10 December 2015
by Rick Boyce
The story begins way back in the late 1960s when Ron Sands, then teaching at Kedron State High School, kept losing his senior players to Rugby League in the era of the limited tackle rule and the field goal. At that time the state schoolboys’ side was under fifteen years. His best players, now too old for state representation, were being seduced into playing fullback and were used to kick field goals. So Ron, off his own bat, decided to offer the older boys still playing in our school teams a chance for “rep” honours. So in 1969 with the help of some Sandgate club officials he organised trials for the selection of what he called the South East Queensland open age schoolboys touring side.
He hired an old sleeping carriage as the boys’ accommodation, when necessary, from Queensland Rail when billeting was not available. This carriage was hooked on the ‘milk’ trains that ran from Brisbane to Cairns. At each centre in which a game was planned, it was shunted off onto a siding for the nights and days in that centre.
In 1971, the trials for this team became the South East Queensland Open Age Carnival played at Mt. Gravatt on the Sunday of the Queen’s Birthday weekend. By 1974, teams from all over Queensland were competing. So as President of the Secondary League I suggested we turn the carnival into the State championships in 1975 and play it over several days in the May school holidays.
In 1976, the open age tour of coastal Queensland had outlived its usefulness as teams from all over the state were competing in the state championships.
The New Zealand tour, as an alternative to the North Queensland tour, came about when Ron Sands found an article in a Victorian newspaper on Australian Football in New Zealand. He made contact with the Australian National Football Council to get details. Once the initial contacts were made with New Zealand officials by Ron as our Secretary, I, then President, took over the organisation of the details of the tour as I had more available time at school as I was a year coordinator able to be contacted more easily than Ron who was still a full time classroom teacher.
I began contacting people in New Zealand with the help of various league people. I planned the tour with the help of a school touring company, Continental Travel and its representative, Des Phie. We were not sure what to expect so we included a bus tour of New Zealand as part of the experience. Billeting occurred in the three centres in which games were played. On the tour we stayed in motor camps in cabins. The tour took two weeks. We toured the South Island first visiting Queenstown and the West Coast glaciers before taking the ferry from Picton to Wellington for our second game. Then we visited Taupo, Rotorua, Waitomo Caves and the Bay of Islands before our games in Auckland.
Apart from the football, there were several highlights for the boys. The first was seeing snow fall. We stopped the bus; the boys built a snowman and had a snow ball fight with the team officials often the target of the snow balls. The second was a walk on the Fox Glacier. Thirdly, the boat cruise in the Bay of Islands with the tour boat sailing right through a hole in the middle of one of the islands.
Ron Sands and I took our wives and three young children as we had never been to New Zealand. Not knowing what to expect of the football, we decided to tour the whole country as an education for the players as well.
Our only glitch occurred in Greymouth. Four of the players broke curfew and walked into town to be found by the local police after midnight outside a girl’s hostel. So you can imagine my dismay, as leader of the party to be woken up at 1 am by a six foot ten inch policeman in a foreign country. The boys were suspended for the next match and given duties to help the team and officials in Wellington.
All the players were great with both Ron’s and my children acting as babysitters and keeping them amused. Ron had designed our playing jerseys and had arranged for our sons, Simon and Andrew, to have one each. They became our mascots leading on the teams in each venue.
1977 was the first of 3 tours, with games played in 3 main centres: Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. The first tour included 31 players. We took all those who nominated. I was coach, Ron Sands was team manager and Roy Wyatt was tour manager. Two games were played in Auckland: one against an all NZ team at 14 a side and the main game against a supposed u/23 side. Qld lost this one.
The Wellington game was well reported and parts filmed on the day were played on the national TV sports program the next week.
We bought extra footballs over to give each league. A large parcel of football shorts for Canterbury league was organised by the local Aussie consul for us to smuggle in to New Zealand. Each of the players was given a number of pairs of shorts to put in their bags to take with them to give to the Canterbury League.
The New Zealanders were not allowed to import these shorts from Australia.
Below are the coach’s reports on the games
Christchurch:
Considering travel soreness, the game was of a high standard. 28 of our 31 players took part. The soft ground took its toll. The Canterbury team got within two goals of our score before we kicked away to win by four goals. The Canterbury team improved as the game progressed. It was watched by a good crowd.
In 1977, the Canterbury League based around Christchurch consisted of three clubs. The non-playing club each week would provide all the officials and workers for the day.
Wellington:
The game was well promoted and saw a large crowd arrive. The game was recorded for the national weekly TV sports Program. A windy day (not by Wellington standards) saw us kick 1 goal 10 behinds with the wind in the first quarter to Wellington’s solitary goal. The Wellington team managed the wind better than we did. However, we kicked seven goals straight in the second quarter to seal the match. The team performed 50% better without four star players who were suspended one match for breaking camp on our tour of the South Island. Tony Collins, a country boy from Roma, played the game of his life.
Auckland:
Two games were played in Auckland. The Auckland II team was entirely New Zealand-born players. It played a 14 a side game against our less talented players. This was designed to give our lesser ‘lights’, especially the country boys, a whole game and to give the New Zealand-born players extra experience. Some of our team backed up in the later game. Ron Sands, our team manager and an experienced umpire, officiated in this game to give the locals an example of umpiring from an experienced umpire. The game was open and fast with both teams enjoying the encounter.
The Auckland I team was to be an under 23 years of age team. However, they seemed to have played their ‘Rep’ team that competed in the New Zealand Championships. They were mainly Australian-born players. This game brought out how tired our boys were. The effect of long days travelling, little sleep and poor eating habits took its toll. The opposition played hard strong fast football against our ‘kids’. Given a fit team, we would still have been beaten by this team. Had we played an under 23 years’ team as planned, it would have been a great contest. Late in the game, our team did show its potential.
This story is but a small part of the history of the Queensland State Secondary Schools Australian Football League. “Flying for the Footy” is a history of the League up until the year 2000. It is available in print form at www.createspace.com/5541720 for a full colour version or at www.createspace.com/5691495 for the black and white version.
Publicity in New Zealand was good for a minor sport with two game reports, one preview and results published from Auckland games, included below.
“The Press”, Christchurch, 16th August 1977
Queensland Youngsters win Rules
The Queensland Schoolboys team beat Canterbury, 100 points to 76 points in an Australian Rules match at Cuthbert’s Green on Sunday. Both teams scored 10 behinds, but Queensland scored 15 goals to Canterbury’s 11.
Queensland was well served by Mark Buckle, Mick Savage, Steward Adams, Ross McKeown, Stewart Pyne, Brian Davies and Paul Ross.
For Queensland, goals were scored by Ross (3), David Byers, Davies, Stewart Linton, Savage (all 2 each), Don Symes, Adams, Andrew Morrison, and John Baldwin (1 each).
“The Dominion”, Wellington, 22nd August 1977
Schoolboys win
One supremely dominant quarter of football saw the Queensland schoolboys’ side defeat Wellington in an Australian Rules Match at Fraser Park, Lower Hutt, yesterday.
Queensland, opening with a fresh breeze on a soft ground, quickly got points on the board but found goals hard to come by in unfamiliar conditions.
The turn-round was Queensland one goal 10 behinds, Wellington, one goal, one point.
The second quarter was all Queensland and by the end of the third quarter it led 12-12 to 7-4.
The fourth quarter finally saw Wellington 18 take charge. It was too late to win, but outscored a tiring Queensland, 3-4 to 2-5. The final score was Queensland 14 goals 17 behinds (101), Wellington 10 goals eight behinds (68).
“Evening Post”, Wellington, Saturday, 20th August 1977
Rules Rough Ride
Queensland Open age schoolboys’ team are promised a tough time tomorrow when they play a representative Wellington side at Fraser Park.
Here for a three match tour, the Queenslanders only managed to beat the Christchurch players by four goals last Sunday, and the Wellington Rep side is better than the Canterbury’s team.
So tomorrow Wellington’s side will go on to Fraser Park Extension with two aims in mind – one to beat Queensland and the other to show Canterbury who is tops.
All of the Queensland team are senior schoolboys but a number have played in top Brisbane clubs including one player who is 198 centimetres tall (about 6 foot 6 inches).
New Zealand’s president (Mr. Bernie O’Donnell) said today that the Wellington side will be all under 25 years of age.
“It will even things up a bit and also give some of the boys that don’t get a run in the rep team a game, plus some of the rugby players who play for us will be in the team”, he said.
They, the Queenslanders, will play a very fast moving game of Rules, so our young players with their fitness will be a decided asset.
“Next Saturday, they play Auckland to wind up the tour and that will be a big match. But we will be out to win this one to not only show Canterbury but also Auckland”.
Australian Rules:
Queensland Secondary Schools Reps v Auckland, Walkaraka Park, 9.00am.
Results of games in Auckland:
Queensland II 5-4-34 defeated Auckland II 2-6-18
Auckland I 19-16-130 defeated Queensland 9-7-61
“The Auckland Star”, 26th August 1977, Weekend Sport
Thank you to Rick Boyce for this contribution
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