Schoolboy ‘rugger’ team on ‘charity’ tour

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 17

Schoolboy ‘rugger’ team on ‘charity’ tour

By

KEN COATES

in London

A world rugby ' tour, which includes seven matches in New Zealand by' a team of public schoolboys begins this' week after controversy over publicly - raised funds to pay for it.

The squad includes, 25 boys, aged from. 16 to 18, five masters, a doctor and coach from Sevenoaks school in Kent.

Most of the nearly $90,000 raised to finance the 30,000-mile tour, to the United States, Fiji, New Zealand, % Hong Kong and Oman has come from public fund-raising efforts.

But the decision to seek funds in this way to send the sons of fairly wealthy parents abroad to play rugby aroused bitter argument locally. One point at issue has been the school’s legal status as a registered charity, though school authorities deny they have been begging for money. An outspoken opponent of the tour ha- . been Mr Richard Redden, a university lecturer and a Sevenbaks man born and bred, who stood as Parliamentary Labour candidate in the Genera! Election last year.

He said a lot of the money was raised by setting ’up a charity shop which enjoyed the 50 per cent rating relief local authorities in Britain grant to. charities. This meant subsidy by ratepayers. “The idea of private schoolboys playing rugby being a charitable cause is obviously quite ridiculous,” said Mr ’’"dden.

“The fund - raising has taken away quite a deal of money that would have gone to true charity appeals, such as the appeal for a community hall.” He said many local residents were angry over what the school has done and several teachers at Sevenoaks opposed the tour.

It followed a similar visit to Australia four years ago. Money was not then raised by “this charity trick,” but a glossy brochure was taken which gave a misleading impression.

“The brochure did not say the school was private — in fact, the only Statefinanced pupils who go there are those who win a small number of "scholarships. “I hope New Zealanders will not be led into the

same trap, and will be aware of the background to this tour," Mr Redden said. He had appealed to the school to give all Sevenoaks boys a chance to go on the nur — from all levels of parental income, and all backgrounds. . Although he argued that rugby ability should be the only test, the school rejected his appeal. The schoolboys are due to play their first match in Auckland on July 27 against St. Stephen’s College, Pukekohe. They will also play against Gisborne High School, Hawera High School, Palmerston North Boys’ High School, Marlborough College, St Andrew’s College, Christchurch, and Waitaki Boys’ High School, Oamaru.

There was "a certain amount of opposition," started by the local Labour candidate and stirred up by the local newspaper, said the rugby master at Sevenoaks, Mr M. Williams.

He dismissed as rubbish the claim that the school had misrepresented itself to the public. It was a registered charity, but rather than ask people for money; funds were raised by selling various publics-

tions. a tie and other useful gifts . Fund-raising began two years and a half ago: parents paid about $26,000 and from an original target of *bout $27,000 costs had risen to almost $50,000 which had all been raised.

Sevenoaks, ranked among the top 15 rugbyplaying schools in Britain, was last year beal by a visiting fide from Palmerston North. It is in the "stockbroker belt” in Kent, south of London, and although about two-thirds of the pupils come from the Sevenoaks area the roll includes’ boys from 30 countries. Fees are $7OOO a year for a boarder and $4BOO for a day pupil.

the headmaster, Mr Alan Tammadge. said he would have been willing to include a boy from Wildernesse, the main State high school, but there was no rugby player there up to the required standard. The tour would have immense educational value as well as “the rugger.” “We have certainly not asked for 'harity, and the publicity from the controversy has" helped our fund-raising," he said.