The annual exchange with the Wentworthville United Junior Rugby League Football Club (the Magpies) dates back to 1968 the first year of Norths Aspley. Des Rose, the Club’s first Secretary, had come from Sydney to work at the Amoco refinery. Having been associated with the Wentworthville Club, he suggested that a team from Wenty visit Aspley at the end of 1968 to play the Club’s successful Under 13 team .The trip was arranged and developed into an annual event, with each club hosting the other in alternate years, to play games between teams of Under 13 and Under 14 years. Over time, the traditional game of Touch between supporters preceded the Junior matches.
In 1968 Wenty’s “F grade” team and supporters travelled by train to South Brisbane station where they were met by Aspley representatives and given some sandwiches before being taken on a tour of the Gold Coast. Later they were taken to Aspley where the boys met with their billets and went home with them. Many of the adult supporters were put up by Aspley supporters and friendships were made which have endured over the 40 years of the exchanges. Over the weekend the boys were entertained, as were the adults in the party who were particularly taken by being treated to an Aspley and Queensland tradition, a keg set up on the back of a ute. With Aspley having no ground in 1968, the match was played at Davies Park, with the BRL’s top whistle-blower of the day, Henry Alberts, officiating. Aspley prevailed on the day, but more importantly a tradition had been set in motion that would continue down the years.
In 1969 Aspley made the trip to Wenty by bus. One can imagine the joys of travelling through the night with a group of hyped up 13 and 14 year olds, but the supporters survived and enjoyed the hospitality of the Wenty people and renewed friendships that had been made in the previous year. On this occasion the Wenty teams were successful and although honours were fairly evenly shared through the 70’s, Wenty has been considerably more successful in the games over the forty years. Another tradition associated with the games was the naming of the best forward and best back from each team as trophy winners. Over the years some great players have been named as winners of one of these trophies including for Aspley, Brad Thorn as best forward in the under 14 in 1989 and Ashley Harrison as best forward Under 14 in 1995.
The idea of playing both Under 13 and Under 14 teams each year was instituted to ensure that, as they moved through the Club, boys would be guaranteed a trip away either as an Under 13 or Under 14. As numbers grew with multiple teams in those age groups, Aspley adopted the practice of giving preference to those boys who had been with the Club longest, often to those who had played more than 100 games. Both clubs made sure that the visiting players and supporters were treated to great hospitality over the weekend with matches traditionally being played on the Monday.
Wherever possible, moneys for the trip were raised separately from normal Club funds throughout the year and as air travel became the accepted means of transport, costs rose significantly. On some occasions Committee Members questioned whether, in difficult times, the expenses involved with touring were justified but on every occasion, the Club decided to stick with the tradition. In 2007, the 40th anniversary of the first tour by Wenty, Aspley travelled south with 46 players and officials and 60 supporters to celebrate an enduring tradition of sportsmanship and friendship.
To commemorate the anniversary both teams played in replicas of the jerseys worn in 1968 and Aspley once again sported the plain chocolate brown with the white collar and golden devil emblem. The pre-match Touch game saw Aspley once again dudded by some questionable refereeing before losing by 1. The Under 13 match was a high quality game with Aspley going down narrowly 16-12. The Under 14 game saw Aspley fading after a strong start to eventually lose 37-16.
Socially the weekend was a memorable one. Aspley supporters included 1971-72-73 President, Bill Proctor, a past player from Aspley’s first tour in 1969, veteran Wenty tourists and supporters making the trip for the first time. On Saturday evening the anniversary of the friendship between the two clubs was celebrated at a dinner at the Wentworthville Bowls Club where Past-Presidents Doug Hale and Peter Walker gave memorable addresses recalling the history of the relationship and stressing their commitment to keeping the tradition going. Sunday night saw many of the boys and the supporters at the NRL grand final with Monday being game day and the trip home.
As a football club Aspley has developed many fine traditions, but few of them are as intrinsically woven into its history as the Wenty connection. The tradition of ongoing sportsmanship, friendship and rivalry seems set to continue well in to the future.
Miss Aspley
Another tradition that has been part of Aspley’s fabric for the past thirty years is the Miss (Norths) Aspley Quest. The quest was first held in 1978 and was organized by Tony Warwick, Ian Wright and the Ladies Committee. Admission prices were $20 a double and $12 a single and dress was requested to be semi-formal. Teams were invited to nominate and sponsor a candidate, with the young ladies nominated to be aged between 16 and 18 years. The aim of the quest was to provide an enjoyable social occasion for members and their friends and if possible to raise funds for the Club. Bruce Warwick compared the evening and the judges, ex-Miss BRL Julie Dwyer and high profile Rugby League players Steve Calder and Darryl Brohman, declared Under 16 entrant Miss Jackie Reid the quest’s winner. Runner-up was Miss Caroline Redgen representing to 10B’s. Prizes included $100 cash donated by the Aspley Hotel and Nanda, a weekend for 2 at the North Coast, a watch and a ring and hair styling. A raffle held during the evening covered the cost of awarding a pendant to each of the contestants. The quest winner went on to contest the Miss BRL competition, which for the most part had been contested by representatives of Brisbane’s Senior Clubs. Here was another example of Aspley’s competitiveness and initiative.
The second Miss Norths Aspley was attended by 500 people in 1979 with Bruce Warwick again doing the honours as compere and a judging panel consisting of Miss Carol Moore and Norths footballers Peter Dutton and the legendary Fonda Metassa. The quest was won by Miss Fiona Wieden, representing the 12B’s. Reports of the evening speak of the diversions provided by Miss Easi Touch, representative of the Touch teams. Pauline Stephens, winner of the 1980 quest went on to be runner-up Miss BRL.
The Miss Norths Aspley quest of 1985 was voted the best organized quest ever and a new format saw the introduction of a Miss Tiny Tots, a Master Tony Tots and a Miss Teens in addition to the major award. In the inaugural year of these divisions, winners were Leah Vickers, Joseph Charlton and Jodie Sanders. The winner of the main quest in 1985, Letisha Johnson, representing Club Bingo went on to win Miss Junior Rugby League. An impressive guest list at the clubhouse in 1985 included Lord Mayor Sally-Anne Atkinson, federal MP John Hodges, State MP Brian Cahill, and Aldermen John Goss and Keith Murray.
The 90’s saw Miss Norths Aspley quests being run at a loss but the Club considered that as part of the tradition of Norths Aspley they had a place on the social calendar. In 1998 quest winner Carlee Lestor went on to become Miss Junior BRL as did Temika Sellars in 2001. Miss Aspley showed its first profit for several years in 2002 and this was repeated in 2004.
Winner of Miss Aspley for 2007 was Miss Karlea Kratzmann, and Rachel Cleary was crowned Miss Aspley 2008.
The Old Boys
During the 21st birthday celebrations of the Club on February 6 1998 it was announced that an attempt would be made to form and Old Boys Club, an idea that had been mooted by founding President Rex Dannenberg. Two weeks later Rex and six others formed a committee to examine the steps to be taken to establish the Norths Aspley Old Boys and Supporters Club including drawing up a constitution. At a meeting on November 5 of that year office bearers were elected, a constitution adopted, and the Old Boys became a reality. The aim of the Club was stated to be “to raise money to assist the Norths Aspley RLFC and Rugby League in the district.” In 1989 this aim was amended to read “To perpetuate the traditions of and spirit engendered by service with the Club and to assist members of the Club.”
Over the years the Old Boys and Supporters Club has raised funds through raffles, superdraws, functions, and for a period, by selling toasted sandwiches to bar patrons. They have used their funds to assist needy individuals, and causes as diverse as Miss Aspley, The Australian Women’s Rugby League team and the Children’s Hospital. They have made major contributions to the Football Club and Leagues Club including a transfer of $10,000 towards the cost of the Club bus. On sign-on and trophy days the Old Boys have provided sausage sizzles for the youngsters typically using 120kg of sausages and numerous loaves of bread. Traditionally, the Old Boys have hosted a Kids’ Christmas Party and made an award to the Club Person of the Year.
The Old Boys charge a nominal annual membership fee and currently their major fundraising activity is the Friday Night Seafood Raffle. President of the Old Boys is Darren Stock who took over the reins from long serving, old, Old Boy, Kev O’Leary.
President’s Dinner
The President’s Dinner is held annually and is the occasion on which the Football Club, through its President, provides dinner and drinks to its coaches and managers and helpers in recognition of their efforts throughout the year. During the evening the President announces the winners of the prestigious awards for the year including the International Coach of the Year, Mini-Mod Coach of the Year and Manager of the Year.
ANZAC Day March
In the early years of the Football Club, the Geebung-Zillmere RSL Club was extremely supportive and helpful, often making its facilities available before the Club developed its own. In return Geebung-Zillmere asked only that a contingent from Aspley participate in its ANZAC Day marches. This tradition has also continued to the present day. Affiliated Clubs
Throughout its history (Norths) Aspley Football Club has encouraged the activity of a range of affiliated clubs. These have included a Judo Club, a very successful and on-going Golf Club, a Darts Club and a Fishing Club. The largest club to be affiliated with the Football Club was the Aspley Devils Netball Club, described by Publicity Officer, Jack Beach, in 1978 as existing “for the sisters and mothers of the boys.” In that year the Aspley Devils, who played in the brown and gold colours of the Club and wore the same Golden Devils emblem, fielded 4 Junior and 2 Senior teams.
Keith Rolls recalls bolts of brown and yellow material which became the tunics of the first teams and over the years the Club was to give support to the netballers by giving them access to a bingo session on the understanding that part of the profits be returned to the Football Club/Leagues Club. The arrangement worked well for a number of years and in the early nineties there were discussions about lighting part of the lease to allow the netball teams to train at night. Negotiations stalled and eventually the Aspley Devils were able to locate their courts at Craigslea High School. The relationship between the two clubs came to an end in 1993, when the Football Club, seriously in need of more funds, decided it needed the bingo session the netball club had been running and took it over.
Traditions are the cement which bind succeeding generations of an institution to one another. Shared experiences like the Wenty trips enable players of today to identify with the players who went before them. For that reason alone, they need to be valued and preserved.
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