I remember it well, 1956; the Burkes had moved into Sparke Street, a block from the Maitland Showground. Our new domicile was located two doors up from Max Callaghan and his wife Rae.
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Max, I soon discovered, besides being a first-grade opening bowler for Combined City, was a rugby league player. Out of neighbourly interest I went to see him play. I was ten. I'd never seen a rugby league game before.
It was at Maitland Sportsground. The first thing that struck me was the crowd. The ground was absolutely packed. The atmosphere...!
And there they were - my neighbour Max, captain coach Fred Brown, Frankie Threlfo, Gordon Harley, Richie Van Haren, to mention a few, and wearing the number 5 jersey was one Don 'Bandy' Adams.
Adams wasn't at all built like your typical winger - he was short, nuggety, and possessed what have been described as the most bow-legged set of pins ever to have carried a serious footballer about. Hence, of course, 'Bandy.'
That day at the football changed my life. At the end of it, inspired, I set myself the seemingly impossible goal of one day, perhaps, playing third grade for Maitland. I was just so impressed by the whole thing, I wanted to somehow be a part of it.
The bow-legged winger was particularly riveting. He had astonishingly tough front-on defence (he was like a prototype for Merv Wright), and every time he got the ball in attack he brought the crowd to its feet. They roared.
The bow-legged winger was particularly riveting. He had astonishingly tough front-on defence, and every time he got the ball in attack he brought the crowd to its feet. They roared.
Maitland not won this match, they won the comp undefeated. They then went on to be the first club ever to win three first-grade premierships in a row - 1956, '57 and '58. The side actually made it into seven consecutive grand finals - from 1954 to 1960.
Among this team of greats Bandy Adams was prolific. He'd made his first-grade debut for Maitland as a 17-year-old in 1951 in the grand final (he debuted in a grand final!) and went on to score 191 tries for the club.
He represented Newcastle on 21 occasions. He was selected for Country 11 times. He played for NSW nine times. In 1956 he was selected for Australia to play three tests against the Kiwis, scoring five tries in the series, with a hat-trick in one of the games and being named man of the match.
He was then selected for the 1956-57 Kangaroo tour of England and France.
He did all this from Maitland.
And in 1962 he played in the greatest game of football I've ever witnessed - Newcastle playing the touring English side at Newcastle's No.1 Sportsground.
The game had everything - speed, skill and spectacular toughness. I'd never seen anything like it: At one point a spectator jumped the fence in protest at the Englishmen's treatment of his brother and he too was viciously assaulted by the Poms. Two of the English front row were sent off late in the second half. Newcastle, incredibly, prevailed 23-18, in front of a crowd of 22,700, and it was just so exciting.
Rugby League was life in those days, and Newcastle beating England was the greatest thing ever.
That game was Bandy's 21st and last for Newcastle. He left Maitland and moved to Gloucester where he captain-coached the Magpies to four consecutive premierships. From there he went to Scone where he took the Thoroughbreds undefeated to the '68 grand final, which they lost, but then returned to be victorious in '69 and '70.
That's some record. The man is truly one of the greats.
And - he was a gentleman. As good a bloke as he was a footballer, and that is quite an accolade.
Sadly, we've just lost him. Bandy Adams died this week in Scone.
RIP my friend.
