Cherbourg trio make history: 'It’s really exciting to see the next steps we can take together'

Trailblazers. History makers. Trendsetters.

Lynette Brown, Kimberly Barrett and Luella Blair are breaking new ground in their hometown of Cherbourg, as the trio become the first ever all-female committee for rugby league club, the Cherbourg Hornets.

Headed by Brown as the chair, the women know they are walking into a “man’s game”, with rugby league the pride and joy of the Cherbourg community, particularly for men.

But they also know barriers are there to broken and this history is theirs for the taking.

Brown and Barrett were on the committee in 2021 - as secretary and treasurer respectively - with Errol Simpson as president.

He had taken over from Uncle Warren Collins, who had held the role for 40 years.

But after one season at the helm, Simpson had to step down. He saw the potential in Brown and handed over the reins.

His reasoning for choosing her was simple.

“He said women just get shit done,” Brown said, an important message this International Women's Day where the theme is "gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow". 

“He wanted me to have a go. I felt like he trusted me.

“I was a little bit worried at first because football’s always been a man’s thing and in our indigenous community it’s about the men mostly.

“I thought about how the boys would sort of react to it but so far they have been pretty cool about it.

“I feel privileged to be the first female president of the club.”

Brown – who grew up in the indigenous community of Woorabinda, about 180 kilometres southwest of Rockhampton – used to travel to Cherbourg for holidays as a child and has a long history with the Hornets, having watched many games throughout her lifetime.

Even before she moved to Cherbourg permanently, she understood what rugby league meant to the community.

Her husband, Gene, has coached at the club for around 14 years – ever since young Brisbane Broncos talent Selwyn Cobbo was in the under 6s – and Brown has taken on several volunteer roles in that time, helping with the washing of jerseys, feeding people and organising kids on game day.

When Simpson handed over the reins to her, she had a vision for what she wanted to do at the Hornets – and who she wanted with her.

Barrett stepped up from treasurer to secretary.

Having moved away from work and volunteer opportunities over the past decade to raise her three daughters – now 14, 13 and six – Barrett had returned to community work in 2019 and got a job with the Cherbourg Council Radio in 2020.

“I wanted to be more hands on and involved with events that were actually happening in the community,” Barrett said.

“I’ve helped with things like the R U OK march, ANZAC Day, some yarning circles … but helping out voluntarily with football opened my eyes to how many of them really love it.

“When [Brown] asked me to be secretary, I said, ‘I’ll stick it out with you for the next year. I’d be happy to'. 

“She’s my bunji. It’s really exciting to see the next steps we can take together.

"I'm ready. It's good to see how passionate we all are about it."

With no one putting their hand up to be treasurer, Brown and Barrett put out an expression of interest. And that’s how they found Luella Blair.

As someone who always wants to be involved with the community, Blair jumped at the chance to join the team, unaware of the history the trio were about to make.

But she knows change can only be a good thing.

“We won’t know the full response to our committee until we get underway,” Blair said, with the season due to kick-off at the end of the month.

“It’s predominantly a man’s game… rugby league has always been a big thing for Cherbourg from our grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

“The women are usually in the canteen and behind the scenes, but it will be interesting to see what kind of changes we can bring to the club as well.

"It's a big change for Cherbourg, but it's a good change.

“What the men can’t do, maybe we can do as women.”

And there are a number things the women want to do for the Cherbourg Hornets.

One of the major priorities is the inclusion of more women – both as volunteers and players. They want to eventually see a South Burnett competition for females, with both Blair and Barrett having dabbled in playing in the past.

They want to celebrate and promote the talent that Cherbourg has produced.

They want to bring merchandise back and see more of the vibrant Hornets colours around town.

“We want people to wear the merch proudly,” Blair said.

But mostly, they want to build upon Cherbourg’s love for rugby league to connect with the community, encourage health and safety and bring positivity to the lives of many.

They want to use local organisations to educate on subjects such as the importance of attending school and getting health checks and to bring awareness to domestic violence and mental health.

All three women bring their talents and expertise to this.

Barrett is a single mother-of-three who works full-time and holds a number of voluntary positions within the community.

Blair is a family support worker for domestic and family violence, as well as a night patrol team leader.

And Brown is a project officer with Queensland Health.

All of three proud indigenous women see firsthand what goes on in the community but also what footy means to the people.

“Rugby league… it means pride, connection, loyalty, mateship … it means a lot of things,” Brown said.

“I am one of them people who likes to let the underdog have a go. And I think when you give people opportunities, great things can happen.

“What we want to do is give kids and adults an outlet away from the everyday issues of living in such a clustered community.

“We want to start being positive and educating the community. I want to see rugby league not just as a platform for girls and boys to play football but also a platform for organisations and services to give back through footy in this community.

“It’s not just about the recreational and playing side of it. It’s about social and emotional wellbeing and making the community more positive through football.

“This is very historic and we are grateful for the opportunity.

"Us three girls, we will push. We will make this happen.”