The Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) is mourning the passing of our esteemed Member, Graeme ‘Changa’ Langlands MBE who passed away in his home at the Sutherland Shire nursing home yesterday (21/01/2018) aged 76, after a long period of living with both dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Langlands was Inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986 for his contribution to Rugby League.
Langlands played 45 Rugby League tests for Australia, including 15 as Captain, and retired as the country’s most capped player at that time. Langlands was a dominant player in his era and is one of only eight Rugby League Immortals to date.
SAHOF Chairman John Bertrand AO said; “Graeme was a dominant player for Rugby League during his era and proved his success by living by his inspirational words ‘Get on with it – just do it’. He certainly did, making an incredible impact on the Rugby League community and will be dearly missed”.
The Board, Members and staff of The Sport Australia Hall of Fame extend our deepest sympathies to the Langlands family and broader Rugby League community.
GRAEME LANGLANDS MBE | ATHLETE MEMBER (RUGBY LEAGUE) | The Sport Australia Hall of Fame
2/09/1941 – 21/01/2018
Born in Wollongong, New South Wales, Graeme ‘Changa’ Langlands represented Combined NSW High Schools from 1955 to1957 and was playing 1st grade with the Wollongong Club in the Illawarra competition at age 18. He was selected in Country Firsts in 1962 and that same year made the first of 33 interstate matches for NSW over 14 seasons.
Langlands added new firepower to the aging Dragons champion line up when he joined St George in 1963. It was largely due to his class that the club remained competitive up until 1975. He played in four St George premiership sides, including 1966 where he kicked seven goals to beat Balmain. He was the competition’s leading point scorer in 1971 and 1973 and was the Dragons top point scorer in first-grade for 10 seasons between 1963 and 1975.
Fundamentally taciturn and introspective he was not given to post match speeches as Captain but demonstrated an uncompromising leadership style via his will-to-win and a preparedness to be ruthless if required.
