Rovers pay tribute to club legend with memorial round

RICHMOND Rovers will pay tribute to club founder and Far North Coast Football legend Bill Harris with a memorial round after the 91-year-old died recently.

Four games of soccer will be held at Neilson Park, East Lismore on Saturday, July 19.

Harris was a life member who founded the club as a captain-coach in 1961 after winning three premierships as a player at Goonellabah.

He won a premiership three years later with the club, which is now one of the biggest and most successful in the competition.

“He wanted to start a new club to create more competition in the area and he had a huge involvement at every level,” Rovers club president Allan Duroux said.

“He’s had an impact on everyone in the game here and we’ve probably been the biggest club in Lismore for as long as I can remember.

“Bill ended up losing his vision in his later years and that really hurt him, not being able to watch his football.

“He had an offsider who would sit with him and commentate the games to him, that’s how much it meant.”

Harris coached Rovers for five years before moving into his role as club president.

He eventually became a life member, with the fields named in his honour.

The Rovers’ premier division game against Maclean will highlight the memorial round, with three other matches to be played.

They will play Maclean in the championship league clash, with games against Mullumbimby and Nimbin in third and fourth division, from 1pm.

The player of the match will be awarded the Bill Harris Memorial Medal.

Plans are being developed to make it an annual award.

“In the main game the two teams will create a circle where our life members will be invited to join them on the field for a short service,” Duroux said.

“It will be a great way to honour such a significant part of our culture with everything he instilled in the club and what it stands for today.

“We’ve got well over 550 members from seniors into juniors, and it can all be traced back to Bill.

“Our award for best coach at the end of the year is already named after him and he certainly won’t be forgotten.”