Thanks to Brad Ryder who knew Greg & his wife Maureen well & Marco Sivis for their contributions on Greg Hawick. Click the link below to visit Marcos SSR Almanac Greg Hawick player profile-
I’ve always been fascinated by the year the South Sydney Rabbitohs began in 1908. The focal point of the this tale is Arthur Stephen Hennessy nickname A.S.H & I was immediately drawn to the fact that we share the name Stephen spelt with the PH. ASH is Rabbitoh first grade player #1 & I’m #757, he made his debut in 1908 & mine was 1987 but we are both Stephens & Rabbitohs players so for me we share an affinity. I realise it’s only his middle name, the S in the acronym ASH but the man known as the ‘Father Of The Rabbitohs’ and I both suited up for the mighty Rabbits & didn’t spell our name Steven with the V. (Yes I do answer to the shortened version Steve but that’s beside the point!)
The most satisfying discovery I made was to uncover the fact that the first rugby league game ever played in Australia was held on the 21st of March 1908 at Sir Joseph Banks Park Botany. On this historic day a South Sydney Possibles & Probables trial match was played. I was born & bred in Botany, played for the Botany Rams & still live here today but I never knew about this game that ASH took part in was played at a park that I roamed as a kid.
In The Beginning…
The story of the Rabbitohs inaugural season in 1908 & their eventual victory in the first ever Australian rugby league grand final is a tale that Rabbitohs fans will cherish forever.
Stories will endlessly be told about the clubs Redfern origins, it’s 11-7 victory over North Sydney the first time the team took the field & the march to glory over the Roosters in the grand final at the end of that season.
This article takes you through some key points of this time & highlights the involvement of the ‘Father Of The Rabbitohs’ Arthur Hennessy.
Rugby League broke away from Rugby Union in the late 1800s for the simple reason that players weren’t being paid. The greatest game of all was born in England in 1895.
The beginning of South Sydney traces back to early meetings in the Australian test cricketer Victor Trumper’s shop. Trumper is one of the most important figures in the club’s formation.
Five other men also played huge roles in creating the Rabbitohs – Arthur Hennessy, S. George Ball, Johnny McGrath, Billy Cann & Ed “Son” Fry. Early meetings were held in 1907, plans were hatched then finally a meeting took place on 17th January 1908 at Redfern Town Hall Sydney to form the South Sydney District Rugby League Club.
Pictured – Billy Cann, Arthur Hennessy, SG Ball, Johnny McGrath
Redfern Town Hall in 1871
Arthur Stephen Hennessy (nickname ASH) was born in Sydney on the 24th September 1876. Hennessy played hooker & although only a small man at 5ft 8ins (173cm) & 12st. 6lbs. (79kg) he would become a star rugby union player winning a competition with Souths Rugby Union in 1905 & gaining NSW representative honours.
By the time he finally helped create the NSWRL & the Rabbitohs, Hennessy was 31 years old so his career as a rugby league player was relatively short but he would go on to become the first captain of NSW & the Australian Kangaroos.
A trial match was organised between the South Sydney Possibles & Probables on the 21st March 1908 at Sir Joseph Banks Park Botany as a tune up for the upcoming season but also so the players could learn the rules to this newly created game. Englishman Tom McCabe lectured players and officials on the finer points of the new code. This historic match would be the first ever rugby league game played on Australian soil. Hennessy captained the Probables but they were defeated 9-8 by the Possibles led by Bill Cann.
A view of the Sir Joseph Banks Hotel at Botany Bay
On the 20th April 1908 the big one happened, the Rabbitohs first ever competition game in the NSWRL. Hennessy took the field for the Bunnies at Birchgrove Oval as an undersized captain/coach. Arthur Hennessy would earn the honour of being named Souths first grade player number #1. This numbering system was introduced by the club in 2003 & Hennessy was allocated his number then. The modern players like myself have embraced this numbering system with pride. Chris McQueen has his number 1070 boldly tattooed on his neck below is left ear.
Rabbitoh 1070 Chris McQueen
The first ever try scorer for Souths was winger Tommy Anderson (first grade player #2) in the 11-7 win over North Sydney.
Rabbitoh #2 Tommy Anderson scored the first ever try for the club
Souths would win their next 2 games before suffering defeat for the first time at the hands of arch rivals Eastern Suburbs 13-12 at the Royal Agricultural Society Showground. The Souths v Easts rivalry has been around for as long as the game has existed.
Birchgrove Oval, Sydney the birthplace of the Bunnies
This would be Souths only loss of the season, they would remain undefeated all the way through to the grand final where they turned the tables on Easts to win the game 14-12. This result secured the competition, the first of the clubs 21 premierships, a record that has allowed the Rabbitohs to be continually described as the ‘Pride Of The League’
Hennessy would only play 5 games for Souths in 1908 before leaving for England on board the RMS Macedonia with the 1908-09 Kangaroos with 2 rounds to go before the finals. When their ship stopped over in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) the Rabbitohs players received a telegram from the team saying a simple message “Premiers”.
The tour robbed both Souths & Easts of their best players for the grand final & condemned the game to a contest without the best talent competing. Notable absentees that went on tour for Souths were Arthur Hennessy, Tommy Anderson & Arthur Butler (first grade player #3) while Easts lost the one & only Dally Messenger, Dan Frawley & Sandy Pearce.
Rabbitoh #3 Arthur Butler
Arthur Hennessy suffered a broken jaw on the Kangaroo tour & didn’t play in a test match. Hennessy played a total of 26 games for the Rabbitohs & would go into coach the Rabbitohs & Kangaroos.
Hennessy would create a institution of “running rugby” at South Sydney. He strongly advocated the no kick principle, emphasizing the importance of ball possession to score tries. This came to be the mark of South Sydney’s football with straight running and backing up. The no kick policy produced fast, open football and for Souths a remarkable winning record.
Hennessy was also caught up in the boundary wars with Easts that forced him to play for the tri colours for a short period.
Hennessy moved to Maroubra where he invested in the Maroubra Speedway and in mini-golf, and partly owned the Amusu cinema, Maroubra, living in a cottage opposite the theatre. Survived by his wife, Hennessy died on 19 September 1959 and was buried with Anglican rites in Botany cemetery.
Maroubra Speedway
Glory Glory
After a 43 year drought the Rabbitohs won their 21st premiership in 2014. This victory meant that their legions of fans could celebrate the ‘Pride Of The League’ once again & sing the song ‘Glory Glory to South Sydney….South Sydney marches on’.
Steve Mavin
Arthur Hennessy (24 September 1876 – 19 September 1959)
Albert Clift, George Treweek & Eddie Root (image courtesy of Col Whelan)
On Friday 26th June 2020 an image was posted in our newly created Facebook group ‘Rabbitohs Radio Podcast Listeners’ by legendary photographer Col Whelan.
Beneath the photo Col asked the question “Any idea who these blokes are”?
The next day we had our answer thanks to Chris Isouard. In the picture stood three Rabbitohs legends Albert Clift, George Treweek & Eddie Root.
“Albert mentioned this day in a couple of his interviews over the years” said Chris. “Treweek and Root visited him in the early 80s and presented him with some of their playing memorabilia. Like many, Albert was a hero of mine and inspired me as a kid to collect everything Souths”.
Albert Clift
Albert Clift was a former player for South Sydney, former official and director, was the Club’s first mascot back in 1968, held an amazing collection of Rabbitohs memorabilia including the famed timekeeper’s bell from the first game in 1908 & is a Life Member of the Football Club.
Albert CliftAlbert Clift & Russell Crowe ring the famous timekeepers bell in 2002Russell Crowe purchased the bell for $42000 to ensure it stayed in red & green hands
Eddie Root
Eddie Root (first grade player #139) 109 games & 34 tries was a starting forward in the Rabbitohs golden era of 7 premiership wins between 1925-32. Root had a brilliant career & is rightly regarded as one of the greatest ever Rabbitohs.
Eddie Root
The 1931 Rabbitohs
The 1931 South Sydney Rabbitohs defeated the Eastern Suburbs Roosters 12-7 in the NSWRL grand final. Eddie Root was the hooker & George Treweek played second row.
Second row: Eddie Root, Jack Morrison, Frank O’Connor, George Treweeke (vc), Frank Curran, Harry Eyers, Benny Wearing. Front row: Jack Why, Jim Tait, Carl Eggen, Paddy Maher (capt), Albert Spillane, Jim Deeley, Perce Williams. (Picture courtesy of SSR Almanac)
George Treweek
George Treweek (first grade player #153) 119 games & 40 tries was a starting forward in the Rabbitohs golden era of 7 premiership wins between 1925-32. He is a legendary attacking player who was rated as the finest second row forward the game has produced.
George Treweek was once described as “all arms & legs”George Treweek played 7 tests for the Kangaroos George & Eddie visit Albert
On this weeks show we bask in the glory of our 40-12 win over the Warriors, chat to our special guest Souths fan Jeremy Muir, preview the monster clash with the Panthers, Roy Asotasi is our Remembering A Rabbitoh & we talk about Cowboys legendary jouno Doug Kingston.
Remembering A Rabbitoh – Roy Asotasi First Grade Player No #1047
Roy Asotasi is an Auckland junior who became an interchange forward with the Bulldogs in 2003, appeared in all 28 matches for the club in the premiership-winning 2004 season. Although 23 of these games (including the grand final) were from the interchange bench, Asotasi used his mobility and size to good effect at the club. In October that year he made his Test debut in the 16-all draw with Australia before making two more Test appearances for the Kiwis in England during the Tri Nations competition. Asotasi matured as a Test class forward and played in NZ’s victory in the Tri-Nations final in 2005. The following year he became a key signing for the battling Souths club for the 2007 season. – ALAN WHITICKER
Rabbitoh Of The Week – Jasmin Mavin & Tony Kingston
Jasmin & Tony relax at home
Our co Rabbitohs Of The Week are Mavos daughter Jas & her boyfriend Tony. Jas is an instructional designer & she has been a huge help on the show giving us guidance with production & design plus she provides us with honest feedback for the show, website & socials.
Jasmin went to South Sydney High like her dad, represented Souths in several Oztag State Cups & also in netball. Jas first dream job was to be the first woman of league and she had the word Mavo printed across the back of her year 12 red & green school footy jersey. Jas now works for Harvey Norman who sponsor the NRL and founded Women In League
Doug was a journalist at the Townsville Bulletin & in 1989 there was a Panasonic Cup game between the Broncos & Eels scheduled to be played in Townsville. Locals formed long lines to buy tickets & Doug seized the opportunity to promote the idea that North Queenland should have their own footy team by writing an article in the paper, meetings were held, committees were formed, the public was consulted & the rest is history.
In an article written in 2015 for the Cowbys 20th anniversary Doug talks about the day he arrived at the NSWRL headquarters with Kerry Boustead;
“The application (for the Cowboys to be included in the competition) was supported by a petition signed by almost 30,000 North Queenslanders, and letters of support from 20 major companies, 11 public sector organisations and 14 politicians.
It was delivered to NSWRL headquarters in Sydney by stagecoach, with Boustead riding up front with a shotgun, and me sitting on the back firing blanks from a starter’s pistol to simulate gunfire and attract attention.
The stagecoach had the desired effect because for the first time, the Cowboys were in the Sydney newspapers and on national television. We would never get away with that sort of trick today. Bowey and I would probably be arrested on suspicion of being terrorists”.
Tony is also a great young DJ & loves his music, when speaking about his dad he said “Besides rugby league my dad was also involved in the sport of basketball in North Queensland. Dad also helped to get Elton John to Townsville & when I once told him about the lack of live music in our home town he managed to help persuade the Groovin The Moo music festival to come to Townsville & that is now a regular event in the town”
Crowds in Townsville formed long queues to buy tickets to a rugby league game in 1989
The story of the first meeting to form the Cowboys has similarities to the famous meeting to form the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Rabbitohs officially began on the 17th January 1908 at Redfern Town Hall when administrator J J Giltinan, cricketer Victor Trumper and politician Henry Hoyle gathered together in front of a large crowd of supporters.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs broke their 3 game losing streak on Saturday afternoon 13th June 2020 at Bankwest Stadium, Sydney with a 32-12 victory over the Gold Coast Titans.
This victory song has traditionally been sung by the team for decades dating back to the Bunnies glory days. We can’t give you the exact date it began to be used but perhaps there’s a Bunnies historian reading this now that could enlighten us. Mavo & Browny love singing the tune because it brings back memories of wins with their mates.
The songs lyrics are-
“Now that we’re all around the bar And the captains declared it a quorum We’re drinking our way through the night And we’re having the time of our lives Throw the empties away start again, start again For the boys of South of South Sydney are together And we’ll drink til the dawn breaks again May the sessions of South Sydney last forever Up the Rabbitohs!”
On this weeks podcast we speak to 2014 premiership winning Rabbitoh Jason Clark, our Remembering A Rabbitoh is Darrell ‘Number 9’ Bampton, we examine the big win over the Titans, look forward to the Warriors clash, name our Rabbitoh Of The Week & much more.
Remembering A Rabbitoh – Darrell Bampton (first grade player number 559)
Darrell Maxwell Bampton, captain in 1978, had a distinguished career as a player and administrator. Born on 20 June 1949, he was a junior with the Alexandria Rovers, Waterloo and Zetland clubs, was captain of the President’s Cup premiership winning team in 1969 and a member of the third grade premiership winning team the same year.
Darrell played 116 games for Souths in seasons 1969-73 and 1978-79, including 51 in first grade, scoring one try. Bampton was awarded Life Membership of SSDRLFC in 1994, and on Monday 9 June 2009, his talents were recognised by the Australian Government when he was awarded the Order Of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to Rugby League.
Latrell Mitchell stars in 32-12 win over the Titans
Latrell Mitchell put on a masterclass for the Bunnies in the big 32-12 win over the Titans at Bankwest Stadium on Saturdat 13th June.
Charlie Rabbit flies the flag at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday 13th June 2020
#ChapsFromRabbitohsRadio
We have started a new hashtag for our co-host Grant Chappell, just type in #ChapsFromRabbitohsRadio on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram & all of Chaps interviews will be there for you to watch.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs victory song has been around a long time, we wonder if anyone reading this might know more about the songs history? Where did it come from, who wrote it & what year did the team team adopt it? If not all good we just love hearing the boys singing it loud & proud ❤️💚
Mavo & Browny love singing the tune because it brings back memories of wins with their mates. We’ve included a photo with the songs lyrics but much like the national anthem the second verse is not sung by the team. We’ve also included some old pics that concern the famous Glory Glory song & its origins.
Marco Sivis from SSR Almanac writes-
Talking to former players, you quickly find out that it pre-dates the modern era and goes before the 70’s era as players from the 1950’s would sing it with the young players of the 60’s. The tune and original words pre-date World War II and also predate World War I.
The tune gives us a guide to the age of the origins of the song. The melody was a popular melody in British pubs at the turn of 18th-century. It was based upon a tune from Anacreonicty Society, a 18th-century club of amateur musicians in London. That society was dedicated to ancient Greek poet Anacreon, who was renowned for his drinking songs and odes to love. This society would meet and combine musical appreciation with eating and drinking.
The melody came to Australia with the early settlers and convicts and sung on many occassions at the bars around Sydney. With the famous drinking melody being picked up by many it was no surprise to see the South Sydney club also pick up this melody for its song during the celebration of a win.
The melody became famous when the tune was also picked up and used by Francis Scott Key in his famous 1776 poem “Defence of Fort McHenry”. It is then ironic that a British pub melody and the words by Key became known as the “The Star-Spangled Banner” and were adopted as the national anthem of the United States in 1931.
Welcome Back!
During the show this week we played some of the song “Welcome Back The Juniors’ that was created by the Robertson Brothers. The Robertson Brothers are well known for their parody songs for Ray Hadley on 2GB & also for the Continous Call Team .
“Welcome Back” is a popular record that was the theme song of the 1970s American television sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. Written and recorded by former Lovin’ Spoonful frontman John Sebastian, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in May 1976 after only five weeks on the chart (the show itself had become an instant ratings success upon its premiere the previous fall).
A young John Travolta played Vinnie Barbarino in the show
NRL coaches successfully argued against an obstruction rule overhaul 18 months ago, admitting they would flood the game with block plays if the “inside shoulder” interpretation was relaxed.
On this weeks show we talk to our newest Rabbitoh, first grade player number 1157 Keaon Koloamatangi & welcome back Cody Walker & James ‘Jimmy The Jet’ Roberts. We also look forward to the debut of another rising star in our forward ranks Patrick ‘Pati’ Mago.
Mikey Siciliano nominated his mate Matthew Cheesman (Cheese) “without this guy I wouldn’t be the mad Rabbitohs fan I am to this day. I met Matt by chance as I was walking my dog down the street and he was walking his. We went to the same school together back in the day but were never really close. Anyway, as I started to chat with him it turns out we had something in common, we were both massive Rabbitohs fans. He told me that he made it to pretty much every Rabbitohs game each year with his family and invited me to join. Ever since then we’ve become best mates and haven’t missed a home game in Sydney since, even traveling to the Central Coast for home games and Mudgee for the Charity Shield. I owe Matthew my passion for NRL and the Mighty South Sydney Rabbitohs to him”. Mikey also credits Cheese for making him a Rabbitohs Radio podcast listener so thanks for that Cheese!
South Sydney Rabbitohs first grade player number 667
Known as Zbignew, Zbignen, Ziggy & Zig, Zbigniew Niszczot was born in 1955 & was originally from Maitland. Niszczot came to Souths in 1980 on the recommendation of his captain-coach Johnny Mayes and went on to captain the Rabbitohs in the early 1980s. He scored two tries in the opening State of Origin match of the 1982 season and played in one other match for NSW the same year.
Ziggy became an instant hit with the Souths fans. The Hill Squad (called The Burrow today) had their songs, among them was ‘Ziggy Niszczot walks on water, tra-la-la-la’, to the tune of ‘Deck The Halls’.
When asked what advice he had for young rugby league players Ziggy once said “Don’t give up mate, just keep going don’t give up”
— South Sydney Rabbitohs 🐰 (@SSFCRABBITOHS) May 1, 2017
Chris Caruana
Due to personal hardship and a motor vehicle accident ex football player Chris Caruana is unable to walk and needs your support at this time. Financial support would really make a difference with medical bills and basic living expenses. Your generosity will make a difference to his life during this difficult time.
Benjamin Francis “Benny” Wearing (11 June 1901 – 9 April 1968) was Rabbitohs player number 123. Known as the ‘peoples champion’ in 1920 Wearing ran the 100 yards in 10.2 seconds. Wearing had a trademark overhead kick on the run that he would gather one handed before racing to score. In 194 appearances for Souths Wearing scored an incredible 168 tries & kicked 218 goals with a win success rate of 76.8%!
As of Monday June 1st, The Juniors group of clubs are opening their doors to you. There are quite a few rules that we will have to abide by to do so safely and many of our regular services will not be available until COVID 19 restrictions are relaxed further. We also have venue capacities and social distancing requirements (1 person per 4 sqm) that we must adhere to, so we hope our members understand things may be a little different. We hope to work with our members and provide as much of the Juniors to you as we can as soon as we can.
But overall, the good news is that after 11 weeks of shutdown we are back in business!
As part of the new rules we will also have to record you entering and exiting the building as a COVID 19 procedure. As a result, we will require all members to swipe in and out of the premises. Entry to the club will also be MEMBERS ONLY to help us comply with the government’s requirements. We will be offering a special 6-month membership for $3 in the short term. There will also be the option to join as a full member for $11 for 1 year. We will also be observing all social distancing rules and will have stringent cleaning procedures to ensure we minimise any possible health risks. We will also have safety marshalls on duty to ensure social distancing. Please assist us and follow any directions given.
We cannot wait to welcome back our members to the Juniors!
What’s Open
Services Ground Floor Gaming Starlight Bar – 1st Floor Bells Bar – Ground Floor Legends Sports Bar including TAB and NRL live broadcasts The Jewel Room
Food Outlets Sundeck Brasserie Pinocchio’s Chinese Restaurant Legends Sports Bar Café Ocean Dragon Noodle House Café Club – Ground Floor
Due to restrictions on numbers, bookings are recommended.
What’s Not Happening Just Yet
Live Entertainment (Bands, DJ’s, Solos etc) Auditorium Shows All Function bookings The Fitness Centre Bingo All Club Promotions & Intra club activities Major Promotions Courtesy Bus
Restaurant Bookings
At the moment we are only accepting phone bookings until further notice. Please check operating hours and days open. Please note also that bookings can only be a maximum of 10 people per booking.
All operating hours are on the website under each restaurants page
Soap Star Joe
Thanks to the guys from Soap Star Joe for allowing us to use their song. Ziggy told us that he had heard of the song, he actually can’t play guitar & is a terrible singer!
77 year old Pat Mckaig has been a Rabbitohs fan all his life & has been to 2 grand finals in 1965 &1969 which we lost both so Pats mate Paul Sait barred him from attaending any more.
Pat started as a wharfie in 1960 at White Bay in Sydney then moved to Port Botany when it opened & was the crane driver that took the 1st ever container off an overseas ship in Australia.
Pat was supposed to be working but his mates covered for him so he could caddie for his pro golfer friend at the Australian Masters. However Pat nearly came unstuck when he appeared on the tv coverage. Mavo sees Pat at Tempe Golf Range hitting practice balls.
Pats daughter Erin said “We share our birthday on the 26th of September & my dad always said I was the best present he ever got”.
If you’d like to be Rabbitoh of the week send us a message, tag us, comment whatever you like!
