Awards
Recognising the two teams that contested the Men’s Premier Division Grand Final, this section honours the season’s Premiers and Runners-Up, celebrating their performance, resilience and achievement on the competition’s biggest stage.
Recognising the two teams that contested the Women’s Premier Division Grand Final, this section honours the season’s Premiers and Runners-Up, celebrating their performance, resilience and achievement on the competition’s biggest stage.
Recognising the two teams that contested the Reserve Grade Grand Final, this section honours the season’s Premiers and Runners-Up, celebrating their performance, resilience and achievement on the competition’s biggest stage.
Recognising the two teams that contested the Men’s Division Two Grand Final, this section honours the season’s Premiers and Runners-Up, celebrating their performance, resilience and achievement on the competition’s biggest stage.
The Tunbridge Medal
Ray Tunbridge was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1925. He played football for Norwood in his teenage years, before joining the Navy in 1942. After the war, he married and later moved to Sydney where he played a short time for Balmain, helping to re-form the club after being defunct since 1912. In 1949 he moved to Narrandera in the NSW Riverina with his wife & daughter, playing there for 6 years.
After settling in the Illawarra with his family in 1956, Ray wanted to establish the game in the South Coast region, and in 1965 he helped found the Wollongong Australian National Football Club. This club played in the St George League in Sydney under the name “Illawarra ANFC” and in their first season of 1966 Ray coached the club to it’s maiden Premiership, finishing the year undefeated. The following season he guided the side to winning back to back flags in ’67 and ’68, making it 3 Premierships in a row.
In 1969 Ray helped form the South Coast Australian Football League, becoming President that year. In 1970 he co-founded Port Kembla AFC, where he would coach for many years. Ray was also responsible for the introduction of Aussie Rules into school sporting programs, both in Narrandera and in the Illawarra. During this time he continued to grow the game in the Wollongong area, helping establish 6 local junior clubs.
He is a Life Member of Wollongong ANFC, Port Kembla AFC and the South Coast AFL, an honour which recognises his significant contribution to the game. Ray passed away in 2011 and later found amongst his old footy records were note for his speech in presenting the first ‘Tunbridge Medal’ in 1969. He wrote;
“The most coveted prize for any footballer is to win the Best & Fairest medal of the League in which he participates. I have always considered that no matter what the effort, the reward is there in just being able to be apart of this great game. I therefore cannot describe the feeling of great honour and pleasure that I felt when this League named their Best & Fairest award ‘The Tunbridge Medal’. I hope that all players striving to win this award fully realise the importance of the ‘Fairest’ part of it, and that with good football and hard work, this League will continue to flourish.”
Ray Tunbridge 1925 – 2011
Tom W. Smith joined the RAN Reserve in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II and was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant in 1940. He sailed for England later that year and served on a number of Royal Navy ships, returning to Australia in 1944 before serving in the Pacific Theatre of Operations during the Islands and Philippines campaigns.
In 1946, Tom saw further service in corvettes, tugs and LSTs in the New Guinea and New Britain areas. He was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in 1947 and served on various RAN ships until his retirement.
In 1956, Tom organised one of the first games of Australian Rules football played on English soil, between HMAS *Melbourne* and a team of Australians from London.
From 1957 to 1961, he was President of the East Australian Football Competition, during which time the Navy team was undefeated in the inter-service competition. In 1961, he became President of the HMAS Cerberus Australian Football Club and was made the club’s first Life Member in 1962.
In 1968, Tom was one of the foundation members of the South Coast Australian Football League, holding the office of Vice President from 1969 to 1972. He continued to serve as a committee member until 1985 and was awarded Life Membership in 1979.
Tom was also heavily involved with the Albatross AFC, becoming its first Life Member in 1969 and serving as President from 1970 to 1972. He held a variety of roles at the club until 1996.
A firm believer in the values of fair play, Tom championed the “Sportsman’s Creed”, believing that good sportsmanship should be the primary motivation for playing, with teamwork and mutual support at its core. The creed was displayed on a board outside the Albatross AFC clubhouse for many years, and Tom would regularly point it out to players as a source of motivation.
In 1978, the South Coast Australian Football League recognised Tom’s contribution by naming the Reserve Grade Best and Fairest award in his honour, the “Tom Smith Medal”.
In 1984, the Naval Board further honoured his legacy by naming the HMAS Albatross Oval after him, forever known as the “Tom Smith Oval”.