Preamble: The 1966 season commenced on 16 April and comprised 16 Rounds, followed by semi-finals, finals and the Grand Final which was played on 17 September. Nine clubs participated in the 1st XV competition and 11 clubs in the 2nd XV competition. Waratahs fielded a 1st XV and a 2nd XV. Twenty-nine players donned the 1st XV jersey, and twenty-four in second grade. Many 1st & 2nd XV players played both grades. Army were the 2nd XV premiers and Wagga Agricultural College the Club Champions.
As the 1960s draws to a close, it might be timely to share some photos featuring many players, and their partners, over the 11 years who attended the 50th & 60th anniversaries in 2008 and 2018 respectively. The photo was taken at the 2008 Golden Jubilee Anniversary Dinner in May 2008, attended by 350 past and present players, supporters, friends and families.

Little wonder Waratahs were such a successful team as Bernie Shirley wrote in the Daily Advertiser: Wallaby fullback, Jim Lenehan, turned in a performance to delight selectors for the British Isles tour, when he kicked six goals in his team’s crashing win over Teachers’ College. He converted four of five tries, and booted two penalty goals, many times from difficult angles and testing distances. ⁴² 

Waratahs forwards included eight of the players who had toured New Zealand with the Riverina team. In the match against Poverty Bay, Wharatane, NZ, in March 1966, Riverina won 22-16. Temora centre Alan Hayes scored 16 of those points with a try, two conversions and three penalty goals.

In March 1966 a Riverina team undertook a six-match tour around New Zealand.

In May Waratahs were without five of their regular players. Jim Lenehan and Luxton Walker were in Sydney for Country games; Beres Ellwood was recovering from a knee injury; Robin Ellerman was injured, and Allan Sharrock had retired. John Small and Richard Martin were promoted from reserves to compensate for this.

David ignored weight and size when he downed Goliath. And that’s exactly what Agricultural College did when they beat Waratahs. ⁴⁴ From the start it was obvious that College was not intimidated by Lenehan and Ellwood. During the second half Jim Lenehan was brought down in a heavy tackle, injured his shoulder and was taken to hospital. Agricultural College deserved their win and were the only unbeaten team in the competition.

Wagga City dealt Waratahs their second successive defeat in May. ‘Tahs had a depleted backline with Rex Burne, Jim Lenehan, Beres Ellwood, Col Wood and Bob Stewart missing from the side. Reserve grade players filled the backline and, for the second successive week, Waratahs failed to cross the line.

Army were completely outclassed by Waratahs in the 57-0 result. Robin Ellerman had a great game scoring six tries. Roger Griffith, Luxton Walker and John Kendall were Waratahs’ best forwards.

Waratahs continued to recover their form to defeat Young in a game where there was no score in the first half. The efforts of Fred Horsley and Bob Stewart were largely responsible for the Tahs’ recovery from one of the worst slumps of their experience. Rick Martin played brilliantly having been promoted from the reserves.

Jim Lenehan and Beres Ellwood were in top form in the 25-3 defeat of Army. Lenehan was playing his second game after seven weeks’ break. Waratahs dominated the forwards play and dominated in possession. Dave Heckendorf was outstanding and John and Luxton Walker shone in the rucks.

In their August draw against Cootamundra, Waratahs missed the expertise of Beres Ellwood. Lynton Gooden lasted only 10 minutes before his nose was broken in a heavy clash.

Bernard Shirley predicted: Waratahs will win their seventh Riverina Rugby Union premiership. This is my prediction after watching them storm home in the final 30 minutes to beat Wagga City (19-9), ⁴⁵ But it was Ellwood and Lenehan who took their side to a win. Without them Waratahs would be hard pressed to reach the grand final – but with them the cup is as good as won. ⁴⁶

Roger Griffith had an outstanding game and made some good individual runs, coming off the scrums like a flier.

Waratahs won their seventh Riverina Rugby Union premiership since 1959 with a crushing 14-6 win over Agricultural College. A crowd of more than 500 saw their forwards pave the way for a three tries to two victory.

Waratahs’ points came from tries by wingers, Rex Burne and Robin Ellerman, and five-eighth, Bob Stewart, a goal and a penalty goal by Beres Ellwood. Burne was brought into the game at the last minute when Australian fullback Jim Lenehan decided to withdraw rather than risk aggravating a knee injury. Burne had not played 1st XV since injuring a shoulder early in the season. Dave Meldrum, the winger, filled in for Waratahs at fullback.

The win was a triumph for Waratahs whose inspired rugby in adverse conditions delighted the crowd. Their tackling, rucking and handling were first class. Mick Millard was their outstanding player.

In a strong pack, Roger Griffith stood out for his ferocious tackling, while the Walker brothers in the front row, and hooker, John Stewart, were hard to fault. Bob Stewart, the five-eighth, gave a polished display, kicking the wet ball as if it was dry.

Dave Meldrum made no mistakes at fullback and Beres Ellwood, the will o’ their wisp from Mangoplah, was as wily as ever. ⁴⁷

Best and Fairest on the Field (for Waratahs) ⁴⁸

Mick Millard, second row: His tackling and all round play, under atrocious conditions, was superb.
Bob Stewart, five-eighth: Directed his backs with great purpose. Kicked the wet ball with accuracy and was strong in defence.
Luxton Walker, prop forward: Played a captain’s game and led his forwards well. Shone in tight play and in the loose.

Players with the highest number of points in 1966: Jim Lenehan, Beres Ellwood, Robin Ellerman, Luxton Walker, Mick Millard, Dave Meldrum

John Fowler’s father preferred that he didn’t play football. Undaunted John left his football gear in town and retrieved it each weekend to play for Waratahs.

RESERVE GRADE

There are few results available for reserve grade and no mention of players. What results are available indicate that the team had an equal number of wins to losses.

The annual meeting was held at the Advance Hotel in 1966-1972.

Dave Heckendorf Reminisces 

Lynton Gooden, who played inside centre and was the hardest tackler on the team, was probably the oldest player playing when I started in about 1960.

After leaving school, I played Australian Rules with Boree Creek for a couple of years. Got into the 1st XV eventually but some new coach, trying to make the team a little more coordinated, decreed that you had to go to training if you were a 1st XV. I tried this training thing for a few weeks but found it time consuming and a bit of a waste of time, so I finished the season in the reserves which wasn’t that uplifting!

Had a visit at the farm from an insurance agent during the summer and as with most insurance agents, you talked about anything but insurance. Got around to football and I said that I was playing Aussie Rules but they had this training thing which I couldn’t cope with

He had something to do with the Waratahs and he said that I could probably get a game in the second row, AND that the Waratahs did NOT train. That was MY type of football I thought, even though I had hated playing second row at Scots College because I hated getting my ears rubbed between wet sandy pads of the front rowers. I went on to play for about six years, and the only training was an occasional run before a grand final. Those pre-grand final training sessions were a bit of a dead loss because we all went down to the pub and undid any benefit of the training session.

The first game I played was against Young and we were rolled by about 25 points as half our regular team was in Sydney at Country Week. Tate Heggaton was our halfback and captain for the day. I remember him having a hard time trying to get some semblance of order into this scratch pack of forwards. It was all a bit unfamiliar to me as it was about four years since I had played. The next week I was teamed with Mick Millard in the second row. Mick’s advice, delivered in a very authoritative manner, was “Dave when you get up from a ruck or leave the scrum, I want you to look around for me and stick real close to wherever I am, then you will be in the right place!” I did that fairly successfully I think, for six years. Thank you Mick. I think we were a pretty good combination working on that advice.

Taped ears. I have slight cauliflowering of one ear but that occurred while playing second row at school. When I started with the Waratahs, some ingenious person had invented PVC tape, which some equally ingenious forward had worked out would prevent his ears from being rubbed. Made life in the second row bearable.

Riverina Tour to New Zealand 1966 

Written by John Stewart

 

Riverina President, Wal Blake, had a policy of having trial matches against a Sydney Barbarian team. This was to create interest and give the players who would go to Country Week more confidence and knowledge of what to expect in a higher standard of football. Some players of international reputation who would come to Wagga were Tony Miller, Peter Johnston, John White, Jim Miller, Rob Hemming and Peter Crittle. From these trial players would then be picked for representative fixtures. One such trip was to New Zealand and a team of twenty seven players and two managers were chosen which comprised fifteen from Waratahs, seven from Agricultural College, two from City, one from Temora, one from West Wyalong and one from Young.

The games in New Zealand started at Thames, a small fishing town which Riverina won in the final moments. The next game was in Morinsville, Don Clarke’s home town, where Riverina played against his two brothers and another brother lan an All Black Prop refereed the match. We were still able to win despite Ian allowing the ball to be put in the second row. Upon questioning him at drinks afterwards he explained that it is “it is New Zealand policy to beat all visiting teams”. 

Our next game was in Rotarua which was a very big shock to our confidence. Wal Blake in his usual way had matched us far above our zone level of ability. He had in fact got a game for us at Provincial level; this meant that we were playing the equivalent of super fifteen in our modern-day time. They had players very close to All Black standard. Both Jim and Beres got injured and all I can recall of the match was these big men running through and over us to run up a quite a sizeable score. The next matches were against Whakatane, Tokaroa, and College Rifles in Auckland, which we were able to win narrowly.

Fond memories of this tour were firstly the older cars that were driven around in which we rode while being billeted out. Also, our hosts would feed us huge meals, even the plates were big and also contained at least three varieties of potato, and a good helping of pork. We were always looked after in the evenings and we all soon got used to drinking warm jugs of beer and taking back cartons of warm leopard and lion bottles to our hotel. Wal Blake and John Scholes did a tremendous job on the tour and we all got on extremely well.

There were many funny experiences and good times but it is hard to remember them as it was forty-eight years ago.

Source: A History of the Wagga Wagga Waratahs 1959 – 2018
^{42 The Daily Advertiser, Bernard Shirley, 18 April 1966
43 Mick Millard’s private collection
44 The Daily Advertiser, Bernard Shirley, 9 May 1966
45, 46, The Daily Advertiser, Bernard Shirley 29 August 1966
47, 48 The Daily Advertiser, Bernard Shirley, 17 September 1966}