MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN - GENE MILES

WHAT was supposed to be a time of great celebration for the FOGS, has instead turned into a time of great sadness.

On December 1, our organisation, its members and supporters, league fans around the world, and the people of Queensland were left shattered by the death of the great Arthur Beetson.

Arthur was a legend in every sense of the word, and his passing has left an enormous hole in the hearts of many.

On the day he died, he was supposed to be joining a FOGS function at WhiteWater World on the Gold Coast – a celebration day for the students and tutors involved in the education program named in the great man’s honour – ARTIE.

But instead of him spending time with the kids, taking some photos and cooking hamburgers – maybe even sampling four or five – all we were left with were the memories of an Australian sporting icon who was also a dear friend to us all.

The tributes to Arthur in the hours after news of his death first broke were worthy of a rugby league Immortal – coming from those lucky enough to play with or against him, those inspired by him, and even the Queensland Premier and Australian Prime Minister.

The FOGS’ Achieving Results Through Indigenous Education program is just one of the legacies Arthur will leave for the game and the state that he loved, as is the sporting juggernaut he had such a big hand in creating – State of Origin.

It was Arthur’s revered presence that helped give the Origin concept credibility right from the word go in 1980, and obviously he was a massive part of Queensland’s success both in that first year, and in the years since.

But his impact on the game went well beyond his playing and coaching days. He was a tireless worker and passionate supporter of the FOGS, especially with our Indigenous Employment and Careers Expos and our education program named in his honour.

The ARTIE program is about Achieving Results Through Indigenous Education, and Arthur was passionate about making better lives for all Queenslanders, but particularly those in Indigenous communities that need a bit of help.

With Arthur now gone, the FOGS will continue to make sure his goal of giving a hand-up to Queenslanders in need will carry on.

With that in mind the recent renewal of our funding deal with the Australian Government’s Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations to keep backing our FOGS Indigenous Employment and Careers Expos for another two years was a massive step forward for us.

The Expos have been a tremendous success right around the state, and everyone involved should be justifiably proud of what has been achieved, which you can read about over the page.

With the footy, there has also been much to celebrate, including the conclusion to the sensational career of Darren Lockyer, who played his final game in the Four Nations final in Leeds.

Darren heads into retirement with the gratitude and best wishes of all Queenslanders, and we welcome him with open arms as he now plants “Former” in front of his title of Origin Great.

It won’t be all changing though, with Mal Meninga agreeing to stay on as coach of the Maroons for another four years as part of his new full-time role with the Queensland Rugby League.

I think it is a terrifically progressive step from the QRL to have someone of Mal’s abilities and stature more directly involved across more levels of the game.

It is a great move and to have Mal on a fulltime basis, he won’t have external pressures adding to his workload at Origin time.

I often wonder what our founding Chairman, Tosser Turner, would be making of all this at the moment, with the organisation going strongly and the Origin team chasing seven straight series wins.

Every morning I walk into the office and see his picture, and give him a quick hello.

I can’t help but smile at the thought that Tosser would now be rubbing his hands together with his mate Arthur for company.