1950s

Ambulance Matches Continue

After these early matches in the 1940s, women continued to play soccer in aid of the Rockhampton Ambulance. On the 9th of September 1951 the Rockhampton Ladies played the Mt Morgan Ladies beating them 6-1. The match was described as a good display of soccer and the goal scoring players were Daphne Graff (2) P. Coughlin (2) and Audrey (2) for Rockhampton and Audrey Taylor (1) for Mt Morgan. The weekend after, the Rockhampton ladies played the Mt Morgan ladies again, beating them 2-nil (for more information read this full description of the players and match). Sterling McQuire of Nerimbera FC is keen on researching the history of the club and told us that the team that played against Mount Morgan in the 1950s came out of Nerimbera FC.

In October 1951 the Central Queensland British Football Association organised a gathering for the presentation of trophies. While shields and cups were awarded to the local men’s teams, the ladies team received pairs of nylon stockings for their victories over Mt Morgan. We’re not sure how useful nylon tights are to footballers, but in any case the Rockhampton Ladies would go on to continue their winning streak.

The following year, the Mt Morgan and Rockhampton Ladies teams went head to head again, playing in March and October. Oddly, the journalist who covered the March match described it as a “novelty” match, despite the two teams having an established history of rivalry. Rockhampton won this match and we do not know the outcome of the October match. Perhaps Mt Morgan got a chance to reverse the scores against Rockhampton.

Sadly these matches between Mt Morgan and Rockhampton appear to have stopped after 1952, but that’s not to say that the women’s game didn’t continue in the Rockhampton area.