Br Robert (Bob) J Wallace cfc, A.M.
27-09-1937 – 22-09-2025
It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of Br Robert (Bob) J Wallace cfc, A.M. on 22 September 2025, following complications from an ongoing illness. He passed peacefully at Concord Hospital, surrounded by family, friends, and his religious Brothers, just shy of his 88th birthday.
Br Bob will be remembered as one of the most influential figures in Australian rugby history, and as a tireless educator, mentor, and Christian Brother. His lifelong devotion to the development of school-aged rugby players created pathways that shaped not only the game, but also the lives of generations of young men.
His contribution to the Australian Schools Rugby Union (ASRU) is unparalleled. Beginning as ACT delegate in 1971, he became Honorary Secretary in 1973 and President in 1992, serving until his retirement in 2019. Over the course of more than fifty years of selfless service, his vision and leadership helped foster the growth of over 200 Wallabies, 147 Australian Sevens players, nine Kangaroos, and numerous Super Rugby and state representatives.
Perhaps most memorably, he managed the famous 1977 Australian Schoolboys tour of the UK, Ireland, and Japan. The undefeated side, playing a running style of rugby under coach Geoff Mould, captured the imagination of the nation at a time when Australian sport was struggling. Their success provided hope and inspired a revival that contributed to the Wallabies’ resurgence in the 1980s, led by many of those same Australian Schoolboys.
His foresight and administrative acumen built foundations that still support the schools rugby today. He established of the Trans-Tasman competition between NZ Schools and Australian Schools in 1978, as well as the links with the Pacific Islands Schools Unions in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, and was deeply involved in the original depowering the scrum at schools level, introducing the under 18 laws and variations in early 1980’s such as the “crouch, touch, engage” sequence.
Alongside his rugby service, Bob was a devoted member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers and a teacher and principal for more than forty years. He began his teaching career at Christian Brothers High School, Lewisham (Sydney), then moved to St Pius X College, Chatswood, where he first became involved in coaching rugby union, before a short posting in Goulburn. In 1971, he moved to St Edmund’s College, Canberra, where he spent 18 years as Headmaster — a time he described as “the happiest years of my life.” There, he coached the First XV to ten local premierships and four consecutive Waratah Shields (1984–87). St Edmund’s went on to claim 14 Waratah Shields between 1984 and 2004 — more than any other school.
In 1989, he became Deputy Headmaster at Waverley College, and in 1992 was appointed Headmaster, a position he held for 16 years. From 2007, he continued his service in education at St Leo’s College, University of Queensland, while coaching the university rugby team.
Brother Bob’s legacy will endure in the hearts and minds of past, present, and future players on rugby fields around the world. He shaped lives through education, faith, and sport, leaving an indelible mark on Australian rugby and the communities he served.
May he rest in God’s loving embrace, and may his family, Brothers, colleagues, and the rugby community be comforted by our prayers and support during this difficult time.
Kevin Culliver OAM, President, Australian Schools Rugby Union
Br Bob’s service will be held in Sydney. Details will be posted on this website. For those wishing to forward messages of condolence or memories, please email, including your name, to : [email protected]
