Vale – Lloyd Hudson

10 June 1923-2 November 2015.

Kempsey Sporting Legend, Lloyd Hudson passed away on Monday 2 November, aged 92. He represented NSW in two interstate Rugby League matches and was an Australian Army Heavyweight boxing champion.

Born at Kempsey, Lloyd began playing rugby League as a schoolboy at the local primary school. He joined the Central Kempsey club at age 17, but enlisted in the Australian Army in January 1942 when still 18 years of age (Service Number NX 113666).

For the first year or so of his service, he was with the Australian Engineers Store Base in various places on the Australian east coast. In late 1943 he moved on to New Guinea for some active service, based around Port Moresby where he remained until the end of World War Two. Back in Australia he was demobbed in November 1946.

During his five years of service, when he won the Australian Army Heavyweight title, Lloyd played very little football. In 1947 he played with Central Kempsey in the then Group 3 competition and stayed with the club for three seasons.

Persuaded by his older cousin, Cec Waters, who played 146 first grade matches for North Sydney in nine seasons from 1947, to try his luck in Sydney, Lloyd joined Norths in 1950. Under the coaching of legendary media man Frank Hyde in 1950, Lloyd began the season in first grade and scored his first top grade try in just his second game, in the 27-23 loss to Newtown on 10 April 1950 at North Sydney Oval.

In 1953, he represented NSW twice, both games against Queensland at the SCG. The first was on Saturday 23 May and NSW won 26-15 and the second four days later on 27 May with NSW winning 27-16. The Team of the Century fullback and Immortal, Clive Churchill was a team-mate in both NSW sides and Lloyd’s opposing prop forward in both games was Wayne Bennett’s father-in-law, Jack Vievers. It was a big week for Lloyd as on Saturday 30 May, he represented Sydney against the touring American All Stars at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 30 May. A huge 65,453 crowd packed the SCG to see the Americans win 52-25.

At the beginning of 1954, North Sydney had some trouble finding suitable accommodation for Lloyd and his family so the big prop returned to Central Kempsey for the season. He was back in Sydney for one last season with Norths in 1955. After five seasons with the Bears, he had played 89 first grade games and scored 17 tries.

In 1956 he returned to Central Kempsey as captain/coach for the next seven seasons. In his last year, at age 39, he led the club to the major and minor Group 3 Premierships.

Up to a few months ago, Lloyd was giving plenty of his time in coaching local teenagers how to box.

Lloyd is survived by his wife Audrey, his three children Peter, Anne and Marion, along with several grandchildren and great grand children. The Funeral details are not known as yet.