Roderick John Charles O'Loan, MBE,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1915–1992) was an Australian

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer for the Eastern Suburbs club in the

New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...

. He was also a businessman and a war veteran of distinction.

Sporting career

Rod O'Loan was born in

Katoomba, New South Wales Katoomba is the main town and council seat of the City of Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia, and is the administrative centre of City of Blue Mountains, Blue Mountains City Council. Situated on the Great Western Highway and the Main ...

, on 26 March 1915 and enjoyed

Rugby Union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and

Rugby League Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

during his younger years. By the time he was the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, he excelled at Rugby League and joined the university club as a winger. O'Loan played for

University A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

in 1933 and 1934, scoring twelve tries in twenty-eight games. He then shifted to Easts in 1935 with his university teammate

Ross McKinnon Ross McKinnon (1914-1962) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. Born in Sydney, Oberon, New South Wales, he played for the Sydney University rugby league team, University, Sydney Roosters, Eastern Suburbs, New South Wales Rugby ...

and became part of a champion back line which included Dave Brown,

Fred Tottey Frederick Joseph Tottey (25 November 1909 – 1977) was a rugby league footballer who played in Australia's leading competition the New South Wales Rugby Football League. Career Tottey, a winger, played 74 matches for Eastern Suburbs between ...

Jack Beaton John Beaton (2 January 1914 – 5 June 1996) was an Australian rugby league player, a national representative of the 1930s whose short but brilliant club career was played with Sydney's Eastern Suburbs club. He has been named amongst the ...

Ernie Norman Ernest James Norman (12 October 1912 – 3 August 1993) was an Australian rugby league player – a state and national representative or . His club career was with the Eastern Suburbs club in the New South Wales Rugby Football League competitio ...

and

Viv Thicknesse Viv Thicknesse (1910–1986) was an Australian dual-code rugby half-back, a state representative in both rugby league and rugby union. His rugby league career was spent with the champion Eastern Suburbs sides of the 1930s and he represented Aus ...

, which broke many scoring record in 1935 with 131 tries in just sixteen regular season matches. O'Loan scored 76 tries in 82 games for Eastern Suburbs before retiring at the end of 1941. O'Loan participated in four premierships during a stellar career at Eastern Suburbs: 1935, 1936, 1937 and 1940, but chose to never play at representative level due to study and corporate commitments.

Talented junior sportsman

His junior sporting career began at Saint Patrick's College Goulburn, then he moved to the senior school at Waverley College before going onto the University of Sydney. In an article in the ''Freeman’s Journal'' of 1931, it was stated that Rod O'Loan was the 1931 junior sprint champion over 100 yards in N.S.W., had won the Botany Junior Sprint title in 1931, was a champion high jumper at 13 years of age and was the holder of many junior swimming records, and he was in the First XI cricket and the First XV Rugby teams at 15 years of age. After seven seasons in first grade with the Tricolours, Rod O'Loan retired after the 1941 season and enlisted in the Army.

Tryscoring record

In a match between Eastern Suburbs and his old club University in 1935 O'Loan scored a club record seven tries in a 61–5 win. This tally remains second (behind

Frank Burge Frank Burge (14 August 1894 – 5 July 1958) was an Australian rugby league player. He was one of the greatest forwards in the history of rugby league in Australia, and later became one of the game's finest coaches. His club career was with Gle ...

's eight tries in 1920) on the list of most individual tries in a premiership match. O'Loan scored 27 tries that season, but was beaten by Dave Brown, known as "the Bradman of League", with 38 tries, which is still an NSWRFL/NSWRL/NRL record for one season.

War service

Rod O'Loan enlisted in the Australian Army in 1942. He rose to the rank of major in the 2 Division Australian Army Services Corps.

Military and civil awards

At war's end in 1946, he was awarded the MBE for gallant and distinguished service during the war in the South West Pacific. He was appointed a

in the New Years Honours List of 1977 for Services to the Community. He held senior positions in the business world during his working life, and worked for large companies, including David Jones in Sydney. He was appointed managing director of Finney Isles Stores of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

in 1958 and served as president of the Retailers' Association in 1962. Rod O'Loan died in Brisbane on 19 February 1992.Sydney Morning Herald: ''Death Notice'' Roderick O'Loan late of Brisbane 28 February 1992 He married Molly (Mary Patricia, née Croke) in 1940 and had three sons and one daughter.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:O'Loan, Rod 1915 births 1992 deaths Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian rugby league players Rugby league players from New South Wales Rugby league wingers Sydney Roosters players Sydney University rugby league team players 20th-century Australian sportsmen Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire