THE Tamworth City Lions might not have had a team for over 20 years but they still have a following that might be the envy of some current rugby league clubs with 127 former players roaring into the Tamworth City Bowling Club for a reunion on Saturday night.
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The Lions hold a reunion every year at the Tamworth Cup race meeting, although this year had the Cup day and the reunion for obvious reasons according to organiser and former player David Head.
“We get to do it twice,” Head said.
“The older we get the better we were so blokes keep coming back to tell stories about how good they were.”
These days the Tamworth City Lions has become a social club according to fellow member and Queen’s Birthday OAM winner for services to rugby league, Jim Cox.
“We have got the women and families involved and made it into a social club,” Cox said.
“We have got a lot of good memories and there are blokes here who I haven’t seen for 40 years.”
Former Lions players travelled from all over to get to the event, with over 100 arriving at the bowling club on Friday night for reunion drinks before the main event on Saturday night.
“There are blokes here from our first year in 1956 and blokes from our last year in 1995 and all the way through,” Head said.
“It has been tremendous and gives everyone the opportunity to appreciate what the club meant and still means to everyone that was part of it.
“We had an amazing camaraderie on the field and it still continues off it.
“That is the beauty of the club.”
As for entertainment on the night, Head said there really wasn’t any need for it with so many characters milling around and only one microphone.
“When you have special players there is no need for special guests,” Head said.
