Few rugby league players have fought as hard in their lives as Joe Reaiche, who will be buried in Sydney this week after dying aged just 66.
Reaiche played rugby league in the late 1970s and early 1980s, mainly as a full-back 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 later became the NRL.
But his toughness on the football field was compounded by an anguish no human being should suffer: the loss of his best friend in war and his family in religion.
Reaiche had been estranged from his family for nearly 20 years due to his excommunication from the Church of Scientology.
He was the father of Hollywood stars Allana and Jordan Masterson, and stepfather. of actor Danny Masterson, who was recently sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rape, along with his brother Christopher Masterson.
Reaiche’s involvement with Scientology began in the 1980s, leading to his estrangement after becoming a whistleblower against the church in 2005.
His family, including his children with ex-wife Carol Masterson, severed ties with him after the church declared him a repressive person.
Former rugby league star Joe Reaiche will be laid to rest 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 his stepson Danny Masterson (second from right), who was convicted of rape.
Despite his efforts to expose Scientology practices, Reaiche died without reconciling with his family.
“I came out and I’m one of the lucky ones,” he said. ‘But once I got out I tried to contact my children, who are still in the church, and they cut me off.
“When I realized what had happened, I cried. I haven’t talked to them in years…that’s the cruelest punishment of all. You don’t do that to a father.’
Reaiche’s official cause of death was kidney failure, but his brother told veteran journalist Tony Adams. -better known as El Topo- that sadness was what finally 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), also known as 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 football player from a young age.
However, when he was 14 years old, his family made the decision to return to their home country just before the war broke out.
The Lebanese Civil War, which raged between 1975 and 1990, involved various factions, such as Christian, Muslim and Druze militias, along with foreign interventions from Syria and Israel.
The conflict, fueled by political and religious tensions and the presence of Palestinian refugees, caused approximately 120,000 deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
Reaiche had no choice but to become a child soldier.
“Law and order did not exist and street justice was common. I saw people shot all the time,” he says. “I soon had weapons: 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 that shot people on sight. I was still a child, but in that situation you grow up quickly.
‘Even at school, children hacked each other to death, it was brutal.
‘I took part in the fighting, but I think my education at Sydney Catholic school contributed a little. I didn’t see the point in the massacre and fortunately 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 could continue his football career, but not before the biggest tragedy of all occurred.
“We had a group of mates and my closest friend was this kid, 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.
“I was sad to be leaving, but I 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 racing towards the shop where Michael was. Seconds later there was a huge explosion.
‘It was a suicide bomber, I ran over, 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 members of the Roosters family and will be deeply missed,” the club posted.
Reaiche’s funeral will take place in Sydney on Wednesday.