Ebbw Vale Memorial Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ebbw Vale Memorial Park |
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War Memorial, 2015
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| Location | Brisbane Road, Ebbw Vale, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | c. 1892 - |
| Official name: Ebbw Vale Memorial Park | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 17 May 2004 |
| Reference no. | 602433 |
| Significant period | c. 1892 -ongoing (fabric, historical use). 1912-1997 (historical, St Helens Soccer Club) |
| Significant components | clubroom/s / clubhouse, sports field/oval/playing field, memorial - soldier statue, sports facilities |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Ebbw Vale Memorial Park is a special sports park in Ebbw Vale, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It's a place with a lot of history! This park was first built around 1892. It's so important that it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on May 17, 2004. This means it's officially recognized as a valuable historical site.
Contents
The Story of Ebbw Vale Memorial Park
How the Park Started
Ebbw Vale Memorial Park was first called the Whitwood ground. This was in the early 1890s. The owners of the Whitwood Colliery (a coal mine) let their workers use the land. It became a football ground for the miners.
The colliery even had two football teams. Soccer has been played here ever since. Other sports are also played at this park.
The History of Soccer
Football is a very old game. It has been played in Britain since the Middle Ages. Back then, there were not many rules. Rules often changed from one place to another.
In 1815, the first written rules for football were made. In 1863, the Football Association was created in Britain. This is when the two main types of football, Rugby and Association football, were officially defined. Later, in the 1870s and 1880s, more rules were added. For example, it was decided that a team would have 11 players.
The word "soccer" came from "assoc," which was short for Association football. This happened in the 1880s.
Soccer Comes to Queensland
Many people from Britain moved to Queensland during this time. Ipswich attracted miners from England and Wales. In these places, football was very popular.
Workers also started getting more free time. Trade unions helped them get a half-day off on Saturdays. This extra free time helped team sports like football become very popular.
In Queensland, the Anglo-Queensland Football Association was formed in Brisbane in May 1884. Three teams in Brisbane started playing regular matches. The Pineapple Hotel was their main meeting place. A team called the Pineapple Rangers played behind the hotel.
The first soccer game in Ipswich was on June 26, 1886. It took place at the North Ipswich Reserve. Ipswich officially joined the Association in 1887. In 1889, the group changed its name to the Queensland British Football Association.
Soccer grew very popular in Queensland in the 1890s. Towns like Maryborough and Rockhampton also had strong soccer teams. Teams from different colonies played against each other. In 1914, Brisbane hosted a big meeting for football in Australia.
The Whitwood Colliery and the Park
The land for Ebbw Vale Memorial Park was bought by the Stafford brothers in 1890. They owned the Whitwood Colliery. They had opened their first coal mine shaft in Ebbw Vale in 1887.
Many coal mines had football teams made up of miners. This included the Stafford brothers' mine at Dinmore. The first soccer game at the Whitwood ground that was written about in the newspaper was on July 5, 1892. But games had been played there for a while before that.
By 1893, the Whitwood ground was also called St Helen's. This name was later used for the football team itself. When the nearby railway station opened in 1909, it was also called St Helens. It was renamed Ebbw Vale the next year. Ebbw Vale is a town in Wales and was also the name of an early coal mine in the area.
Changes and Community Spirit
Over the years, the Stafford family faced challenges with the colliery. In 1924, the Moreton Shire Council bought the land where the park is. But the mining rights below the park stayed with the colliery.
Local volunteers from the community always took care of the field. This care continued for many generations of the same families. Players used to change in a group of trees or on the porch of a nearby house.
In the 1940s, many players joined the army during the war. But the St Helen's club kept playing. They formed a team called the Ipswich Essentials. This team was made up of miners and railway workers. These jobs were seen as "essential" during the war.
After the war, the club had a "golden era." Soccer was very popular in Ipswich. Matches between the four main teams were very exciting. St Helen's was a very successful club. They had many fans and amazing players.
Some players from St Helen's even played for Queensland and Australia. These included Lance Petie, Duncan McKenna, Chas Matters, Alan "Oscar" Pitcairn, Gordon "Bunny" Nunn, Col Kitching, Cliff Sander, and Brian Vogler. Sander, Vogler, and Kitching played for Australia in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic team. Their coach, Al Warren, was also part of the Olympic team. In 1956, St Helen's won all the major trophies.
Modern Times and Mergers
In the 1960s, soccer in Queensland became more professional. Top players moved to bigger clubs in Brisbane. This affected teams like St Helen's, who lost some players.
In 1966, the Dinmore club merged with Redbank. Then, this new club merged with St Helens to form St Helens United. In 1967, St Helens won the Ampol Cup.
In 1969, the local war memorial was moved to the park. It had been near the Ebbw Vale railway station. This statue of a soldier was made by Andrew Lang Petrie. It was first shown on May 11, 1918. It honors those from the area who served in World War I. It includes the names of some soccer team members.
Ebbw Vale became a suburb of Ipswich in 1949. In 1971, the City of Ipswich Council became the official owner of the park. The park continued to be used by the sports club. In 1993, the clubhouse was built by volunteers.
In 1997, St Helen's merged with Coalstars Soccer Club. They formed the Ipswich Knights. They decided to improve the Coalstars' ground for top-level games. The Ebbw Vale field would be used for women's and junior matches.
Today, some families have their fourth generation playing soccer on the field. Soccer has always been played here. But the park has also been used for cricket, baseball, softball, and touch football. Other clubs also use the facilities. The park is an open space used for community events. These include Christmas gatherings and Anzac Day breakfasts.
What the Park Looks Like
Ebbw Vale is a small suburb. The soccer field takes up about one-seventh of the developed land in the area.
The park has two playing fields. The main soccer field faces Brisbane Road. The second field is at the back of the park. It is used for cricket, baseball, softball, and touch football. It also hosts swap meets and other gatherings.
A car park and a two-story brick clubhouse are between the two fields. The clubhouse has a sloped roof. It has large windows on the top floor that look over the main soccer field. There are also stands for watching games. There is a small canteen and a concrete toilet block. The park also has a metal storage shed and a recreation area with picnic tables and benches.
The other important feature of the park is the war memorial. It is at the corner of Brisbane Road and Jordan Street. It has a square granite base. On top of this is a pedestal made of white Helidon sandstone. On the very top is a life-sized statue of a Digger (an Australian soldier). He is in marching gear. Behind him are crossed British and Australian flags.
Brown sandstone pillars with fancy tops separate marble plaques. These plaques are on each side of the pedestal. They list the names of 22 volunteers from the area.
Why Ebbw Vale Memorial Park is Special
Ebbw Vale Memorial Park was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on May 17, 2004. This means it meets certain important standards.
A Link to Queensland's History
This park shows how Queensland's history has changed. The ground was first used for football and cricket by coal miners in the late 1800s. Soccer became very important in Ipswich because of the coal mining industry. Many miners came from places like Yorkshire and Wales, where mine teams were common.
The Ebbw Vale field is important for the history of soccer in Queensland. It was an early mine field. It was also home to a very successful club. This club produced many state, national, and even Olympic players in the mid-1900s.
A Rare and Special Place
Ebbw Vale Memorial Park is special because it's a 19th-century soccer ground that has been used continuously. This means it has been a soccer field without stopping since the 1800s. Raymond Park in Brisbane is a bit older. But it has not been used for soccer all the time.
Important to the Community
Ebbw Vale Memorial Park has always been taken care of by local volunteers. These volunteers have looked after the ground. They have also provided coaches and players. In some cases, this has been for several generations of the same families.
The park is important to the community. It shows how people have worked together for a long time. It is also a central place for fun and recreation for the local community.
