Pop-up museum planned to coincide with Moree rugby league’s centenary ball this month
MOREE and District Historical Society will open a ‘pop-up’ museum to coincide with this month’s Moree rugby league centenary celebrations – and society president Stephen Ritchie is calling on anyone that might have old photos, trophies or memorabilia to help build on the already impressive display the society has planned.
Ritchie, Moree Plains Shire Council deputy mayor, said the museum will be set up in shop 14 of the Max Centre – right on the corner of Balo and Heber Streets.
It is hoped to have the museum open for public viewing at least one week prior to the Moree Boars Rugby League Football Club’s Centenary Ball at the Moree Memorial Hall on Saturday, July 21.
“We want to have it all up and open to coincide with the ball,” Ritchie said.
“We’ll keep it open for two weeks afterwards as well, and we are looking for community assistance to help source memorabilia for this one-off event.
“The historical society has got literally hundreds of photographs and a lot of memorabilia but I am hoping that there are people out there with similar mementoes that can be displayed as well.
“We want to show the people of Moree and visitors to the town just how rich our local rugby league history is, and setting up a pop-up shop to coincide with the centenary ball later this month is the ideal time to do it.
The Moree Magpies Football Club team members and officials, runners-up in 1919. Can you name them?
“The bigger the display we have, the better it will be,” he said.
Ritchie said the society was looking for photos, trophies, even footballs and jerseys from a bygone yet historically important era of Moree rugby league.
“Every piece of memorabilia that is loaned to us will be documented and well looked after, and returned to their owners when the display is closed,” Ritchie said.
“Who knows, there might even be some people out there that would like to donate their pieces to the historical society so they can be displayed permanently once we get our local museum up and running.”
And it’s not just treasured pieces from local rugby league that the historical society wants to exhibit, Ritchie said.
“As well as league memorabilia, we would love to display similar pieces and photos from Moree rugby union, soccer and Aussie Rules – all codes are very strong in Moree and all have very rich histories,” he said.
Ritchie urges anyone that can assist in any way to contact him on 0427 149500.
“The 100-year rugby league celebrations and centenary ball later this month are very important chapters of Moree’s rich football history, and the historical society wants to put on display as much of that history as possible in our pop-up museum,” Ritchie said.
Local league’s night-of-nights will take place at the Moree War Memorial Hall on Saturday, July 21.
Tickets, at just $60 per person, are available until Saturday, July 7 at www.trybooking.com/vzuy.
The cost includes canapes, dinner, a charity auction and live entertainment.
Former league stars Tony Butterfield and David “Cement” Gillespie will be guest speakers at an evening that is expected to bring together hundreds of past and present, players, coaches, officlais and supporters of Moree rugby league.
Words: Bill Poulos
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Pop-up museum planned to coincide with Moree rugby league’s centenary ball this month
MOREE and District Historical Society will open a ‘pop-up’ museum to coincide with this month’s Moree rugby league centenary celebrations – and society president Stephen Ritchie is calling on anyone that might have old photos, trophies or memorabilia to help build on the already impressive display the society has planned.
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PART ONE: Rugby league has been played in Moree for 100 years – and Alf Scott has been around for 94 of them
RUGBY league has been played at competition level in Moree for 100 years – and living treasure and local league historian Alf Scott has been around for 94 of them.
And, incredibly, for 71 of those 94 years, Alf has been directly involved at club and group level with the game that he loves.
Alf has been kicking goals for nearly as long as the game of rugby league has been played in Moree and he remembers with absolute clarity every try scored, every goal kicked and every tackle made – and every player involved.
Click link to read part one of the feature on local rugby league legend Alf Scott:
PART TWO: Alf Scott farewells Moree
The Moree Boars centenary ball on July 21 will celebrate 100 years of rugby league in Moree – but it will also serve as a farewell of sorts to a Moree resident that has been a loyal servant to the town, and the game of rugby league, for more than 70 years.
Moree will be left much the poorer when local rugby league pioneer Alf Scott leaves the district to be closer to family.
Alf, now 94, was born and bred in Moree and, apart from a four-year stint in the Australian Army between 1942 and 1946, has been a resident of the town his entire life.
And he has served Moree well.
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