Ray Stehr
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Raymond Ernest Stehr (1913-1983) was an Australian rugby league footballer.
Stehr was born in the country NSW town of Warialda on the 24th of January 1913. as an 8 year old child Stehr was diagnosed an incurable cripple after developing blood clots at the base of his spine. He was unable to walk for two years and spent 12 months strapped to a stretcher, completely immobilised with his back encased in a plaster cast. His family Moved to Sydney in search of some kind of miracle cure, following a visit to a Chinese herbalist the clots began to dissappear, nevertheless Stehr was told not to contemplate playing contact sport. Stehr defied medical opinion, becoming one of the toughest front rowers rugby league has ever seen.
First recruited as a schoolboy from Randwick High by the Eastern Suburbs club in 1928, Stehr made his 1st grade debut the following season aged just 16 years and 85 days - the youngest ever ist grade rugby league player. He made his first appearance for NSW in 1932, the following year he was selected to go away with the 1933/34 Kangaroo's, on tour he played in 26 mathes, including 2 tests. On his return Stehr joined the Mudgee club, in rural NSW, as a captain-coach and led the NSW country side in there annual clash against a Sydney representive side. Midway through the 1934 season he rejoined Easts' who were defeated by Western Suburbs in the premiership decider that year. Over the next 3 seasons Stehr was a member of the Eastern Suburbs side that lost just 1 match, winning premierships in each of those years - 1935, '36 and '37. He played in test series against New Zealand and England , In the series against England he set another record when he was sent-off in 2 of the 3 matches. The uncompramising, no nonsense front rower was then selected for his second Kangaroo tour in 1937/38. WWII brought an end to his test career but in 1940 Stehr was captain of the Easts side that captured it’s 8th premiership. Stehr spent the next few years serving in the military but on his return in 1945 lead Eastern Suburbs to further premiership glory.
Stationed in Darwin during the war, Stehr was named captain of a North Australian representative side in a match against Central Australia
Even After his retirement in 1946, he wasn't far from the game. He was coach at Manly in 1947-48 and Easts’ in 1949, a sports journalist – Stehr wrote a column, for many years, in a Sydney newspaper and worked in televison media . He was also club president at Easts. And has been named in Eastern Suburbs greatest ever team - an honoury team.
Stehr played in 184 matches for Eastern Suburbs, for many years the most, he represented Australia in 11 tests and played more then 20 matches for his state - NSW. During his career The uncommpramising front row forward even had a short stint as a professional Boxer.
Stehr passed away on the 2nd of June 1983 aged 70… his famous sign off in the medi was – 'East’s To Win'.
