Adversity & Resilience: Sports

Major sporting events come to the city
The interwar period was a time when major sporting teams actually came to Ipswich: for example Ipswich played England in rugby league in 1924 and 1928; a British bowls team played in Queens Park in 1925; and Ipswich played China in soccer in 1927.

Ipswich was very strong in rugby league at this time, thanks to the dedication of J.G. Stephenson who was president of the local league and was later a selector and president of the Queensland Rugby League. One of the most fiercely-contested events was the Bulimba Cup, a three-way battle between Ipswich, Brisbane and Toowoomba. Ipswich players were also well-represented in state and national teams, for example in the 1932 Rugby League Test between Australia and England held in Sydney, there were three Ipswich players on the field.

In cricket, one of the interesting local events was a match at the Showgrounds in 1932 when Ipswich captained by “Mo” Biggs beat the Queensland Sheffield Shield team. The big crowd had come to see the famous Aboriginal fast bowler Eddie Gilbert and kept up a chant of “Put Gilbert on”, cheering every time he commenced an over or came in to bat. A year earlier, Gilbert had bowled Bradman out for a duck.

Toddy Edwards of the Blackstone Rovers was one of a number of Ipswich players to represent Queensland in soccer in the 1920s. The different attitude to sport then was highlighted by his widow Mrs Jessie Edwards who recalled that he still had to work in the mine on Saturday morning, even if he were playing an important match that afternoon. He wasn’t paid as a soccer player but once received a free pair of boots.

A Hockey Association was formed in 1931 and the first game was played at the Showgrounds in June of that year between Boomerangs and St Stephens. Only three years later, an Ipswich player Norm Watson was selected for an Australian team which toured New Zealand. Women also participated in local sport. Croquet was popular, and there was a very strong Associates group of women golfers. A Women’s Hockey Association was also formed in 1931 and the event was promoted as “Hockey - Hockey - Thrills Galore at the Showgrounds – see the ladies play. Come along – You’ll enjoy it”. [1]

Cricket
On 23 December 1922 the Queensland Times reported on a Ladies Cricket match held at the home of Mr. Lewis Jones on 18 December. The Redbank Plains ladies versed members of the Queensland Times. In this fun match, the printers from the newspaper, batted with broom handles, left-handed and they fielded and caught with only one hand. The game was followed by a musical evening.

Ipswich Surf Life Saving Club
Walter Jeffrey recalled his days as a member of this club in Bremer Echoes, an Ipswich Genealogical Society publication in July 2016.

"[Around 1926] I was a member of the Ipswich Surf Life Saving Club. We trained at the Ipswich Baths which used to be situated in Bell Street, near where the parking station is now.

It may seem strange to know that Ipswich had a Surf Life Saving Club but we used to practise in Ipswich Baths for our still water and go to Bribie Island for the surf work. We were also examined for our Surf Certificate at Bribie Island, and took part in competitions there. We used to leave Ipswich by Pioneer bus on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning and travel to Redcliffe, where we boarded the ferry that ran from Brisbane to Bribie Island. The transport across Bribie Island to the surf was by motor truck: an old truck with long seats fixed to the platform top. We travelled over bush tracks through the sand. Today, there’s a bridge connecting the island to the mainland and the ferry service has long since gone.

After I left the club they were given a beach on the Gold Coast to patrol - at Bilinga.

When I was a member, all clubs were allowed to nominate their fastest swimmers for the two important places in the team: the patient, who had to swim out to the buoy first, and the beltman, who had to take the belt out. Another important position was the man on the reel, who, when the patient was brought in, had to be the resuscitator.

He had to use pressure on the patient twelve times a minute, and we had a man who could do that consistently. But then that was changed and allocations were drawn from a hat, which meant that all the team had to be good swimmers because anyone could be the patient or beltman." [2]

In the 1930s, a variety of sports was available including: lawn bowls, croquet, rugby league, soccer, cricket, hockey, cycling, golf, and racing (horse).