A spectacular ascent
Cockburn Lakes’ Lionel McQueen speaks to Chris Egan
In recent seasons there have been some great stories of football clubs making their way through the ranks from the lowest grades of the Perth Football League towards the top echelon of the league’s competition. Yet few of these recent runs can compare with the stunning ascent of the Cockburn Lakes Football Club during the 1980’s.
Having started life as Robb’s Jetty in 1980 before becoming Cockburn Lakes, the Warriors would go on an incredible run between 1984 and 1988, winning five consecutive premierships and winning promotion on all five occasions.
Having started 1984 as a ‘G Grade’ club, by virtue of their premiership success, in 1989 Cockburn Lakes were incredibly competing as a ‘B Grade’ club.
Cockburn Lakes stalwart and Life Member Lionel McQueen became President of the club just prior to this historic run and remembers the humble beginnings of his own presidency.
“No-one wanted to be President, we had a meeting in 1983 and the people there, the members there said do you want to become President,” McQueen said.
“I said I don’t know about that, but I put my hand up, and in our first three years we won three premierships.”
Given his track record as President, you would have forgiven McQueen for holding onto the President’s role. However proving to be the great club man that would define his legacy as one of the greatest to ever be involved at the Cockburn Lakes Football Club and more widely the Perth Football League, McQueen handed the reigns over, dropping back to the Vice President.
It was fair leadership that Cockburn Lakes had at the time, given that McQueen was handing the President’s role to Kevin Reynolds. Under Reynolds, Cockburn Lakes would continue their premiership winning ways, while later in life Reynolds would have his own legacy as part of the unions in Western Australia.
McQueen meanwhile has been a permanent and dependable fixture for Cockburn Lakes ever since those premiership winning days during the 1980’s. After 30 years as President, McQueen still remains on at the club as part of the committee. Yet despite that long involvement and association, it is still those premiership winning feats during his first years as President that remain the most vivid.
“I will always remember those first three premierships,” McQueen said.
One of the truly remarkable eras from the 100 years of Perth Football League history.