Champion generations unite to celebrate a century of UQ hockey

They represent a remarkable legacy in green and gold and a modern era etched in premiership glory.

And as the UQ Hockey Club prepares to celebrate 100 years of men’s hockey at UQ, Division 1 women’s captain and Queensland and Australian representative Morgan Gallagher caught up with club legend and Hockey Australia Hall of Famer Don McWatters to reflect on the club’s proud history.

Gallagher joined the UQ Hockey Club in 2015 during her first year as a Bachelor of Biomedical Science student. She was named captain of the Women’s Division 1 side at just 19 years of age and led UQ to Brisbane Women’s Hockey Association (BWHA) premiership success in 2018, as well as 4 consecutive grand final appearances from 2018 to 2021.

The former UQ Sports Achievement Scholarship recipient said the fact that the UQ Hockey Club has thrived for more than a century in men’s and women’s competitions, while consistently producing state and international representatives, speaks volumes about the club’s leadership and culture.

UQ Division 1 women's captain Morgan Gallagher at the UQ playing fields at the St Lucia campus. Image: Jenny Cuerel

"One of my UQ highlights was when we won the BWHA premiership in 2018," Gallagher said.

"The support we had from the club – including the juniors and men’s teams – with current and past UQ members was special. It was a reminder that when you represent UQ, you are representing more than just your team.

"When we take the field, we are representing the legacy of the club as well as what we hope its future will look like.

"There is a strong culture of friendship as a lot of the players started when they were studying and continued playing together over the years. When you have fun off the field, it contributes significantly to the success you have on the field.

"But that UQ culture extends far from just the hockey: it also values family, friends and community, which means you’re connected to the club for much longer than your playing career."

It’s a fact not lost on McWatters, who enjoyed a long and storied career with UQ, Queensland and Australia alongside 3 of his childhood friends from his hometown of Maryborough, on Queensland’s Fraser Coast.

The 83-year-old grew up on Maryborough's famous Treasure Street in the 1940s and ’50s, the same street as fellow champions John, Bruce (who played 50 consecutive seasons with UQ from 1959 to 2008) and Ian McBryde.

"The McBrydes’ house was 200 metres up the road, and their father bought an extra allotment beside their house and installed a practice cricket pitch," McWatters recalled.

"The hockey field was right there as well, so we spent hours at the McBrydes’ place playing in the back or side yard.

"It's remarkable to think that we would continue to play and enjoy the game together – from Treasure Street right through to the highest level."

Dual Olympian Don McWatters with his hockey stick from the 1964 Olympics. Image: Jenny Cuerel

McWatters starred for UQ for a decade, from 1959 – when he arrived in Brisbane to study at Queensland Teachers’ College – through to 1969.

He made his international debut against New Zealand in 1961 and went on to make 42 appearances in the green and gold, captaining the Kookaburras from 1966 to 1968.

A dual Olympian, he was a key member of the Australian side (captained by John McBryde) that took home a bronze medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, before claiming a silver medal 4 years later in Mexico City, where Australia lost 2–1 to Pakistan in the final.

McWatters also represented Queensland at Junior, Under 21 and Senior Levels from 1956 to 1968 and captained the Australian Universities team against New Zealand in a one-off Test match in Brisbane in 1963.

Don McWatters in action.

Don McWatters in action.

Following a long playing career, he coached Brisbane, Queensland and Australian Teams. After preparing the Men’s Olympic Team in 1980, McWatters suffered a "huge disappointment" when Hockey Australia decided to boycott the Moscow Games despite every team member indicating a willingness to attend.

The 1980 Games are remembered as the only modern Olympics at which Australia did not officially compete due to its partial support of a US-led boycott in protest of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979.

"The biggest events of my life have revolved around hockey, and that was primarily due to such a wonderful group of fellows at UQ who enjoyed the game and who wanted to improve their own physical and mental abilities. They were just a delight to mix with," McWatters said.

"Even though John [McBryde] has lived in Canada for almost 50 years, we regularly exchange emails, and he has visited many times. We remain strong friends and will always do so."

Morgan Gallagher in action for UQ. Image: UQ Hockey Club

Gallagher, who was first selected for the Hockeyroos in March 2023 during the 3-Test series against China in Perth, has also been lucky to represent Australia with long-time friends and club teammates.

Gallagher made her Hockeyroos debut alongside 4 current and former UQ Hockey Club players: Claire Colwill, Beck Greiner, Meg Pearce and Tatum Stewart.

Five current and former UQ Hockey club players – Claire Colwill, Meg Pearce, Morgan Gallagher, Tatum Stewart, and Beck Greiner – in the same Hockeyroo side in 2023.

Five current and former UQ Hockey club players – Claire Colwill, Meg Pearce, Morgan Gallagher, Tatum Stewart, and Beck Greiner – in the same Hockeyroo side in 2023.

"My debut was more comfortable because I was alongside girls whom I had played with each week for many years, and it made the experience more special," Gallagher said.

"Claire, Tatum and Beck all have strong chances of making Australia’s squad of 16 for the Paris Olympics later this year and the whole UQ club has our fingers crossed for them.

"It will be extremely special to have a strong UQ representation in the Hockeyroos at the Olympics. It’s not only a reflection of the talent and character of the girls, but also of the club being able to foster their talent."

The 1926 University of Queensland women's hockey team. Image: Fryer Library University of Queensland Photograph Collection UQFL466

UQ hockey player Louie (Louisa) Wilkie in 1913. Images: Fryer Library University of Queensland Photograph Collection UQFL466

The UQ Hockey Club will celebrate 100 years of men’s hockey and 112 years of women’s hockey at the club’s annual Red Roo Ball on 27 April.

It will also celebrate 10 years since the 2 clubs merged in 2014, the same year junior teams were established at UQ.

The women’s UQ Hockey Club was established at a UQ Sports Union meeting on 2 April 1912.

Professor Henry Priestly – a founding professor of mathematics at UQ, British representative goalkeeper and Cambridge Blue recipient – coached the players, while first Principal of UQ’s Women’s College Freda Bage OBE became the club’s patroness and strongest supporter.

There were no other women’s hockey clubs in Brisbane at the time, and the handful of enthusiasts often recruited male students when they wished to play a game.

UQ hockey player Louie (Louisa) Wilkie in 1913 (left) and members of the UQ Women's College hockey team resting in 1914. *Images: Fryer Library University of Queensland Photograph Collection UQFL466*

UQ hockey player Louie (Louisa) Wilkie in 1913 (left) and members of the UQ Women's College hockey team resting in 1914. *Images: Fryer Library University of Queensland Photograph Collection UQFL466*

The BWHA was eventually established in 1933, with UQ being one of 4 foundation clubs alongside Federal Taxation, St Andrews and Brisbane State High School. Finals were introduced into the competition in 1963, but it would take UQ 55 years to win its first Division 1 Women’s premiership, when Gallagher led the club to success in 2018.

UQ was formally invited to participate in its first Australian InterVarsity women’s competition in Sydney in 1919 and, despite being considered an “unpolished brand of hockey”, 7 UQ players (Julia Birkbeck, Nester Brown, Sydney Cran, Elvina Ford, Julia Gordon, Zoe Martin and L. Smith) won Blues awards the same year – the first UQ women to do so.

The club has since won 7 Australian InterVarsity (now Australian University Games) Division 1 titles (1924, 1936, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1993), with players like Emeritus Professor Dorothy Hill AC CBE FAA FRS, Greta Ferguson, Gwen Spurgin and Alma Foggett regular faces in the UQ side during the 1920s and early 1930s.

Since then, the club has produced a wealth of Queensland and Australian representatives, including Spurgin, Jean Hyde, Margaret Harper, Theo Pickvance, Janet Teys, Gwenda Weir, Heather Scraggs, Kay Kindervater, Nikki Hudson and Katelin Marks.

Members of the men's UQ Hockey club in 1926. *Image:* *Fryer Library University of Queensland Photograph Collection UQFL466*

Members of the men's UQ Hockey club in 1926. *Image:* *Fryer Library University of Queensland Photograph Collection UQFL466*

The men’s UQ Hockey Club was founded in 1924 and competed in a Brisbane competition in its first year.

But it would take the club 40 years to win its first and only Brisbane Hockey Association premiership in any grade in 1964.

With a strong cohort of country members including McWatters and the 3 McBryde brothers, as well as the Australian goalkeeper at the time, Lou Hailey, UQ defeated Valleys 3–2 at the University’s Number 2 Oval. Goals to McWatters and Bruce and Ian McBryde secured the victory, despite Hailey being sensationally sent off late in the second half.

With a wealth of Queensland and Australian representatives to choose from, UQ would go on to dominate at Australian InterVarsity level (Syme Cup) during this period.

Winners of the 1953 Syme Cup. Back row: J. Potter, N. Divett, J. McCallum, K. Poschalk, J. Crowe, K. Sue, I. Barton. Front row: A. Kemp, R. Stringer, T. Barrett (Capt), L. Hailey (V. Capt.), J. Briggs, R. Cormie. *Image:* *Fryer Library University of Queensland Photograph Collection UQFL466*

Winners of the 1953 Syme Cup. Back row: J. Potter, N. Divett, J. McCallum, K. Poschalk, J. Crowe, K. Sue, I. Barton. Front row: A. Kemp, R. Stringer, T. Barrett (Capt), L. Hailey (V. Capt.), J. Briggs, R. Cormie. *Image:* *Fryer Library University of Queensland Photograph Collection UQFL466*

In fact, the club has won 23 Australian InterVarsity Division 1 titles (1929, 1933, 1936, 1945, 1949–50, 1953–54, 1956, 1958, 1962–64, 1966–67, 1971, 1973, 1981, 1985, 2014, 2017–19) – second only to the University of Melbourne.

The UQ Hockey Club will celebrate 100 years of men’s hockey and 112 years of women’s hockey at the club’s annual Red Roo Ball on 27 April.

It will also celebrate 10 years since the 2 clubs merged in 2014, the same year junior teams were established at UQ.

The women’s UQ Hockey Club was established at a UQ Sports Union meeting on 2 April 1912.

Professor Henry Priestly – a founding professor of mathematics at UQ, British representative goalkeeper and Cambridge Blue recipient – coached the players, while first Principal of UQ’s Women’s College Freda Bage OBE became the club’s patroness and strongest supporter.

There were no other women’s hockey clubs in Brisbane at the time, and the handful of enthusiasts often recruited male students when they wished to play a game.

The 1926 University of Queensland women's hockey team. *Image: Fryer Library University of Queensland Photograph Collection UQFL466*

The 1926 University of Queensland women's hockey team. *Image: Fryer Library University of Queensland Photograph Collection UQFL466*