When he was out on the wing for Western Suburbs, you couldn’t miss Wayne Stewart. He was fast, elusive and exciting to watch.
A player who achieved it all in his time – including winning premierships, playing for Queensland and featuring in a Test for Australia – he also became the all-time top points scorer for Wests.
It therefore came as no surprise when Stewart was named in the club’s Team of Century in 2015, announced at a special ceremony at Suncorp Stadium, which was known as Lang Park when it served as the old home ground for the Panthers.
However, the man himself was unaware for years about his special achievement, as the passing of time meant the club had lost touch with him and his whereabouts.
Not only did they not know where to find him, they also did not know if he was still alive to join with past players to reminisce on the good old days with the club, as with the sad passing of Queensland Rugby League and club historian Mike Higgison, the search had stalled.
Years went by and Marco Giaroli, who helped co-ordinate the Team of the Centenary event for Wests Juniors, was thrilled to get a text out of the blue in June to let him know Stewart had been found.
“All players, or their family members, were presented with jerseys on the night at Lang Park, formally Wests' home ground,” Giaroli said.
“No one could contact Wayne Stewart or family members.
“Then, thanks to Men of League, I received (a text).”
The text was from Jamie Staib, who at the time was checking in with Stewart as part of his role as a welfare officer for Men of League on the Fraser Coast.
By happy accident, he discovered Stewart’s achievement and was able to help the club get back in contact with one of their greatest players.
Knowing Stewart once played for the club, Staib searched online for information about how the club was faring in the Rugby League Brisbane competition and found a news item about the Team of the Century.
“With a phone meeting this evening, I Googled his beloved Wests Panthers to see how they were going... this is when I discovered Wayne was named in the Team of the Century in 2015,” Staib wrote in the text to Giaroli.
“When I informed Wayne, he said he had no idea of this. Wayne is living alone in Hervey Bay and has not had much social media.
“I just wanted to know if anything came with being selected in the Team of the Century?”
Indeed there was, and with their winger found, the club quickly went about finding an appropriate way to honour Stewart.
Stewart was acknowledged at the club’s Old Boys Day at Purtell Park in June, and was presented with his Team of the Century jersey by Ron Raper, the man who coached him to grand final wins in 1975 and 1976. A number of his former team mates, including Greg Oliphant, were also present to honour Stewart.
Buoyed by the success of finding Stewart, this year, the club hopes to have similar good fortune in tracking down the relatives of five other players to present them with their jerseys.
The players are:
Cec Annsley
Henry Denny
Jack Maguire
Norm Potter
Bill Richards
The players featured with club between 1915 and 1940, and anyone with any information about relatives of these five former players are asked to email Giaroli.
Wayne Stewart statistics
Position: Wing
First grade at Wests: 1969-1977
Wests honours: 1975 and 1976 premiership teams; Wests all-time top points scorer
BRL honours: 1972 BRL top points scorer
Representative (Australia): 1 Test - 1972 (1 v NZ)
Representative (Queensland): 9 matches – 1970 (4), 1971 (1), 1972 (3), 1975 (1); 1972 and 1974 Queensland tours to New Zealand; 1971 QRL intensive training squad
Representative (South Queensland): 1972 (v NSW Country)
Representative (City): 1970, 1971, 1972
Representative (Brisbane): 1970 (v North Queensland / Toowoomba / Central Queensland); 1970 (Brisbane under 21 v Western Australia); 1971 (v North Queensland / NSW Country); 1972 (v North Queensland); 1975 (v England)
Representative (Bulimba Cup): Brisbane (7) 1970-72
Representative (other): 1971 (South of Brisbane)
Main image: Ron Raper, Geoff Richardson, Greg Oliphant and Wayne Stewart. Photo: supplied
