Shaun Wendt (third from left, backrow) at Lang Park with other members of the Brisbane Rugby League - in 1993
Shaun Wendt’s calm demeanour and solid work ethic catapulted him to key positions in rugby league administration in Australia.
A product of Queanbeyan High in New South Wales, Shaun was part of the inaugural Canberra Raiders’ senior squad in 1982, but injuries later curtailed his top flight football ambitions.
He joined the Queensland Rugby League in 1987, at the same time as new Coaching Director, Dennis Ward and future State of Origin Manager, Michael Pease. (Ward replaced Wayne Bennett, who was on the Raiders’ coaching staff). Wendt replaced Roger Robinson as Brisbane Division Executive Officer, a position Shaun held until recruited by Super League supremo, John Ribot (also a former QRL employee) in 1995.
“Shaun played a key role in changes to the way the QRL did business,” former South East Queensland Regional Manager, Michael Pease said this week. “It was the start of the computer era, and Shaun was across all that, implementing systems for player registrations, competition draws etc. He worked behind the scenes at State of Origin time and was a great contributor. I know that Brisbane Division chairman, Kevin Brasch fully appreciated Shaun’s endeavours.”
The NRL recruited Wendt when the ‘Super League War’ ended in 1998, and he filled a number of roles in the next 26 years, most recently that of General Manager of Football, Venues and Broadcaster Relations.
His sudden passing on December 4 rocked the rugby league community, with weekend press reports in Sydney carrying tributes to the Illawarra based father of two boys. Former Test fullback, Garry Jack describing Wendt as “a true gentleman”.
“Shaun met his future wife, Monica, through the QRL offices,” Pease said. “I’m struggling to make sense of his passing.”
On a personal note, I always found Shaun a wonderful person to deal with, even if he didn’t always agree with what I wrote, first for Brisbane’s Telegraph newspaper, and then for The Courier-Mail.
He was quietly spoken; always smiling and always efficient. There are very few photos of Shaun on file because he was content to let others grab the spotlight. He was happy just to get the job done. And he always delivered.
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