Last week was a bit weird for me. It was my final week of being Sunshine Coast Falcons Rugby League Club chairman – a position I have held from late 2013 until now.
Before that, I had a nine-year spell as president of Rugby League Sunshine Coast, during which one of those years I was chairman at the Falcons (which proved more difficult than I imagined at the time).
Despite the fact that playing in my younger years had been tough on my body (particularly my face), and I was an ordinary player, the game has been very good to me.
In fact, I continued to play for a very long time – because I didn’t know I was bad. If they had video reviews in those days, I would have stopped playing a lot earlier.
But, I’m glad I did keep playing. I met a whole lot of great people through footy, from the Coast to Longreach and Perth. I met my wife because of footy, and I probably got to run establishments including The Pub Mooloolaba, O’Malleys Irish Bar (now closed) and Chancellors Tavern, and heaps of other projects, because of it. I got a start at the local newspaper and ABC radio in the late ’90s because of footy.
I have to thank Danny McGuire, who talked me into taking over the reins of Sunshine Coast Rugby League Football Club in the early 2000s, as it was something I had never thought about. I must say, he was a great mentor and very patient.
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The Falcons gig came about a few years after I had done my time at local footy and it was a challenge. The organisation was in rough shape, mainly due to circumstances out of everyone’s control. If it wasn’t for former chairman Peter Boyce and David Cordwell, the club would not have existed.
To be honest, the only reason I took the volunteer job was because Chris Flannery, fresh from a great footy career, was the newly-appointed CEO. I had always been a fan and wanted to help out.
It was an uphill battle: many losses and, even worse, a loss of life with the passing of James Ackerman in 2015, which was tragic and ground that none of us had ever had to cover before. A strong family and a united club brought the community behind the Falcons, aiding its resilience and making sure that the young man’s legacy is never forgotten.
It is something that will stay with me forever – as will the trials and tribulations of a footy club and the people who pass through its dressing room doors: players, staff, volunteers, sponsors and supporters. Thanks, and once a Falcon, always a Falcon.
Ashley Robinson is Mets Caloundra CEO, chairman of Thunder Netball and a lifetime Sunshine Coast resident.
