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The rugby rivalry that divides the Northern Beaches
For more than 40 years, Manly and Warringah Rugby clubs have been the best of enemies. On the peninsula, you're either born a Marlin or Rat - and pity those who dare cross the border. Adam Lucius reports.
Sean Maloney remembers the exact moment his family turned
their back on him.
“It’s when I came home in 2006 and told them I was going
to play for Warringah,” he recalls with a smirk.
“My family disowned me, friends stopped calling, and all of a
sudden the Hotel Steyne became a nasty place for me to be.”
Welcome to the greatest sporting rivalry on the Northern Beaches
– the Manly versus Warringah rugby union local derby – where
mateship and family ties are severed for 80 minutes, twice a year.
As a basic rule of thumb, anyone living north of Dee Why is a
Warringah Rat and those south have the blue and red of the Manly
Marlins pumping through their veins.
The rivalry started in 1964 when a group of players from Manly,
which was founded in 1906, broke away and headed north to
launch the Warringah Rugby Club at North Narrabeen.
The Rats, named after WWII’s famous Rats of Tobruk, struggled
in the second division for seven years before joining Manly in the
top fl ight in 1971.
The two clubs have been going at it – and each other – ever since.
Most stay a Rat or Marlin for life but every so often a player
climbs over the peninsula’s version of the Berlin Wall and defects to
the ‘dark side’.
Mr Maloney is one, breaking a family tradition by swapping Manly
and Hotel Steyne for Warringah and the Newport Arms Hotel.
John Hearn is another.
In 1998, the then Rats skipper shocked the club by walking out
and enlisting with the boys in blue.
“I never wanted to leave Warringah but circumstances prevailed,”
says the only man to captain both Northern Beaches clubs.
“If I ever was going to play for another club, it was going to be
Manly, but it was still hard.”
Mr Hearn, who now owns and runs the iconic Manly restaurant
Le Kiosk, remembers heading back to Rat Park in Marlin colours.
He was there in body but maybe not in spirit.
“It didn’t feel really good when we went back to Warringah and
smashed them,” he admits.
“It’s the saddest I’ve felt after a victory. I didn’t feel that great. But
I don’t regret the move and I’m still proud to be the only bloke to
have captained both clubs.
“I’m not sure if it’s as intense now as it was back then but the
fact remains you never want to get beaten in a local derby. At
Warringah we used to say ‘don’t let Manly justify their season by
beating us’.”
Mr Hearn returned to Warringah in 1999, going on to rack up a
club record 197 fi rst grade games.
Mr Maloney, who has moved from the fi eld into the media as a
rugby commentator for Fox Sports, can relate to Mr Hearn’s story.
“I still cop grief over that one year I had at Warringah but I don’t
regret it for a minute,” he tells Peninsula Living.
“What some people don’t realise is that the supporters and
fans at both the Rats and Marlins are identical – they’re equally
passionate, supportive and uncompromising. It’s what makes this
derby so special.
“It’s a special rivalry. Nothing comes close at club level anywhere
else in Australia.”
Ironically, Mr Maloney’s last game was back in Manly colours
Sean Maloney remembers the exact moment his family turned their back on him.
“It’s when I came home in 2006 and told them I was going to play for Warringah,” he recalls with a smirk.
“My family disowned me, friends stopped calling, and all of a sudden the Hotel Steyne became a nasty place for me to be.” Read full article >> Have your say >>
Peninsula University on the Horizon
Support is growing for a university campus in Pittwater, expanding tertiary education options for the Northern Beaches and providing an economic boost to the peninsula. Gillian Currie finds out more.
The concept of a world-class university campus on the
peninsula began several years ago among the Pittwater
business community.
However, the reality of such a project is coming closer, with
potential sites identifi ed and potential universities earmarked as
likely candidates for such a partnership.
Richard Morgan, a non-executive director and former chairman
of Pittwater Business Limited (PBL), is helping to lead the charge
for a university closer to home.
PBL is a not-for-profi t company that supports the growth and
development of sustainable and successful businesses in Pittwater.
Along with Andrew Blunden, a founder of PBL, Mr Morgan has
formed a steering committee for the university campus initiative.
“Two years ago we wrote a detailed paper about what is possible
and feasible and that has gone out to various local governments
and state government departments,” explains Mr Morgan.
He says both he and Mr Blunden have always been keen for
a tertiary education option that meant locals didn’t have to travel
away from the Northern Beaches.
“We are looking at international universities that might be
interested in having a footprint in this area,” he adds.
Mr Morgan says PBL has approached Pittwater Council,
which is very supportive of the proposal, as are both Manly and
Warringah councils. To date, potential sites have been identifi ed
in each of the three local government areas that could house a
university campus but these are not yet being disclosed.Support is growing for a university campus in Pittwater, expanding tertiary education options for the Northern Beaches and providing an economic boost to the peninsula. Gillian Currie finds out more.
The concept of a world-class university campus on the peninsula began several years ago among the Pittwater business community.
However, the reality of such a project is coming closer, with potential sites identified and potential universities earmarked as likely candidates for such a partnership.
Richard Morgan, a non-executive director and former chairman of Pittwater Business Limited (PBL), is helping to lead the charge for a university closer to home. Read full article >> Have your say >>
Dedication and Determination
Kate Hutchinson finds out how and why Nine Network news presenter and journalist, Amelia Adams, has become one of the top newsreaders in Australia.
When asked how long her day at the nine network is,
amelia adams states simply, “about 11 hours”, with
no hint of irritation. the former north shore local and
roseville College student is in the studios before 7am for hair and
makeup and to read the newspapers, and leaves around 6pm
after presenting Nine Afternoon News. throughout the day, she
is onscreen providing live news updates for television and Nine
Newsbreak – an iPhone and iPad application that launched in
2011, and bulletins for Nine’s Qantas Infl ight News.
“this seems like nothing if you compare it to when there has
been large national or international news. when the Queensland
fl oods were happening in January 2011, we were on air eight hours
straight some days,” Ms adams explains. “Our main mission at
nine is to focus on breaking news and have lots of content, and i
believe we are doing this well.”
so how did Ms adams become the presenter of Nine Morning
News and Nine Afternoon News? she says it was through passion
and persistence. “i always wanted to be a writer. when i was
young, i’d fi ll exercise books full of stories, and by high school, i
wanted to be a journalist,” Ms adams explains. after high school,
Ms adams completed a Bachelor of Communication in Journalism
at Charles sturt university, graduating in 2003. while studying,
Ms adams worked as a journalist at sky news australia, and on
Prime news in Orange – “i learnt a lot from being on the run and
on the road, plus there’s no way to gain better experience than
being in the newsroom,” Ms adams explains. after graduating and
spending several years reporting for Channel ten, Ms adams was
employed as a producer for Seven News and Sunrise.
Fast forward, and Ms adams is one of the most recognisable
faces currently presenting news to australia, having now been in the
newsroom for two years and spent the three years prior based on the
road. the events Ms adams has covered that had a large impact on
her, she says, were the Japanese earthquake disaster in 2011 – “you
are right in the middle of a natural disaster, but you just have to get on
with the job” – and the Christmas island boat disaster in 2010, “so
many people died. we were right there when belongings and bits of
boats were getting washed up onto the rocks,” she recalls.
however, being immersed in such devastation comes with the
nature of the job – which does have its pluses. “i fi nd myself in such
extraordinary situations and meet many people in these sometimes
horrible circumstances, and they just invite us into their lives and
share their story. it’s very humbling,” Ms adams explains.
“My job is very fast-moving and there is a lot of pressure –
sometimes there are moments when you stop and think… ‘wow’.”
and if Ms adams isn’t busy enough, she has a love of cooking,
and is also the ambassador for the leukaemia Foundation. “My
best friend passed away very suddenly in 2011, so since then i
have been attending and promoting light the night at st Mary’s
Cathedral, which is held each september,” Ms adams explains.
“the leukaemia Foundation does such incredible work. i recently
met the oncologists at the Kolling institute of Medical research at
the royal north shore hospital, and learnt just how much money is
needed to undertake groundbreaking research into leukaemia and
it’s terrifying, so we all need to do what we can to help.”
and with such passion, Ms adams is sure to continue to play aKate Hutchinson finds out how and why Nine Network news presenter and journalist, Amelia Adams, has become one of the top newsreaders in Australia.
When asked how long her day at the Nine Network is, Amelia Adams states simply, “about 11 hours”, with no hint of irritation. The former North Shore local and Roseville College student is in the studios before 7am for hair and makeup and to read the newspapers, and leaves around 6pm after presenting Nine Afternoon News. Throughout the day, she is onscreen providing live news updates for television and Nine Newsbreak – an iPhone and iPad application that launched in 2011, and bulletins for Nine’s Qantas Inflight News.. Read full article >> Have your say >>
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