History

1940

It was in the 1940s that the Brothers club was first able to establish a clubhouse. In 1947, the club had raised enough funds to purchase an ex army igloo building, which was transported to Queens Park where it served the club until 1962.

1962

The move from Queens Park to Gill Park was completed in 1962 when the club moved into a new clubhouse. Construction of the clubhouse suffered several setbacks with vandalism and financial constraints. The Catholic Bishop of Townsville, Reverend Hugh Ryan was approached for help and agreed to guarantee the cost of the final stages of construction. Once complete, the clubhouse was the most modern of all football clubs in the city. It provided a host of memories for scores of players and supporters who passed through its doors over the years. In 1982, the clubhouse was sold to the Australian Postal Institute.

1983

In the early 1980s the club completed negotiations with Kern Bros Pty Ltd for the purchase of 20 acres of land for the development of a clubhouse and playing fields. The club’s Chairman at the time Mr. Allan West was instrumental in securing the land and formalising the administrative arrangements to create the company Brothers Leagues Club (Townsville) Ltd. This involved an amalgamation of the Seniors and Juniors.

The grounds were officially named Jack Manski Oval on the 14th May 1983 in recognition of the incredible service provided to the club by Jack over the period of forty (40) years.

The formation of No.1 field was a major exercise and took many weekends of hard labour by volunteers.  The fields with light and goal posts were complete in July 1984. The ground was officially opened on 13th August 1984 when Brothers played University in a night fixture and fittingly the home side won in all four grades.

1984

In 1984 the club purchased two portable ablution buildings. The buildings were erected on posts on the Willows site. One building served as the ladies toilets and the other was utilised as change rooms, male toilets and an office. The area was roofed and enclosed and became the temporary clubhouse and suitably dubbed the Orchid Room and the Ross Keir Watering Hole.

1985

Through the tireless efforts of Club Chairman Allan West, the club secured a State Government grant under the Community Employment Program for $248,000. Along with a loan of $150,000 the clubhouse commenced construction on the 3rd September 1984 and it was complete on the 9th May 1985. Other funding and in-kind support was obtained to complete landscaping and fit-out of the building which consisted of a lounge bar, kitchen, change rooms and a grassed beer garden. Trading operations commenced in the club by way of a temporary permit and subsequently a full trading licence was granted to the club on the 16th September 1985.

1990

In 1989 the original building was refurbished to become a Members bar with TAB and extended to include a lounge/dining area and small lounge. This extension was made in the former beer garden of the original building. The works were undertaken by a large volunteer group of local club members from the building fraternity. It then reopened on 14th October 1990.

1994 – 2003

Following the successful advent of poker machines, the club commenced construction on further extensions in June 1993. This involved development of a restaurant and dining lounge, a large commercial kitchen to service the restaurant, and a 200 seat function room. A casino bar and lounge was created to house over 90 poker machines. The total cost of the extensions was $2 million. The extensions were officially opened on 12th February 1994.

Further renovations were made in 2003 when the alfresco area of the club situated between the restaurant and function room was enclosed to create another function room, which was named The Allan West Room in recognition of his magnificent contribution over many years. This was later converted to a kids room, and the club named a new 200 seat grandstand the Allan West Grandstand.

2007

2007 brought a new complex for players (4 x dressing rooms, referees’ room and toilet block) on the eastern side of Field 1, and the installation of QUBE Cafe.

2015

2015 introduced the Townsville and Districts Mendi Blackhawks RLFC.

2017

In 2017 Brothers Seniors and Juniors amalgamated to form one club, continuing to develop a solid reputation for nurturing Queensland’s best upcoming rugby league talent.

2019

The club celebrated its centenary in 2019 with the opening of Centenary Terrace and Centenary History Walk.  

2020

In early 2020 the outdoor Garden Bar began a major transformation, and Victory Bar & Grill and Nineteen19 Rooftop Bar were officially opened to the public on Wednesday 22nd July 2020. A majority of the renovations were carried out during the COVID-19 lockdown, which coincided with the club’s closure between March and June 2020.

2024

Following closure for renovations from Monday 6th March 2023, the highly anticipated Leprechauns Playzone extension and renovation was completed in 2024. Kids can play in air-conditioned, fully supervised comfort with the latest equipment, games and entertainment, complete with awe-inspiring PlayFort, arcade, cinema, outdoor basketball court and mini golf course.

Circa 20 Restaurant was extended to create the Circa 20 Function Room/Party Room (located off Circa 20 Restaurant and near Leprechauns Playzone), perfect for smaller celebrations and kids parties.

QUBE Cafe was extended and opened with a fresh new look. The revamped space has been designed with your comfort and enjoyment in mind, now offering more seating and the ability to accommodate larger dining groups.

2025

The Gaming Room received a largely cosmetic refurbishment with new décor, LED signage and lighting. The main focus was on creating a more spacious experience for members and guests, decreasing the size of bases and updating the floor plan to make moving around and privacy a main priority.

Facebook