Tallon Smith

The family of esteemed late rugby league player, journalist and administrator Peter “Parra” Montgomery has welcomed the unveiling of a shield and award named in his honour.

The Peter “Parra” Montgomery Shield, to be awarded to each season’s Battler of the Year by Battlers For Bush Footy, was unveiled to Mr Montgomery’s three children, Janine, Michael and Sharni, along with members of the Albury Thunder club at Greenfield Park on Wednesday evening.

Speaking on the unveiling of the perpetual prize, Michael said that it was a fitting way to honour the legacy of his father.

“To all of our family, it means a lot,” he said. 

“We know how much Parra thought, talked, wrote and just generally was involved in rugby league throughout his life, and to have an honour of his legacy in this way, it means the world to us.

“I couldn’t think of a more fitting award to honour the battlers, the people who do the work at the grassroots who often don’t get recognised, so this is just a perfect award for someone to receive in his name, we’re all very emotional about it.”

The Battler of the Year award was created in 2022 by Battlers For Bush Footy to honour the volunteer who makes the most outstanding contribution to a country rugby league club or league, as judged by Battlers Founder and Editor Tallon Smith.

The award was then renamed in honour of “Parra” following his passing in October, in recognition of his contributions to the game and Battlers For Bush Footy.

Michael said that his father’s contributions to rugby league, spanning over six decades, were extensive, with his love for the Parramatta Eels, Hay Magpies and Albury Thunder seeing him perform a wide variety of roles within the sport.

“When he moved from Hay to Sydney as a youngster, he got heavily involved in the Hay Magpies team, firstly as a player, and he moved into the administration roles pretty quickly, he was president of the club for about 20 years I think from memory, and I know he served other roles within the club,” he said.

“I remember he was the manager of the Country Rugby League side in 1981, which was a really big honour and thrill for him, he really enjoyed his time with the Country Firsts and Seconds team back then.

“He also had a lot of involvement with the Hay Cutters Rugby Union side.

“Then when he moved over to Albury, he really missed having his involvement with the Magpies, so he threw himself into the Albury Thunder, and it wasn’t long before he was writing articles.

“He just loved being around the game, he loved talking about the game, he loved watching the game, and I don’t think there would be a person in Australia that watched and thought and talked and wrote about rugby league more than Dad, so it’s a great honour for him.”

The 2025 Battler of the Year will be announced tonight at 6pm AEDT.