Family ties have Ivanhoes staying strong after 100 years

Author: Jacob Grams QRL community content producer
Timestamp: Tue 22 Aug 2023, 09:21 AM

Ivanhoes Rugby League Club players and volunteers from all eras came together last month to celebrate footy, family and their fair share of success.

The Knights can lay claim to being one of the oldest sporting clubs in Cairns and most of the stories in their 100 years were told across several days.

An informal Thursday night meet and greet got the yarns started before the festivities really kicked off on Friday, July 28 when a hearty crew packed into their Smithfield home to watch the A grade side take down traditional rivals Brothers.

A gala event was held on Saturday, with hundreds gathering at the Pullman Cairns International.

The night included several panel discussions celebrating senior men's and women's rugby league, while South Sydney Rabbitohs coach and former Northern Pride premiership winning coach Jason Demetriou was a special guest.

Ivanhoes 100th anniversary reunion organiser Laurie Henley said it was great to see players from the 1940s through to the current day mixing in what was a "huge success".

Ivanhoes' female rugby league panel Jaimee Hislop, Tania Davis, Leah Slade and Heather Ballinger. Photo: Chris Robson

Many visitors to the club over the weekend of events were descendants of players in the very early days, a sign of just how important family has been to building the club.

"They stick around and, yeah, and I think the fact that so many of the senior players assist with the juniors, I think that's been a really big thing as well. You've got the connection all the way through," Henley, who has volunteered at Ivanhoes since the mid-1990s, said.

Tom Barrett and Bev Wright cut the 100th anniversary cake. Photo: Chris Robson

"When these kids stand up on presentation night and say, Ivanhoes is my heart, you know, that I don't want to go anywhere else, that's special."

The Henley name has been synonymous with so much of the club's history, while a similarly large Slade entourage was part of the gala night.

Ivanhoes president Noel Slade said the celebration had been building all year, with players wearing retro jerseys at times throughout the season, including from the famous 1991 premiership and 1963, when the club won in all grades.

That 1963 side included one of the club's all-time greats in John Skardon, who has had two grandsons playing at Ivanhoes this year.

Slade himself is a third-generation president - his dad Bruce and grandad Darcy both had the top job.

"Both my grandparents are life members. My dad's a life member, my sister's a life member and I'm a life member. So there's history there too," he said.

Jason Demetriou speaking at the event. Photo: Chris Robson

Rather than face the impossible task of choosing a team of the century, Ivanhoes instead celebrated their modern history with a team of the 21st century, featuring a handful of current players.

Every A grade coach of the 21st century had the opportunity to put their names forwards, with a fantastic level of engagement ensuring a quality XIII was selected.