Sport
29 November, 2021
Cafe wall tells story of club history
WHEN walking into Gallery 5 in Atherton for your morning coffee, it isn’t hard to figure out which local football team café owner Richard (Rick) Hastie barracks for.
The ex-Atherton Roosters player has dedicated an entire wall in his café to the life story and legacy of his local football team.
One of the walls now tells the life story of the Atherton Roosters and many of the players, supporters and influential people from its earliest days to its latest.
Despite retiring from the field years ago, the Roosters never retired from his mind.
“I’ve got a little bit around the café, more of a tribute for the Tablelands, all the historical photos and I’ve designated this one particular wall to the Atherton Roosters,” Rick said.
“I started off with the premiership teams, but I’ve sort of added a lot of the current local players, it’s just a tribute to the club.
“Some of the old stalwarts are up there as well and a couple of gentlemen who do a lot of work.”
Despite being Innisfail born and bred Rick has spent a large majority of his time on the Tablelands and is an avid supporter of his local football club.
“You’ve got some of the sides there (on the wall) that dates back to around the 1950s - a couple of premiership sides in 1971, 73 and 74,” he said.
“There are also action shots of players all through that era and up until the current era.
“We’ve got right up until 2019 and 2020 players and a few under 18 sides.”
The wall also features some representative players such as Herberton boy Dallas Johnson who went on to represent Australia in the 2000s and 2010s.
The new historical artwork piece proves a perfect lesson in Atherton’s rich rugby league history, excellently paid with a cup of coffee.
