Ken Catchpole papers

MLMSS 12006

fonds

1939-2019

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Photographs, Ephemera, Clippings

9675622

1.44 metres of textual material (9 boxes)

Ken Catchpole (1939-2017) was arguably Australia’s greatest ever rugby union half back. He played his first representative game when selected for NSW against the British Lions in 1959. He was appointed captain of the Australian team (the Wallabies) for his first test match against Fiji in 1961 at the age of 21 and also captained the team on its tour of South Africa the same year. In all he played in 27 test matches, 13 as captain. Following the Wallabies’ win against England at Twickenham in 1967, the President of the England Rugby Football Union, Dougie Harrison described Catchpole as the ‘greatest scrum-half the world has known’. His international career was prematurely ended in a test match against the New Zealand All Blacks in 1968 when Colin Meads infamously tried to drag him by one leg from a ruck with the result that his hamstring was torn from the pelvic bone, his groin muscles ripped and his sciatic nerve damaged. In later years he served as Vice-President and President of the New South Wales Rugby Union. He was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2013.

Source: Collection and file notes

Box 1

Folder 1. Introduction by June Catchpole
Early Years: Education and Achievements

Folder 2. Family Tree, marriage certificate, family photographs
Childhood including photographs, birth certificate, 1939-1951

Folder 3. Coogee Preparatory School photographs and memorabilia
The Scots College photographs, ephemera, 1952-1954

Folder 4. Scots College photographs, ephemera, 1955-1957

Folder 5. Role of the Half-Back: Skills and Talents, photographs, ephemera, press cuttings, 1957-1958

Folder 6. Randwick, New South Wales, Australia versus British Lions, photographs, Rugby News, press cuttings, 1958-1959

Box 2

Folder 7. Randwick, New South Wales tour to New Zealand, 1960

Folder 8. Wallabies tour to South Africa, photographs, press cuttings, 1961

Folder 9. Wallabies tour to South Africa, Ken’s address to the “True Believers,” French Test press cuttings, photographs, programs, 1961

Folder 10. Randwick, Fiji, South Africa, photographs, press cuttings, programs, 1961

Folder 11. Wallaby tour to South Africa, photographs, press cuttings, programs, 1961

Folder 12. New Zealand Tour; Wallabies tour to New Zealand, photographs, press cuttings, programs, 1962

Box 3

Folder 13. Wallabies tour to South Africa, photographs, press cuttings, programs, program for New South Wales versus Wallabies match at Sydney Sports Ground, September 1963

Folder 14. Wallabies tour to South Africa, photographs, press cuttings, programs, autographs, 1963

Folder 15. Wallabies tour to New Zealand (1962) and South Africa (1963), photographs, Rugby Union Almanac, 1963

Box 4

Folder 16. Randwick team, Tour of New Zealand (1964), Springboks Tour, 1965, British Isles Tour, photographs, press cuttings, programs, 1966

Folder 17. Fifth Wallabies British Isles Tour, photographs, press cuttings, tour programs some autographed, 1966-1967

Folder 18. British Isles tour, France, photographs, press cuttings, tour programs some autographed, 1966-1967

Box 5

Folder 19. British Isles tour includes diary entries email from Peter Johnson to tour group, material relating to William Webb Ellis, International Hall of Fame, 1966-1967, 2011

Folder 20. British Isles and France tour photographs, 1966-1967

Folder 21. Club competitions, Australian tour to USA and Italy (1966), test versus Ireland (1967), Ian Arnold interview, tests versus All Blacks (1968) including Catchpole’s last test, Randwick premiership, 1968, Violence in the Game, domestic season, 1969 includes press cuttings, articles, photographs, tour programs, 1967-1969

Box 6

Folder 22. Retirement including commentary, Meadow Lea, Goodman Fielder, copy of Report on the Enquiry into Standards of Rugby in Australia (1972), transcript of interview with Neil Bennetts, National Library of Australia (1981), letter of concern about ‘the laws of the game’, ‘Qualities of a Successful Athlete paper, Commissioner’s luncheon, ‘Ways of identifying Strengths and Weaknesses’, Sport Australia Hall of Fame, Rugby World Cup squad selection, letter from Dick Marks to World Cup Squad players, ABC contract for the 1989 British Lions tour, 1972-1989

Folder 23. SCG Trust appointment, rugby test preview luncheon, Waratah Rugby, The Catchpole Trophy, Extracts from Jack Pollard’s ‘The Game and the Players’, correspondence to the ARFU on the Australian’s approach to the Haka, letter to the NZRFU on the decision not to ban Richard Loe for his late hit on Paul Carozza, 1990-1995

Folder 24. Correspondence, job application and resume, speech transcript of address given to NSW Rugby life members in April 1996, letter to Beres Ellwood on the National Coaching Panel’s approach to backline play, letter to ARFU on the exoneration of Damian Smith for foul play against David Campese and Matt Burke in the NSW versus Queensland game 13 April 1996, signed by Ken Catchpole and John Thornett, photographs of the 1st Grade premiers 30th reunion, August 1997, re-election to SCG Trust, 1996-1998

Folder 25. “Go Catchy Go 2GB Tribute Luncheon”, photographs, invitations, 100 years of Australian Test Rugby Centenary Dinner book signed by 25 of the 32 living Wallaby Captains, Dawn Fraser, Marlene Matthews, Bob Templeton and others, various charity functions supported by Catchpole including The Bandaged Bear, Cystic Fibrosis Support, Humpty Dumpty Foundation, Olympic Torch Relay for the Sydney Olympics, Scots College functions, 1999-2000

Box 7

Folder 26. Letters of congratulations for the OAM, The Balmoral Burn, Classic Wallabies Race Day, Carbine Club Autumn Racing Luncheon, Penrith Harness Racing Club, farewell dinner Noel Neate, 2001; Classic Wallabies Race Day Royal Randwick, International Rugby Hall of Fame induction, Catchpole Medal presentation, Australian Sports Medal, appointment as Barbarians Rugby Club Patron, Camden Rugby Club Business dinner, Topo Rodriguez Mayoral Charity Golf Day, 2002, 50th Birthday celebrations, Warringah Council, 2001-2002

Folder 27. Letters of congratulation for Centenary Medal, 100 years of Trans-Tasman rugby, domestic and international events, 80th anniversary of Randwick Rugby, SCG matches, International Hall of fame Induction, Walk of Honour induction material, fund raising lunches and dinners for Red Cross, Children's Cancer Institute, capping of former Wallabies, Sydney’s Greatest Ever Sports Stars; 1963 Wallaby Reunion at Medlow Bath, 1964 Wallaby Reunion, Catchpole/Brockhoff medal, 2003-2004

Folder 28. Changes to the laws of the game paper by Ken Catchpole and Dick Marks, Sydney Breast Cancer, Rotary Club Windsor, Cystic Fibrosis, Tom Nash Foundation, Wallaby Captains functions, Randwick Rugby Union Dream Team nominations, Australian Rugby Team of the Century, Centenary of Australia and New Zealand Test Rugby celebrations, reunion photographs, press cuttings, sponsors dinners, further papers relating to changes to the laws of the game, 2003-2004

Folder 29. Induction to Wallaby Hall of Fame Certificate and photograph, 1965 Wallabies reunion Southern Highlands, Reception at Government House, The Great Debate: League versus Union, John Eales Medal dinner, Matt Burke Book Launch, charity functions, re-election to SCG Trust, Warringah Australia Remembers Trust, Sir Roden Cutler statue unveiling, Centenary of Australia and New Zealand Test Rugby celebrations, Maitland Football Club, correspondence, photographs, invitations, 1966-1967 Wallabies reunion at Thredbo, NSWRU minutes, correspondence relating to expulsion of Southern Districts and Penrith from the SRU competition, 2005-2007

Box 8

Folder 30. Album of photographs, articles and correspondence relating to the unveiling of Cathy Weiszmann’s statue of Ken Catchpole at the Sydney Cricket Ground, 8 September 2010

Folder 31. Appointed as Wallaby Statesman by the Australian Rugby Union, letter of support from Alan Jones after the arrest of Ken’s son, Mark Catchpole; Scots College Dave Brockhoff Tribute luncheon, Scots College Hall of Fame induction, establishment of 10 team Shute Shield, appointment of Classic Wallabies Statesmen, photographs, articles on Invincible Wallaby Medal award to Catchpole, Colin Windon, Mark Ella and David Campese, Tribute dinner at Kinross Wallaroi School, Randwick Hall of Fame inductees, Game management Guidelines for Community Level Rugby in Australia , 2010 by GMG Working Party, transcript of speech at the unveiling of the Cathy Weiszmann’s statue of Ken Catchpole at the Sydney Cricket Ground, 8 September 2015, limited edition bound copies from unveiling of Catchpole (2), Trevor Allan, Reg Gasnier, Frederick Spofforth and Paul Roos statues, A Tribute to John Thornett dinner and auction program, 2008-2010

Folder 32. Naming of the Greg Davis Grandstand at Drummoyne Oval, SRU Awards luncheon, 1961-1962 Wallabies South African and New Zealand tours reunion at Batemans Bay including a guide to the tour by Peter Johnson, The Rugby Club Life Membership, Trustee Reserve farewell dinner, Government House cocktail party, Wallabies, Senator John Faulkner’s Adjournment Speech on the twentieth anniversary of Bill “Tiger” O’Reilly’s death, Australia v India 100th test limited edition commemorative program, Cliff Morgan’s death, SRU Awards luncheon, Scots College article, the Vintage Lunch, Royal Sydney Golf Club, IRB Referee signals, IRB announces inductees to Hall of Fame for Thomas Lawton, John Thornett, Ken Catchpole, David Campese, Mark Ella and George Gregan, Australia v France at SCG, retirement as Trustees for the SCG – awarded Life Membership, Rodney Cavalier’s resignation as Chairman, opening of the renovated MA Noble, Don Bradman and Dally Messenger Stands at Swans v Giants match, 2011-2014

Folder 33. Proposed changes to scrum laws, R.J.P. (Dick) Marks, 2012 (75pp), two ARU guest passes and lanyards, Australia v France, 2014

Box 9

Folder 34. ‘Catchy: Centre Stage, 1939-2017’ June Catchpole with Ken Catchpole manuscript/typescript memoir

Folder 35. Retirement as trustee of the SCG farewell luncheon, Randwick fundraising luncheon, Randwick reunion dinner - Premiers 1965-1967, Inside Rugby Magazine article, photographs, Poem on Ken Catchpole by Peter Fenton, eulogies after Ken’s death in December 2017, newspaper tributes to friends of Ken and June Catchpole including John Thornett, Jeff Sayle, Dick Tooth, Bob Outterside, Jim Lenehan; poems by June Catchpole written during Ken’s illness and after his death, clippings regarding Australia hosting the 2027 World Cup, Listing of memorabilia donated to the Australian Rugby Museum and a list of memorabilia retained by Ken’s children, 2015-2019

Folder 36. Ken’s speech notes, notes on Integrated Learning Systems

Folder 37. ‘Catchpole: The Legend’ Chapters 1-8 by June Catchpole

Bound edition of ‘Ken Catchpole: How to Play Rugby.’ A free scrapbook issued by the National Fitness Council through The Sun newspaper, 1960s

Coogee Boys Preparatory School Centenary book, 2014

Copyright restrictions may apply:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales