Kruttschnitt Oval is the traditional home of Mount Isa. The oval has hosted major sporting events, concerts, MIM Christmas Trees and many other special occasions since it was built by Mount Isa Mines in 1935.

The oval’s grandstand is named after AC Barnes but just who was “Artie Barnes?”

Artie arrived in Mount Isa in 1933 and quickly became a favourite of the Mount Isa Rugby League community. He went on to become a respected and paternal figure in the Mount Isa community.

Born in Blackall Artie was 22 when he arrived in Mount Isa. A Grocery Store worker in Blackall his reputation as a footballer saw him given a position as a labourer at the mine.

He held a variety of positions during his 30 odd years with the company and ended up as the Assistant Chief Stores Officer responsible for the yard stores.

Artie and Toby Ross lobbed at the same time and their addition to the Smelter Hornets team put a sting in the side and when the Mount Isa representative side was announced for Cloncurry’s visit, they were the halves pairing.

So good was his reputation a large contingent of Cloncurry supporters travelled to watch him play.

Bonnie Lindsay was a legend in the early days of Mount Isa Rugby League and said simply of Artie,

Artie would sail down the sideline in front of the grandstand, bringing the crowd to their feet.

Charlie Buckler took the field early in his career in Mount Isa and when Barnes took off on one of his dashing sideline runs in front of the grandstand Buckler, not knowing his standing in the League community, ran across and flattened him.

The man they called Buck was himself a more than handy player and represented Mount Isa for over 10 years.

With construction work on the smelter completed and the Mines shutting down in November of 1933 over an industrial dispute, Lindsay and Barnes left and were caught jumping the “rattler” on their way out of town.

When things got moving again, both returned, though many didn’t so the Smelter Hornets disappeared. Artie linked up with Dinny Costigan, who coached Wanderers, and their side won the Premiership.

“I was coaching a bunch of rookies at Black Stars that year,” Lindsay said. “Didn’t we get a hiding from the likes of Barnsie, Dinny Costigan and Venables. We got our own back in 1935 however when we went through the season undefeated.”

The Isa Mine side was renamed Town in 1938 to avoid confusion with the representative side and Artie took over as coach. He dreamed of coaching Town to an undefeated season and when the feat was accomplished with a 13-0 win over Brothers he was chaired off the field by his teammates.

Mount Isa toured the Central West during the year with Artie captain/coach. It had been five years since he had left Blackall and the Mount Isa side he led was too good for his home town.

In the side was a teenage prodigy named Johnny Fraser who was the first home grown Mount Isa champion. He played his junior football with Black Stars but switched to Town in the senior ranks to play under Artie’s tutelage.

Fraser had a good boot on him and was a dangerous attacking presence whenever he pulled on a Mount Isa jumper. The Mount Isa side toured by bus for 14 days to play Barcaldine and Winton with Artie captain/coach and five eight.

Artie continued captain/coaching Town but despite his brilliance he made one bad judgement call in 1943. Young teenager Cocky McMahon asked if he could play for Town but Artie said he was too young.

Cocky ran out for Brothers and quickly adapted to the rigours of senior football. Cocky moved to Toowoomba and represented Queensland in 1946 and was selected for the Kangaroos tour of Great Britain and France in 1948.

With Artie Barnes coaching and Johnn Fraser captain Mount Isa won the 1946 Wilson Cup with a massive 38-11 win over Proserpine in the North Queensland B Grade competition.

Bob Bax won the Heatley Blazer as the Player of the final but the next year he was lost to Mount Isa football. The talented half went on to forge a successful career down South and is acknowledged as one of the Queensland’s greatest ever-coaches.

In 1950 Artie coached a Mount Isa junior side that was full of talented youngsters who won their way through to the B Grade finals where they were good things beaten by Bowen.

Artie took up Golf and won the 1955 B Grade Championship before Mount Isa Rugby League came calling. The North Queensland Rugby League voted to give Mount Isa a chance in the A Grade competition.

The deal was they met the winner of the southern zone in the semi final and if successful would then host the same team again and if winning the second game would qualify for the Grand Final.

It was almost a suicide mission but with a glimmer of hope the Mount Isa Rugby League knew they had to face some top quality opposition before the semi finals. They offered a talented Bundaberg team a £1,030 guarantee to face the “Mighty Miners.”

A month out from the game a squad of 30 players was selected to train twice a week under Artie, who had been asked to coach the side. Eventually a squad of 34 was selected only half a dozen turned up to training.

Artie was disgusted and when the team travelled to Townsville for the semi final he did not accompany them.

From Golf he turned to Bowls and was appointed to the Board of Management that oversaw all the ovals in Mount Isa.

Artie was at the forefront of the League when youngsters from Mount Isa began coming through. Bob Holt described Barnes as one of the greatest players ever to pull on a pair of boots in the Isa.

In 1971 a moving ceremony was held at Kruttschnitt Oval in which the Grandstand was named in honour of Artie Barnes. Unfortunately, the man who gave so much to our city was not there, having passed away in April of that year.

He left behind his wife of 35 years Edna May (Parker) and their three children.