It's been a decade in the making but on Saturday at the Kandos Hotel, John Fitzgerald will finally see his hard work pay off.
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The author is set to release a 311-page book, recounting an in-depth history of rugby league at Kandos and Rylstone, dating back to 1908.
And while he's excited to introduce the project to Kandos and Rylstone, he could only muster one word when asked what it felt like to sign off on that final page; "absolute relief."
"I was almost mentally bankrupt because I'd put so much of myself into it," he said.
Fitzgerald has been at Kandos since 2005 but had to tell the story of almost a century's worth of tales in this book, something he spent hours researching for.
Whether it was weekly journeys to the Cowra library or a drive across to the Kandos museum, you couldn't begin to imagine how much time this Waratah stalwart dedicated towards to project.
"I've written it for the people in the towns because a lot of them don't know what happened from day one," he said.
"I was curious as well and after they accepted me into the community and football club, I wanted to give back and this was one of the ways I could do it."
Fitzgerald has thousands of fond memories when it comes to rugby league in his beloved Kandos-Rylstone region, but when he was ask to pinpoint a standout season, he couldn't go past 2008.
"That year, the Waratahs almost didn't form due to lack of numbers," he said.
"Every single week they battled against the odds. And, I've never said it before but we were robbed by a refereeing decision in the finals... if it wasn't for that, we could have won."
As for the decision to make the Kandos Hotel the launching spot. Well, that was a no-brainer.
"Everyone will be there in the comfort of their surroundings," he said.
"This is like the Waratahs' clubhouse. They won't be intimidated by formalities like speeches and dressing up... it's a suitable venue."
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Jake Humphreys
Sports nut at the Central Western Daily.
Sports nut at the Central Western Daily.
