Walter James "Wally" Lewis AMThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 1 December 1959 in
Hawthorne, QueenslandHawthorne is an inner riverside suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It is east of the Brisbane central business district.Hawthorne started as a farming district in the 1860s, and was gradually subdivided as Brisbane grew...
) is an Australian former professional
rugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer and coach. Currently a commentator of the sport, he is widely regarded as the greatest rugby league player of all time. His time as a player and coach was followed by a career as a newsreader for the
Nine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
.
Nicknamed
The King and also
The Emperor of Lang Park, Lewis represented Queensland in thirty-one State of Origin games from 1980 to 1991, and was captain for thirty of them. He also represented Australia in thirty-three international matches from 1981 to 1991 and was national team captain from 1984 to 1989. Lewis is perhaps best known for his State of Origin performances, spearheading Queensland's dominance in that competition throughout the 1980s. He has a record eight man of the match awards in Origin football and captained the side a record thirty times.
Lewis has since been inducted into the
Australian Rugby League Hall of FameThe Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at rugby league, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game who are Australian...
and in 1999 he became the sixth member of '
The ImmortalsA major Australian rugby league magazine Rugby League Week in 1981 selected an exclusive group of players dubbed "The Immortals". The group consisted of Clive Churchill, Bob Fulton, Reg Gasnier, and Johnny Raper...
'. In 2000, he was awarded the
Australian Sports MedalThe Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league.
In February 2008, Lewis was named in the list of Australia's
100 Greatest
PlayersIn late 2007, the Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League commissioned 130 experts to select the 100 best rugby league players in the game's 100-year history in Australia. From this list , a limited panel of experts picked a the "Team of the Century" - a team of 17 players considered to...
(1908–2007) which was commissioned by the
NRLThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and
ARLThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
to
celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Lewis went on to be named as five-eighth in Australian rugby league's
Team of the CenturyIn late 2007, the Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League commissioned a college of 130 experts to select the 100 best rugby league players in the game's 100-year history in Australia...
. Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panel's majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players. In June 2008, he was also chosen in the
Queensland Rugby League's Team of the CenturyThe Queensland Rugby League Team of the Century is a hypothetical team comprising the best players who have played for Queensland to form a team for 1909 until 2008. Rugby league in Queensland was initiated in 1909 with the Queensland Rugby Football League competition, which evolved into the...
at five-eighth and captain.
Early life
Lewis's father, Jimmy, played first grade rugby league at wing or fullback for Brisbane clubs Wests and Souths. He later became coach of the
Wynnum-ManlyThe Wynnum-Manly Seagulls are an Australian rugby league football club based at Kougari Oval, which is in the Eastern Brisbane suburb of Manly West. They competed in the Brisbane Rugby League from 1951 to 1997. Since 1996 they have competed in the Queensland Cup. Their jersey is red, green and white...
club. His mother, June, was a Queensland representative netball player. Wally was playing rugby league when he was six years old, usually at Lock forward. In his school days, Lewis also played representative
rugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, touring Europe and Japan with the Australian schoolboys alongside the likes of the
EllaMark Gordon Ella is an Indigenous Australian former rugby union player, often considered as one of his country's all-time greats in that sport. In a relatively short career , Mark Ella established himself as one of the all-time greats in world rugby union...
brothers and Michael O'Connor in 1977.
Fortitude Valley
Following his return to Australia, Lewis faced discrimination in the rugby union fraternity due to his rugby league background, and remained in the professional game, playing in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership with
Fortitude ValleyThe Fortitude Valley Diehards were an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Brisbane suburb of Fortitude Valley.-History:...
from 1978. Lewis turned down an offer to play in New South Wales with the
North SydneyThe North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
club, remaining in Brisbane. In 1979 he made his début for Queensland from the bench and also played for a representative Brisbane side against the touring Great Britain Lions. He then helped Valleys to premiership victory over the Wayne Bennett-coached Souths side in the BRL
Grand FinalGrand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
.
Lewis made the run-on side for Queensland in the inaugural State of Origin match in 1980 at Lock forward alongside his hero
Arthur BeetsonArthur Henry "Artie" Beetson, OAM , was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He represented Australia and Queensland from 1964 to 1981. His position was at prop. Beetson became the first Indigenous Australian to captain his country in any sport. and is frequently cited as the best...
, and had a hand in Queensland's first ever State of Origin try. The following year another State of Origin match was played, and Arthur Beetson pulled out due to injury, instead coaching the side, and handed the captaincy over to 21-year-old Lewis. He also made his début for the Australian national side that year.
In the 1982 State of Origin series Lewis got his first try and his first man-of-the-match award in Origin and later that year toured Great Britain with the undefeated
"Invincibles"The Australia national rugby league team have generally since 1908 barring wartime, toured Great Britain every four years often capping the tour with games and Tests in France. This regular touring side are known as the Kangaroos...
as vice-captain. In the first and third games of the 1983 State of Origin series he was named man-of-the-match.
Lewis played for English First Division side
Wakefield TrinityWakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
for a short spell during the 1983–84 Rugby Football League season and he remains a favourite of Trinity fans, who named their
fanzineA fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
Wally Lewis is Coming. Trinity won 5 of 10 games during Lewis's stay, including a win over St. Helens in which Lewis scored a hat-trick. After his final match on 12 February, Trinity did not win another game and were relegated to the second division.
Wynnum-Manly
Back in Australia, Lewis moved to the
Wynnum-Manly clubThe Wynnum-Manly Seagulls are an Australian rugby league football club based at Kougari Oval, which is in the Eastern Brisbane suburb of Manly West. They competed in the Brisbane Rugby League from 1951 to 1997. Since 1996 they have competed in the Queensland Cup. Their jersey is red, green and white...
. He gained the national captaincy for the first time and was named player of the series for the
1984 National Panasonic Cup-Format:With the demise of Newtown, the competition was reduced to 17 teams in a straight knock-out. 2 teams played off in the preliminary round. There was a random draw for all other rounds.-Preliminary round:-Round 1:-Quarter finals:-Semi finals:...
in which he led a Combined Brisbane side to victory over Sydney's
Eastern SuburbsThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
club. Lewis was named man-of-the match in the first two games of the 1984 State of Origin series, making it three consecutive Origin man-of-the-match awards. That year, he also won the Brisbane Rugby League premiership's grand final against Souths. The following year, Lewis was awarded the inaugural Golden Boot Award as the world's best international player in 1984.
Lewis was man-of-the-match for Game II of the 1985 State of Origin series and played in Wynnum-Manly's 1985 BRL grand final loss to Souths. The Australian side toured New Zealand that year, winning the test series 2-1. The following year his team won the 1986 BRL grand final against Brothers 14-6 before becoming the first Queenslander since
Tom GormanTom Gorman was an Australian rugby league player. He was a Centre three-quarter for the Australian national team. He played in 10 Tests between 1924 and 1930 as captain on 7 occasions....
in 1929, to be named as captain for a
Kangaroo tourKangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France. The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
. Following the successful 1986 Kangaroo tour, former Australian coach
Terry FearnleyTerry Fearnley is an Australian former rugby league footballer and later coach. He was a long serving member of the NSWRFL's Eastern Suburbs team & , playing 144 matches for them at a bleak period in that club's existence. Injury kept him out of the 1960 grand final, one of the few successful...
wrote an article for
Rugby League WeekRugby League Week is the second highest selling Australian rugby league magazine, behind major competitor Big League...
that was highly critical of Lewis' captaincy.
In 1987 Lewis was honoured as a Member of the
Order of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
"for service to rugby league football". Also that year King Wally, a biography of Lewis written by Adrian McGregor was published.
Brisbane Broncos
Several
New South Wales Rugby League premiershipThe New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
clubs had attempted to lure Wally Lewis south during the 1980s, including Manly-Warringah which came closest to contracting him in 1986, but he signed with the
Brisbane BroncosThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
as inaugural captain of the side upon their inception in 1988. Lewis was the Broncos' top try-scorer in their
first seasonThe 1988 Brisbane Broncos season was the first in the club's history. The new venture team, competed in the New South Wales Rugby League's 1988 Winfield Cup premiership and, despite a strong start to the season, failed to make the finals...
and also later had the honour of scoring the club's first
hat-trickA hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
.
During the season Lewis was awarded the Harry Sunderland Medal as Australia's player of the 1988 Ashes series. At the end of the season he captained Australia to victory over New Zealand in the final of the
1985 - 1988 Rugby League World CupThe ninth Rugby League World Cup saw yet another change of format. The competition was stretched to cover almost three years , with teams playing each other on a home and away basis...
.
Lewis won another man-of-the-match award in the second game of the 1989 State of Origin series.
After two seasons with the Broncos, coach Wayne Bennett controversially sacked Lewis as club captain and gave the role to centre,
Gene MilesGene Miles is a retired Australian rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative centre, he played his club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership before joining the Brisbane Broncos whom he captained.-BRL:A...
. Miles had retired from representative football, and Bennett hoped he could remove the team's reliance on Lewis. In another blow for the King, Lewis was moved from his favoured five-eighth position to Lock forward to make way for new
CanberraThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
signing and
IpswichIpswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
product
Kevin WaltersKevin David Walters is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant coach for NRL club Melbourne Storm. He joined them from French club Catalans Dragons of Europe's Super League as their head coach. Before that he was head coach of the...
. Controversy reared in the 1990 semi-final victory over
Manly-WarringahThe Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
when Bennett left Lewis on the bench, even though Lewis was desperate to prove his fitness before the upcoming
Kangaroo TourKangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France. The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
, which he was eventually ruled out of. At the end of the 1990 season, due to salary cap restrictions, Lewis was not made a large enough offer to keep him at the Broncos, with Bennett citing the need to retain younger talent.
Gold Coast Seagulls and Coaching
Following the souring of his relationship with the Broncos, Lewis was still unwilling to move south and in 1991, he joined the
Gold Coast SeagullsGold Coast were a professional Rugby league football club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby League premiership from 1995 to 1997, and the National Rugby League premiership in 1998...
as captain. He won his eighth and last man-of-the-match award in the first game of the State of Origin series that year before playing both his last match for Queensland and Australia by the end of the season. He captained and coached Gold Coast during the 1992 NSWRL season but again finished the season in last place. In their final match under Lewis as captain-coach, the Gold Coast defeated Penrith, thus denying the Panthers a place in the finals play-offs. The following year he stopped playing but continued coaching the Seagulls, but departed after a third consecutive
wooden spoonA wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
. In his time coaching Seagulls, the club had won just 7 games out of 44 played, losing the last 16 in a row.
Lewis also coached the Queensland State of Origin side in 1993 and 1994 but never won a series.
Legacy
Wally Lewis is remembered for his creative, playmaking football and great on-field confrontations, most notably one in the
1991 State of Origin seriesThe Game III decider back in Brisbane was fast-paced and desperately fought with never more than four points separating the sides. Queensland led 8-4 at half-time but two New South Wales tries took the Blues to a 12-8 lead. Late in the second-half a superb dash by Maroons' hooker Steve Walters...
with
Mark GeyerMark Geyer , is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and '90s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative second-rower, he is currently a rugby league media identity...
. Years before that his and
Brett KennyBrett Kenny is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He was a five-eighth for the Australian national team, the New South Wales Blues representative side and the Parramatta Eels. He played in 17 Tests, made 17 State of Origin appearances and won 4...
's likenesses were put onto the State of Origin winner's shield. The Wally Lewis Medal has been awarded to the Queensland player of the series in State of Origin from 1992 to 2003. Since 2004, it has been awarded to the player of the series from either side.
A bronze statue of Wally was raised at the entrance to Lang Park. The statue text reads:
WALLY LEWIS
The Emperor of Lang Park
This honour was bestowed upon Wally Lewis by the former Chairman of the Queensland Rugby LeagueThe Queensland Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League and selects the members of Queensland State of Origin teams....
, Senator and acclaimed father of State of Origin, the late Ron McAullife, in recognition of the impact Wally had on matches played at this ground across three decades.
Lewis is arguably the greatest rugby league player of all time. He is one of only a handful of players to be named a Rugby League ImmortalA major Australian rugby league magazine Rugby League Week in 1981 selected an exclusive group of players dubbed "The Immortals". The group consisted of Clive Churchill, Bob Fulton, Reg Gasnier, and Johnny Raper...
and was one of the six inaugural members of the Australian Rugby League Hall of FameThe Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at rugby league, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game who are Australian...
.
He achieved the greatest honour in Rugby League: the captaincy of his country, but it was his feats as Queensland skipper and playmaker in State of Origin that he achieved legendary status. He played 31 Origin games (30 as captain) and a record 8 Man of the Match awards over a 12-year period.
The name Wally Lewis is synonymous with State of Origin and Queensland Rugby League and continues to be an inspiration to future generations of footballers.
Wally Lewis has also appeared in numerous advertisements during and after his football playing career. Examples include promotions for
XXXXXXXX is a brand of Australian beer brewed in Milton, Brisbane by Queensland brewers, Castlemaine Perkins. It enjoys wide popularity in the state of Queensland, where it is commonly found on-tap in pubs and bars....
beer and
Burger KingBurger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
.
During the 2007 season at the Broncos' 20-year anniversary celebration, the club announced a list of the 20 best players to play for them to date which included Lewis.
In December 2009 Lewis was inducted into the Queensland Sports Hall of Fame.
Quotes
- "Lewis has to be number one because he’s the only bloke who dominated the game at the highest level, in State of Origin, over a long period." Ray Warren
Ray "Rabbits" Warren in Junee, New South Wales is an Australian sports commentator, most famous for his coverage of televised professional rugby league matches on the Nine Network. On occasion he is referred to as "The Voice of Rugby League". Ray also calls the action for Australian swimming team...
, Australian sports commentator
- "Certainly he's the best I've ever seen in the rugby
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
codes, and my memory goes back to RaperJohn Raper, MBE is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He was a lock forward for the Australia national team. He had a record 33 test caps between 1959 and 1968 and played in 6 World Cup games between 1960 to 1968...
and GasnierReg Gasnier AM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach, regarded as one of the 20th century's finest players. He played in the centres for the St. George Dragons from 1959 to 1967...
, CatchpoleKen Catchpole OAM, is a former Australian rugby union footballer. A state and national representative half-back, he played twenty-seven matches for Australia, thirteen as captain. Catchpole rose through the ranks at the Randwick club as a young man, before making his debut for New South Wales...
and HawthornePhil Hawthorne was an Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer - a dual-code international. He represented the Wallabies in 21 Tests and the Kangaroos in 3 Tests. He captained Australia in rugby league the 3rd Test of the 1970 Ashes series.-Rugby union career:Hawthorne was born in 1943...
." Peter Meares, Australian sports commentator and writer.
- "Lewis is the greatest player at representative level I've seen – and I've seen some great players, I was there when Gas
Reg Gasnier AM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach, regarded as one of the 20th century's finest players. He played in the centres for the St. George Dragons from 1959 to 1967...
and ChookJohn Raper, MBE is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He was a lock forward for the Australia national team. He had a record 33 test caps between 1959 and 1968 and played in 6 World Cup games between 1960 to 1968...
were at the end of their careers." Arthur BeetsonArthur Henry "Artie" Beetson, OAM , was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He represented Australia and Queensland from 1964 to 1981. His position was at prop. Beetson became the first Indigenous Australian to captain his country in any sport. and is frequently cited as the best...
, former Australian national team coach
- "...all great players, but I haven't seen anyone step past or ahead of Wally Lewis. You've got the right bloke in at No. 1." Steve Mortimer
Steve Mortimer OAM, , nicknamed Turvey after Turvey Park in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, where he hailed from, is an Australian former rugby league halfback. Mortimer played a Canterbury-Bankstown club record 272 first grade games between 1976–88. Mortimer's two younger brothers Peter and Chris...
, former New South Wales captain.
Away from football
Lewis is well known as a big fan of
The PhantomThe Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
comic series.
Following his retirement from the sport, Lewis focussed more on his career as a sports presenter for
Channel NineThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's
National Nine NewsNine News is the news service of the Australian Nine Network.Nine News's flagship bulletin is the nightly 6:00pm localised bulletin, produced by networked owned-and-operated stations in Sydney , Melbourne , Brisbane and Darwin alongside localised bulletins produced by the WIN-owned Nine Network...
in his home town of Brisbane.
During the nightly news broadcast of 16 November 2006, Lewis previewed the sports segment but was not onscreen when the program returned from the commercial break, with newsreader
Bruce PaigeBruce Paige is a newsreader in Brisbane, Australia. He previously co-presented Nine News Queensland alongside Melissa Downes, having paired with Jillian Whiting and Heather Foord previously.-Career:...
instead presenting the sports segment. A similar event occurred two weeks later, on 30 November, when Lewis appeared onscreen and began to read the autocue, saying "Good evening" before seeming distressed. A scheduled report was then played, with Paige delivering the rest of the bulletin. Following these events, Lewis was given medical leave for the rest of the year. The following night, Lewis revealed that he suffered from
epilepsyEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
. Lewis has revealed in his book that his on-air disorientation was caused by the condition.
However, it is still not known when Lewis will return as sports presenter, as he is due to have tests and treatment for epilepsy after years of hiding his condition from his family.
Lewis was not expected to make a return as a TV reporter until 29 January but delivered a flawless report alongside new sports presenter Steve Haddan.
Lewis is quoted as saying that "People come and ask me now about things (from his rugby league career) and I just don't remember them at all – that's absolutely frightening."
Lewis said he wanted to work with epilepsy organisations and raise awareness about the condition. He is also the vice patron of the Hear and Say Centre, becoming involved with the charity organisation after his daughter, Jamie-Lee, was born profoundly deaf.
On 21 February 2007, Lewis underwent brain surgery to help his epilepsy at
Austin HospitalThe Austin Hospital is a major teaching public hospital located in Melbourne's north eastern suburb of Heidelberg, and is administrated by Austin Health, along with the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital and the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre.-History:...
in Melbourne. The surgery was reported as a success by Gavin Fabinyi, Director of Neurosurgery. He has since made a full recovery.
Wally's son,
Lincoln LewisLincoln Clay Lewis is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing the role of Geoff Campbell in the Australian television series, Home and Away from 2007 to 2010, and Kevin Holmes in the film Tomorrow, When the War Began....
, recently started as a full time actor on the Channel Seven drama,
Home and AwayHome and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
winning a TV Week
Logie AwardThe TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
for best male new talent.
Wally Lewis has continued providing commentary for NRL matches and has recently completed his biography "Out of the Shadows: A Champion's Return to the Spotlight".
External links