There are a number of reasons to make a start on the history of Northstar Sports Club in the year 1951. The fifties in general were important development years for Zillmere. There was a rather extensive Government Housing Project started in the area. Zillmere at that time had already made its mark as a very integral part of Brisbane’s development through farming activities that produced pineapples, veggies and dairy products.
Zillmere Road was nothing more than a dirt track but it’s potential as a major through road was very evident. At the corner of Zillmere road and Jennings Street where our Library now stands was a large galvanized iron building then known as the Zillmere School of Arts. It was the central hub of the community’s social activities with dancing and picture shows held on a regular basis. It might also be said that it was also the scene of many a donnybrook between the local youth and any visitors from outside the local area. In fact the hall attracted quite a bit of notoriety.
Most people that grew up in the area can still recall a good yarn or incident that happened there.
Further up the road where the “Seven Eleven” is now located, there was a Bakery, and around behind that on Hanford Road was Zillmere’s first Chemist Shop.
Where Zillmere road now terminates at the Railway Line, was a set of Gates to control the traffic going through to Gympie Road. There was a large rail yard in Zillmere at that time. Trains going into Brisbane or up north would load or unload produce and travelers at that point. The Rail was a major factor in Zillmere’s development and played an important part in the new Housing project.
Much to the disgust of a patriotic faction in the community the Government had contracted the building of the new houses out to foreign owned companies with the bulk of their workers being new Immigrants. One such firm was “Le Corche & Schrot” they were a French concern. They had work shops on the Top side of what is now known as “Coxen street Park” Renamed just recently to “Victor Grenning Park”. The barracks that housed the migrant workers were on the park land itself. There were German, French, Italian and a few other nationalities all living there.
What was even more vexing to the patriotic public at the time was the fact that the houses being built were fully imported. There’re a couple of suggestions as to the where the houses came from. The most likely one I heard was Germany, with the timber being cut from the Black Forest along the French and German border. The timber was milled in Germany and sent in a prefabricated state out to Australia in huge wooden crates. On arrival in Port of Brisbane the crates were railed out to Zillmere, then trucked to a storage area on top of the hill on Church Road where “Cunningham’s” old disused store still stands.
The housing project suffered a couple of major set-backs in 1951. In the first instance a tornado cut a swathe through the area In it’s wake it left thirty six new houses blown clean off their stumps and a huge clean up bill. Then just as that year was drawing to a close, a fire broke out in one of the barracks. The fire was reportedly started when a cooking hot plate was left on. The fire quickly spread to other buildings, the Fire Brigade was sadly hindered in its efforts to contain the fire by lack of water pressure. The lot burned to the ground and the workers lost everything. The Firm “La Corche & Schrot” went broke not long after these disasters.
It is rumored that the company even managed to lose a few of their houses while they were still in the crate. They just disappeared from the holding yard on Church Road.
Man with Vision.
Sometime during the early to mid fifties, Boys Brigade was formed in the area. In 1957 “Mr Jan Van Laar” came into the picture. He migrated to Australia from Holland in 1956. His association with soccer spanned his youth and early adult years playing and managing soccer clubs in Holland. He found his feet and settled in Zillmere and became actively involved with Boys Brigade. Before very long he had reached the status of Captain. He saw an opportunity for Junior Soccer and began training the boys with the intention of entering a team in the Brisbane competition. Soccer quickly became one of Boys Brigade activities.
Mr Van Laar trained the boys in the park were Northstar is now. He was helped in this task by a brother of one of the boys, one Mr Arthur Higgens, who at the time was playing for the Zillmere senior team. During the next few years, under the guidance of Jan Van Laar, Boys Brigade was able to field several teams. Transportation to and from games was always a problem, but with the help of Mr Dan Paddon, the then minister of Boys Brigade and Mr George Stewart some transport was provided. When all else failed the boys travelled by train to the different venues.
AUTHORS NOTE. A photo of The late Mr Jan Van Laar and the information on his achievement was supplied by his daughter Mrs Carla Rees. She can well recall the train trips to away games with her father and the boys. Her most important role in these journeys was to make sure the oranges arrived in good order. Thank you for the help Carla, I feel sure that like your dad you did the job well.
Junior soccer in Zillmere was played under the Boys Brigade Banner until the finish of the 1962 season.
At that point in time, Mr Van Laar informed the parents that due to increasing costs, Boys Brigade could not continue to field teams. In his wisdom, he called for interested parents to form a separate club, so that Junior Soccer could still be fostered in the Zillmere area. It should be noted at this time, that Senior Soccer was already up and running. It was formed in 1958 and was known as the “Magpies” It seemed the seniors had no interest in Junior Soccer at that stage.
Following Mr Van Laar’s advice a meeting was held at the residence of “Mr George Stewart in late 1962. The results of that meeting saw Junior Soccer emerge with the foundation of a new club and a new name. This was the birth of the “Zillmere Stars Junior Soccer Club”. At that same meeting a committee was formed. It’s office bearers were.
“Mr A Ladewig, President” “Mr G Stewart, Secretary” “Mr G Hemming, Treasurer”. The rest of the Committee consisted of “Mr Stewart. Mrs Hemming. Mr and Mrs Gill Yates. Mr and Mrs Joe Adriaansen. Mr and Mrs F Beale. Mr F Connolly MLA and finally, Mr Jack Malloy MLA was elected Patron”.
In due course a constitution was drawn up and properly Gazetted. A club badge was struck and the lot was registered with the Brisbane Junior Soccer Association. Junior Soccer in Zillmere was all official.
Mr Jan Van Laar passed away in 1970. Boys Brigade is still going strong to this day and based at “Clayfield”. The Current Captain is Mr Van Laar’s Son inlaw, “Mr Wayne Rees.
The problems facing the new club then, have not changed at all to this day. They were mostly financial and just like today it takes a lot of hard work by the committee and stalwart members to keep things moving in the right direction.
By the year 1960 Zillmere was well established as a community and suburb of Brisbane. It boasted all the facilities a village needed to accommodate its population, there was a Post Office, two fruit and vegies shops, two butcher shops, and Haberdashery Store. Infrastructure for future development was well under way.
The area around Zillmere was still primarily farm lands but already land developers were seeing the value of future bricks and mortar investment. Schools and Churches were catering to the community’s spiritual and educational needs while all codes of sport were taking the needs of the young into account.
The end result of the earlier housing development did Zillmere a big favour in so far as we ended up with a wonderfully diverse ethnic flavour in the recipe for our future development. Soccer in Zillmere was just one of the direct results and a natural progression from this mix of cultural benefit.
In the lead up to the 1963 season, with the help of local business we were able to field teams with all new shirts and other essentials, balls etc. During the course of the season we ran raffles and a canteen from a borrowed tent. With the monies raised we were able to supply bus transport for trips away, Trophies and a good break up party for players and members. As a consequence of all the hard work we were able to keep our financial figures in the black year after year.
The teething problems facing the new club were many and varied. One of these was a clash of interest with the senior soccer team in relation to the use of their main field for training purposes. They held the lease on what is now the main Field of NSSC. The Junior committee approached the then “Alderman, Frank Sleeman” and the Patron “Mr Jack Malloy M L A.. The result of their intervention gave the Zillmere Stars an option to lease the park at the end of Coxen Street Zillmere. This location had been previously held by a local marching girls group. The land was ideal for soccer training as the ground was floodlit.
It is interesting to note, that the Zillmere Stars may well have been the very first Junior Soccer Club formed in Brisbane. It was also the first to introduce women’s soccer to Brisbane. This was done at the Annual inter Club Championships at “Taringa”. The first game was played at Zillmere and won by Zillmere.
The following info was supplied by “Mr Ron Adams.” His story leads into and through, the building of our club house as we know it now. It was a huge undertaking by the members and brings home to us all, the absolute importance of working together to achieve a common goal.
The immigrant workers who built the prefab houses were instrumental in the building of the school and church we know as “Saint Flannans”. In 1960 Beams road was, like Zillmere road only dirt and serviced the farms out as far as the South Pine River. Gates were installed at the rail way line in what we now call “Carseldine”. A Gate Keeper was employed to live on site.
On the land where the “Colonial Village now stands, lived a family of three girls and two boys, the two eldest girls had Italian boy friends. Their names were “Ennis and Quenzo”. It was these two boys who played a major part in getting the soccer ground that has now developed into NSSC .
Authors Note.
Dear Reader.
As you can see our clubs history is long and the path at times as been a rocky one. I instigated this written account of our clubs history in 2001. I have only received data on the Subject from three or four stalwart members. All other info I have gleaned from old club records. I have in my possession, photos and paraphernalia relating to our history, the story is well advanced but slow in its production due to my personal inability.
This Letter is the first installment. (for want of a better word). I have decided to release these first couple of pages at this special meeting to try and instill in the members our need for the spirit of our beginnings to come to the fore. We are living through hard and turbulent times. This fact alone should give some idea of the importance of a club such as ours. Children and adults alike, need to be able to stand and work together as a unit to bring us through these times.
It is a known fact that this time of the year is always hard on our Club from a financial point of view. We have a strong membership base and it would be sad to see our club suffer through apathy. I would not like to see the story of our clubs history fall as a victim of the times, as I’m sure the reader would agree. I will keep the story coming. If you the members will keep the club going. Please support our fund raising efforts and try and suggest worthwhile endeavors for our future.
Wishing you all the best.
Greg Dillon.
