"Would freeze the ears off a brass monkey"

Newtown RLFC and RUFC legend Harry Hamill, in later life writing for the Rugby League News, tells of Newtown's switch from union to league, the first club meeting, and the early days of a rugby league footballer in Sydney:

"At the right moment up jumped a grizzled old veteran of the Newtown [rugby] club of the Naughty Nineties - one who was widely known as 'Puddler' Slade... Puddler told the meeting that he was all in favour of the new movement, and he would give his support but, having no money to help, he would be pleased to let the boys have the use of his horse-washing shed and barn as training quarters.

"Righto! In due course came the time to get down to training, and I might tell you right here I had shifted back to Woolloomooloo in 1907, and as the 'training quarters' were situated in Ricketty Street, near Cook's River, I had a decent sort of travelling job to do four times - going and coming - a week. The first time I saw the 'quarters' I recalled all the dressing rooms I had been in although we never had any of the up-to-the-minute appointments such as eau-de-cologne, etc, which might be found in the club doctor's kit today; a bottle of arnica or iodine and some sticking plaster were about all we had then.

"There was a long, three-sided brick rectangle, open to the fine sea breezes and fogs from Botany Bay, with a loft to dress in on top. A two-inch hose [used for the horses] was our shower and bath, and believe me, it would freeze the ears off a brass monkey standing there in the dark getting one of your mates to turn the big flood onto you."