The Tom Brock Lecture is an annual scholarly lecture organised by the

Australian Society for Sports History Australian Society for Sports History (ASSH) was formed in July 1983. The aim of the Society is to encourage discussion on the history of sport in Australia through research, publishing and events such as conferences and workshops. Background The ...

at the

bequest A devise is the act of giving real property by will, traditionally referring to real property. A bequest is the act of giving property by will, usually referring to personal property. Today, the two words are often used interchangeably due to thei ...

of Australian sports historian Tom Brock. The topic of the lecture is the history of rugby league football. It has been given by leading writers and academics every year since 1999, at the

New South Wales Rugby League The New South Wales Rugby League Ltd (NSWRL) is an Australian rugby league football competition operator in rugby league in New South Wales, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Co ...

's headquarters at Phillip Street in the

Sydney CBD The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...

. David Rowe, an academic, caused some controversy when he used his 2006 lecture to question football's prospects in the future following negative off-field media coverage. Shane Webcke was set to become the first player to give the lecture when he was invited to do so in 2007, but this did not eventuate. In 2010, the

and the Tom Brock Bequest Committee published ''Tales From Coathanger City: Ten Years of Tom Brock Lectures''. The book includes the Tom Brock lectures delivered from 1999 to 2008, an essay considering 10 years of lectures and study of the game, a biography of Tom Brock and some information on the Bequest Committee.

List of lectures

#29 September 1999 - Dr Andrew Moore: '' Jimmy Devereux's Yorkshire Pudding: Reflections on the origins of rugby league in New South Wales and

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

'' #30 November 2000 -

Ian Heads Ian John Heads (15 February 1943 – 25 March 2024) was an Australian historian, journalist, commentator and author. He was described as "Australia's foremost rugby league historian" by the National Museum of Australia. In the recon ...

: ''"Gang-gangs at one o'clock" … and Other Flights of Fancy; A Personal Journey through Rugby League'' #20 September 2001 - Alex Buzo: ''Sydney: The Heart of Rugby League'' #22 August 2002 - Alan Clarkson: ''The Changing Face of Rugby League'' #4 July 2003 - Tony Collins: ''"Ahr Waggy":

Harold Wagstaff Harold Wagstaff (9 May 1891 – 19 July 1939), also known by the nickname of "Waggy", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played as a and was nicknamed the ''Prince of Centres''. A ca ...

and the making of Anglo-Australian rugby league culture'' #22 September 2004 -

Tom Keneally Thomas Michael Keneally, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his historical fiction novel '' Schindler's Ark'', the story of Oskar Schindler's rescue of Jews during the Hol ...

, AO: ''No more bloody bundles for Britain: The Post-World War II tours of the British and French Allies'' #21 September 2005 - Roy Masters: ''The Great Fibro versus Silvertail Wars'' #21 September 2006 - David Rowe: ''The Stuff of Dreams, or the Dream Stuffed? Rugby League, Media Empires, Sex Scandals, and Global Plays'' #27 September 2007 -

Sean Fagan Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; ang ...

: ''Nothing But a Nine-Day Wonder: The founding of rugby league—Australia’s first professional code'' #6 November 2008 -

Lex Marinos Alexander Francis Marinos (1 February 194913 September 2024) was an Australian actor and television director, radio personality and voice artist. He was most notable for his role as Bruno, in the 1980s television series '' Kingswood Country''. ...

, OAM: ''From a Federation Game to a League of Nations'' #23 September 2009 - Terry Williams: ''The Lost Tribes of League – the fate of axed and merged clubs and their fans'' #23 September 2010 - John Fahey, AC: ''Tries and Tribulations'' #15 September 2011 - Debbie Spillane 'The view from the ladies stand' #6 September 2012 - David Hill: ''Can Rugby League Survive the Twenty-first Century?'' #18 September 2013 - Frank Puletua: ''The Chocolate Soldiers – The emergence of western Sydney’s new league of players'' #8 October 2014 - Tom Harms: ''People, Stories and Meaning in Rugby League'' #16 September 2015 - Ross McMullin: ''Retrieving Ted Larkin (1880 – 1915): Outstanding Footballer, Acclaimed Organiser, Original ANZAC'' #20 September 2016 - Dean Widders: ''My Game, My People'' #5 July 2017 - Raelene Castle : ''Leadership insights from the National Rugby League and Australasian Sport'' #19 September 2018 - A panel discussion featuring Roy Masters, Tracey Holmes and Brian Canavan" ''How has rugby league progressed in the past 20 years?'' #24 September 2019 - Braham Dabscheck ‘Big Artie’s Most Important Offload; Forty Years of the Rugby League Players’ Association’

External links

Tom Brock Lecture
at Australian Society for Sports History website

References

{{reflist Brock History of rugby league Rugby league in Sydney 1999 establishments in Australia Recurring events established in 1999