Stumbled across this today....

[Stinger]

While this may not be real interesting to most, it certainly was for me.
I know my grandfather and great uncles were pretty well respected local boxers back in the day, and today I decided to do a bit of a search on them, through the boxrec rankings. BINGO!

My grandfather, Terry Orreal --> http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_ ... &cat=boxer

His Brother, Ted Orreal ---> http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_ ... &cat=boxer

Another Brother, Lionel Orreal --> http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_ ... &cat=boxer

This next guy is a mystery to me. He has the same last name, and it is a rare one, but I can't ever recall anyone talking about him.

Johnny Orreal --> http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_ ... &cat=boxer

The lists are by no means complete, I can remember seeing a news paper arcticle my grandfather had when he was still around that spoke about the tremendous amount of fights he had in his day. My grandfather, Terry, was one tough old bastard. He never really spoke of his past, until one day, while sitting around a campfire and everyone was quite, he started to talk. He spoke for hours, literally, and no one said a thing. We all just sat and listened. He spoke of his time in the war (Papua New Guinea, aged 17 I think) and spoke of his early days as a woodcutter. His boxing career started when as a young bloke of about 14 or 15, his boss walked into a pub and said that any man that could knock his (Terry) down, would get be paid 5 pounds, but if they couldn't do it, they paid him ten. He reckoned he got the shit beat out of him by three young blokes around the same age but never hit the deck. He started boxing soon after! He passed away in about 2003 from emphysema, no doubt brought on from his 65 year long smoking habit!

Uncle Ted is still with us, although not as sharp as he used to be. He was an accomplished trainer more then anything. Trained many Papua New Guineans in the years after the Vietnam war. He was a Warrant Officer in the Australian Defence force and based in PNG. He tells great stories about taking troubled boys and helping them become disciplined young men. He proudly displays photos of these young men in an amazing setting on his living room wall. I will try and get some photos of the blokes he trained and of him and my grandfather to share.

Lionel was probably the more accomplished boxer of them all. He fought for the Queensland lightweight title in 1944, and won it to boot.

Anyway, sorry to bore you with all that, but just thought it was pretty cool to be able to go back and look through the old stats etc.
If any of you blokes out there have heard of the Orreal brothers let me know. Would love to hear your stories!

[Stinger]

Some more interesting things I just found. A couple of old newspaper clippings!

Lionel gets a mention --> http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/27930332
Lionel again --> https://www.trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/40882664

[Brute]

Hey Patron! Did you know any of these blokes?

[adamheight]

look at some of those attendances. 5000 for a qld title fight. those were the days

[Brute]

No television.

[Hounddawg]

look at some of those attendances. 5000 for a qld title fight. those were the days

First thing i noticed, these are the stories i grew up on, when boxing was mainstream.

[D J Pawsey]

Nice little bit of history mate. State titles 15 rounds they where the days. How much things have changed.

[Stinger]

Yeah, I am a little bit proud!