Sir nicholas shehadie biography of william

• Nicholas Shehadie, a Wallabies great and key orchestrator in the establishment of the Rugby World Cup, has died aged 91.

Nicholas Shehadie’s grandfather, the first Orthodox priest in Australia, built the church on the corner of Redfern and Walker Streets, and his father built the Antioch Orthodox Church at the corner of Walker and Cooper Streets. His family loved Redfern: “You could leave your front door open, and nobody went without food, and everyone helped each other”. Social status was apparent only outside of Redfern. He talks of the Lebanese, Italian and Indian communities, and of the Aboriginal kids he knew: “There were a lot of Aboriginal families and a lot went to Cleveland Street School, and they were just great citizens. Nobody took any notice if you’re Aboriginal and Lebanese”. William McKell was “a politician everyone adored … just a good man, and Bill never forgot his roots in Redfern, and the Redfern people of those days never forgot Bill”. Favourite places to visit included Coogee, the Coronation Playground and the roller-skating rink at Prince Alfred Park. He later became a keen footballer, but he was a supporter of Souths and the women’s NSW football team in the 1930s. He recalls the Alleys Club for dances, scaling trams, and swimming at Centennial Park: when the trams went by “we would all jump out in the nude!” Before leaving on a football trip to England, his farewell at the Redfern Town Hall was compered by Johnny Wade who said, “This is a fun night. Everyone leave the hardware outside”. The guns and the knives were left outside. Everyone was upset by their displacement when the Housing Commission demolished housing: “We fought, we didn’t want to go … and it was very sad”.

"Forget that Sir Nicholas carry-on.... call me Nick."

So call him Nick I did for decades.

Nick was special. On first meeting, there was the fear of being intimidated as he was such a large, robust man of great depth, knowledge and versatility with considerable political clout. One could easily be overwhelmed by his large shadow, but, if he liked you and could trust you, he embraced you. You were a mate of his for life. There was no lofty pedestal to climb. He loved the common man. He was the common man who made good. In basic terms, there was no bull about Nick. He relished those who like himself stood their ground.

That is why his passing in Sydney late on Sunday night will hit so many so hard. His was a big world. He had contacts, comrades, acquaintances in so many areas made during 92 summers of what he rightfully termed in his 2003 autobiography as "a life worth living".

Nick's role in Australian and international rugby can never be underestimated. He ranks among its most influential figures -- first as a forward boasting 30 Test appearances between 1947 and 1958 and then more importantly as an administrator. Not just for Australian rugby, but for world rugby.

Without Nick, the Rugby World Cup would not have started in 1987. Due to concerns of a breakaway World Rugby circus in the early 80s, Nick, then Australian Rugby Union president, gained the support of its executive to 'save our game and not lose it to some entrepreneur' by organising a World Cup. He then won the support of the New Zealand Rugby Union, in particular its chairman, Dick Littlejohn.

Thus began 'The Nick and Dick Sh