Black and White football started from a conversation in the dressing room at the Barcaldine showgrounds in 1962, from a friendly conversation. The black players in the team said Barcaldine would not have won without them. That conversation led to the creation of the Black and White Football games held in Barcaldine, eventually becoming an important weekend of football on the rugby league calendar. An All Blacks team played an All Whites, as a fundraiser for charity.
In 1963, the first game was played and the first donation from the proceeds went to the Spastic Foundation under the name of Barcaldine’s Miss Australia entrant, Kath Halferty, an amount of £124.
Many state and interstate players participated in the game over the following years, and the event got bigger and it became a ‘big weekend of football’.
Lionel Morgan was the first player to be invited to play in the game. Lionel was the first Aborigine to play for Australia.
Many notable players followed. John Gleeson, Roo Reedy, Ian Thinee, Osher Danilson and Ted Goodwin, to name a few. Players from St George, Easts, South Sydney, a team from the Valley Gladiators, Brisbane and from all towns and clubs from all over Queensland participated in the event.
Test referees were also involved: Bernie Pramberg, Eddie Ward and Jack Dancey.
