JOHN'S LEGACY TO UNION
RUGBY UNION: It took almost 70 years to arrive but there was no prouder man yesterday than John Raff when he finally got to pull on his Queensland Rugby Union representative cap.
The presentation at Downs Rugby headquarters in Toowoomba is part of QRU’s “Cap Project”, which aims to provide all of past rep players with a Queensland Rugby cap.
QRU chairman and ex Wallaby and Red Jeff Miller presented 88-year-old Raff with the cap in front of family, friends and rugby officials.
“This has been a long time coming, but it’s well deserved,” Miller said.
Well wishers present included Downs Rugby chairman Mike Horan and Queensland Country Rugby president Greg Dodd.
Raff is state representative number 620 with the current player number more than 1330.
He played outside centre for Queensland in three games during 1951 before work commitments ended his brief repplaying days.
Warwick born-and-bred Raff was a Churchie student.
He played for GPS rugby club and was described by the Courier-Mail at the time as “one of the most exciting finds as a centre this season”.
Work commitments with CSR eventually took Raff to Fiji where he was selected in the Fijian cricket team to tour New Zealand but again work duties prevented him from pursuing a representative cricket stint.
Raff rounded out his working days as a successful sheep grazier before retiring to Toowoomba.
“This has come right out of the blue,” Raff said while trying on his cap.
“I have great memories of my time playing for Queensland and my teammates.
“But unfortunately I don’t even have a photo or a jersey, which I had to give back, from that time.
“It’s a real thrill to be presented with this cap today and it’s something they’ll be able to put on my coffin now (he laughed).”