MUCH TRAVEL INVOLVED IN GOLDEN BAY-MOTUEKA RUGBY

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31161, 10 September 1966, Page 11

MUCH TRAVEL INVOLVED IN GOLDEN BAY-MOTUEKA RUGBY

yyHILE those Rugby unions with large population bases continue to make big annual profits, the smaller unions have to scrimp and save on inadequate funds to remain solvent.

Auckland received a gate of £32,000 for the Lions v. Maoris match and has a population base of more than a half million: but Golden Bay-Motueka has to provide a representative team and draw support from less than 10,000 people. Golden Bay-Motueka is centred on the town of Motueka and extends more than 80 miles to Murchison in one direction and 50 miles to Collingwood in the other. All teams from the senior to sixth grades, inclusive, play in a combined competition and this involves the Murchison senior team in a minimum of 1200 miles of travelling each season. Collingwood travels a minimum of 700 miles a season.

No senior team travels less than 350 miles a year and. although the union subsidises the junior teams, all clubs have to meet their own travelling expenses. The isolated nature of some of the clubs is matched by the isolation of the union itself. It is far from the beaten track of most touring teams and never gets a match against an international side as it combines with Nelson for matches played at Nelson.

From 1956-65 the representative team has made three North Island tours and one of the South Island, also travelling to Kaitaia to play North Auckland. Between the 1954-55 season and the 1960-61 season the union spent £6200 on capital improvement to its headquarters at Rugby Park, Motueka. Of this sum, £l5OO

came as a grant from the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and balance of £4700 came from the union itself. The union now has covered seating for 760 and permanent open seating for 820.

However, in spite of this financial burden, all annual repayments of interest and principle to the N.Z.R.F.U. have been met.

Part of the strength of the union has come from its administrative continuity. Most of the administrators have given years of service and their efforts and selfsacrifice have built up the union to its present position.

The current president, Mr R. Blomfieid, was union secretary from 1951-64. Before that he selected and coached junior club teams and has been manager of the representative team on many occasions. Mrs Blomfieid looks after the union’s gear. Mr W. Birdsall, the patron and a former president of the N.Z.R.F.U., has a 70-mile return trip from Takaka for each union meeting. He and Mr P. O’Reilly, a former president and a union executive member from Takaka, have given the union 75 years’ service between them.

The immediate past president, Mr M. Strange (Collingwood), has a return trip of 100 miles for each union meeting. Mr K. O'Connor, the vice-president, is from Murchison and gets home at 3 a.m. after a union meeting. These distances have forced the executive to hold its meetings only once a month.

Another stalwart is Mr M. Soane who has served the union in every possible capacity. He was a representative player for 18

years, a referee, a senior selector and coach, and a club delegate to the union. He has been union president and is now chairmah of the grounds committee.

The service of these, and other officials, has given stature to this small union, and, without them, organised Rugby could not exist in the area.