Annette Ellis (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As a Melbourne born person with an affinity for AFL, I have to say straight up that it is indeed a pleasure for me to have this opportunity to support the motion moved by the member for Flynn on the centenary of Rugby League. Rugby League has its roots in the working classes. The first President of the New South Wales Rugby League, in 1909, was Mr Henry Hoyle, who was also a New South Wales Labor MLA. The foundation of the formation of the game came from disheartened rugby union players wanting a fair go. Put simply, what they wanted were some basic rights, such as to be compensated for lost work time due to injuries. When I reflect on the history I want to talk particularly about the Canberra Raiders, who first took the field 75 years later, in 1982, and despite finishing at the bottom of the ladder in their first year took only five years to reach their first grand final. Two years after that, in 1989, they won their first premiership.

I notice the motion of the member for Flynn talks about both Indigenous and non-Indigenous players. It is at this point that I must refer to one of our favourite, if not our favourite, Indigenous players—Chicka Ferguson. It was Chicka Ferguson who in 1989 actually won that grand final for the Raiders in extra time. He is very famous and that grand final is very famous. It was a remarkable achievement not only because the Raiders had been in the competition for just seven years but because they became the first team from outside of the top three on the ladder to win the premiership. They also earned the distinction of being the first team from outside the Sydney metropolitan area to take that title. The next year the Raiders were minor premiers in all three grades and premiers in first grade and the President’s Cup. This was a golden period for the club, with household names such as Meninga, Clyde, Stuart, Daley and Walters dominating the game. They are all now part of the history of this wonderful sport. It was also a time when the loyalty of those sorts of players was proven beyond doubt because, despite the fact that the Raiders had found themselves in financial strife due to salary cap breaches, all of these players took pay cuts—big ones—to stay with the club. A very strong spirit was very evident in this club.

I would also like to talk about the involvement of the club with the community. During the 2007 season they were out there in the community and made no fewer than 155 appearances. They go to schools. They do all sorts of traditional charity support. Assistant Coach David Furner is a co-patron of the ACT Eden Monaro Cancer Support Group. They also run a program called Positive Choice-Positive Outcome, which is aimed at children learning about good health and good respect. It is a very successful program which promotes healthy living by emphasising the importance of correct nutrition, regular exercise and avoidance of addictive habits and offering tips for children to look after their own bodies. The program has reached out to over 10,000 members of the local community so far. It is a wonderful thing to see clubs like this and others do this sort of exercise.

I would also like to talk briefly about the League of Legends: 100 Years of Rugby League in Australia, which is a wonderful exhibition developed with the league and sponsors. It opened at the National Museum of Australia, here in Canberra, on 8 March and was there until 11 May. It is now on the road. People who have seen it say that it is just the best experience if you want to talk about 100 years of a successful sport. It is currently at the Queensland Museum, in Brisbane, and will be there until 10 August. It goes to the Powerhouse Museum, in Sydney, from September to November of this year. It then goes to the Museum of Tropical Queensland, in Townsville, from December through to March 2009. It will go to the National Sports Museum, in Victoria, from April to July 2009. I strongly suggest that people get onto the website of the NRL and check out the League of Legends display, because it really is one of the best ways of encapsulating 100 years of wonderful sport.

Sport is good for all our community. The Raiders, like other teams, do great work in promoting the sport through the juniors. I pay homage to all of those parents, sponsors and supporters who ensure that kids from a very early age right through to those in senior grades get out and play and enjoy their sport every week of the season, because, without those volunteers, the sport would never have been what it has been for the last 100 years. I wish it well in its next 100 years.

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