Jim House - fisherman and good bloke
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Jim House was a distinguished gentleman, a fine sailor, a keen fisherman and a true-blue Queensland lad who grew up in war-time Brisbane, rubbing shoulders with Australian and American servicemen, particularly American sub-mariners. I attend Jim’s funeral at Holy Cross Catholic Church Wooloowin with Father Brendan Gormley the Celebrant. I first met Jim when my wife Marie and I moved into the Hermitage Gardens town house complex at Grange in Brisbane’s inner-northern suburbs in 2007. Hermitage Gardens, built on what was Brothers’ Rugby League’s Corbett Park base, was right next door to the Crushers Leagues Club (formerly Brothers) where Jim was a member of ‘The Table of Knowledge’. I was invited to join these esteemed gentleman after doing an apprenticeship which required one to buy a beer and to contribute something to the conversation. Jim won an international sailing race in Sydney and then attended the Melbourne Olympics (1956) where he was a spectator when some of the competitors were the men he had beaten in Sydney. A piper leads mourners from the church. Jim grew up near the Breakfast Creek Hotel and the wake is held in the pub’s Rum Bar.
Greg Shannon, a member of the Queensland Rugby League history Committee which I chair, attends a meeting of New South Wales historians at Parramatta Leagues Club. Also there is Tony McCarron who has compiled a list of first graders across the code, not just in ‘Sydney’. He has been using AI facial recognition to help with old team photographs.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Media veteran, comedian, author and professional MC Steve Haddan is my interview subject at Samford Grove and I think the residents enjoy his stories and the Irish joke at the end. Being a Murwillumbah lad I had to laugh at his account of the poor reception he received from the audience at the Murwillumbah RSL club some years ago when he impersonated Brisbane hair dressing icon Stefan. One patron in particular made it clear he thought Steve’s act was rubbish. “I was worried for my safety when leaving,” Haddan says. Steve brings along copies of his latest book ‘The Greatest Game of All’, and sells quite a few at the end of my interview. Resident Brian Eastaughffe tells me how much he enjoyed the interview. Brian, who is still super fit, was a champion middle distance runner at Nudgee College in the late 1960s early 1970s.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Our son Damien recommends the seafood chowder at O’Dowd’s pub at Roundstone in County Galway, Ireland, where they had lunch after a beach walk. Damien and family are in Galway city tonight and he compliments me for my pub suggestions.
My former work colleague Mark Oberhardt uncovers some great stories in putting together the history of the GPS Rugby Union Club. Mark says one former GPS player, who represented Queensland in Rugby, was transferred to Rockhampton as a teacher and played rugby league. He went on to represent Central Queensland in League and his proudest moment in either code was a tackle he made on Great Britain Rugby League superstar, Billy Boston in a tour match.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20
At Samford’s Village Pizza Marie and I enjoy the music of seven piece band which includes a former student at Mitchelton High and several of his teachers. ‘The Letter’ is the only song I recognise.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Paul, a caller to SEN, is a genuinely funny bloke and absolutely gives it to Johnny Bairstow and says he doesn’t give a rats about anything to do with rugby union. A man after my own heart. Lots of emergency service vehicles charge into Samford – a cyclist hit at roundabout someone says.
I am a guest of Family of League Foundation’s Brisbane office at ‘The Ultimate Sports Lunch’ at The Star. As I make way down George Street a food delivery guy on a bicycle runs a red light and almost cleans me up on the pedestrian crossing. I see him out of the corner of my eye just as he nears me and instinctively put out an arm to push him away and in the process graze his arm. Now, I admit, if I had connected hard, he may have had an ugly crash landing. But my action was instinctive, his was premeditated and idiotic.
Guests at Family of League table include former Wests Magpies skipper and ABC commentator, Warren Boland and former Scotland rugby league rep and current QRL Head of Competitions David Maiden. Rugby League legend Johnathan Thurston, one of the interview subjects, shakes my hand on the way in, which is nice. The lunch stops for the first ball of the First Ashes Test. Well the punters would have torn the house down if they hadn’t. On stage Thurston recalls the lucrative offers he received from French and Japanese rugby. I learned all about that at the Crowne Plaza, Coogee many years ago during an interview arranged by JT’s manager Sam Ayoub. Broncos’ halfback, Adam Reynolds, another interview subject, says he also considered rugby. Wallaby Stirling Mortlock says he came close to signing with Canberra Raiders (league), but they couldn’t get dispensation for rugby union stars. The funniest celebrity is AFL star Brendon Fevola who is on stage with former Test cricketer Andy Bichel, who struggles to get a word in. Fevola sounds like Willie Mason and looks like Eric Bana.
Other Guest speakers (and some of the things they have to say): Jockey Glenn Boss says he played rugby league at Caboolture High; Motor racing ace Dick Johnson first drove a car aged 8 – at Coorparoo. Comedian Dave Hughes is the guest act and is quite funny just talking about things that happened to him.
The audience is rowdy and I would hate to be MC Andrew Voss who ploughs on regardless. At the start of proceedings ‘Vossy’ acknowledges ‘King Wally’ (Lewis) as “the owner of the lands on which we meet”.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22
Ron Raper’s 80th birthday party (see ‘Megsy’s Career Celebrated at Purtell’ on this website) is held at Purtell Park, Bardon, home of Wests Panthers, the club he guided to two premierships in the 1970s. I’m so glad I went because it was an emotional occasion and was so wonderful to catch up with people I haven’t seen for quite some time. I have a laugh with Wests’ legend Norm Carr over his recent State of Origin dressing room exchange with Darren Lockyer in which he told the Channel 9 personality to ‘fuck off’ – in a jocular manner of course. ‘Locky’ wanted to interview one of the players Norm was chatting to, and Norm thought ‘Locky’ should have to wait until the chat was over. Also have a few laughs with Trevor Day and Tony Obst about the camaraderie at Redcliffe back in the days when they played at the showgrounds and everyone enjoyed a beer under the gum tree after leagues club closing.
Channel 9 cover Ron’s 80th – thanks largely to the station’s former News presenter Bruce Paige, a devoted Wests’ man. The report that night concentrates more on Ron’s time at Canterbury then his days in Brisbane and there is no mention of him having played for Queensland. But look – it was just great that the station was there and to make the 6 o’clock news with a story about someone who played before the Broncos, is a bloody good effort.
France B play a Koalas selection in a rugby league match in Carcassonne France. The Koala’s side, chosen from Australian players contracted to French clubs, has a good win.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23
Marie and I watch movie ‘In Like Flynn’ about the early life of Australian actor Errol Flynn, a distant relation of Marie’s. I have read his bio ‘My Wicked Wicked Ways’. The movie was filmed at Mt Tamborine, Raby Bay and the Tweed Valley. It is just OK.
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