Notes prepared by Patrick Flynn for a presentation for the induction of Fred Laws and Colin Laws in to the Allora Regional Sports Museum Hall of Fame at Allora on 25 February 2017
The notes now continue.
The
year 1935 saw a number of changes to the extended Laws family which would
ultimately result in 6 of the ten brothers and sisters move to the Gold Coast.
After a holiday at Southport with their parents early in 1935 Lillian and
Jessie decided to purchase a cafe and mixed business and a Property Freehold at
Surfer’s Paradise. Lionel Senior, Louisa and their three daughters moved down
the coast at the end of the year.
In
June 1935 Fred Laws married. Madge Jarrott of Toowoomba. At about that time Fred
took a job as an Insurance Inspector for Commercial Union Assurance and shifted
to Warwick Fred’s return to Warwick was eagerly anticipated by the people of
Warwick, particularly by the rugby league community who saw his presence and
input as a chance to improve the standard of the game in the town and the
fortunes of their rep. team.
From
1936 students at Warwick High School played inter-house football for the Fred
Laws Cup. As a student he had represented the school as a centre three-quarter.
In 1938 a much anticipated game took
place between Warwick coached by Fred and Allora coached by Colin on 3 June. Both
teams were previously undefeated in the O’Shea Cup competition. Warwick won by 2 points. Those teams would
contest the Final of the O’Shea Cup competition at Allora in July in front of a
big crowd with Warwick triumphant by 6 points to 3.
In that year Colin’s employer Barnes
and Co would close its doors. Colin took a partner and established a grocery
business in Herbert S Allora. Colin later bought out his partner and operated
the business successfully until his retirement in 1971.
At the end of 1938 Fred and Madge Laws
and their young son Graeme moved to Surfers Paradise and joined the business
established by his sisters. There would a further son and a daughter born and
raised on the Gold Coast.
In the years to follow both Fred and
Colin would continue to be involved in Rugby League in their respective home
towns but not as rival coaches in the same competition.
As outlined in The History of the Allora Rugby League Football Club 1918 – 1966 by The Hon Tom McVeigh and John Croke, Colin would serve the Club as Player, Captain, Coach, President, Vice President
for almost the entire history of the Club except perhaps for his time playing
in Toowoomba.
Both Fred and Colin coached local
school teams. Colin is understood to
have given a few pieces of advice to the nuns who coached the convent school
team who played against his charges at the State School. In 1969 Colin donated
a shield to be played for in the Warwick and district junior competition. That shield is still played for in the 43 kg
division 47 years later and is currently held by Tenterfield.
Fred and his brothers Vic and Jack
were active supporters of Rugby League on the Gold Coast particularly in
Surfers Paradise where Fred coached. He
also coached Southport and South Coast Teams at different times. According to
his daughter-in-Law Maureen Laws, for many of his later years Saturday afternoons
in winter were reserved for watching the televised match of the day.
 |
| South Coast Bulletin (Southport, Qld. : 1929 - 1954), Wednesday 10 May 1950, page 4 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/rendition/nla.news-article225627210 |
Away from the football field Fred continued
with the firm. L & J Laws. From 1945 the business which began as a café and
later operated only as a general store would become known as Laws and Hamilton a
partnership which included Fred and his brother-in-law Bill Hamilton.
South Coast Bulletin (Southport, Qld. : 1929 - 1954), Wednesday 30 September 1953, page 8https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/rendition/nla.news-article226269567
By 1953
the business had expanded to include a self-service grocery and newsagency in
new premises in the middle of Surfers Paradise together with a sports shop and
mercery store. This site would be a familiar landmark in Surfers Paradise until
well into the 1990’s although in later years more as a newsagency; stationary
supplier and book store. Fred would be a
familiar kindly face at the front counter attending to customers’ needs until
his retirement.in the early 1980’s.
One of his great- nieces Rebecca
Wilson recalled Fred’s daily routine of a swim in the surf first thing on every
morning followed by breakfast at his sister’s house and then off to work at the
nearby Laws and Hamilton store
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