Australia’s oldest Wallaby turns 100

Australia’s oldest Wallaby and Woy Woy Peninsula local, Eric Tweedale, has turned 100… and the celebrations haven’t stopped.

Since his birthday on May 5, Tweedale has been invited to a range of events to help celebrate his illustrious rugby career and dedicated service in the Royal Australian Navy.

Best known for his role in the iconic Wallabies team against the All Blacks in 1949, Tweedale has lived a remarkable life – one that has spanned continents and careers.

A lunch was held on June 8 in Umina to help celebrate the milestone, where Tweedale was presented with a gift from State President of RSL NSW, Ray James, and the President of Merrylands RSL, Robin Grimley.

“I’ve had a lot of life experiences in my 100 years and then going through the age of Depressions, Wars, and coming out of wars into a football career, living up the country and coming back down to Sydney,” Tweedale said.

“It’s an achievement in itself, reaching 100 – I’ve got my photo and birthday card from the Queen on top of the TV.”

Tweedale reminisced over his emigration to Australia from Rochdale, England, when he was just three years old.

“[My family] were encouraged to get on a ship and hot foot it over to Australia in 1924,” Tweedale said.

“My parents really came out to Australia for my benefit, and they often said what a wonderful decision they had made because I have had opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if I stayed [in the UK].

Tweedale said he soon found Rugby when he took up playing for his local side, Parramatta, at the age of 15.

“A very famous rugby union player approached and asked me if I wanted to go and try out at Parramatta – I’d never seen a game of rugby union played before,” he said.

“He took me over to Parramatta and gave me a trial and I quite enjoyed it and started playing there in 1937.

Within two seasons, Tweedale had made his first-grade debut against Drummoyne.

“It was a very early age for rugby, but I was a big lad.”

After graduating from Parramatta Intermediate High School, he went into work at Anthony Hordern’s whilst learning typing and shorthand, after which he gained employment with the Shell Oil Company.

At this time, he was engaged to Enid Wagner.

When World War Two was declared in 1939, he applied to join the Navy where he was drafted to a naval ship escorting merchant ships up and down the Australian coast.

Tweedale said it was a decision wrought with danger.

“As a signal man onboard a merchant ship, we didn’t see much action, but we were always in danger of being torpedoed by the Japanese,” he said.

“By the end of 1943, the Japanese were being pushed back towards their homeland and that is the time I served on convoys that took troops and supplies to Papua New Guinea and the northern Pacific Islands.”

After four years of service, he moved to Queensland to protect ships carrying iron ore and coal.

During the three years he was serving, Tweedale and Wagner ‘drifted apart’ with both going on to lead separate lives and marry other people.

After his discharge from the war, he made his debut for New South Wales before earning his spot in an Australian side for his international debut in Dunedin during the 1946 Wallaby tour.

“There wasn’t any representative rugby union during the [war] years … I wasn’t able to (re)commence my rugby career till 1946,” he said.

“One of my favourite memories from that time was the Australia versus Wales game … it really was an experience to never be forgotten mainly due to the sell-out crowd.

“They had filled the ground by 10am … the game didn’t start till 3pm.

“We went to Cardiff and played three times and the experience was absolutely different to anywhere else in the world mainly because of the fanatical rugby following they have down there.

“During the tour we spent three weeks living in Cornwall which was absolutely lovely … if I had a choice of holidays, I’d like to go back to England.

“There’s something about England … it’s in my blood.”

Over the course of his sporting career, Tweedale earned ten international caps as part of the 1947-48 Australia rugby union tour of the UK and Europe, and in the home series against New Zealand in 1949.

Tweedale then moved to Parkes from where he captained NSW Country against the British Lions and led Central Western against Fiji, before returning to Sydney in 1957.

Tweedale later became involved with the RSL in the establishment of a Youth Club in Merrylands, later becoming the patron for the Parramatta Two Blues.

“I was instrumental in forming the Paramatta Junior Rugby Union Association which operates still … quite a few players who have represented Australia have come from the Association,” he said.

In honour of his contribution and 100th birthday, the Western Sydney Two Blues’ home ground has been renamed as the Eric Tweedale Stadium.

In an interview with Rugby Australia, Chairman Hamish McLennan extended his congratulations to Tweedale on the milestone.

“He has been a terrific ambassador for Australian Rugby and his contribution to our game extended well beyond his international playing career,” McLennan said.

“Eric is a model example of how our players can positively impact the community.”

Rugby Australia Chief Executive, Andy Marinos echoed McLennan’s sentiments.

“Eric’s dedication to our game, and his club, is unrivalled and the entirety of the Wallabies family joins me in congratulating him on this milestone,” Marinos said.

Tweedale’s extraordinary story doesn’t just stop there … in a chance encounter at Sydney’s Central Station in 2004, he reconnected with his former fiancée, Enid Wagner.

With 62 years having passed since their engagement was called off in 1942, Tweedale said it was a story that was ‘really special’ to him.

“We were able to resume our romance that started all those years ago,” Tweedale said.

“It was too late to get married, we were in our mid-80s, and we spent 12 wonderful, happy years together.

“Enid and I had hoped we would be centenarians together, but unfortunately Enid didn’t make it by just three years.”

The pair moved into separate self-care units at Peninsula Villages, with Enid sadly passing earlier this year.

A celebration was also held at Club Umina on May 18, with Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, saying she was thrilled to award the Wallaby legend with his 100th birthday certificate.

“We are so lucky to have someone who has contributed so much to Australia, living right here in our community,” Tesch said.

Maisy Rae