Profile on Joe Williams



Joe was born in Biloela in Queensland in 1938 and attended the Biloela Primary School until the family moved to Beaudesert. The family later moved to Redcliffe where he started work as a telegram boy in the Redcliffe Post Office. As a 14 year old he won the Peninsula B grade tennis title. The family moved again, this time to Brisbane, and Joe started work at Slazenger's in Perry House and stayed there for about 5 years.

While he was working at Slazenger's he met a couple of fellows who worked at George Tait's Sports Store, who he was to run into years later at the Boomerang Squash Club, namely Peter Prickett & Noel Farthing. During his time at Slazenger's he was called up to do his compulsory national service where he met Max Collins who later became a member of the Boomerang Squash Club.

Joe rejoined the Post Office in 1958 and worked as a telegraphist for the Post Office/Telecom in Brisbane and Perth. His job became redundant in 1991 due to change in technology. After a few years of the easy life in retirement he joined Goninan's, an engineering firm, as a clerk where he was employed until he retired in 2001.

While working for the Post Office in Queensland he played squash for the Postal Institute from 1960 till he moved to Perth in 1976. He went on several interstate trips during that time, attending carnivals in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Joe won the squash events at several Postal Institute sporting carnivals in Queensland, Maryborough, Warwick, Southport, Rockhampton to name a few.

After moving to Perth he played several sports for the West Australian Postal Institute, squash, tennis, golf, badminton& ten pin bowls. He won the squash events at Postal Institute carnivals held in Western Australia at Kalgoorlie, Albany, Geraldton, Bunbury, Northam and Perth.

He joined the Boomerang Squash Club in 1962 and played for the club until he moved to Perth in 1976. Joe was transferred in his job to Bundaberg for 6 months prior to going to Perth and played pennants there for a season. He expected to have much easier games up there than he was having in A2 and A3 in Brisbane but not so. He was made No1 in his team up there in the top grade and two of the other No1's were Frank Donnelly and Neil Horton. They went on to become top players in Queensland and Frank represented Australia. Both Neil and Frank transferred to Brisbane the next season and played for an A1 team at Boomerang.

Joe's Record at the Club.


Joe was Vice Captain of the Boomerang Club in 1963/64 and Captain from 1964 to 1973. Joe was also the ladder secretary in 1964/65. Before he moved to Perth he was Junior Vice Captain of the Gabba Club in 1975/76. He was honoured with Life Membership in 1972 and was awarded the Bob Turner Memorial Trophy in 1975.

Below is Joe's record on the court for the club, he had success in winning several pennants. He never played in the Club Championships preferring to organise them although he did play in the Handicap Tournaments.

Joe was winner of the 1964 Handicap Tournament with Dave Lawson the runner up. He was runner up to Ken Fraser in 1965. Joe was again successful in 1968 and Brian King was the runner up.

Joe was a member of the A3 team that won the Col Brandon Teams Incentive Trophy in the 1971 Winter Season, other team members were Ray Kettley, Noel Farthing and John Stirling.

Joe's Record in Pennants.


1962 Winter Season C4 His team mates were Roy Elmer, Laurie Nielson and Des Crabbe.

1963 Winter Season C2 His team mates were Bob Ford, Kev French & Des Crabbe.

1964 Winter Season B4 His team mates were Bob Ford, Alan Frost, Des Crabbe & Doug White.

1965 Winter Season B1 His team mates were Peter Land, Andrew Jones, John Cameron & Bob Ford. This team also won the B Grade Team Championships.

1968/69 Summer Season A3 His team mates were Santo Coco, Joe McKenna, Peter Land & Bob Ford.

1969/70 Summer Season A3 His team mates were John Cameron, Bob Ford & Joe McKenna.

1975 Winter Season A4 His team mates were Santo Coco, John Smerdon, John Beck & Bob Ford. This team won the play off against the North Side winners.

Joe enjoyed the social and competition trips away, mainly to Toowoomba, but a group of players did a tour of the northern tournaments, mainly Townsville and Cairns. The club also had social trips to Gayndah, Lismore, Warwick, Dalby and Caloundra just to name a few.

Joe returned to Brisbane in 2006 for a Post Office reunion and also attended a squash reunion. He caught up with many of his old squash mates for lunch at Fish Lover's Restaurant in Rosalie, they being Richard Arnold, Ken Fraser, Des Crabbe, Greg Baker, Peter Creevey, Bob McCormick, Noel Farthing, Peter Land, Bob Finch, Dave Prickett, Alan Frost and Peter Skelly.

Noel Farthing brought along a box of Greys Red Devil squash racket frames that he had under his house from his days running a sports store with Peter Prickett. He presented all ex-members there with a racket. It must have been a bit humorous for the locals seeing those mature age gentlemen leaving the restaurant with their "old style" squash rackets with no strings in them. As anyone still playing the game would know the size of the racket head these days are much larger than they were way back then.

Joe intends to make another visit to Brisbane in October 2008 and hopefully will be able to stay long enough to attend both the Post Office Reunion and the Squash Reunion. He would also like to make contact with a couple of work and squash mates he was unable to locate on his last visit, they being Don Chilcott and Bob Ford. Hopefully someone knows there whereabouts so Joe can contact them when he arrives.

Many thanks to Joe for the time and effort he has contributed to the building of this website.