Acton Flats Sports Grounds

Frank Dunshea: Recollections of Acton between 1926-1946
[Excerpts on the Acton flats sports grounds]

"The sporting fields which were fenced in to keep the cattle off were situated in the centre of the paddock. There were several fields which were used for hockey and soccer. Later a further area was fenced for fields which were used occasionally for rugby and cricket. Us kids would often go and play a form of hockey on the hockey grounds. As very few of us had a hockey stick a variety of improvised clubs were used such as pick handles and tree branches.

I was involved in later years in playing several games of rugby union and rugby league on these fields. I remember a couple of games of rugby union played during the war against an American Navy Team.

The American Navy occupied the Bachelors Quarters (Lennox House) for a period and entered a team in the local competition and our local side which consisted mostly of teenage youngsters like myself plus any former rugby players home on leave played them in their first game.

The Yanks arrived in force with enough players for more than two teams many of these dressed in gridiron type gear. They were very willing but apart form a couple of players who had played rugby in American College had no idea of the rules.

They were quite upset when the referee stopped them from exchanging players (no replacements were allowed in those days) and kept getting pulled up for forward passes.

We were quite amused by the fact that as soon as anyone of them received a cut or scratch which was quite common on the rough surface of these fields there was an immediate call out for the medic and the wound would have to be treated with antiseptic etc.

As the field was almost a cow paddock I supposed they had some cause for alarm but we never worried about these things until after the game.

Once the Americans learnt the rules and some of the different skills required they became very competitive opponents as they had a very big side but we still managed to mostly win against them. Other teams playing in the competition included RMC Duntroon Staff, RAAF and Australian Navy. We formed the only civilian team."