Our Culture

(Listed In year of Award)

Peter refereed a total of 350 games in ACT Competitions, including 166 in first Grade. 

On the domestic representative front, he refereed the ACT team eighty times. And was appointed to a record 10 consecutive First Grade Grand Finals from 1980-1989. 

Peters’ appointment to the schoolboys Test in 1998 between Australia & England made him the first ACTRRA official to achieve the status of Test referee. 

In 1988 Peter was invited to travel to Tonga to referee the Test between Tonga & France but reluctantly declined due to work commitments. 

He was also a member of the ARU’s International Representative Referees Panel for 9 years between 1981 and 1989.

As a player, Colin represented Queanbeyan in 220 first grade games in the ACT Rugby Union competition, but his greatest contribution to the game came through his dedication to coaching and administration. 

Colin coached various rugby teams for over 26 years. In 1974 he assisted with the formation of the Rothman’s coaching scheme, attaining his Rothman’s coaching badge in 1976 and his advance level coaching badge in 1978. 

Junior teams coached by Colin include the ACT under 16 representative sides who were NSW State Champions in 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and Australian Champions in 1975 and 1976; the St Edmund’s College First XV, winners of the Waratah Shield 1984-89 and 1991; the ACT Schools team, Australian Champions in 1986 and 1988; and the Australian Under 17 team on tours to New Zealand in 1982 and 1984. In senior rugby competition Colin coached the Queanbeyan First Grade team to ACT premierships from 1981-83; the Australian Navy, winners of the Australian Services Championships in 1988 and 1989; and the ACT Senior team from 1978-80. 

One of Colin’s most notable achievements was coaching the ACT senior side to a victory over Wales in 1978, at the time that Wales were the Five Nations Champions. 

In 1987 Colin was named ACT Rugby Union Coach of the Year. 

Colin has been a senior official of the Queanbeyan Rugby Club since 1960. In addition he served on the committee of the Queanbeyan Rugby Union Football Club from 1960-70, was a foundation member of the licensed club in 1965 and a director from 1965-95. He has also held the positions of Senior Vice President of the Queanbeyan Rugby Club from 1971-77, Deputy Chairman Queanbeyan Rugby Union Licensed Club from 1981-85 and President of the Licensed Club from 1986-88. 

He was part of the formation of ACT Rugby Union in 1960 and from 1973-77 served as Vice-President of ACT Rugby Union. He has also been a member of the Australian Schools Rugby Foundation Committee since 1989. 

Colin has been awarded life memberships to the following organisations; Queanbeyan Pastoral Horticultural and Agricultural Society (1979), Queanbeyan Rugby Football Club (1980), Queanbeyan Rugby Club limited (licensed Club) (1981), ACT Rugby Union (1984) and ACT Schools Rugby Union (1989)

Graham Hughes is a modest person but his rugby record is far from modest. 

He won the MacDougall Medal, awarded to the outstanding player in the ACT competition, and the Tommy Byrne Memorial Trophy for ACT’s best and fairest.

There is little debate about Hughes’ standing at the Whites. He would be named in the club’s best ever team. He has played more than 200 first grade games, captained the Whites to premierships in 1981 and 1982. 

Hughes represented the ACT throughout the 1970’s and early 80’s. He also played for NSW Country. Graham has played against the All Blacks, Tonga, Fiji, the Barbarians, Wales and Ireland. He was once described as the best rugby forward to never have played for the Wallabies. 

Graham is a life member of the club and as a keen supporter of the Whites, he can be seen at most games. 

The backbone Club officials often go unrecognised and today not many stay in voluntary roles for long periods. Graham was president of Queanbeyan from 1970 to 1983 and was president of the ACTRU from 1980 until 1989. He was the club’s and the ACT’s backbone as an outstanding administrator.

A man of high principle, patience and persuasion he was a leader in rugby for more than two decades.

Helen is recognised as one the ACT’s and Australia’s most outstanding and talented Women’s Rugby players, having been Captain of both the ACT & the Australian Women’s Representative team, the Wallaroos in 1996, and a long-time club player for Royals. 

Helen was the first ACT representative to wear the Wallaroos jersey (along with Louise Ferris) in the 1994 Test against New Zealand, beginning a proud tradition that continues to this day. 

She was also the inaugural recipient of the ACT Women’s Player of the year in 1994. 

The Helen Taylor Award is presented to the Women’s Player of the Year in the Canberra Premier 15’s women’s competition.

Phil is a modest but highly respected individual. He has won the MacDougall Medal, awarded to the outstanding player in the ACT competition twice in 1986 and 1993, and the Tommy Byrne Memorial Trophy for the ACT’s best and fairest representative player in 1988.

Phil featured heavily in matches against international teams including the All Blacks, British Lions, France, South Korea, Fiji, and Russia.

There is little debate about Phil’s standing in ACT Rugby. During the 1988 season, Phil was selected for a Wallabies midweek match against England Combined Services in the UK, where he was playing a season with Swansea in Wales.

In 1989 Phil was selected in the Australian Barbarians team and also played for the Australian Presidents XV the same year. Despite being uncapped, he is duly recognised as a Classic Wallaby.

Sharon is recognised as one the ACT and Australia’s most outstanding women’s rugby players. In 1996, as a relative rugby novice, she was selected to play for the ACT against the touring Canadian provincial side, Alberta. In her first game Sharon scored four tries, earning her immediate selection in the Australian XV to play Alberta, scoring three tries in only her second game.

While still nineteen, Sharon was selected to play in the Australian Women’s Test side in 1996 against New Zealand after only five games of 15 a side rugby. Continuing her remarkable try scoring ways, Sharon scored the Australian Women’s first ever try against New Zealand in dreadful conditions in Sydney.

Sharon played in the 1998 World Cup and continued to play for the Australian Women’s team until the 2002 World Cup. She played 15 Tests which was nearly every Test during that period.

Sharon O’Kane is considered by many as the first real superstar of Australian Women’s Rugby, and she continues to be involved, with a keen interest in the development of our next generation of female players.