'TV' Ted Ellery

Legendary bush footy player 'TV' Ted Ellery worked as a railway guard at Lithgow Station for many years. The hulking larrikin was one of the irresistible forces behind Johnny King's Western Division's miracle win in the 1974 Amco Cup. Western's run included an opening 13-7 win over an Auckland side full of Kiwi Tests stars, a 12-10 victory over the Canterbury Buldogs, a Draw against Manly [won by Western on penalties] before defeating the Penrith Panthers in the final. Long forgotten is that Western also hosted Great Britain in Orange during their '74 tour. Leading the Lions 10-5 at half-time, story goes that someone came into the sheds during the break and said Western wouldn't be winning as it would hurt ticket sales for the Test matches. Western didn't score another point in the second half, going down 25-10 with the referee needing an escort out of the ground as the 7000-strong crowd began to riot the result.