THE ACT Sporting Hall of Fame received nine new inductions into its annals on Monday, November 23, and among those entries was Queanbeyan local legend John McIntyre.
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McIntyre is the former chief executive and chairman of the Canberra Raiders while also being the son of the man behind the creation of the club, the late Les McIntyre.
His entry, along with his father's addition into the Hall of Fame in 1996, is history in the making with John and Les being the first father-son duo on the list.
"It's a proud occasion and a wonderful thing for the family," McIntyre said.
"It's a humbling experience but it's something that that when you look back on all the work, it's just nice to be given that sort of reward and I treat it as a bonus."
But although McIntyre credits his father with the establishment of Queanbeyan as a rugby league town, the Queanbeyan Leagues Club and the subsequent development of the Canberra Raiders, McIntyre himself has led a long, storied and imperative career with both clubs.
Spending three decades with the Raiders in a number of capacities including the finance committee, chief executive and chairman before stepping down in 2013, McIntyre was an integral piece of the Green Machine throughout their glory years.
When speaking about his proudest moments throughout his time at the helm of the Raiders, McIntyre lists the luring in of a then-unknown young Brisbane lad by the name of Wayne Bennett as a high point in his career.
"He's now in that legend-class of rugby league coaches," he said.
"I rang him from a corner of the Queanbeyan Leagues club one day,and I said I've booked you on a plane to come to Canberra, I'll pick you up at the airport and I want to talk to you about coaching a footy team for the rest of your life.
"His response was 'that sounds alright to me', but unfortunately the stockbrokers jumped in in the lead up to the 1988 season and he was back to Queensland."
Underneath the leadership of co-coaches Bennett, and Don Furner Senior the Raiders made their first grand final that year, narrowly missing out in a contentious affair to Manly-Warringah.
Two years later, after the departure of Bennett, the Green Machine won the first of three premierships throughout a Mal Meninga-led dynasty.