ROSS LAWSON – BROADCASTER, PUBLICAN, FOOTBALLER

Suncorp Stadium Media Hall of Fame inductee, Ross Lawson had a colourful career calling rugby league on Brisbane radio, while also running a pub at Ipswich.

A former representative footballer, Lawson replaced Queensland radio legend, George Lovejoy at 4BH and later partnered another household name of radio and television in Queensland, Billy J Smith, on 4IP.

Lawson called Tests, Inter-State games, Brisbane Grand Finals and in 1978 followed the Kangaroos on their tour of Britain and France, with former top referee, Bernie Pramberg as his sidekick. The travelling Australian media pack included radio icons, Frank Hyde and Tiger Black; television commentator, Rex Mossop and print journalists, Bill Mordey, Ian Heads and Geoff Prenter.

Mossop and Hyde had played first grade in Sydney, with Mossop representing Australia and Hyde New South Wales. While Lawson didn’t reach those heights as a player, he had the honour of representing Toowoomba against the 1963 Kiwis, and then Wide Bay against France the following year, at Salter Oval, Bundaberg.

The Wide Bay game has gone down in rugby league folklore and is a classic case of truth being stranger than fiction. On the morning of the match, Lawson was working behind the bar in the family hotel when selector, Bert Quinn walked in and told him he was a late inclusion in the Wide Bay side coached by Australian Team of the Century prop, Duncan Hall, who wanted Ross to play fullback.

When French superstar, Claude Mantoulan lined up a penalty kick at goal, Lawson, who had not played fullback before, stood under the crossbar. The ball soared majestically through the air, hit one of the uprights, and then the posts came apart, with the crossbar landing on Lawson’s head, knocking him out.

“They brought the smelling salts out, I came-to and got back into it,” he said. “They didn’t stop the game – they just fixed up the posts as play continued. I was knocked out trying to tackle giant Maori prop, Maunga Emery when I played lock against the Kiwis. My mother (Maisie) told me rugby league wasn’t for me after what happened in Bundy.”

Ross’s father, Jim was prominent in cricket circles and had been involved in coaching Queensland Sheffield Shield players. The family lived at Virginia in Brisbane’s northern suburbs when Ross was born, and at one stage his dad had a store at Red Hill, near where the Broncos’ training base is now located. The family moved to North Queensland where Jim leased a pub at Mossman and then Mena Creek near Innisfail.

“The pub at Mena Creek burnt down while my parents were at the races,” Lawson said. “We moved back to Brisbane and then to Toowoomba (in 1957) where Mum and Dad ran the Royal Hotel. That’s where I really got into playing rugby league, at the Valleys club, where one of my teammates was (John) ‘Cracker’ McDonald (the future Test centre, and QRL Chairman). ‘Cracker’ and I used to drive up to the Picnic Point parklands in his father’s FJ Holden, and chase rabbits using the headlights of the car.

“I actually drove John to Brisbane for his Queensland debut against New South Wales, and warned him about ‘Chang’ (Graeme Langlands) – what a danger man he was, and how he loved to throw a coat hanger or two. ‘Cracker’ got in first and ‘Chang’ had a quiet game.”

In 1964 the family moved to Bundaberg and took over the Railway Hotel, with Ross playing rugby league for Railways. It was here that the seeds were sown for Ross’s radio career, with the then 20-year-old doing phantom rugby league calls as part of the hotel’s floorshow, which often included Country and Western singer, Chad Morgan, who came from Wondai.

While living in Bundaberg, Ross played A grade cricket and was coached by former Test wicket keeper, Don Tallon, who was also a teammate. But more importantly, Bundaberg is where Ross found true love, marrying Pamela Ann Fitzgerald, who worked at the Railway.

In 1967 the Lawson family moved to Goodna in Ipswich, to run the Weeroona Hotel. It was here that Maisie saw a newspaper article about the doyen of Queensland radio, George Lovejoy retiring from commentating to become general manager of 4BH. She encouraged her son to apply for the role, so Ross called 4BH Production Manager, Ben Beckinsale, and was listed for auditions, along with a long list of other hopefuls.

“With my first pay from the railways in Toowoomba (where Ross worked as a boy porter) I had bought a tape recorder, and I would practice calling games, copying George Lovejoy,” Lawson said. “I went to a trial game at Davies Park with George for my audition, and I must have impressed him because in the car on the way back to the station he said I had the job.

“George said my diction was good, I knew the players and kept up with what was going on. But I’ve no doubt the fact I sounded a lot like him helped me get the job ahead of some very good candidates, one of who was Brian Cahill, who went on to carve out an illustrious career in television.”

So in 1968 Lawson began a broadcasting career which saw him assume celebrity status in Brisbane in a period when club football was booming, with Grand Final crowds averaging over 38,000 during the 11 years he called the game. The 1970s are still regarded as the golden period of Brisbane club football.

Lawson switched to 4IP in 1973 on 10 times the money he was earning at 4BH, and joined emerging media icon, “teenage idol’ Billy J Smith on the commentary team of a station which was aimed at a younger audience. One of George’s sidekicks at 4IP was Harvey Lister, AM, who is now Chairman and Chief executive of ASM Global, the world’s foremost venue management and services company. Harvey was present when Ross was inducted into the Suncorp Stadium Media Hall of Fame in 2021.

After Billy J left 4IP, Ross teamed up with former top referee, Bernie Pramberg and ‘Mr T’, Rod Tiley, both of whom went on to carve out long careers in the media, Pramberg in newspapers and Tiley on radio. Lawson and Pramberg covered the 1978 Kangaroo tour, with one of Ross’s most memorable calls coming from the Second Test at Odsal Stadium, Bradford.

“Australia had won the First Test (in Wigan) and the Poms weren’t given much hope, especially as they chose a Dad’s Army pack for the Bradford game,” Lawson said. “But their big Welsh prop, Jim Mills terrorised the ‘Roos, and they got away to a lead which they were able to defend. But the class of the Australians showed in the decider (at Headingley) which we won easily.”

Ross covered inter-state football at a time when New South Wales dominated, often winning games with former Queensland stars playing prominent roles.

“It is a shame I never got to cover Origin,” Ross said. “Queensland were brave in so many games in the 1970s, particularly under the coaching of Barry Muir. But I thought it was degrading when inter-state football was taken to Leichhardt Oval instead of being played at the SCG or the Sports Ground. Even Newcastle was better than Leichhardt.”

It’s not always smooth sailing for those in the media, with plenty of punters, and some players, wanting to have a go at the ‘so-called experts’.

One on occasion giant Valleys’ forward, Russell Hughes grabbed Lawson by the collar when he entered the dressing rooms before a game to familiarise himself with the players and their jersey numbers. Coach, Henry Holloway was forced to intervene. (Henry was known to have had many run-ins with journos).

“Russell was one of three Queensland players sent off by (referee) Keith Holman in an inter-state game at Lang Park,” Lawson said. “He was the third man marched and I was critical of him for leaving his team so short-handed. Russell didn’t like what I had to say.”

It could have been worse. Legend has it that Brothers’ Test prop, Peter Gallagher, lifted Lovejoy off the ground and left him dangling from a clothes hook.

Norths’ glamour winger, Fonda ‘Golden Greek’ Metassa – who went on to carve out his own media career  – once phoned Lawson on the radio open line to question Ross’s credentials. “How would you know, Lawson,” Fonda said over the airwaves when Ross fired back at Fonda.

On his return from the Kangaroo tour, Ross was asked by 4IP to go fulltime and turn his back on the pub trade. That was it for Ross because there was a lot more money in running the hotel, than working on radio.

“I was talking to a hotelier here in Redcliffe who said he went through six (18-gallon) kegs the previous week,” said Lawson who has lived in Dolphins’ rugby league territory since 2006. “I remember in 1974 going through 64 18-gallon kegs in a week, while another pub in Ipswich went through 100 kegs. Back then, of course, you could afford to buy a beer.”

The Lawson’s Weeroona Hotel, located as it was just off the main road from Brisbane, was a popular stopping off point for travellers and football teams, as well as locals, particularly blue collar workers, with many people calling in just to say hello to Ross, who was a big part of the local community as a sponsor of Goodna Junior Rugby League. He even turned out briefly for the first grade side, but was knocked out again and decided that was it.

Ross and Pam took over the Prince Alfred Hotel at Booval, Ipswich in 1986, and in ensuing years the husband and wife team had post office/store businesses at Marburg to the west of Ipswich and Holland Park in Brisbane’s east.

From 1991 to 1997 Ross was Chairman of the Board of Control of Greyhound Racing in Queensland. When the family lived in Bundaberg, Ross was one of the instigators of greyhound racing in the Burnett River city. His passion for racing also saw him own a number of thoroughbreds, as well as racing greyhounds.

Ross moved to Redcliffe because his wife wanted to live by the sea. But he didn’t cut himself off from public life, accepting an invitation from Ron Atkins to MC Men of League functions after the Foundation (Now ‘Family of League) had kicked off a few years earlier in Queensland.

“We had regular ‘Kick-off Club’ lunches at Broncos Leagues, and I interviewed the likes of Wayne Bennett, John Ribot and Des Morris,” Lawson said.

Ross had guests telling stories from their careers and he chimed in with a few of his own, some a bit too spicy to put into print. For instance, he was present when a prominent coach threatened to throw an even more prominent official off a Sydney hotel balcony, and Ross is also privy to a story about a former Test player ‘hanging one on’ the same prominent official in a work dispute.

Pam (who passed away in 2022) and Ross had three children – Craig, Meagan and Scott. Craig and Ross played first grade rugby league, Craig for Ipswich Jets and Scott for South Queensland Crushers and North Sydney. A speedster who finished second in the footballers’ race at the Botany Bay Gift, Scott was heralded as the next Ken Irvine when he joined North Sydney, but injury abruptly ended his career. Meagan was also a fine athlete at school.

When I did this interview with Ross at Redcliffe in March, 2025, he had a few words of advice for today’s commentators, or those wanting to follow in his footsteps.

“A journalist paints a picture with words. A radio commentator paints a picture with skilful use of the microphone – he has to convey the excitement of the crowd through his voice, but not by yelling and screaming. Ray Warren, who started in radio, brought what he had learned in that medium, to television, and he knew there was no need to yell, because the action was there for the viewers to see.”

When Ross was inducted into the Suncorp Stadium Media Hall of Fame his photo and bio went up on the wall in the western grandstand alongside fellow radio icons John McCoy, Billy J Smith and George Lovejoy, as well as TV and print media figures.

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