Park, where there is a coffee cart run by a couple approaching their senior years. Some shops are shut because it is Tully Show Holiday, but the newsagency is open. A newsagency – wow! Check out of Kookaburra Caravan Park, where we stayed in a cabin. Lunch stop at Townsville, and then check into our Ayr motel, where a group of ladies are arriving for a weekend of golf and partying.
At East Ayr State School, we watch our son, Damien (the deputy principal) take one of the school’s soccer teams in training. One of the players is his daughter, Parker. I chat to a fellow grandfather, Robert from Charters Towers, who attended Townsville Grammar, and then went to Longreach Pastoral College. The college’s last graduation class was 2019, with the State Government selling off the site, much to Robert’s disgust. He laments the state of agricultural education in Queensland. Robert looks after rural properties for people who are away on holidays.
Brian Canavan is being tipped as the man to replace Bruce Hatcher as Chairman of the Queensland Rugby League, when Bruce steps down in October. The challenges for rugby league are many, especially with AFL claiming Queensland will become an Aussie rules state. AFLCairns has a big advertisement in the Cairns Local News, with a photograph of players from the 14 senior men’s and women’s teams in the district, most of those teams from the Cairns’ metropolitan area. The Cairns Rugby League competition encompasses teams from the city, but also from regional centres such as Tully, Babinda, Mossman and Atherton. Brian Canavan, originally from Dalby, has had many roles in rugby league, from a player at Valleys in Brisbane, to Broncos fitness guru to Sydney Roosters CEO.
SATURDAY, JULY 27
Fellow History Committee member, Mission Beach-based Greg Shannon and I catch up for coffee at the Ayr Bakery. Greg says journalist, Robert Burgin’s latest project is the history of the Noosa Pirates. Greg says Dolphins’ Queensland representative prop, Tom Flegler was a partner in a lawn mowing business in Tully, where Greg works in the town’s sugar mill. I knew Greg followed Wests Panthers in the Brisbane competition, but I didn’t know the reason why until today. It was because one of his favourite players, Steve McCosker was a Panther. Cowboys and Queensland five eighth, Tommy Dearden is related to Steve.
There are so many games going on at once at the home of Burdekin FC in Ayr, right next to the brick works. Our granddaughter, Parker Ricketts, playing against Northern Beaches, scores three goals in two games against the Townsville club. There are heaps of dads wearing rugby league merchandise.
Damien hosts a BBQ at his place, with neighbours Ramon and Wendy Finn, and Mick Sartori and his wife in attendance. Damien’s landlord is former Brisbane Souths’ prop, Adrian Higgs, who I interviewed many times – along with his brother and teammate, Darryl – when I worked for the Telegraph in Brisbane. Another of Adrian’s brothers, Chris lives in Ayr and his son played with Damien at the Burdekin Roosters. The eldest Higgs’ boy is Ray, who played for Australia and captained Parramatta.
SUNDAY, JULY 28
Wake to the news Australia are on top of the Olympic medal tally board with three Golds and two silver. Speedway cars are on trailers at the Shell Garage near our motel, as we head to the village of Brandon, for brunch with Damien, Emma and the girls, at Little Leaves, which is a cafe/nursey/gift shop. Back at Damien and Emma’s, we watch Olympic highlights, including the men’s Rugby Sevens, where Australia are desperately unlucky not to win the bronze medal play-off match against South Africa. There are some dodgy calls by the ref. It was Mark Nawaqanitawase’s last game before he switches codes, and joins the Sydney Roosters.
Queensland Times/QRL contributor, Michael Nunn has a Q & A with my former Brisbane Brothers’ teammate, Murray Schultz. Murray says his most respected opponent was the late Ian ‘bunny’ Pearce, a legendary fullback with the Redcliffe Dolphins. ‘Bunny’ played for Queensland in the 1970s. Murray was in Canberra visiting his son, Ryan, when Michael phoned. Ryan coaches the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union side.
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