June is a sad month at Brisbanerugby as we are reminded of the passing of Wayne Keith Smith, one of the great rugby union scribes of our time. A great ambassador of St. Laurence’s College (SLOB 1970), Smith learnt his trade in the era of typewriters and landlines (Smithy was renowned for filing stories from public telephone boxes in suburban Brisbane, usually upon leaving a sporting venue). The 6th of June was the three-year anniversary of Wayne’s death.

Always the journalist, Wayne published his final story on Aussie Rugby on the morning of his death.

Wayne Smith’s farewell to journalism: It’s been a hell of a ride for 50 years.

“Something happened on Saturday night that I have spent half a century desperately trying to avoid — I got caught in a Tony Shaw bear hug.

There are, it must be said, two kinds of bear hugs from the former Wallabies captain. The friendly ones and the not-so-friendly ones. But it doesn’t really matter; both are equally dangerous. The man is made of granite, still, and has no idea of his enormous strength.

So any time we met, it had always been a case of squaring my shoulders, setting my jaw, looking him right in the eye and giving him a good manly handshake.

I thought if I kept it prim and proper, I might stand a chance. That, indeed, was how it went in the elevator at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night as we made our way up, me to the press box, him to his seats.

He was wishing me well in my retirement, and then, with a shake of my hand, he was out the door and seemingly gone.

But then I heard him say “Not good enough!” and before I had time to even think, let alone move, he filled the doorway again, and I found myself wrapped in a bear-hug. God, it felt good!

But that was also the moment when it all came crashing down on me that this wonderful adventure I have been on for the past half-century was about to end. This is my final day. This is my farewell column.

The momentary panic subsided, and I began to take stock rationally. All of those concerns are pure rugby concerns.

Until quite recently, I had pinned my hopes for the game’s survival on the ordinary men and women who, from week to week, make it run.

Peter “Doubles” Daley is a mate of mine, and I trust you will indulge me just a little, but it is people like him who ensure rugby has a future. Doubles was four years behind me in school, which should have made him invisible.

Somehow, he wasn’t. And then he became entangled with Souths Rugby Club and is now virtually indistinguishable from it. Say “Souths” and people think of Doubles. Say “Doubles” and people instantly think of Souths.

Suffice it to say that after a lifetime of work, Doubles was honoured recently with the Australian Sports Medal, and Rugby Australia’s volunteer award. It was a long-overdue tribute and possibly a chance for him to bow out gracefully.

But Doubles took it in his stride and soldiered on, unfailingly.

These days, I get regular calls from him — from a hospital room while he is waiting for chemo. He may be an extreme example, but across the country, there are thousands just like him, working away anonymously.

Hopefully, now that I will have more time on my hands, I will become one of them.

I had hoped today to write at length about my other two great sporting loves, which I covered at the highest level, swimming and, as a consequence, the Olympic Games.

Both have given me immeasurable pleasure, and if I have performed no other service over the last 50 years, I take enormous pride in writing the column which first suggested that Brisbane bid for the 2032 Olympics. Then I gave it a push down the slope by ringing all the mayors of the adjoining councils and convincing them to back it too.

But, just as I have done such a lousy job of disguising the fact that the Queensland Reds are my team, I have also failed to hide the fact that rugby is my sporting love.

I was there at Eden Park the night Australia surrendered the Bledisloe Cup in 2003 and I was hoping to be there the night they won it back. Now, when that happens, I will be there as a paying spectator. But I do believe it will happen and it will happen soon.

Thank you for everything. I really did need that hug. Goodbye.

Note: Wayne’s original Laurie’s Rugby – Brave and Bold biography, dated 5 June 2021, is available on this page.