Local historian and well-known author Robyn Florance is compiling the history of the Pyree Rovers Rugby League Club which she is presenting as a book.

Pyree Rovers The Story of a Football Club is her latest offering.

Through her research and through articles in the South Coast Register local residents have come forward with various photographs and other fascinating pieces of memorabilia in relation to the club.

One such piece is a Pyree Rovers pin owned by Nowra man Geoff Carter.

The light blue pin, the colour of the Rovers, simply has the Pyree Rovers Football Club on a football and a player in the act of kicking.

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"It's pretty old," Mr Carter said.

"I don't exactly know how old it is. I'm 72 and I can remember it as a kid.

"I've been in this house for 43 years and I brought it with me."

He believes it was originally one of his uncles - his father's brother Frank played with the Rovers as did two of his mother's brothers Les (known as Mick) and Archie Blanch, while another uncle on his mother's side Vince Smith also played.

"Vince was David and Michael Smith's father and they farmed at Numbaa," he said.

"I've had the medal since I was kid.

"I've always had it stored away in a cupboard."

The medal was used as part of a display at the Kiama Leagues Club for the Centenary of Rugby League celebrations.

"I haven't seen any others like this," Mr Carter said.

"It's pretty special."

A photo of the pin has been shown to a number of long-time local residents of Pyree and no one remembers seeing one before or being able suggest who might have made it or from what era it is from.

"I've showed it to a few of my friends interested in rugby league and many didn't even know they [Pyree Rovers] existed either," Mr Carter said.

"I really don't know how old it is - all my uncles are long gone - a long time ago now.

"If any were alive they'd be well over 100 now."

He thinks it might be pre World War II and possibly belong to his uncle Les (Mick).

"He served for seven years and while he survived the war, he never returned to the area, instead joining the police force and moving out west," he said.

"It's a bit of a prized possession."

Through research the book a couple of Pyree Rugby League premiership medals have come to light - including ones from Harry Regan, Horace Watts and Jim Wilson, which are still all in those family's possession.

It one of a number of pins Mr Carter collected - including the Pinta Club a Sunday Telegraph promotion, the Queen's Coronation Tour in 1953, at which time he would have been four or five and a unique AHA medal her believes from Nowra, which remarkably even has the outline of the Nowra Showground pavilion on it.

"It's been knocked around a bit," he said "it's pretty amazing.

"I don't know what it is, if it's a members badge or what - it belonged to someone in the family."

He said he would be very interested to find out how old the Pyree Rovers Football badge is.

"My wife Maureen cut Greg and Joan Watts' hair and I had always intended to show Greg but unfortunately he's now passed away," he said.

While his father Herbert (known as Joe) loved football he believes he didn't play for the Rovers, he played a couple of games at school.

"Certainly not so much as my uncles," he said.

Geoff, himself, played junior football with the Nowra Warriors in the under 14s and 16s, played one year in an under 17s comp and then under 18s before progressing into grade.

"We played in a grand final at Berry against Albion Park. They beat us 9-6 - that team had a ring-in, in Geoff Shaw, who was a future Wallaby."

In 1966 he captained the under 18s that included players like Colin Bagnall, Brian Dwyer, Ian Allen and Terry Evans, who all went on to be first grade footballers.

Playing lock forward or second row he started in reserve grade the next year under Brian Biffin and won a premiership.

He continued playing with the Warriors until 1976, most of the time in first grade and eventually ended up in the front row.

He recalls playing against Denis Laverty and Dennis Cochrane and being coached by the likes of Fred Tomlinson, Dave McKenzie, former North Sydney player Freddy Griffiths and Fred Strutt.

"I enjoyed my rugby league," he said "good times and met a lot of good people, many of whom I am still friends with today."

Another highlight he recalls is playing for a combined Group 7 and Group 6 under 18 team as a curtain raiser before the Southern Division - Great Britain clash at Wollongong in 1966.

"There was a big bloke from Wests Wollongong, Klaus Reah, he got me and knocked me rotten," he said.

"I walked off but was a mess. I ended up in English dressing room and their doctor was looking after me - a lot of the English players were coming over asking 'your right lad?', which was a bit of a highlight."

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