On A Personal Note

This project is personal.

It could hardly be otherwise.

For as long as I can remember, Panthers has been part of our family story. When Roger and Mum moved to Kingswood in 1958 — with me as a toddler in tow — the club was little more than ambition and optimism.

Over the decades it became something far larger: a workplace, a community hub, a football club with a unified voice, and a place that shaped thousands of lives — including mine.

For my three brothers and me, our world was wrapped up in Penrith Rugby League Club and the Penrith Panthers. We longed to be allowed into restricted areas — dressing rooms after games, directors’ suites on match days — but were never permitted. Others were. We were not.

In our late teens, when Panthers was attracting major bands, many of our friends found their way in using fake identification. That was never an option for us.

We carried a strong sense of connection and pride, but it was always tempered by an expectation of humility and an absence of privilege.

The values lived by Roger — and, of course, by Mum — drew a clear line between connection and entitlement.

The rumours and myths we heard growing up bore little resemblance to our experience.

Those early experiences shaped how I understood both the club and the man at its centre

I worked alongside Roger during some of the most volatile, controversial and successful years in the club’s history. That experience changed me.

Working closely with him was a revelation. I saw first-hand the principles that guided him — strength without aggression, loyalty without blindness, intellectual curiosity without arrogance. He demanded high standards, but he also created an environment that was innovative, energising, supportive, and deeply participatory.

Panthers in the 1990s was not simply successful — it was pumping. There was a sense that everyone could contribute, that growth was something shared. Ideas were tested, structures were refined, people were empowered. It was an extraordinary workplace and an extraordinary time. The best of times.

The manuscript you are about to read documents the period of Roger’s leadership (1965-2005) — and the conflict that surrounded it. Considerable attention is paid to the last 15 years of the Cowan era, and the last 5 years comes under close scrutiny by the author, Jennie Bentley.

When it was first published, there were threats of legal action. Strong views were held, and strong responses followed. The manuscript challenges decisions, questions motives, and is critical of actions taken at the highest levels of government.

Republishing it now may reopen old debates. That is not the purpose of this project.

History does not disappear simply because it is uncomfortable.

The events leading to and surrounding the 2004 Inquiry, and the years that followed, had a profound impact on Roger and on our family. The consequences extended well beyond the boardroom. They shaped relationships, altered trajectories, and left marks that do not entirely fade with time.

For many years, recognition of Roger’s contribution felt incomplete.

In 2026 — the 60th anniversary of Panthers’ entry into the Sydney Rugby League competition (the elite level of the game now known as the National Rugby League) — his induction as a Panthers Legend marked an important moment. It does not erase the complexity of what occurred, but it acknowledges the scale of his contribution.

Recognition, even when delayed, matters.

This website is not an attempt to settle scores. It is not a campaign.

It is a record.

Jennie’s manuscript is presented substantially as it was written. It reflects the tone and perspective of its time. Where I add context or reflection, that material is clearly identified and separated. Readers can draw their own conclusions.

I remain proud of the work done during those years — proud of the team, proud of the culture that was built, proud of what Panthers became. I am equally aware that institutions are shaped by conflict as much as by cooperation.

Both are part of the story.

If this project does anything, I hope it preserves complexity. The growth of Panthers was not accidental. Nor were the disputes that followed simple. People of conviction often collide. Institutions evolve. Reputations shift. Time reframes events.

But effort, commitment and achievement endure.

And whatever else history debates, those years of innovation, ambition and collective endeavour cannot be taken away.