“Paddy recorded about 130 names of people who came in, but a lot of the home town blokes wouldn’t have filled that in,” Lavender said.

“Upstairs was absolutely jam packed. Afterwards at the RSM Club, we catered for 200 plus, but I’m sure there would have been 250, even nudging 300, I’d reckon.

“There was a mixture of blokes from everywhere.”

Co-organiser Paddy Miller said 130 signatures was well beyond expectations.

“It wasn’t just the numbers that made the day such an outstanding success. 

“The way the Old Boys, from all the different eras, engaged with each other and enthused us all, was outstanding,” Miller said.

Rocky Laurie travelled from Wauchope, Ray Fairweather came from Toowoomba, Leon Squires from Shelley Beach, Des Ireland Murwillumbah, Glenn Harris Cootamundra and Ian Waraker the Sunshine Coast. 

While Ken Lapham, who played and coached in the 60s and 70s, flew his own plane from Tamworth, the greatest effort came from 70s and 80s player Greg Harris. He finished a three-week stint on an oil rig in the North Timor Sea 200 kilometres north-west of Australia, took a helicopter to Truscott in Western Australia, a plane to Darwin, another to Brisbane and then drove from Brisbane to Inverell.

The oldest boys at the reunion were 82-year-olds Bruce Mackie and Col Campbell. 

David Koch also helped organise the event and said it was a sensational effort to get that many people there on the day.

“We really weren’t quite sure about the response we would get to the day, but it was more than we could have hoped,” Koch said.

“It’s early times, but we’d hope to be running something similar again about this time next year.” The Old Boys Medal was won by Guy Mepham.