Few rugby league players have fought as hard in their lives as Joe Reaiche, who will be buried in Sydney this week after passing away at the age of 66.
Reaiche played rugby league in the late 1970s and early 1980s, mainly as a fullback and winger.
He played for teams such as the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and South Sydney Rabbitohs in the New South Wales Rugby League, which would later become the NRL.
But his steadfastness on the football field was accompanied by a heartbreak that no man should ever suffer, losing his best friend to war and his family to religion.
Reaiche had been estranged from his family for nearly twenty years due to his excommunication from the Church of Scientology.
He was the father of Hollywood stars Allana and Jordan Masterson, and the stepfather by actor Danny Masterson, who, along with his brother Christopher Masterson, was recently sentenced to 30 years to life for rape.
Reaiche’s involvement with Scientology began in the 1980s, leading to his estrangement after he became a whistleblower against the church in 2005.
His family, including his children with ex-wife Carol Masterson, cut ties with him after he was declared an oppressive person by the church.
Former rugby league star Joe Reaiche will be buried in Sydney this week after a life of heartbreak
Reaiche died after 20 years of not speaking to his ex-wife Carol or his children, including stepson Danny Masterson (second from right) who was convicted of rape
Despite his efforts to expose Scientology’s practices, Reaiche died without reconciling with his family.
“I got out and I’m one of the lucky ones,” he said. “But once I left, I tried to contact my kids, who are still at church, and they shut me down.
‘When I realized what had happened, I cried. I haven’t spoken to them in years… that’s the cruelest punishment of all. You don’t do that to a parent.’
Reaiche’s official cause of death was kidney failure, but… his brother told veteran journalist Tony Adams – better known as De Mol – that grief ultimately claimed his life.
“The official cause is kidney failure, but I know Joe died of a broken heart because of what the church did to him,” he said.
Veteran journalist Tony Adams (left) aka The Mole was an old friend of Reaiche
Reaiche grew up in Sydney next to the bright lights of Redfern and wanted to be a footy player from a young age.
But when he was 14, his family decided to return to their home country just before the war broke out.
The Lebanese Civil War, which lasted from 1975 to 1990, involved various factions, such as Christian, Muslim and Druze militias, in addition to foreign interventions from Syria and Israel.
The conflict, caused by political and religious tensions and the presence of Palestinian refugees, resulted in approximately 120,000 deaths and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
Reaiche had little choice but to become a child soldier.
‘Law and order did not exist and street justice was common. “I saw people getting shot all the time,” he said. “I soon had weapons of my own: an old M1-6 rifle, an AK-47 machine gun and a pistol, not to mention a knife,” he told Adams.
‘The city was divided into Christians and Muslims. There were street gangs shooting people on the spot. I was still a child, but in that situation you grow up quickly.
‘Even at school, children were hacking each other to death with machetes, it was brutal.
‘I took part in the fighting, but I think my Catholic school upbringing in Sydney contributed a little. I didn’t see the point in a massacre and luckily I never killed anyone, but I came close.
“The Bible talked about hell and if there was a hell on earth, I knew I was in it.”
Reaiche officially died of kidney failure during a recent business trip, but his brother Tony said he died of a broken heart
Fortunately for Reaiche, his family decided to send him back to Australia where he was able to continue his football career, but not before the greatest tragedy of all.
“We had a group of friends and my best friend was this guy, Michael,” Reaiche told Adams.
‘After five years my father decided it was time to send me back to Australia and just before I left I went to say goodbye to Michael.
“He was sad to see me leave but knew it would give me the opportunity to follow my dream and play rugby league.
‘We hugged and went our separate ways and as I walked away I saw a big Mercedes running towards the shop where Michael was. Seconds later there was a huge explosion.
‘It was a suicide bomber, I ran there, the building was in ruins… I got to Michael and he died in my arms. A part of me died with him in that moment.”
The Sydney Roosters recently paid tribute to Reaiche after learning of his death.
“He was a very popular teammate and friend to many in the Roosters family and will be greatly missed,” the club said.
Reaiche’s funeral is Wednesday in Sydney.