NORTH QLD | July – August 2024, #3

Noted author, Hugh Lunn recalls the rough time I had reporting rugby league in the mid-1990s when my boss – Rupert Murdoch – was trying to take over the game. Hugh recently had lunch with Rupert’s son, Lachlan, to mark the 60^th anniversary of the launch of ‘The Australian’ newspaper. I bought the 60^th anniversary edition, which has Lachlan on the cover of the colour magazine. News Ltd’s editor at large, Phil Rothfield writes that many of the Broncos’ player are ‘big heads’ and that is part of the reason for their fall down the Premiership ladder. He could be right. I have no idea. I’m not close enough to the club any more to be able to comment accurately. News Ltd’s Pamela Whalley writes that the Broncos may as well pack it in after their 41-16 loss to the Bulldogs. “Their season is done,” she writes.

Marie and I leave Ayr, after farewelling our son, Damien; his wife Emma and delightful daughters, Parker and Evan. We drop Evan off at pre-school, opposite the home of the Burdekin Roosters’ rugby league club, where her daddy once played. Then we visit East Ayr State School where Parker is a pupil. Damien is deputy principal, and Emma has landed a day’s casual teaching. There have been a series of break-ins at the school, and the groundsman has offered to sleep there overnight to catch the offenders. It seems locals know who they are, but the police can do little when magistrates just give them a wrap over the knuckles. Such is the state of affairs in Queensland.

Our destination is Palm Cove, north of Cairns. We have a coffee stop at Frozen Mango, north of Townsville. We won’t be stopping there again. The pancakes taste like rubber and there’s just something about ‘the vibe’ that is uninviting. Lunch stop at Cardwell, and then shop at Tully IGA, which is owned by inaugural North Queensland Cowboy, Craig Teitzel, whose daughter, Romy plays NRLW. (It all comes back to rugby league). A fellow member of the QRL History Committee, Greg Shannon works at the sugar mill here, and is a board member with the Tully Tigers. I see two blokes wearing Tully Tigers’ socks.

We book into Pullman Sea Temple Resort, Palm Cove, where we stayed for our 25^th wedding anniversary in 2000. We have a self catering apartment, and Marie rustles up a seafood pasta with Moreton Bay bugs and fish cakes we bought at Ingham Road Seafood, Townsville on the way here. She also uses chillis given to us by Damien’s Ayr neighbour, Mick Sartori.

North Queensland Cowboys’ players, Coen Hess and Zac Laybutt visit East Ayr Primary School. The back page of the Cairns Post has a story about Mareeba State High School Opens rugby league coach, Clinton Cifuentes, putting his players on notice, after their last start loss to Mackay. Cifuentes effectively says that talent scouts won’t bother with them if there are too many more performances like that, and he wants a lift in effort in their next game. I think it’s wonderful that schools rugby league is on the back page – although the choice of story certainly highlights that this is a provincial newspaper. And there is nothing wrong with the angle taken by the journalist. I would have gone down the same path. But my first reaction was that the coach is putting undue pressure on his players, who are just kids really, and I doubt if all 17 players in the squad would have hopes of a professional rugby league career. Also on the back page is a photograph of the Ivanhoes Maidens’ women’s rugby league players looking disconsolate after a loss to Kangaroos.

Former Broncos’ skipper, Gorden Tallis says Pat Carrigan should be skipper, not Adam Reynolds. Controversial ‘sports scientist’, Steve Dank, a former Brisbane Valleys’ trainer, texts asking if there have been any notable ‘passings’ from the Brisbane Rugby League scene. I report back that our oldest surviving Kangaroo, Bobby Banks had died. The last of Banks’ 15 Tests was against Great Britain in 1962, when he was chosen from Cunnamulla. “No-one would be picked from Cunnamulla now,” comments Dank. “Mind you, do we even worry about playing for Australia any more?”

After ‘happy hour’ drinks at Rattle ‘N Hum Bar and Grill ($9 pints of Balter), I cook barramundi for dinner – lovely wild caught, fresh fish we bought at Ingham Road Seafood.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  WEDNESDAY, JULY 31

The groundsman at East Ayr Primary has to remove a huge python from the school. Above and beyond the call of duty I would say. The former coal miner is certainly earning his money.

Marie and I enjoy a relaxing day at Palm Cove, including a walk south from the Pullman, to Gibson Reserve, and then back along the highway, spotting a number of wallabies as we get closer to our hotel.  

Former Test forward, David Wright emails to say his life long mate, former Queensland prop, Len Dittmar died this morning in the Wesley Hospital, after a battle with cancer. (see ‘Vale Len Dittmar’ this website).

At Clifton Beach there is a bench with a plaque in memory of Adam Hoffman, a crew member of the trawler, Diana, which sank off the Town of 1770 on the Central Queensland Coast in 2017, when Marie and I were staying there. The weather was indeed wild when the trawler went down. Another bench has a plaque honouring Edward Robert Amoo, and in this case, there is a guitar inscription as part of the tribute. Ladies exercise in a shelter shed at Clifton Beach, near Deadman’s Gully, with Doris Day’s Que Sera playing in the background. I could think of more inspirational music. Normie Rowe’s version would have been better. 

Former Australian cricketer, Delissa Kimmince is in the spa at the Pullman, along with her parents and another couple. Delissa played in Australia’s big win over India in the World Cup 50 overs final at the MCG in 2020, a match which drew a crowd of 86,174, a record for women’s sport. She took 1/17 in her bowling spell. Delissa’s parents now live in Bunbury, Western Australia, where her dad (Peter) is night manager at the local meatworks. They are originally from Warwick on Queensland’s southern Darling Downs, and Peter played for the Colts’ rugby league club. Collegians was the other club in town. Now there is the one club – the Cowboys, which plays in the Toowoomba competition. I played for a Combined Murwillumbah side against Combined Warwick outfit at Knox Park, Murwillumbah in 1971. As well as playing cricket at the highest level, Delissa also played AFLW for the Brisbane Lions. The other couple – his name is Trevor – are ex-teachers, who previously were on a dairy farm at Nana Glenn in the Orara Valley of Northern New South Wales. Trevor and Peter are great mates with Terry Elford, a cousin of former Test forward, the late John ‘Snoozer’ Elford (see ‘Vale John Elford’ this website). Terry played rugby league for Newtown in Sydney. He also played in the Newcastle competition and in NSW and Qld regional centres. This was the only occasion during our stay at the Pullman when the spa really was occupied by ‘Adults Only’, as the sign stipulates. On every other occasion little kids were rampant in the spa. I can only guess their parents were from other countries and couldn’t read English.

Marie and I have lunch at Vivo on the Palm Cove Esplanade -mussels (Marie) Nasi Goreng (moi). Marie has a glass of prosecco from Verona, while I enjoy a local Two Turtles Pale Ale.

I receive a nice message from my former Brisbane ‘Telegraph’ workmate, Nicki White, about an article I wrote (Diary of a Retired Rugby League Writer Week 13 2020) which referenced the closure of the afternoon paper on February 5, 1988. Nicki comments that they were ‘great days’. They were certainly my most enjoyable time in journalism.

‘Courier-Mail’ league scribe, Travis Meyn bags the dressing room culture at the Broncos. I didn’t think journalists were allowed in the dressing rooms any more. Columnist, Robbie Slater absolutely gives it to the Matildas for their meek showing at the Olympics, and says they have been pampered. I read ‘The Courier-Mail’ at a table outside the Palm Cover General Store, which also serves a good coffee. Marie and I walk south again, this time all the way to Kewarra Beach where we have hot chocolate from coffee cart, The Toasted Goat.

 The Dolphins v Roosters NRL match in Perth is a sellout, with thousands embracing the Dolphins ‘Phins Up’ trademark. Perth has a big Kiwi population, and there is a Taranaki banner in the crowd. My wife, Marie turns 74 tomorrow, and to mark the milestone we dine at famed Palm Cove waterfront restaurant, NuNu, after drinks at the Surf Club. There is a marriage proposal at a table near the beach at NuNu, and the lass says ‘Yes’. Applause all round.      

The first people to wish Marie happy birthday are our friends from Devon, England, John and Glenda Tapp, who are camping near a wheat field, somewhere near Poole in Dorset, where there is a youth regatta at Parkstone Yacht Club. John has been seconded to one of the safety boats.

Origin Energy rent vehicles from Meteor in Cairns, for up to three years at a time, rather than having their own fleet. It must be more economical. We drive from Palm Cove to Meteor, Cairns via Redlynch and then cab it to the airport. I wait half an hour for a ham and cheese baguette from Italian Bistrot. Just as well I wasn’t in a hurry to catch a flight. On the flight we sit beside John Harmer from Caboolture solar company, NuWay. John knows our youngest son, Lliam who is director of Brisbane based solar energy business, Supply Partners. Back in Brisbane we attend a Christmas in July (I know, it’s August) dinner at Loria Continental Deli with the other couples from St Flannan’s 1989 Playgroup. Harry Linari, a member of Royal Queensland, sometimes plays golf with finance guru, Noel Whittaker. Derek Barea presents me with a copy of RM Williams book, ‘One Man’s Mistakes’. We return to our villa at Samford Grove around 10.30 p m, tired, but satisfied with our NQ trip. There had been a 90^th birthday party at Samford Grove today for resident, Roy Thomas, a former tax office worker and tour guide.

Melbourne Storm players wear black arm bands in honor of Sonia Smith, mother of their former skipper, Cameron Smith. Sonia was 66 when she passed away this week. Injured South Sydney superstar, Latrell Mitchell is in Casino this weekend, for a rodeo. He has been given permission by the Rabbitohs to have time away, even though Souths are playing Cronulla tonight. Casino, on the Richmond River, is the town where my wife was born in 1950.

In just his third game of tackle rugby league, our grandson, Connor Ricketts scores a runaway try in an entertaining game against Aspley at Bishop Park. It is Women’s Round in rugby league, and the only female in Connor’s team wears a ribbon in her hair, as do a number of NRLW players. Aspley have three female players, and you can tell they love being out there. One of those girls scores a deserved runaway try.

Marie, our daughter, Melanie Mariotto; Lliam and his sons, Connor and Ethan and I enjoy brunch at Let Minnow in Park Street, Clayfield, followed by play time at Melrose Park, Wooloowin, opposite where Marie and I lived when Melanie was born. When she was just a few months old we paid my Telegraph workmate, Craig Shaw to take baby photos in the park. Melanie arrived in Brisbane yesterday, from Koh Samui, where she lives with her husband, Greg. Tonight, Melanie, Marie and I enjoy drinks and live music at Little Tree, Samford.