Special Events
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Tuesday 11 May, 2010
6pm
Brothers Function Room
The glory days of the Brisbane rugby league competition are celebrated in Voices from Brisbane rugby league by Greg Mallory, which will have a special Ipswich launch and book signing on Tuesday 11 May at Brothers Leagues Club, Ipswich.
Voices from Brisbane rugby league, which will be launched by Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale, is an oral history based on interviews with some of the legends of the game from the 1950s to the 1970s.
‘This book has been a very personal journey for me,’ said Mallory.
‘I remember going to the football as a young kid with my father and godfather, and hearing about such legends as Mick Crocker, the Tyquins and Harry Bath, even though I never saw them play.
‘But as a devoted fan myself from the late 1950s, I was to see plenty of other legends — Norm Pope, Barry Muir, Lionel Morgan, Fonda Metassa, and later Marty Scanlan, Des Morris, Peter Leis — and develop my own appreciation for the game.’
When the opportunity arose, through the Tom Brock Scholarship, to create a history of that era, Mallory chose twelve household names who he felt typified Brisbane rugby league at the time — ten players, referee Henry Albert, and George Lovejoy, the voice of rugby league.
‘Although the book celebrates the Brisbane rugby league competition during those years, this cannot be taken in isolation form the broader Queensland perspective,’ said Mallory.
‘The fierceness of the Bulimba Cup competition and the breadth of talent that emerged from places like Ipswich, Toowoomba, Townsville and the Gold Coast are celebrated throughout the reminiscences of these legends of the game.’
George Lovejoy calling a Bulimba Cup game from a rooftop in Ipswich, Fonda Metassa and the ambulance — all this and more are captured in Voices from Brisbane rugby league.
‘This book has been a labour of love for me over a number of years, and I am sure that other rugby league fans will get as much from reading it as I did from producing it,’ said Mallory.
‘It has already been successfully launched in Brisbane, and at the George Hotel in Huddersfield — the birthplace of rugby league — and I continue to be amazed at the chord it strikes with rugby league fans everywhere.
Voices from Brisbane rugby league will have its Ipswich launch at Brothers Leagues Club, Raceview, at 6 pm on Tuesday 11 May. Places are limited, so bookings are essential on gmallory@vtown.com.au.
Voices from Brisbane rugby league is also available direct from Greg Mallory or online at www.wordwrightediting.com.au.
Contact details:
Greg Mallory
Ph: 0407 692 377
gmallory@vtown.com.au