The privately-owned TG Millner Field has been an important fixture in the history of the Ryde community since when it was first developed by the Vimiera Recreation Group and Col. Tom Millner in the 1950s when it was predominantly a rural area. Marsfield has changed dramatically over the years due to the community’s dedication to providing a better life and opportunities for future generations. TG Millner Field, developed by Eastwood Rugby Club members over many years, has played a central historical role in the development of the Marsfield community.
View PDF for The History of TG Millner FieldIn the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this land the Wallumedegal clan and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Aboriginal people lived for thousands of years in what we call the City of Ryde. When the first Europeans settled at Sydney Cove in 1788 the traditional owners of this area were the Wallumedegal. That name was told to Captain Arthur Phillip, first governor of the convict colony of New South Wales, by Woollarawarre Bennelong who came from the clan called the Wangal on the south side of the river.
To learn more about the Wallumedegal people, visit the City of Ryde website.
Marsfield is a thriving suburb of Ryde, Sydney where the demographics and needs of the local community have vastly changed in recent decades. Sadly, TG Milner, which is private property, is no longer strongly relevant to the community that surrounds it – a decline initially identified by Eastwood Rugby Club in 1990 and reflected in the decline of the licensed Club leading up to 2000. Today, 68% of the local community derives its ancestry from countries where the sport of Rugby is rarely even heard of.
For example, before Covid, the playing fields at TG Millner were used only 20 times by local community sporting clubs or schools in 2019, excluding the use by Eastwood Rugby. Of the three fields at TG Millner, the third, full-sized rugby field has not been used at all for many years now.
Covid has also had a significant impact on the sustainability of the RSL Club, which has also worked hard to be viable for a long time.
TG Millner Field has reached the end of its life in terms of its rugby and licensed Club uses and needs to be renewed to deliver benefits in the future to the local community.