Since the 1970s, there hasn’t been a day where Southport Sharks has been without the guiding presence of a Fankhauser on the board.
What began with a boy watching his father forge a legacy has become 50 years of Rick Fankhauser shaping his own.
This week, we farewell a man whose influence reaches every corner of the club.
Rick Fankhauser has officially stepped down from the board after three decades at the table, two decades leading the lunch rush in the kitchen, and a childhood spent around the Magpies and Sharks oval.
There are plenty of Rick stories best kept behind closed doors, but there are others that simply have to be told — the ones that helped build the Sharks into what they are today.
Stepping into the club as a young chef, Rick quickly started breaking records in the kitchen. What began as 100 lunches a week soon turned into 100 a day, then 200, and beyond.
The details of how Rick ended up in the Sharks kitchen are best told in his own words, but the result is club legend. In one day alone, he served 1,400 meals. That record still stands.
Whether it was his cooking skills or the irresistible $2.50 price tag, his lunches were a magnet, bringing people through the doors when the club needed it most.
While Rick was making waves in the kitchen, he was also securing the club’s future. He joined the board in 1995 as the next Fankhauser at the table, continuing his father’s legacy and keeping the club’s mission on course.
But Rick’s story isn’t just one of tradition. It’s one of progress.
From the boardroom to the back of house, his fingerprints are all over the Southport Sharks we know today.
Perhaps one of the greatest achievements he has been involved in is the hotel that now stands proudly in our car park — a milestone that transformed the club’s offering, welcomed new faces, and elevated the member experience.
When it came to funding the hotel, Rick and several board members were initially hesitant. But after conducting due diligence and recognising the opportunity, he backed the investment wholeheartedly. With shaking hands, knowing the risk but believing in the reward, Rick voted in favour of it.
Fankhauser was very pleased that not only did that belief pay off, but the loan was paid off nine years ahead of schedule.
We couldn’t name another oval Fankhauser Reserve, so we’ve honoured him in a way that’s far more fitting for the king of our kitchen.
On game days, fans now dig into Fankhauser Fries, our loaded tribute to the man who fed a club and never stopped giving back.
Now, as he steps away from his board duties, the club pauses to reflect.
His legacy is built on hard work, loyalty, and a steady drive for what’s next, always with an eye on where we began.
Rick’s hope for the future is simple: for Southport Sharks to keep growing while honouring the volunteers, families, and founding figures who laid the first bricks, from Owen Park to today.
The Fankhauser name is stitched into the fabric of this club. It always has been.
Audrey Fankhauser, Rick’s mother and club patron, is a stalwart in her own right. She stood beside Wally as he helped build the foundation, and later beside Rick as he shaped its future. She’ll be at this weekend’s Mackenzie Cup VFL game, ensuring the Fankhauser presence is still felt.
Rick has built a legacy of his own while proudly carrying forward his father’s — something Wally would be deeply proud of. Wally was a man whose respect had to be earned, and it’s clear Rick has undoubtedly won it, tenfold.
The Fankhauser seat at the table may be empty for now, but the foundation Rick and his family helped build will continue to guide the club for decades to come.
