A few weeks ago in September, the Grand Final of the Football Far North Coast Premier League was played and won. Lots of people were reminded about Cyril Mayo. Why was that, and who was he?
Cyril was the third son of Charles and Martha Mayo of Middlesbrough, Yorkshire in England. He was born on 19 December 1911. Cyril grew up in Middlesbrough and lived there with his parents, near the large steelworks. When Cyril completed his schooling, prospects were grim. Mines were closing, unemployment was very high. In 1926, the male unemployment rate in Middlesborough reached 45%! The Dreadnought Scheme was an attractive alternative.
Cyril Mayo was accepted into the scheme and left London on the 19 April 1928, on the Ballarat, as one in a group of 40 Dreadnought Boys. He arrived in Sydney on 13 June 1928, and was sent north to Wollongbar Experiment Farm for training. After his time at Wollongbar, Cyril worked on farms in the Kyogle area.
In 1932, Cyril Mayo began his own cream run using a horse and wagon. The venture turned out to be a difficult struggle and culminated in him, facing a magistrate in the December, on a charge of cruelty to a horse. The court recognised his poor circumstances, but he still had to pay the £2 fine and 8 shillings costs. From then on, his life began to improve.
A major change for Cyril was meeting Lucy Fordham from Cedar Point. They were engaged by early 1934 and married in January 1936. They made their home at Horseshoe Creek (10 km N of Kyogle), and went on to have four children. By the time World War 2 broke out, the family had moved to Cedar Point.
Cyril Mayo in 1940
In June 1940, Cyril enlisted in the Australian Army, listing his occupation as Motor Driver. He was to serve in the Northern Territory, Morotai and North Borneo. Lance Sergeant Mayo was discharged from the Army on 21 November 1945.
After the war, Cyril Mayo was keen to get moving, and on the 1 April 1946, he began the Kyogle Bus Service. Over the next two years the business developed, and Cyril was well-regarded for the service he provided. Then in mid-1948 there was a major setback for Cyril. He became very ill and was taken to Hospital in Brisbane for a major operation. On his return he sold the Bus Service, and focussed on recuperation. He was very grateful, for the way in which the community from Kyogle and the surrounding areas, had supported him and the family. In due course Cyril Mayo was able to drive again, and operated a taxi over the next two years. He also continued his interest in farming with dairy farms at Wyrallah (south of Lismore) and Leeville (south of Casino).
Cyril and the family moved to Lismore, and in the early 1950s Cyril was playing for North Lismore, in the Far North Coast soccer competition. As he got older, he became a referee in the game he loved.
Cyril Mayo had lingering effects from his earlier illness which affected his sleeping patterns. It was his habit to go for a drive when he couldn't get to sleep. On one such drive, on 12 May 1957, Cyril lost his life when his car left the road, rolled and hit a tree.
As a way to perpetuate his memory, Cyril's widow Lucy commissioned a trophy, to be awarded to the winners of the men’s Premier League Grand Final. First awarded in 1958, it not only celebrated Cyril’s love for the game of soccer, but also his contribution to it. Originally it was called the Cyril Mayo Memorial Challenge Cup. Today's players know it affectionately as the 'Cyril'.
The ”Cyril.”
