Stanley Wickham
Stanley (Stan) Montgomery Wickham
1876 - 1960
Rugby Union International
Stanley Montgomery Wickham was born at Lucknow near Orange on 1 January 1876 and learned his early football in district junior teams and represented the Central West. He attended secondary school at Parramatta Marist Brothers, joined Parramatta in 1893 and went on to play 83 first grade matches with the Club. At age 19 he was selected for New South Wales and played 30 matches for his State over 10 seasons.
Stan was appointed captain of the first Australian team to play New Zealand in 1903. He also captained Australia on a seven-match tour of New Zealand in 1905. He played three tests against Great Britain in 1904 and has the dubious distinction of never having played in a winning test side, which is a sad record for a person regarded as one the most exciting ball carriers of his time. He scored 120 points for New South Wales and this remained the record until broken by Cyril Towers with 130 points in 1930.
Stan played a major role in organising the first Wallaby tour to Britain and North America in 1907/08 and his selection as assistant manager of the team was widely applauded. He worked closely with manager James McMahon and Captain Dr Herbert (Paddy) Moran to ensure the success of the tour. On his death in March 1960 many old-timers recalled vividly the excitement of his brilliant running and side stepping displays.
