🕊️ Vale Mrs Joyce Churchill

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are mourning the passing of Life Member, Mrs Joyce Churchill, who passed away on Monday at the age of 99. Mrs Churchill was the wife of former Rabbitohs fullback, Clive ‘The Little Master’ Churchill, who many believe is still the best player that has ever played the ‘Greatest Game of All’. He was also a Life Member of the Rabbitohs and one of the four Original Immortals.

Mrs Churchill was born Joyce Ivy Martin on 24 November 1926 and lived a remarkable life for almost a full century. The couple were married on 31 January 1959 in the registrar general’s office, Sydney, and had a son, Rodney Churchill, who also played lower grades for the Rabbitohs in 1978, as a winger.

Her husband passed away in 1985 after a courageous battle with cancer. His funeral at St. Mary’s Cathedral featured a coffin draped in a Rabbitohs jersey, which drew thousands of mourners.

‘The Clive Churchill Medal’ has been awarded to the best player in Grand Finals since 1986 and Mrs Churchill has been on stage to proudly present the Medal on the Grand Final day premiership podium for many years, paying tribute to the important role she played in her husband’s success on the field and the contribution they both made to Rugby League in Australia.

The footy-loving widow once compared Melbourne’s superstar fullback Billy Slater to her late husband, declaring: “When I go and see Billy play, I think it’s Clive. Billy is the second Clive Churchill.”

In 2014, Mrs Churchill presented the Medal for the very first time to a Rabbitohs player when our very own Sam Burgess proudly won the award after playing 79 minutes with a badly broken cheek-bone and eye-socket, suffered in the first tackle of the game. In what was an emotional touch of nostalgia, she wore the red and green pork-pie hat that was worn by her husband, Clive, in Grand Finals when he was coaching the South Sydney club. The mighty Rabbitohs finally broke their 43-year premiership drought to win their 21st premiership. Mrs Churchill stood aside from handing out the Medal after that memorable Rabbitohs victory, which gave her son, Rodney, the opportunity to present the Medal for a number of years.

Mrs Churchill was inducted as a Life Member of the South Sydney Football Club in 2006. Her support of the South Sydney Football Club, and her husband Clive’s career, saw her contribution recognised by the Club with Life Membership, a deserved award for a lady that supported the Club strongly throughout her life.

Rabbitohs Chairman, Nick Pappas, said: “Today, our Club is in deep mourning for a woman who carried the historic name ‘Churchill’ with dignity and grace. We will always remember Joyce as a woman of great humility and principle who cherished the Club her late husband Clive will always be synonymous with. Personally, I regard the moment I pinned a life member’s badge on Joyce’s lapel as one of the special highlights, indeed privileges, of my term as chairman of our great Club. We will miss you, Joyce.”

On behalf of everyone connected with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, we offer our deepest and most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mrs Joyce Churchill.