The future is bright. COOMA-MONARO EXPRESS, Thursday, June 13, Red Devils 1st grade, 2013.

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1 Red Devils 1st grade, Our proud Rugby history to be celebrated and honoured They ve tackled, they ve passed, they ve shimmied, they ve tackled some more, they ve dodged and weaved, ducked and squeezed, they ve grappled, pushed and shoved, tackled some more, and passed, and caught, and kicked, and tackled again, then jumped and tackled some more. And they have run. Oh, how they ve run. They are Cooma s rugby union players, the Red Devils, hundreds of them over the last 50 years - more even, if you count the years before, going back to the early part of the last century. They ve been premiers - three times in a row in fact. The history is proud, and the future is bright. And now they are coming together again, the oldies with the creaking joints and the youngsters with a spring in their steps, to celebrate 50 years of continuous Rugby in Cooma. It is an achievement worth honouring, and Cooma will be doing just that later this month at a spectacular celebration to mark 50 years of effort, of commitment, and achievement. In this and the following pages, we chart the proud history of the Cooma Rugby Union Football Club and the Red Devils, in all their glory. The future is bright A local team of Continuous Rugby has been played since Night of nights The achievements always get better with the passing of the years. The onfield exploits, the off-field adventures, the triumphs, the heartache. It will all come together on the night of Saturday June 22 when the Red Devils, young and old, victorious and the not so, get together at the Cooma Multifunction Centre for a glorious night of celebration, reminiscing, renewal, re-enactment, and remembering at the 50 Years of Rugby in Cooma celebration dinner. It s a black tie dinner with special guest, comedian and entertainer Vince Sorrenti. Contact Graham and Wendy Litchfield for details on or litchies@activ8.net.au. The weekend will kick off the night before (Friday) with a Catch Up at the Alpine Hotel. There will be rugby games all day Saturday at Rotary Oval. Saturday night dinner followed by a Sunday brunch at the Alpine. It will be a great weekend to remember, so don t miss it. Vince Sorrenti, the star attraction of the black tie celebration event. COOMA-MONARO EXPRESS, Thursday, June 13,

2 Congratulations to the Cooma Rugby Union Football Club on their prestigious 50 years. Get your First Aid Certificate Saturday 15th June Library Tuesday 18th June Jindabyne Tuesday 16th July Cooma Library Saturday 20th July Horizons, Jindabyne Cost $150 per person Open to individuals, groups and business/corporate. Refreshers are also available on the day. Contact Registered Nurses: Kylie Phillips or Danni Matson jindyfirstaid@hotmail.com (>>NSW>>Snowy Mountains) $$$ Dollar Dazzler Deal $$$ Stay 1 $ (2 people) Every night after $1.00 maximum stay 3 nights In our Ocean Spa Villa or Malibu Spa Villa Monday to Thursday Be quick as offer is only from 17/6/2013 ends 17/7/2013 Pay in full, at time of booking! 14 - COOMA-MONARO EXPRESS, Thursday, June 13, 2013

3 Message from the President From humble beginnings to a great milestone Reaching 2013 which celebrates the milestone of 50 years of continuous rugby on the Monaro is a quite an achievement for Cooma Rugby Union when one considers the humble beginnings back in The club of the present day is in a very sound position with a strong and active committee and fielding four junior teams, under 11s, 12s, 14s and 18s, in the ACT Junior competition and two senior teams in the ACT 1st division competition. Cooma Rugby has always felt very strongly about developing and maintaining junior rugby teams and this policy is proving very beneficial not only allowing juniors to participate in sport but when one looks at the current senior teams the vast majority of the players came through the junior ranks as well as all the coaches. Cooma Rugby has shown that it is very competitive in the current competition over a long period of time. Since winning its first premiership in 1975 and the first 1st grade premiership in 1988, although there were a number of semi final appearances, it took Cooma until 2000 to win it again going through undefeated. Cooma won the premiership again in 2001 and 2002 and since then have made three grand final appearances. Last year 1st grade made the semifinals and 2nd grade the grand final and this year both teams are currently sitting in the top four and we are very hopeful that both teams will finish the year on a high note. The junior teams are showing that they are very competitive and they all have a good chance of making the semis and beyond. It all looks good for Cooma Rugby competing for the next 50 years. Mick Mayhew President The Reserves in action. BELOW: A bullocking run. The 1957 team. Back Jock Litchfield, Denis Scanes, Vin Cassilles, Col Johnson, Len Kidd. Middle: Geoff Carpenter, Slim Summerville, Bob Whitehouse, Dave Della, Patrick Litchfield. Front: Barry Hewitt, Graeme Young, Gordon Thompson, Jim Wroe and Brian Burton the three-in-a-row Premiers. ABOVE: Cooma Rugby Union Club President Mick Mayhew (left) recently received a cheque for $1,000 for the junior teams by Craig Whiting of Bayer Animal Health, Wagga Wagga, at the Monaro Merino Assdociation's Merino Muster. Congratulations on your 50th anniversary Enjoy the celebrations From the Team at Cooma Furnishing Co. Pty Ltd 62 Sharp Street, Cooma Ph: Mitre 10 Cooma Wishes to Congratulate The Cooma Rugby Uinion Club on their fantastic achievements over the past 50 years TAX TIME TOOL BLITZ $99 Makita 1050W Circular Saw $379 Makita 18v Li-ion combo RM COOMA-MONARO EXPRESS, Thursday, June 13,

4 The history of the Cooma Rugby Union Club WELL DONE OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS! ALL THE BEST FOR THE FUTURE. 70 Vale Street, Cooma Ph: RM Records indicate that in June 1887 Cooma played a game of Rugby football against Bega at Bega. The team members were: E. Halliday, T. Goodwin, G. Miller, J. Sullivan, B&H. Edwards, W. Russell and L. Solomon. In 1893, GTC Miller owner of the Cooma the Cooma area until 1924, when Rugby League started in Cooma and took over. The new game of rugby league was popular because it was played on a Sunday, whereas Rugby was played on a Saturday, which was a working day for most people. In 1957 a group of enthusiastic graziers, with some help from the Snowy Mountains Authority personnel and league players, played 6 social games of Rugby Union for Cooma winning 5 and drawing 1. The chief instigators were D. Hickson, J. Keegan, T. Shorrock, and D. Howard. The team disbanded in closely involved in the running of the club. In 1969 Peter Payten was selected to play for Australia against Fiji in a test match. The middle 60s to 1972 saw Cooma in a 4 grade Canberra competition, Cooma fielding 1st and 3rd grade, Yass had 2nd and 4th grade teams was a big year for Cooma Rugby, the first grade side reached the semi finals of the ACT competition for the first time in its history but ended up losing by 2 points to Norths, this was played on the Cooma showground and was the first time any finals were played outside the ACT. This was also the year SUPPLIER OF SOLAR DEEP CYCLE BATTERIES & SOLAR PANELS Congratulations on your 50TH YEAR Cooma Country Rugby Union Club! Well done over all the years. 73 Bombala Street, Cooma Ph: Fax: COOMA-MONARO EXPRESS, Thursday, June 13, 2013 The Litchfields. Express and a Member of Parliament was secretary of the Cooma Football Club. In 1903 he donated a cup, which still holds pride of place with the Cooma Rugby Club today. Rugby football had a strong following in MEAT SUPPLIERS TO THE COOMA RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB Melray Meat Co.P/L Meat Wholesalers Unit 8 Ortner Building, Polo Flat Rd, Cooma NSW 2630 Ph Mob You ll never have to pay retail again Evolution of the Club In 1961/62 Jock and Patrick Litchfield, Peter Martin Smith, Ian and Michael Litchfield and Jock Mitchell were playing for the Eastern Suburbs in the ACT Rugby competition. At that time the ACT was regarded as a NSW Country Region that participated in Country week held in Sydney every year, playing against all other country regions. In 1961 Jock Litchfield was selected to captain the NSW Country Rugby team to tour NZ. The Rugby officials could see that there was a wealth of rugby talent on the Monaro; Jock was approached concerning the possibility of forming a rugby club to represent the district in the ACT competition. This proposed 10-team competition covered a good-sized area of southern NSW. A meeting was held in Cooma where it was decided to form a club to commence playing in the 1963 season. Bruce McDonald, a Snowy employee, was elected President. In 1963 the club reformed as the Harlequins Rugby Association later to be called the Cooma Rugby Club. In its first season only a first grade side entered the original 3-grade Canberra competition. The man to whom rugby owes its existence in Cooma in the early days is the original secretary John Sharman. It is almost certain that the Rugby club would not have officially got off the ground without him. Other members who gave enormous support to the secretary was: Jock, Patrick and Ian Litchfield, peter Martin smith and Jock Mitchell. Another long serving player and administrator of the club during the 1960s and 70s was Bill Priest who both as player, coach secretary and president has done much for the development of the club. During the same period members such as Bruce McDonald, Bob Dorman, Dave Lambert and Brian Kaufline were that the juniors were formed. Michael Fitzgerald was selected to play for Australia in the 1975/76 Wallaby team touring England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. In 1975 Cooma had their first success when the reserves won the premiership, the prestigious Eibe cup in Canberra, coached by Graham Bell. The 70s and 80s saw Cooma men s and ladies boat race teams undefeated, Cooma may not have won on the field but were unbeatable back in the pub. In 1988 Cooma club celebrated their 25th anniversary and won the first grade Monaro cup for the first time, coached by John X McGee. Although missing out on winning semi finals and grand finals, Cooma s next real success was in winning the first grade competition three years running, 2000, 2001 and 2002, coached by Bill Garnock saw Tim O Ryan play for Australian Schools and the Australian School boys as did James Price both of whom came up through the juniors. Many junior sides have been premiers or runners up since A lot of Cooma players have been selected for Monaro, ACT and NSW sides over the years. The last 25 years there have been a number of people who have worked tirelessly for the club to ensure it is what it is today, to name a few, Peter and Margaret Quodling, Bill Garnock, Fred Nichols, Mick Mayhew, Stephen Rolfe, Bede McCosker and Heather (dec), Graham Litchfield and Gordon Litchfield. There are a number of players who have had the honour of playing 100 or 200 games for the club. Cooma is proud to have a long list of life members: B Kaufline, B Priest, P Sydney, K Moxon, G Bell, S Weinholtz, P Williams, B Garnock, G Dobbi, B Mattner, J Schofield (dec), M Sesarin, J Buckley, P & M Quodling, M Mayhew, G Litchfield, H Litchfield (dec), S Rolfe, B McCosker.

5 Harry Rose Jewellery: a strong supporter of our Rugby Harry Rose Jewellery has been a strong supporter and sponsor of the Cooma Red Devils for three years and has enjoyed being part of the team. Although his business is based in Canberra, Harry Rose remains very much involved in the Cooma community through such sponsorships and most recently donated a lovely diamond pendant for funding raising at the Cooma Public School 150th celebrations where his donation assisted in over $6,000 being raised for the school. Harry grew up on the Monaro in the Kybeyan Valley and despite coming from a fifth generation farming family, decided to become a jeweller. Harry has been a jeweller for 13 years now. He started in the industry with an apprenticeship in Canberra, gained extensive experience in making high-end luxury jewellery as Production Manager for the internationally renowned firm, David Marshall London and just over four years ago opened Harry Rose Jewellery in Canberra where he has settled with his wife Kath and two young daughters Ella (four) and Saba (eight weeks). Harry gets great delight in Mick Schofield A strong supporter of the Red Devils. designing and making beautiful jewellery for his customers, many of which live on the Monaro. Harry offers a range of services from the simplest of repairs to the creation of stunning engagement rings. One of his specialties is designing and remaking new pieces from old jewellery. All work is handmade by Harry on his premises at his store in Garema Centre, Civic. RM Boat Races in the Padded Cell Congratulations on 50 years of Rugby TYREPLUS Cooma Sharp Street MACK S AUTO & TYRE COOMA-MONARO EXPRESS, Thursday, June 13,

6 Junior Rugby on the Monaro TO my knowledge Junior Rugby Union in Cooma and on the Monaro had its origins in 1970, when five Monaro High teachers, Wal Fitzgerald, Bruce Thorne, Norm Knight, Rod Goodisson and Chris Reeks coached teams in the Canberra Junior Competition. They would play home and away games to coincide with the senior teams. This meant on away games we would leave Cooma at 6.30am on a Saturday morning on one of Rube Armitage s Cooma Coaches and head for Canberra. Once the junior games would finish three of the coaches Bruce, Norm and Chris would head off to some part of Canberra to play their respective games. Home games were played either at the Showground or at Rotary Oval prior to the senior games. We would have a canteen run by Mrs Joan Brown (her sons played in the junior teams). The proceeds would help fund the transport and other costs. In the first five years of Cooma s entry into the Canberra competition the teams won four premierships, much to the displeasure of some in the ACT. CONGRATULATIONS The following is a brief history of those early years. The records are brief and not many and my memories of those days (especially after Saturday night) are very hazy. If anyone has better recollections and can correct any mistakes or omissions, please do so. It would be great to have an accurate record of those days. In 1970 there were three teams U/13, U/14, and U/16s. The coaches were the gentlemen mentioned above and the teams met with mixed success. The U/14s lost the final to Canberra Grammar In 1971 four teams were entered with a U/15 team taking the field. They surprised the Canberra competition with the U/16s winning the Walton KO at the beginning of the season and then going on to reach the final. They also won both of their games against Dickson High School and Queanbeyan High School. The U/15s were runners up in the KO going on to only lose one game (against Downer) during the competition proper. They won against Daramalan 16-3 in the Final and then reversed the decision against Downer winning the Grand Final 8-6. Monaro s first premiership. The U/14s played well reaching the semi-finals where they were defeated by the Canberra Hawks The U/13s had a tough start to their Rugby career winning only 2 games was a mixed year for the Monaro High School teams- the U/16s who were last year s premiers started off well but with a mounting injury toll were forced to withdraw from the Competition. The U/15s suffered similar problems but were able to continue in the competition, eventually being narrowly defeated in the semi-finals playing a man short. The U/14s enjoyed a very successful season going through undefeated, thus being the Minor Premiers. They defeated Canberra Hawks 8-7 in the Grand Final. The U/13s had a mixed season coming 5th in the Canberra Competition but winning all three of their games against Dickson High (26-4), Queanbeyan High (8-0) and Bega High (8-0). From 1973 on various teams were entered in the Canberra Competition with coaches such as John McGee ( MHS Principal and mad Rugby nut) and Bill Priest (Cooma 1st Fifteen player) looking after the teams. In 1978 Bill coached an ACT team that included two Cooma boys, Mark Weston and Mark Newell. They beat a Victorian School Boys Team 32-0 but lost to a Queensland team The outstanding player to come out of the junior ranks was Michael Fitzgerald who was selected for the Australian Wallabies. Michael unfortunately suffered a serious injury on the England tour which cut short a very promising career. This is a very short history of the beginning of Junior Rugby on the Monaro which is still going strong in Chris Reeks Monaro High School ENJOY THE CELEBRATIONS Alpine Motor Group Alpine Ford Cooma NSW Bombala Street, Cooma NSW 2630 Ph: Alpine Mitsubishi Cooma 18 - COOMA-MONARO EXPRESS, Thursday, June 13, 2013

7 Dr y Cle rs e n a Coin -Op Laun Open 7 Days Self Service Ɵl late & Commercial Linen Service dry COOMA EQUIPMENT HIRE EQUIPMENT HIRE FOR TRADESMEN, BUILDERS AND HANDY MEN Well done over the past 50 years! All the best for the future CongratulaƟons on your 50th anniversary Cooma Rugby Union Club New name, new location, same friendly service! 65 Sharp Street Cooma Sharp Street Cooma RM COOMA-MONARO EXPRESS, Thursday, June 13,

8 A message from an old friend To all members and friends of Cooma Rugby I first played for Cooma Rugby in 1967 with blokes like Bill Priest, John Akister, Mal Dunne, Doc Litchfield, Jim Shonk, The Sydney Brothers, Tony Fraser and Brian Kingi, it wasn t hard to play OK. A fair few of us played in the ACT, now known as the Brumbies Rugby Club over the years. Over the next 20-odd years I had some wonderful times, although writing a few of Dad s cars off which wasn t so gratifying. Both my brothers Graeme and Anthony (Kruey) played with the Cooma Rugby Club. Graeme moved on to East s in Canberra and played a lot of ACT Rep games. Kruey was in this wonderful team at Cooma, which I coached in 19????, we were called The Colts and they were all of 18 and 19 year olds who were playing Open Rugby. They went undefeated until the Grand Final, when The Goulburn Teachers College Coach substituted 1st grade League players into their team. Sorry about boring you all, but again congratulations to the club to present and past players on the clubs 50th. Keep up the good work, mainly with the ladies and the juniors. Mary and I sincerely apologise to you all for not being able to join you at this function. All the best. Peter and Mary Payten Cooma Rugby Union Reserves won the Eibe Cup and the Premiership in Canberra Billy Sidney, Paul Mttner, John Marney, Richard Wild, Joe Grosz, Tipi Ruru, Bill Wilkinson, Shane Kavanagh, Graham Litchfield, Mal Hunt, Pete Dyball, George Timmins, Dave Gorman, Sandy Archibald, Doug Treloar, Peter Gullet, Bede Nichols, Ian McDonald, Bruce Tucker, Buzz Aboud, Tom Sidney, Noel Dufty, 'Tiger' Graham Payten, Ian Brown, Graham Bell,?, Glenn Swainson, Perry Sidney and Shane Tretheney. Cooma lost the semi final to Norths who went on to beat Wests in the ACT A Grade Competition final in Back: James Brady, Michael Barbara (coach), Bill Sidney, Tony Fraser, Charlie Traill, John Tomao, Graham Litchfield, Peri Sidney, Peter Mason, Bob Williams, Bill Priest (captain). Front: Tom Sidney, Peter Payten, Brian Kingi, Peter Smythe, Wayne McGregor, John Mooney. 1960s COOMA-MONARO EXPRESS, Thursday, June 13, s.