New Life Members Announced at the AGM

Brad Burke

Brad Burke was a superb halfback and leader, considered at the time by many respected judges, as our club's best scrum half since Ken Catchpole.

After joining as an Australian School Boy from our traditional nursery at Waverley College, Brad played 179 club games in Myrtle Green from 1982-1995, including 127 in First Grade game. In total he scored 67 tries and 280 points.

Brad played in an amazing five First Grade Premiership winning teams in 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989 and then made a comeback to do so yet again in 1994. He captained the team in 3 of those wins in 1987, 1988 and 1989, as he did in our famous game against the All Blacks at Coogee Oval in 1988.

He also played in two other losing First Grand Final teams in 1985 & 1986, along with 2nd Grade in 1983. He was also awarded the club's best and fairest player in 1984.

At representative level he was capped 7 times for NSW and also captained his state. He played one test match for Australia, against Scotland in Edinburgh in 1988 and becoming Wallaby #646 in the process. He also represented Australia in 7’s.

He started his coaching career with us in 1992 in 2nd Grade and saw immediate success with a premiership that year, before returning to play in 1994 and 95. After he finally retired for good, he returned to coaching with First Grade in 1998 and eventually won a Shute Shield in 2000 as a coach, before finishing up in 2003.

In recent times Brad has given back to the club coaching at our Junior Academy for many years and with our feeder club the Randwick Warriors. He has now taken on the newly created voluntary role of Director of Rugby at the Warriors - to develop our future coaches and players in our most critical pathways.

A delighted Brad said “Thanks to everyone who nominated and supported me for Life Membership of Randwick Rugby - it is a great honour and I’m incredibly proud.”

Geoff James

Geoff James has had a lifelong affiliation with Randwick Rugby and is a hugely respected volunteer and contributor right across our local community, with Clovelly Surf Life Saving Club, where he was a former President and a Life Member.

Geoff, who is affectionately known as ‘The Phantom’, has had 35 years+ active involvement with the club, originally as a player from 1980-1983, including being a member of the 1982 4th Grade premiership winning team. Then most pivotally, as our Head of Strength & Conditioning and Head Trainer in First Grade and more broadly across the club for a decade from 1990-1999.

This coincided with one of the golden eras of the club with 1st Grade winning Premierships in 1990, 1991 ,1992, 1994 and 1996. The club also won a further 17 Lower Grade titles in this period, with Geoff’s significant in all this success.

Plus, in the last 20 years he has had a massive footprint contributing to our junior pathways, coaching at village club and representative levels and at our Junior Academy. He has coached for 13 years straight at the Academy, barely missing a session since its inception in 2012 and still continues to do so. He is immensely popular with the over 350 boys and girls in our Academy and his booming and encouraging voice is well recognised and loved by them all.

A proud Geoff said “ I live in Randwick, played for Randwick, coached at Randwick and teach at Randwick Girls. Everything in my life is Randwick and I have made so many long term friendships within our club and in our community. I am absolutely honoured to become a Life Member of our incredible club”

Matthew Wheeler

Matthew Wheeler is as rusted-on a Randwick Rugby man as there ever was or could be and has given over 40 years of amazing service to us in his 50 years lifetime.

Matthew was never able to don the Myrtle Green as a player, but that never prevented his involvement at Randwick Rugby. In fact, that only drove him to make an even more remarkable impact to our club off the field, as a hugely popular and highly effective volunteer across so many areas of our operations.

‘Matty’ as he is known to everyone, began his Galloping Greens journey at the club as a ballboy in 1985, which he did for a number of years, he even ran the line while physically able to, before moving into the managerial ranks. He started in 5th Grade in 1991 and they won the comp for 2 years in a row. After that he moved up to 3rd Grade and has pretty much stayed as an Assistant Manager of lower grade teams ever since and currently assists 2nd Grade.

Every premiership being celebrated regardless of what Grade invariably had Matty in the victory photo as his footprint was club wide. He has also never been shy in giving the team’s he was involved in a halftime rev up if he saw it was warranted and of course his renditions of McNamara’s Band in the dressing room are legendary!

For over a decade Matty also never a missed a training session and was one the key BBQ kings during this era, helping to feed the masses at training. In recent years Matty has been 2IC to Dan Dowe as our Match Controller and is a constant fixture on the halfway line wearing his red vest, managing match timings and sin bins from 4th Grade onward. When grade is away, he shows up to all the Colts games at Coogee or Latham - rain, hail or shine.

Most importantly, his positive attitude has always been inspiring to everyone around the club – whether they be Wallabies, 5th Graders, 3rd Colts, First Grade Coaches, Presidents or General Managers.

A very happy Matty, who joins his father Warwick and Uncle Stu as a Life Member of the club also addressed the AGM and simply said, “I love Randwick Rugby and I’ll be back again next year!”