THE MAHER CUP S THE MAHER CUP FRONT AND BACK COVER IMAGE CREDITS Jimmy Dowell of Tumut with the Maher Cup 1957. Photo attributed to Teddy Shai-Hee; courtesy Chris Shai-Hee; posted on Lost Tumut Facebook page by Jim Dowell. Steam Train on Gundagai Trestle Bridge. Source: Visit Gun dagai Web Site. Ron Crowe Leads West Wyalong Out (late 1960s). Courtesy: National Rugby League Museum; photo from Ian McLennan. Temora Badges, 1930s. Courtesy: Maher Cup player Bruce Barrett. These were the property of his father Keith 'Cobber' Barrett w ho played Maher Cup for Temora 1940-1954. Cootamundra Rosette, 1940s. Ribbons made by Maude Powell (O'Grady). Photo courtesy of her nephew Peter Simpfendorfer. Barmedman's Col Quinlan and Russell Gorham, 1966. Aged 38 and 41 respectively and still playing Maher Cup football. Courtesy: Maureen Gorham. Young v Harden Maher Cup Advertisement. Source: South West News Pictorial (Young), 5 June 1964. Harden-Murrumburrah Players, 1949. Jack Phemister, Bruce Tozer, Ryan McCarthy, John Dowd and Don White. Source: Wa l Galvin collection. School Children and Buses Young, 1953. Courtesy: Young Historical Society Inc. (Lambing Flat Folk Museum). Young was the first town outside Sydney to introduce a bus service for school children. ISBNs 978-0-6450633-0-1 (soft) 978-0-6450633-1-8 (hard) 978-0-6450633-2-5 (e-book) This draft version of Part 1: Early Times to 1923 has no ISBN . THE MAHER CUP THE MAHER CUP A Social History of Football in the Group 9 Towns 1920-1971 DRAFT VERSION OF PART 1 EARLY TIMES TO 1923 Neil James Pollock THE MAHER CUP PREFACE TO THE DRAFT VERSION OF PART 1 This draft, part of a larger book, has been prepared to support the activities surrounding the Maher Cup revival match at Tumut on Saturday 3rd April 2021. This event will mark the centenary of rugby league in the Tumut district. Gundagai District Rugby League Club, who will be competing in the two scheduled Cup matches will also be celebrating its 100th year. Part 1 covers the origins of rugby league in the NSW South West Slopes and northern Riverina and the first four years of Maher Cup play. It also seeks to reflect on what the communities of the main protagonists: Tumut, Gundagai and Cootamundra, were like in those years of recovery and hope after the Great War. A list of all known Maher Cup players (from 1920 to 1971) is also available at http://mahercup.com.au/players and will be included in the completed book The book, which includes descriptions of all Maher Cup matches from 1920 to 1971, will be published in the second half of the year. Please feel free to download this version, print it out, and distribute it to those who may be interested. All feedback, comments, criticism, complaints, corrections, additional information and questions are welcomed. Regards Neil Pollock 6/51 Piper Street, Lilyfield NSW 2040 0448-440-110 [email protected] www.facebook.com/groups/mahercup/ mahercup.com.au Version Control: This is draft 1.4 created on 29 Jan 2021. 1 THE MAHER CUP ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author acknowledges that the land upon which his family farmed, the places where he played football, where the bush was discovered and life’s lessons learnt was and will always be Wiradjuri land. It is also acknowledged that the talent of young Aboriginal sportsmen was rarely fostered by the clubs in the Maher Cup years. It is sad to reflect on the mutual loss of opportunity that resulted from being blind and deaf to those living on the fringe of our communities’ consciences. People past and present have contributed significantly to date, including: Susan Chambers and her father Wal Galvin, three generations of Sullivans at the Gundagai Independent, staff at the West Wyalong Advocate and Temora Independent newspapers, local government librarians at Young, West Wyalong, Tumut and Gundagai, museum volunteers in Murrumburrah, Gundagai, West Wyalong, Cootamundra, Junee and Temora, George Ballard, Lawrence Bamblett, Bruce Barrett, Arthur Briggs, Rod Brooke, Peter Campbell, Patricia Caskie, Graham English, Maureen Gorham, Michael Giuliano, Jeff Hanson, Brian Hughes, John ‘Bronc’ Jones, Lyndie Kearney, Ian Kirk, Dennis Kirkwood, Eric Kuhn, Tony Lewis, Allan Lynch, Bruce McCarthy, Paul McCarthy, Geoff McClelland, Barry Madigan, John Madigan, Pamela Maitland, Ron Norton, Keiran O’Connor, Peter Reardon, Bede Ryan, Marie Scott, Michael Sheedy, Maurice Sheehan, Peter Simpendorfer, Matt Stadtmiller, Keith Turner, Jack Weeks and Jim Woods, 2 THE MAHER CUP ABBREVIATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS £.s.d - The unit of currency used here is pounds, shillings and pence for events up to 1966, from which time - when one £ became two $ - dollars and cents are used. AGM – Annual General Meeting AIF – Australian Imperial Force. The main force of the Australian army during the First World War Challenge cup – a competition in which teams request to play the team holding a cup. If a challenging team wins that teams becomes the holder, and is open to receive challenges from other clubs. CRL – the New South Wales Country Rugby League Gate – the revenue raised at the entrance to the football ground. It usually, but not always, excludes funds raised by selling match day programs. International – a player who has represented his country. Kangaroos; Kangaroo – The Australian national rugby league team; a member of that team Lemons – half time Miles – measurements are here rendered in miles; the standard of measurement until the 1970s. 10 miles is about 16 kilometres. MIA – Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area MRL – Murrumbidgee Rugby League PMG – Postmaster-General’s Department; responsible for postal and telephone services NSWRL – the New South Wales Rugby League Ref – referee Round robin - a tournament in which each competitor plays in turn against every other RSL – Returned Soldiers League SCG – Sydney Cricket Ground Stiff arm tackle – a combination punch and tackle VFL – Victorian Football League Zambuck – ambulance officer 3 THE MAHER CUP CONTENTS Preface to the Draft Version of Part 1 ................................................. 1 Acknowledgements ............................................................................ 2 Abbreviations and Explanations ......................................................... 3 Contents ........................................................................................... 4 Introduction ...................................................................................... 5 The Maher Cup Towns ..................................................................... 13 The Origin of Rugby League in the Maher Cup Towns ....................... 17 1920 - The Beginning ...................................................................... 22 1921 - Rugby League Takes Over ..................................................... 32 1922 - Cootamundra Goes Professional ............................................ 40 The Magnificent Weissels ................................................................. 49 1923 – Coota Takes Ownership ........................................................ 52 Phil Regan ....................................................................................... 67 What Made the Maher Cup Famous? ............................................... 70 Appendix 1: The Australian Rules / League Line .............................. 73 Appendix 2: The Maher Cup Originals .............................................. 74 4 THE MAHER CUP INTRODUCTION THE CUP The Maher Cup was a rugby league (originally rugby union) challenge cup contested between teams from the New South Wales (NSW) South West Slopes and northern Riverina between 1920 and 1971. Eleven years after commencing it was described as… A battered, lidless trophy! If you saw it in a second-hand goods shop you wouldn't give 5/- for it. Yet it represents the ambition and the dreams of every football club in Group 9, where Rugby League is a religion, and the Maher Cup its idol. Weekly tens of thousands follow the grim battles that are waged for its possession. Interest in the matches is State-wide, but in the South, even the kindergarten kids are gripped with its mysterious fascination.1 The true believers were the people of towns, villages and locations in an area that the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) in 1922 designated as Group 9; and particularly the nine communities in an around Tumut, Gundagai, Cootamundra, Young, West Wyalong, Temora, Harden-Murrumburrah, Barmedman and Junee. Cowra, Grenfell, and Boorowa shared the passion for some of the period. Nine other places made a challenge or two including teams drawn from Gibsonvale tin miners and Wyangala Dam construction workers. Wagga which flirted early and late, mostly sat, sometimes menacingly, on the fringe, and developed a separate footballing tradition.2 The aim of this book is to both record the details of five decades of football in the Group 9 towns through a focus on the Maher Cup, and to reflect on how this preoccupation with rugby league intersected with our lives. As the football world changed so did our way of life and vice-versa. It is hoped it will be of interest to the general reader as well as people interested in either family, local or rugby league history.3 Gundagai Independent publisher Pat ‘Scoop’ Sullivan delivered a speech at the 2001 Maher Cup reunion at Tumut, to which the 400 strong crowd responded with a rousing ovation. It was published in the Tumut & Adelong Times on 6 1 Tumut and Adelong Times, 28 July 1931, p.5., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139289986 2 Matches played: Cootamundra 224,