Happy Birthday - Raiders turn 25 tomorrow

[thickos]

Raiders celebrate 25th Birthday

March 29, 2006

After 25 years of success, failure, and everything that comes in between, the Canberra Raiders will celebrate their 25th birthday tomorrow by holding a special breakfast to landmark the occasion.​

March 30, 1981, is the date the Canberra Raiders were officially admitted to the then NSW Rugby League, joining the competition with the now merged club the Illawarra Steelers.
To celebrate the Raiders birthday 2CC will be holding a live broadcast from Raiders HQ in Bruce from 6am – 9am, and are inviting any of the clubs supporters and associates over the last 25 years to attend the historic occasion.
All of the current Canberra first grade squad will be on hand to have breakfast with their supporters and friends of the club, with Captain Clinton Schifcofske on hand to cut the birthday cake along with Raiders Chairman John McIntyre.
Raiders Chief executive Simon Hawkins said 25 years in the top echelon of Rugby League is cause for a celebration, with the Raiders rollercoaster taking all Canberran’s for a great ride over the past quarter of a century.
“It’s obviously a significant milestone for the club and one that should be deservedly recognised,” Hawkins said. “It’s a chance to reflect on the good and the bad times in the history of the club over 25 years, and it’s a reminder that we need to keep moving forward, not only as an organisation but as a group of people as well.”
Hawkins said the Raiders have had a lot to celebrate over the years, and is confident these days will return sooner rather than later.
“It’s a good reason to celebrate and reflect on the glory days of the late eighties and early nineties, with a view to returning to those days in the near future,” he said.
Raiders Chairman John McIntyre is one man who has been there to see the club grow into the successful organisation it is today, and he said Canberra’s association with Rugby League is something that should be celebrated.
“It’s the anniversary of the clubs inclusion into the Rugby League fold, and our acceptance as a Rugby League town,” McIntyre said. “The inclusion of the Raiders certainly changed the lives of Canberran’s forever.”
McIntyre said the memories of the early days for the Raiders are ones that will stick with him forever, and he said it has been an honor to watch the club grow in stature not only in Canberra but across the world.
“There was a very positive buzz around at the time of our inclusion, with the rank and file supporter knowing it was going to be tough yards,” he said. “But they were realistic enough to know that it was going to take time and luckily they have stuck with us.”
McIntyre said back in the early eighties it was a tough ask for any Rugby League supporter to drop any previous allegiances to other clubs and support the Raiders, but the response they received and continue to receive was and is overwhelming.
“Our crowd attendances at the start depended on who we were playing, with the bigger crowds attending the Parramatta, St George and South’s matches, because that’s who people followed before the Raiders,” he said. “But over the years we have built a great supporter base and the breakfast is a chance to thank those supporters for the opportunity we were given.”
McIntyre hopes the Raiders can use the celebration to help the team on field this season, with the birthday a good chance to remember what the club is here to do, win football games.
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the club and hopefully this occasion can turn things around and start something special.”

​

 

[Raider Ultra]

Anyone else going? I've got to be at uni at 10am, so might pop along.

 

[Raider Azz]

unfortunately i have professional experience all this week and next, so i will be teaching all day tomorrow. would have loved to go though.

 

[Crazy_Goddess]

Sorry can't go to far away

 

[thickos]

A wonderful article...

25 years with the Raiders, and hungry for fourth title
Chris Wilson
Thursday, 30 March 2006

Canberra Raiders founding chairman Les McIntyre spends most of his days in his favourite beige corduroy armchair, in the corner of his Queanbeyan lounge room.

There's a walker by his side, but the 90-year-old's artificial hips don't allow him to venture far these days.

He doesn't need to. Two of the things he's most passionate about are within reach.

To his right is the television, on which he watches up to three videos of old Raiders matches a day. He has 25 seasons to choose from.

Over his left shoulder is the wall-length front window, affording him a view over the town he's called home since he was nine. "I never get sick of that view," Mr McIntyre says, mechanically tilting his chair forward and squinting through his black-rimmed bifocals.

The window is symbolic.

Today marks the official 25th birthday of the Canberra Raiders. On March 30, 1981, the yet-to-be-named Canberra team was officially accepted as the 14th club into the then NSW Rugby League competition.

Mr McIntyre, recognised as the club's founding father, had written in the submission to the NSWRL, "In terms of status, Canberra, as the national capital, is the front window of Australia, and rugby league should be prominently displayed."

After a four-hour hearing to consider submissions from Canberra and Campbelltown, the NSWRL general committee voted 24-18 to accept Canberra for the 1982 season.

The victory was reported on the front page of The Canberra Times and Mr McIntyre was quoted: "It's the best thing that has happened to Canberra since its inauguration, as far as sport is concerned."

Competing in their 25th season, the Raiders have played 600 games for 320 wins. There have been five grand final appearances and three premierships.

Of the 262 first-grade players who have worn the lime-green jersey, there have been 15 Australian internationals."Over the period of time, they're one of the success stories of rugby league," MrMcIntyre says, proud of his role in the club's development. "There's a lot of clubs that have played for years and still haven't won a premiership."

Mr McIntyre's big hope is to see the Raiders win another title.

"They're in a rebuilding process," he points out, but there are youngsters to be excited about - "William Zillman and Michael Weyman, to name a few."

But what of Canberra's start to the 2006 season? Mr McIntryre shows a sense of humour, pinching his nose and pulling his hand down in a flushing motion.

"Certainly I love to see them win. But I got quite used to being beaten earlier on," he says, chuckling.

"We won four games in the first year, which surprised everyone. I got 20-1 we wouldn't."

He continues, more seriously this time, "When they get beat I feel as much pain as they do, I think."

Mr McIntyre is confident the video collection in his study contains almost every Raiders match played - even a lot of the lower-grade games. Former Raiders premiership coach Tim Sheens used to borrow the tapes from Mr McIntyre for his coaching research.

Every day Mr McIntyre goes to the shelf and picks out a tape or two at random, reliving the old battles on his set. His wife of 65 years, Elsie, watches all the current matches with him, but generally reads a book while Les is watching old videos. There's one exception - Canberra's inaugural grand final win over the Balmain Tigers in 1989. "That's one I always I have to get up and watch," she says.

Mr McIntyre will be 91 in May. Will he ever tire of watching the game? "I haven't yet," and again he's grinning. "I can't believe it's been 25 years, it only seems like yesterday. When you get to my age, time gets away quickly."

It can do that to you when you're window-gazing.

 

[reptar]

That's a fantastic story. Hopefully the current team finds it inspirational.

 

[hrundi99]

I'm not 91 but I too have been "with" the club since it's inception, and I have to say that I've been pretty lucky in that the club has been a successful one. Being able to watch some of the true greats of the game pull on your team's jumper has been a definite privilege.

 

[dubby]

Awesome story Thickos. Well done.

 

[ed bbay]

i wish that old dude was still incharge or he taught his son something while he was growing up because his son is a GOOOOOOOSE