Current and former players and administrators – and descendants of those who made the club great – hopped to Gladstone for Wallaby Rugby League Club’s centenary celebrations- from May 26-28.
The likes of 24-game Queensland Maroons and eight-Test Kangaroos champion Gary Larson, five-time Queensland women’s representative and seven-time Jillaroos star Chelsea Baker are the club’s biggest exports.
It was also the junior home of former Melbourne Storm premiership winner Tony Martin, who played more than 300 first grade games across the NRL and English Super League.
Wallabys kicked off the first of two functions on the Friday night, May 26, before the regular weekend footy action on Saturday, followed by a Sunday luncheon which around 100 people attended, as part of the celebrations.
Wallaby Rugby League Club president Brendon Hunt said it was fantastic to see so many stalwarts come from all over Queensland and even Sydney to join the festivities and share their stories.
“It was good to catch up. (The old boys) had a good feed, a big afternoon and everyone was really happy”, he said.
Wallabys life member Terry Hamilton and Evelyn Mamalis (pictured below) – wife of the late life member George Mamalis, for whom the club’s playing fields are named – cut the cake at the luncheon.
Hunt said it was great to see the reactions from players young and old as they viewed a number of memorabilia items procured especially for the centenary.
The senior club was established in 1923 and the juniors in 1928, first playing out of Clinton Park, which is now home to Valleys, before moving to their current location at Albion Park, a stone’s throw from the Gladstone city centre.
More than 30 premierships have been celebrated since, with the 1970s and 1980s the halcyon days of success, and in 2018 the junior and senior clubs merged into one.
The club is also a pioneer of female rugby league in Gladstone, having established their women’s program in 2015.
Chelsea Baker was there from day one and remains as coach of the A grade side, helping others in the region strive for the next level.
Hunt said the celebrations were an important reminder of the proud history everyone was upholding when they pulled on the orange-and-black.
“Our big thing has always been a family-orientated club and keeping everyone involved. We’ve left everything up in the clubhouse too so the kids can come in and see that history and see where it started, how it started and how far it has come”, he said.
“Hopefully we can get a bit of inspiration from it and drive forward into finals.”