By GERARD WALSH

PETER Coote remembers the working bees 40 years ago when dressing sheds at Father Ranger Oval were built and opened on July 2, 1966. On Saturday, he will be back at the ground to help when a new roof is fitted above the dressing rooms and canteen at Warwick Cowboys Rugby League Club headquarters. "The foundations were dug and concrete poured with voluntary labour in the mid-1960s and the site built up almost one metre because of the possibility of floods,'' Coote said. There is pre-stressed concrete bridge decking to support the current roof, which was built strong enough for a second floor. Now, with a ground floor clubhouse attached to the north of the canteen, there are no plans for a second storey. Coote said a leak in the 40-year-old roof needed to be rectified so improvements could be made to the canteen. Many Cowboys players are in the building industry and 15 volunteers are expected to work on attaching a new roof to the 160 square metre building on Saturday. The working bee, from 8am, has been organised by club volunteer Don Stewart who also has plans to repair grandstand seating, clean gutters and replace damaged guttering. More volunteers are welcome and the working bee precede a barbecue. After playing rugby league in the 1960s and 1970s at Father Ranger Oval, Coote had a break from the game but returned to help out when his former Collegians team-mate Greg Carey took over the Cowboys presidency. Each week, Coote keeps the grounds clean and lines the field before games while fellow volunteer Paul Hallman mows, waters and looks after the grass. As for football, Coote is disappointed season-ending injuries to several young Cowboys stars have hurt the club. "I'm not on the committee but want to help out so there is a pathway to senior league for boys from Eastern Suburbs and Collegians juniors."