Vale – Reg Parker

Former Chairman of the Rugby Football League, Reg Parker, passed away on 13 November.

Reg was the English Rugby League Chairman in 1984 and 1985. Older members of the Men of League will remember him as the manager of the 1974 Great Britain touring team to Australia and New Zealand. This team included such players as John Gray, who later played with Manly and North Sydney, Roger Millward, Steve Norton, Paul Rose, Colin Dixon, George Nicholls, Jim Mills, Eric Chisnall and captain Chris Hesketh. Reg also managed the 1977 Great Britain team for the 1977 World Championship in Australia.

During his career, Reg played with Barrow, Wakefield Trinity and Blackpool. He was a key member of the Barrow team who won the club’s only Challenge Cup at Wembley Stadium on 30 April 1955. Before a crowd of 66,513, Barrow defeated Workington Town 21-12. Phil Jackson, who made two tours of Australia with Great Britain and who has lived in Australia for around 40 years, was a team-mate in the winning Barrow side.

Born in the Ulverston district County Cumbria in October 1927, Reg was 87 when he passed away.