REMEMBERING THE TITANS OF OUR SPORT...
Touch Football Australia would like to extend its best wishes to two of the pioneers of Touch Football in this Country, Brian Moore and Terry Reynolds who have recently been in poor health. TFA would like to recognise the contribution of both gentlemen in the following feature piece that also celebrates the origins of the sport.
The flashing footwork of Drummayne Dayberg Muir, the absolute guile of Jason Stanton, the brick wall defence of Ash Farrow, the freakish understanding of Amanda and Kristy Judd, the free wheeling instinctiveness of Bo De la Cruz, and the natural athleticism of Kelly Woods…this is a snapshot of the traits of some of the modern day champions of the sport that make our game so special, that inspire us all.
Touch Football in the twenty-first century is a high octane, skill layered, “quick and the dead” high stakes game of human chess.
The game, closing in on an historic forty-year birthday in 2008, has certainly come a long way since the Sunday morning calm was pierced forever more by an out of breath ex-Rugby League player exclaiming “Touch!” in the first official game on a crisp winter’s morning at Snape Park, Kingsford in Sydney in 1968.
Today our modern day heroes operate in a semi-professional realm with High Performance Squads, World Cups, and Trans-Tasman Series on the agenda.
There’s lycra uniforms, and speed socks, and fluro boots, hats on sideways, the obligatory “Benji Marshall” super snap, the cut out, the dive over, the flick pass and of course those sweatbands worn half way up the arm to at least make you look like you know what you are doing.
It’s fast paced and frenetic, a sport played by six to sixty year-olds in Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed divisions. Its the most popular sport in Queensland and New South Wales Secondary Schools, a sport with a world governing body - The Federation of International Touch that has hosted six World Cup tournaments and boasts 33 full member nations, a sport that we are World Champions in – a sport for all.
A sport that has it’s own niche, it’s own distinct identity, and unique and rich history.
The distinction of what Touch Football is has evolved in a melting pot over time, progressing from the origin of the sport as an offshoot of the Rugby codes.
Today’s Touch Football fraternity owes much to the “founding fathers” of the game, many of whom, most of us no little about.
Two such pioneers of the sport, Brian Moore and Terry Reynolds have recently been in poor health.
This is an opportunity to wish Brian and Terry all the best for their recuperation, and to thank them, and to reflect on their efforts and achievements, and those persons of similar ilk, who have shaped the history, and frame worked the future of the sport through their passion, enthusiastic participation, service, and wholehearted endeavour.
Brian and Terry, both New South Welshmen, have had decorated Rugby League and Touch Football careers and the Touch Football community has benefited greatly from their decision to play Touch Football after their retirements from Rugby League.
Brian ‘Chicka’ Moore, a one-club legend for the Newtown Jets in the New South Wales Rugby League Competition, represented the Blues on three occasions and was a Kangaroo in 1967.
In Touch Football, Brian represented New South Wales at the National Touch Championships in the Men’s 40s division in 1986 and 1988.
A respected figure in the community who invested a lot of time and energy into helping the young people of his beloved Newtown by volunteering at the Police Youth Club, Brian turned to Touch Football soon after completing a stellar Rugby League career with the “Blue Bags”.
Former President of the Federation of International Touch, Cary Thompson, remembers Brian as a very committed, accomplished, yet popular member of the NSW Men’s 40s Touch Football Team.
“Brian was a very competitive fellow, but as were the times then, he knew how to enjoy himself off the field as well. One evening at the 1986 Nationals in Adelaide, Brian, the late Michael Johnson, Mal Mc Martin, and myself played Euchre. The game went on and on, and it was quite late – somehow Brian managed to rattle up some food and copious amounts of liquid for us that wasn’t strictly water and something the coach would not have probably approved of. Anyway, we played cards until 5.00am then decided to get an hour’s sleep before getting up to play the semi-finals later in the morning. Brian entertained us all that night, and shouted all the food and drink, refusing to let anyone pay for anything. He is a great fellow, a fantastic competitor, and a true friend. A true gentleman of stature” Mr. Thompson said.
Terry “Yappy” Reynolds represented the Canterbury Bulldogs, the Parramatta Eels, and New South Wales in a distinguished Rugby League career.
Terry played for the New South Wales Men’s 35s at the 1984 National Touch Championships.
Terry Reynolds was one of the pioneers of the sport, playing in Australia’s very first affiliated Touch Football competition at Snape Park, Kingsford in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs in the winter of 1968.
Ray Vawdon, who played Rugby League in the junior and lower grades at South Sydney, is one of the founding fathers of Touch Football in Australia and a Life Member of the New South Wales Touch Association.
New South Wales elite metropolitan franchises battle it out for representative supremacy in the Vawdon Cup, named in Ray's honour, each winter.
Mr. Vawdon recalls the origins of the game and Terry’s initial foray into the sport.
“A bunch of us old football players from South Sydney would get together and have a few drinks at Souths Juniors on a Sunday. One day we were sitting around, and some of the bigger boys were obviously putting on a bit of weight since retirement, and bemoaning the fact. I was lucky, I was a halfback, a littler bloke, but after retiring I missed training and playing and the camaraderie of playing footy- turns out there were a lot of other blokes in the same boat.
We decided we’d throw the footy around a bit on a Sunday and compete without knocking the wind out of each other anymore. It’s interesting, we kicked off with a six team competition, and even back then we organized a proper referee – all of us were huge cheats, so we needed someone who was at least semi-objective to keep us in line.” Ray Vawdon said with a grin.
“Terry played in that first competition and his brother Barry joined him in the years after. He was a great player, competitive and committed, but also a bit of character as well” Mr. Vawdon said.
Fellow Life Member of the NSWTA, Bob Dyke recalls that Terry was a dynamic player who was a driving force in the teams he donned the colours of in various competitions in New South Wales and was always impressed by the understanding Terry and his brother Barry had on the field.
“They were the backbone of their team, Terry was the general, and he worked well with his brother. Barry actually played in the first Australian Team we took to New Zealand in 1976.” Mr. Dyke said.
Terry got involved in the New South Wales Public Service Touch Football Association and was a pivotal player in the association’s formation.
The NSWPSTA was the first competition to play night games in the history of the sport and the Reynolds boys spearheaded their team Town Hall to numerous Men’s First division premierships throughout the 70s and early 80s.
The Reynolds brothers went on to help establish the Canterbury Touch Club.
New South Wales General Manager Dean Russell recalls Terry and Brian’s contribution to the sport with fondness.
“Terry was a fiery customer on the field, he played with his heart on his sleeve, but was a great contributor to the game. He and Barry were instrumental in the Canterbury club and they played Open Men’s for them in the early years of Touch. He also played in the Senior divisions for the Dogs as well as the old regions 8, which later became part of Mets. He represented New South Wales with distinction in the Men’s 35s in 1984.
Brian ‘Chicka’ Moore played Senior divisions for Souths and represented the old region seven. Even as an older player he was still as free flowing as he was as a League Player.” Mr. Russell said.
Touch Football Australia were saddened to hear of the failing health of these two outstanding sportsman and pioneers of the game. Terry has been battling cancer, and Brian has been recuperating following a severe stroke.
The fighting qualities each of these gentlemen displayed time and again in their sporting careers will no doubt hold them in good stead in the challenging times ahead.
TFA, on the behalf of the Australian Touch Football community, are grateful for the chance to reflect on the character and contributions of these two exemplary legends of the sport at this time, and extend to them and their families our best wishes for the future.
