Lionel Morgan was announced as a Member of the Order of Australia at the recent Australia Day Honours
Lionel was awarded this honour for significant service to rugby league, and to the Indigenous community.
This is a proud moment for the entire Morgan family, who have been heavily involved with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls, including the 4 Morgan sons, David, Brad, Earl and Chris, who all spent time playing for the Seagulls throughout their rugby league careers
In addition to his recognition on Australia Day, Lionel has previously been named in the Indigenous rugby league team of the century, and in 2024 was posthumously inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame as number 116.
Lionel was a pioneer of rugby league and is widely recognised as the first Indigenous player to represent Australia in any major sporting code.
He represented the Wynnum Manly Seagulls from 1959-68, playing as captain-coach between 1965-67, and also played for QLD 12 times, and Australia 3 times.
He still holds the Seagulls club record for the most tries in one match – six against Souths at Davies Park in 1964.
Lionel left a significant legacy at the Seagulls, and we tried to honour him through the introduction of the Lionel Morgan Medal for our Player of the Match on North Stradbroke Island in recent years. Lionel was also the first player to appear on our Seagulls ‘walk of fame’ at our front entry gate, given his incredible contribution to the game and the inspiration he has provided to Indigenous youth.
We’d like to extend our congratulations to the Morgan family on this recent honour, with the medal to be awarded mid-year in a commemorative ceremony.