The South Sydney Rabbitohs are mourning the passing of Life Member, Stanley Browne, who passed away on Sunday 6 March, aged 84.
Stanley James Browne was born in 1938 in Sydney and played his junior football with Chelsea United, Kingsford and Town Hall (Domain). He was graded by the Rabbitohs in 1959 and played nine lower grade games that year, scoring three tries.
Mr Browne was on the Board of directors of the South Sydney Football Club from December 1991 to July 1999, at which time he made the unselfish decision to stand down from his position alongside Mervyn Neave, Bernard O'Neil and Ray Furse (who passed away in December), to allow members of 'Group14' to take up positions on the Club’s Board ahead of ‘The Fightback’.
Mr Browne also served the Club in the following roles: Private Members’ Reviewing Committee in 1991-98, Finance and Retention Committee in 1993-98, Coaching Panel in 1993-95, and as Chairman of the Marketing Committee in 1995-98.
Mr Browne was inducted as a Life Member of the South Sydney Football Club at the 12th Annual General Meeting of the Members of the Member Co. at Redfern Town Hall on 10 March 2019, alongside his fellow directors in Mr Neave, Mr O’Neil and Mr Furse.
Rabbitohs Chairman Nicholas Pappas highlighted the unselfish nature of their commitment to the Club when they were made Life Members in 2019, stating: “The Rabbitohs have always been at our strongest and most resolute when the interests of the Club are put before the individual. In 1999, in some of the darkest times the Club has experienced, Mervyn, Ray, Stan and Bernard put the Club’s interests well before their own."
Mr Browne’s funeral will be held on Friday 18 March at 10am at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park Crematorium. Mr Browne’s family would love to see any of his old Rabbitohs friends and associates at the funeral to pay tribute to a man that dedicated much of his life to South Sydney.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs will wear black arm bands this Friday night in memory of Mr Browne when they play the Brisbane Broncos.
On behalf of everyone connected to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, we offer our deepest and most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Stanley Browne.
