AUGUST 2019:

Rugby Union
With 2019 being the 40th year of Condobolin Rugby, a few people have stopped and asked how and when did rugby start in Condobolin.
In early 1977, I happen to meet up with two fine gentlemen, Greg Mitchell and Steve Nash. Over a few soft drinks, talk turned to rugby, and a few other gentlemen whom were schoolies, had overheard the conversation and told us they would be keen to join this Club.
So, phone calls and letters (no email then) were made to Country Rugby and South West Rugby, and replies were “Yes, no worries, but you have to go in Far West Zone”, which was Bourke,
Brewarrina, Coonamble and others. We got thinking, that’s a bit far to travel. So Greg, Steve and myself would head off to West Wyalong (we had some players that we knew playing), whenever they had a home game, and either play for West Wyalong, if they were short or some other team.
After the games, we would talk to the other teams from South West and tell them that Condo were a good bunch of fellas and were keen to join South West Zone, and ask them to support us by writing letters to Country Rugby and South West Zone.
The next year, we were informed that Far West Zone was the only Zone that would take Condobolin Rugby, so off we would go to West Wyalong and get a game and go and talk and shout a few drinks to try and put a case for Condo.
One of these games was against Cowra, and we were lucky to get into a round of drinks with the Godfather of Country Rugby Billy Rowlands, also in this group was Bede Tooth, and Billy always thought the sun followed Bede.
So, after finding out that Bede Tooth was a Condo boy, Billy said to us “leave it to me – it’s done.”
A couple of weeks later, I received a phone call from Country Rugby that if Condo could show we had players and a Committee, that we could join South West Rugby in season 1979.
In early 1979, we had a meeting at the RSL Boardroom, to try and a get a Committee together.
At this meeting, we had support from a number of heavies of Condo, Mr Robert Staniforth, Mr Neville Tooth, Mr Ross Berry, Mr Mark Gavel, who all said they would have Condo Rugby’s back, if anything happened.
So that’s a short story on how Condo Rugby RESTARTED in 1979.
Contributed by Michael Malouf.