"Wallaby Bob" McMaster Print Page 
Plaque erected in memory of former international rugby union player, professional wrestler and referee "Wallaby Bob " McMaster.
Robert Esmond "Wallaby Bob" McMaster (15 January 1921 — 1 August 2003 (aged 82) was an Australian rugby union and professional rugby league footballer, wrestler of the 1940s and '50s, and wrestling referee of the 1960s and '70s, playing representative level rugby union (RU) for Australia.
Bob McMaster retired from participative sport in the late 1950s to become the owner of the Wallaby Hotel at Mudgeeraba, Gold Coast hinterland, he sold the hotel in 1979 and retired to Tallai, Queensland to concentrate on trotting, the horses were sold off in the early 1990s.
Bob McMaster suffered a heart attack and died while attending a presentation ceremony by the Australian Rugby Union at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in 2003.
Location
| Address: | Railway Street, The Village Green , Mudgeeraba , 4213 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -28.078804 Long: 153.364939 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Sport |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 11th October, 2003 |
|---|
“ Wallaby Bob ” McMaster
(15.1.1921 – 1.8.2003 )
Bob McMaster was a renowned international rugby union player, professional wrestler and wrestling referee, leading Gold Coast businessman, former policeman, soldier and raconteur. He competed in professional wrestling and was a qualified wrestling referee, but it was as a rugby union forward with the Wallabies that he was widely known. He was chosen for the Wallaby squad that left for a European tour in 1939. However the outbreak of World War 11 prevented the scheduled matches being played. Bob enlisted as a soldier in an anti-tank regiment and served in the Middle East and Borneo before being discharged as a sergeant in 1946. He immediately rejoined the Wallaby team and was a key forward in the renowned 1947-48 squad that toured Britain, France and North America , winning 29 of their 35 games, his performance secured him the nick-name by which he is known. He worked the Mudgeeraba Hotel renaming it Wallaby Bob’s in 1958 with his wife Dawn. The ‘Wallaby Hotel’ remains a landmark within Mudgeeraba and is a building of historical significance. Always the entertainer, he was followed professionally in this field by his two sons Jim and Danny.
Wallaby Bob often quoted the motto as the code by which he lived
“Never complain ; never explain ; always face the enemy”
This Commemorative Plaque was dedicated on
11 October , 2003
by
Cr Ted Shepherd,
Division 9 Representative, Gold Coast City Council
