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An old tradition from the Kangaroo Trips
of the 80's..... |
The 1986 Kangaroos Demolition Derby |
Many of the Kangaroo Touring party
would chip in and buy old bomb cars to use as
a means of transport during the long tours.
The novel way of disposing them was usually a demolition derby in
the hotel carpark
at the end of the tour to Great Britain.
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OH WHAT A FEELING! There were four second hand cars purchased
by several of the Kangaroos (1986) The sixteen or so players had outlayed
$100.00 each for their piece of the action. There was a 1960 Saab,
christened the "Turbo" by its owners. In contrast there
was a 1967 Fiat Stationwagon which beared an uncanny resemblance to
a hearse and was nicknamed accordingly. Unbeknown to its new owners
the "Hearse" did not have the appropriate government duties
paid to qualify its legal status. This resulted in a surprise visit
one night from the local constabulary, where after initial confusion
the owners breathed a big sigh of relief as the matter was resolved
without any disciplinary action being taken.
courtesy of Brett Cochranes great book
Mud, Sweat and Cheers.
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| The 1982 Kangaroo version
Rod Reddy
discussing how he, Steve
Rogers and Craig
Young disposed of their car on the last day of
the 1982 tour. - From Tony Adams Book, The
Hitmen.
Many Kangaroo players have bought old cars on tour, and Reddy,
Steve Rogers and Craig Young had a bomb on their hands in 1982.
At the end of the tour, they had to decide what to do with the
vehicle.
"The car had just about had it. It was in such a state
the hotel management wouldn't let us park out the front of the
hotel. We had to leave it out the back as they reckoned it gave
the place a bad name. The day before we left we tipped it into
the canal behind the hotel. As it started to go down, the water
pressure must have forced the brake pedal down because the back
lights came on. As it started sailing down the canal, and as
we ran off, we yelled out: There's someone drowning in that
car."
I think (Australian Prop) Donny Mckinnon got the blame for that
one.
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Royce Simmons hams it up amongst the carnage
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The pics appearing are courtesy of Brett Cochrane aka Basquali, from the Book Mud Sweat and Cheers.
The 1986 Australian Rugby League Tour of Great Britain and France |
Read very interesting letter below from Andrew Sutton
of Wakefield received April 2006 |
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| King Wally Lewis, with approved
head protection
ready to start the rumble |
Target confirmed |
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Point of impact. |
Wally and Chris Mortimer
celebrate the successfull demolition |
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| Champions |
head of the pit crew Gene
Miles servicing the motor.
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Email from Andrew Sutton, Wakefield, England
Re Wally Lewis.
I had to smile when I saw the
pictures on the site of Wally in the old wreck of a Saab, on the last day of
the 86 tour.
The boys, I gather, had a bit of a demolition derby at
the back of what was then called the Dragonara Hotel in Leeds.
My mate who was a young copper in Leeds at the time, got a call on the
radio to attend an 'accident' at the rear of the Dragonara Hotel. He
arrived to find the Saab in a wreck with (he swears) the engine still
running, but with no sign of Messrs Lewis, Simmons and Roach, who I gather
had paid a couple of hunderd quid for the car at the start of the tour.
He also tells the tale of stopping a car full of Green and Gold track
suits on a main road in Leeds City centre. The car was a wreck. He had
the guys out and was pointing out the defects when one of the Green and
Golds says " Jeeze mate, if it's that bad we don't want it and they all
buggered off up the road and left the car.
The first tale about the Saab I know is absolutely true but can any of
the guys on the tour confirm the second story?
All the best Quigs, being an old fart of fifty I can remember many of
the players listed.
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