ON April 13, 1991, a busload of retired rugby league players from Moree jumped on a bus and took off to Deepwater for a day at the races.

The cup that year was won by Johnny Berger’s Starbrook, ridden by Gary Baker, and some of these retired footballers had a nice little collect.

The following morning, driver Dennis Quinn fired up the bus and headed due south to Armidale, about one-and-a-half hours away, where the boys watched Moree Boars beat Armidale Rams.

Moree had been added to the Group 19 competition after leaving Group 4, and long bus trips to watch the Boars play were the norm.

These retired footballers didn’t mind, though – there was always an esky nearby, and sometimes a race meeting.

Some of these blokes had proudly worn Moree’s blue and white jersey – bearing the Big M badge – as far back as the 1950s and well into the 1960s.

Some of the younger blokes were there when the Big M rampaged through the 1970s, long regarded as Moree rugby league’s golden era.

Sixteen grand-finals across four grades were added to the trophy cabinet that decade.

Moree A-grade swept to a premiership in 1972, ahead of a hat-trick of grand-final wins in 1977, 1978 and 1979.

Reserve-grade absolutely dominated, winning grand-finals in 1970 and 1972. Incredibly, they then rattled off consecutive premierships from 1975 through to 1979.

The under-19s were top-of-the-table in 1972 and the under-18s, oozing a player roster of future champions, won premierships in 1973, 1975, 1976 and 1979.

Fast forward 20-odd years, when the big M was rebranded Moree Boars, to that bus trip in April, 1991.

Many of those former players were on their way home after a huge weekend at Deepwater and Armidale.

They scrummed down with a few cold ones and, with the beer doing most of the talking, came up with a brilliant idea.

April 14, 1991, was the day the Boars on Tour group was officially formed, with Allan “Digger” Jenkins installed president, a position he held for nearly 15 years – the entire duration of Boars on Tour.

Now, after a couple of decades, Boars on Tour will hold a reunion at Moree Services Club on Saturday, August 8 at Moree Services Club.

Digger said the reunion isn’t exclusive to retired footballers – far from it.

“We’ll organise a bowls day at the Services Club, and get as many people as possible – anyone who wants to come along,” he said.

“The following day, Moree play Narrabri at Boughton Oval, so hopefully we can all get there to watch – that’s what Boars on Tour was formed to do.”

The reunion will also be a way to honour members who have sadly passed away, including Jack Rice, Max Humphries, Tom Blackburn, Scotty Pearson, Leon Shearer, brothers Bernie and Ian Briggs, Don Sweeney and John Sullivan.

Keeping old mates together

Digger, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, said Boars on Tour was created to keep old mates together.

“It was a way for retired footballers to get away together,” Digger said.

“We went to race meetings and footy games – there were plenty of bus trips to games. Dennis Quinn did most of the trips for us, in his 20-seater bus.

“The first trip away, for me, was the most memorable – the Deepwater Cup meeting and footy at Armidale.

“That’s how Boars on Tour evolved – that’s how it more or less started.

“We did a lot of fundraising along the way for organisations like Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, Meals on Wheels and CanAssist, and raised well in the thousands of dollars over ten or 15 years.

“On golf days, we’d probably raise about $10,000 and split it three ways.

“We used to have meetings at the old leagues club with about 20 or 30 members, maybe have a few sherbets,” he grinned.

Digger started playing rugby league in 1961, the year Clive Churchill captain-coached Moree for an entire season, and racked his jersey in 1982.

“During that time, I had three years in Tamworth. In Moree, I generally played front-row or second-row, but when I went to Tamworth, coach Kel O’Shea moved me to centres,” he said.

Digger also wore the coach’s cap in the last year of his 21-year career.

“I coached the Moree Boomerangs in 1982, and got them to the grand-final that year – my old club, Tamworth City, beat us,” he laughed.

Thousands raised over the years

Boars on Tour’s activities centred strongly around fundraising, golf days and social events.

Over the years, the group raised a few hundred thousand dollars for Moree charities and not-for-profit organisations.

The boys also regularly attended race meetings at Moree, Mallawa and Garah, and even ventured into racehorse ownership in the late 1990s, winning with popular neddy Woods, trained by Peter Sinclair.

Moree has long been regarded as a rugby league town, with generations of players, supporters and volunteers helping build the Boars’ reputation across Group competitions and the broader country rugby league landscape.

Local rugby league history stretches back generations, and Moree has consistently produced elite footballers, tough competitors and colourful characters.

Boars on Tour has helped uphold the traditions, stories and personalities of local rugby league long after the final whistle has blown, with many former players still deeply connected to the game long after retirement.

That connection will grow stronger when past and present players unite at Moree Services Club on August 8.

“Everyone is welcome to come along, have a game of bowls, or watch and catch up. We’re planning a big weekend,” Digger said.

Boars on Tour Reunion

When: Saturday, August 8, 2026

Where: Moree Services Club

Time: From 10am

Enquiries: Digger Jenkins on 0418 521325