Vale Gary Steele: Remembering a Stanthorpe stalwart who helped create the ‘gremlin’

It might come as a surprise to some that the infamous Stanthorpe Gremlins Rugby League emblem only came to be some 50 years ago. Take a look back on its history and the legacy of a man who helped design the cheeky gremlin here.

GREAT TALENT: Marc Embry with the iconic gremlin. Photo: Hayden Smith / Stanthorpe Border Post

It’s been an emblem of rugby league in the Granite Belt, and proudly adorned the jumpers of Stanthorpe league players for decades.

But where did Stanthorpe’s ‘gremlin’ come from?

The inception of Stanthorpe Gremlins Rugby League is said to have reared its head in the early 70s, and that 2024 will make it the 50th year the cheeky gremlin has reined over the longstanding football club.

Football legend Marty Driscoll was believed to be the brain behind the club’s face lift, with the design of the emblem contributed by the late Gary Steele.

Gary featured in the Border Post many times over the years, contributing cartoons that would depict a Gremlins game.

To say art in its many forms ran deep through the late Gary Steele’s veins would almost be an understatement.

He was one of nine siblings and came from a fourth generation Stanthorpe family, whose family home built by his father Frank still proudly stands today.

Gary got along with each of his siblings, but had a particularly special bond with his younger brother Philip, who still feels the loss of his big brother.

“It’s still very hard for me even though he passed away some time ago, because I had a very special relationship with him,” he said.

“There wasn’t too much seriousness about him, but he was serious.

“He had a craft that never came easy and other people would’ve just stopped or let it go, but he always revisited his art.”

Philip Steele (L), Tony 'Guts" Steele and Gary 'Gaz' Steele (R) at their mother Beulah's birthday celebration. Photo: Contributed

It was a talent that would see him offered a job as a cartoonist with mega-franchise Disney, which he humbly turned down not wanting to uproot his family.

He was quick to put his hand up to help with local art projects and was involved in the Apple and Grape Harvest Festival and other community events and competitions at various times.

Art wasn’t the only ace up Gary’s sleeve – although he wasn’t your typical looking rugby league player, that didn’t deter his tenacity on the field according to his wife Jenny.

He later went on to coach junior league when his two sons joined the club, spending hours each week coming up with plays and developing training systems.

Stanthorpe Junior Rugby League before the inception of the notorious 'gremlin'. (from left) Ian McClennan, Gary Hurst, Neil Crisp, Gary Steele, Max Ross, Bill Kerr, Lindsay O'Keef, Norman Crisp, Peter Russel Crisp, George Cook, Max Smith, Charles Donges, Gary Duggan, Dale Crisp, Peter McKenzie and Wayne Barr. Photo: Contributed

The two even combined – his artwork and love for football, drawing many a cartoon that would depict the outcome of a game, featuring weekly in the Border Post back in the day.

Crisp Realty principal Norman Crisp remembers Gary’s weekly cartoons and contributions to screen printing artwork onto club shirts.

“He was very good with his drawings, they created a lot of interest at the time,” he said.

If art, football and family weren’t enough to keep Gary occupied, he along with other community members were instrumental in starting Stanthorpe’s first Archery Club.

Philip reminisced how the sport of archery shot through Stanthorpe at the time and the fun and occasional mischievous adventures he had playing with Gary and their mates.

“It made for a very niche sport in town (at the time) it was just left of centre for the district,” Philip said.

Gary sadly passed away in 2004 at age 51, having a long career in the community working at both Beaurepaires and Stanthorpe Hospital and is survived by his wife and four children.

His eldest daughter Melissa, now a high school teacher is forever grateful for time spent with her late father, who she remembers being dedicated to their family and was known as a bit of a larrikin.

“Dad was always full of fun and jokes and he was really committed to us,” she said.

“He would always be there for everything possible that he could.

“When I think of him he’s probably the one person in my life who was always committed, loyal and did whatever he could for his family even if it went outside his comfort zone.”

Christmas remains a hard time of year Ms Steele said, remembering the added joy her father would bring to their family events and the life lessons he would teach, forever instilled in their hearts.

To describe the true effect of Gary’s legacy would far exceed any word count.

Although he was a man with many passions and talents, ultimately his most commendable trait was the love and dedication he held for his community, but most importantly his family.

Originally published as Vale Gary Steele: Remembering a Stanthorpe stalwart who helped create the ‘gremlin’