22/05/2025
JACKS’ – A COLLEGE INSTITUTION
This weekend the College welcomes Newington for the first home winter sports competition game. This is fitting as the origin of Jacks’ came about at the 1971 game against Newington and was the brainchild of Jack Whitehurst (’37). He and others had noticed that after home games our Old Boys seemed to wander off to their selected watering holes. He felt they should be encouraged to gather instead in a College setting. At the south-west corner of the No 1 field he had noticed the small shed which appeared to be unused after weight training had been transferred to the main College campus. Now these two pieces of information were set to come together.
Jack Whitehurst bought several plastic containers and having filled them with cans of ale covered in ice, commenced operations after games. After only a couple of games he was overwhelmed with business, and it was then that Jack Nicol, Treasurer of the OBU at the time, came to the rescue to help with the finances. In due course, Brother Emile (also known formally as Jack) joined them with a special role as PR man.
So, there were now three Jacks running the show!
In 1991, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its establishment, what had been known as “the weight shed” was renamed “Jacks” after the three founders. The name was suggested by Nigel Watts (’37) and a sign to that effect was provided by Brian Sidgreaves (’56). The christening was carried out by Father Ted Jordan (’22) with a suitable liturgy.
Jacks’ also allows for a brief walk through the sporting history of the College. Over the years photos, memorabilia and newspaper articles have been collected and posted on its walls, it is somewhat akin to visiting a sporting “hall of fame”.
It is worth noting that all proceeds raised are added to the OBU Bursary Fund within the College, which goes to provide places for boys who could not otherwise attend St Joseph’s College…
The other remarkable success of Jacks’ lies in the social interaction and spirit of community it provides to the College family and its visitors. Win, lose or draw it is a great way to end a game!
Jacks’ is a unique establishment - we hope to see you there.
