CDRL: Long-serving administrator Pat Bailey leaves lasting legacy after four decades of service
When Pat Bailey’s innate desire to help others put her on the rugby league path, she did not realise the measurable difference she would have on the game in the Far North for years to come.
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WHEN Pat Bailey’s innate desire to help others put her on the rugby league path, she did not realise the measurable difference she would have on the game in the Far North for years to come.
The long-serving Cairns District Rugby League secretary and administrator has called time on her career as a rugby league administrator after more than four decades of service to the game.
Known almost universally in the Far North rugby league community as “Aunty Pat”, Bailey is the matriarch of the sport in the region and has been the backbone of the CDRL for more than 30 years.
A fourth-generation Cairns local, she originally grew up playing softball and netball, before playing and coaching basketball once she left school.
And while she had always been a fan of rugby league, it was not until joining Ivanhoe Knights as club secretary in 1979 that she fell in love with the sport.
“We had a (basketball) club called Kangaroos and we built it up from one senior team to about 30 teams in both juniors and seniors,” Bailey said.
“The president of Kangaroos Basketball Club was a fella called Barry Lentholl, he’s got a fair bit to do with what I did.
“When Kangaroos (Rugby League Club) purchased the land at Vico Oval on Irene St they asked the basketball club to be involved, because with something like that it’s really good to have other sports when applying for grants and things, so I was the delegate from Kangaroos Basketball Club on the Kangaroos Rugby League Club committee.
“There was a well-known secretary at Kangaroos (Rugby League Club) called Fred Innes, and I sort of went in like an assistant to help him there.
“Then Barry went to Ivanhoes and said they were losing a secretary there and would I like to come, so I followed Barry and ended up doing 10 years as secretary of Ivanhoes.
“After that I sort of stepped down but it’s really hard to get away.
“At that time, John Moore went in as president of the Cairns District Rugby League and he said we haven’t got a registrar, would you come in and be the registrar.
“Well, that was on a Monday and by the Friday I was the secretary, a position I’ve held until this year, apart from a few years where I worked for the QRL as an operations manager.”
There have been many highlights along the way, and while it is impossible to list them all, Bailey rates seeing Yarrabah enter the CDRL competition, the growth of the women’s game, and the emergence of state and national teams in NQ, such as the Northern Pride and North Queensland Cowboys, as some of the most memorable.
She said while there were many challenges during her time in rugby league, she was never deterred or intimidated by the sport’s male-dominant environment.
“I did not make some friends sometimes, but if I was going to do a job I was going to do it properly,” Bailey said.
“Even with basketball, it was a male-dominated sport as well but that never worried me – never ever worried me.
“But I have a look (at rugby league) now and think, yep, the ladies have taken over, because you have a look at all the broadcasts and there’s a lot of females now, and a lot of the clubs have female executives.
“Then you look at some of the young girls who are playing – some of them are really attractive – and you think, why do you want to go and get your face bashed up. Well, they just love to play.”
She said her job as CDRL secretary was not always easy, but it was always rewarding.
“There’s been challenges – every day there’s a challenge – but if you’re protecting something that you love, it’s not a challenge and it’s a joy to do,” she said.
“I hope the legacy that I’m going to leave is protection for the clubs, because we need each club to be there. A high percentage of the players are Indigenous, and I just hope that the clubs are protected for that.”
Bailey has left an indelible mark on rugby league in Far North Queensland and has always been a passionate advocate for the sport and the opportunities it can afford, especially for females and the Indigenous community.
She is a life member of Ivanhoe Knights Rugby League Club, the CDRL and QRL Northern Division.
After last Saturday’s CDRL grand final, Bailey was also presented with life membership to the Yarrabah Seahawks Rugby League Club, a gesture of appreciation for the work she did to help get the club into the league two decades ago and for her continued support.
But, after more than four decades of service and a great impact on the game, Bailey believes now is the right time to step away.
She said she was looking forward to spending more with her family – her husband, two daughters and four grandkids – following her retirement.
“I just know that I need it,” she said. “I’m not sad, I’m leaving on my terms but, to me, I think I owe my family a lot more than what I’ve given them over the last 40 years, because I’ve always put rugby league first.
“I’d suggest that, no matter what you do, it will always be there, but love your family while you can.”
End of an era: Bailey to retire from the CDRL
THE full-time whistle will soon sound on the extensive career on one of the crucial volunteers of the Cairns District Rugby League, with long-term secretary Pat Bailey to retire after the grand final.
Bailey announced her resignation on Thursday, with her 36-year commitment to the CDRL set to end after the final game of the 2021 season.
“I have made some wonderful friends and have happy and, sad times,” she wrote to the clubs on Thursday. “My biggest thrill was seeing some of my babies play at a top level and, there have been many.”
It was a tough decision for the long-time servant of the game - she has poured three-and-a-half decades into the sport - and the clubs, and people in them, have become more of a family over that time.
It’s that family aspect she will miss the most when the time comes to step back.
“The clubs, they’ve been like my family, but I know it’s time,” Bailey said.
“I regret doing it, but I’ve made some wonderful friends along the way.”
Bailey joined the CDRL executive in 1988 as secretary, a position in which she served for all but four years since.
A regular fixture on the sideline or in the crowd every weekend, there is very little doubt about the devotion Bailey has for rugby league.
Nigel Tillett, with whom she spent 10 years on the executive committee, said Bailey made a massive mark on rugby league in the Far North.
“Her contribution … you can’t understate it,” Tillett said.
“She had her belief of how things should be done, but the best thing was if you could convince her of another way, she’d back it to the hilt.
“Her efforts will be surely missed, that’s for sure.”
QRL Northern Division manager Scott Nosworthy said Bailey’s call came as a shock.
“She’s always been one of the most helpful and willing people I’ve worked with or met in my 16 years in rugby league,” Nosworthy said.
“She’s made a massive impact. That experience will be missed.”
Bailey is a life member of Ivanhoe Knights Rugby League Club, the CDRL and QRL Northern Division.
“I’ve learned so much along the way,” Bailey said.
“I had great people teach right from wrong, and I hope I instilled that in others.
“I’ve had a lot of good times, there were some bad times, and there were some sad times, too. And it is the sad times that hurt the most, because this is like a family to me, and we’ve lost some great officials and players and coaches over the years. “But it is time.”
In 2020, Bailey was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to the community of Cairns, which included extensive work for the CDRL and numerous other volunteer roles.
And it is with those other groups she intends to spend more time after that whistle sounds on October 9.
“My family and I believe it is time to call it a day with the game but, I still have several other commitments that I can put 100 per cent into,” Bailey wrote. “The clubs are my family but, now it is time to concentrate on everyone.”
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
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