WITH the Kangaroos beaten by New Zealand on Saturday night it’s interesting to note that a former Orange mayor was one of the Kangaroos’ best ever wingers.
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Nineteen-year-old Alan Ridley, 90 kilograms and 183 centimetres tall, in 1929 was the second youngest player to be selected for an English tour.
He toured again in 1933 and played in all three Tests against England in 1936.
In one match on the 1929 tour against Widnes he scored three tries and followed that up with five tries in a game against Castleford which Australia won 53-2.
On the 1932 tour he played 27 matches and scored 25 tries, the highest for the team.
Mr Ridley, who travelled weekly to Sydney to play for Western Suburbs until 1936, worked for radio station 2GZ and became manager.
He was also named in the Magpies’ Team of the Century, as well as having a street in Orange named in his honour.
He was mayor of Orange in 1956-1957 and retired here.
Orange has had three other Kangaroos: James Maloney, Paul Dunn and Darren Britt.
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