HONOURING A GC RUGBY CHAMPION

To celebrate his life, an open event at Surfers Paradise Dolphins is set to take place on July 30, where Hill expects a strong turnout of past and present players since Carey became Breakers president in 2003.

Hill said Carey had a way of relating to players at the various clubs he was involved with that brought out the best in them, and kept the heartbeat of the sport alive in those teams.

“He got on with the players extremely well, he was able to relate to players since he had a fairly young mindset,” he said.

“Wazza kind of had the mentality of having a good time and playing hard on and off the field and suited exactly what we needed.

“I’m already hearing a lot of the old Breakers boys are going along (to the celebration at Surfers Paradise).

“He played hard and partied just as hard afterwards. One of the Mad Mondays we had was at his place and it was the best Mad Mondays you would ever go to.”

Hill would not go into detail about that particular post-season celebration, preferring to keep some things secret. But he said at those same postgame parties, he himself was often second to leave, such was the bond the pair had forged.

While Hill admitted he had moved to the Gold Coast from New Zealand to get somewhat away from rugby, he was quickly pulled back in to manage the Breakers under Carey’s presidency.

They continued working together even in Carey’s final years, joining the committee at the Griffith Uni Colleges Knights and appointing Johnny Ngauamo as coach, overseeing an unprecedented winning streak of 46 from 47 games.

When the former Tonga Test centre began his time at Surfers Paradise this year, Carey followed him with Hill in tow.

Last month he was even able to watch one last game coached by Ngauamo – a 62-5 triumph over Gold Coast Eagles, the biggest win of the 2022 season.

“He was very loyal and very honest basically,” Hill said.

“He didn’t really have a bad word to say about anybody, but I know if I ever needed something Wazza would do what he could to help out.”

It was that same loyalty which kept Cameron Bracewell on the Glitter Strip.

Having moved over from New Zealand in 2006 as a youngster, Bracewell said there was a time when he would have had to move back across the ditch if he was unable to afford his university studies on the Gold Coast.

The former Breakers star said Carey was quick to dig into his own pockets, and he would not have been the only player to experience such generosity.

“I had a bit of crossroads, I played a year in colts and had to make a decision whether I went back to New Zealand to go to university or stay, which was going to be a lot more difficult paying your fees upfront,” Bracewell said.

“He definitely made sure I was able to continue my education on the Gold Coast, even if that meant putting his hand in his own pocket. I was a pretty naive kid back then, but looking back I realise how much he did for kids like me.

“I would have been one of many, I know a lot of guys through the grades he looked after – whether it was opening his home for them or finding jobs.”