Life membership for rugby administrator

Press, 19 February 1986, Page 42

Life membership for rugby administrator

For more than 20 years the Canterbury Rugby Union has had the sharp legal mind of Mr B. J. (Benj) Drake to call upon whenever it found itself with a ticklish problem. Tonight at the union’s annual meeting Mr Drake’s contribution to rugby in Canterbury, and it has been substantial, will be recognised with his election as a life member.

With the president for the last three years, Mr Mervyn Barnett, standing down, Mr Drake will finish his term as immediate past-president and join the ranks of other members to pass through the ranks and be accorded life membership. A referee, to senior level, in his younger days, Mr Drake served two years on the union, in 1958 and 1959, as the

representative of the referees’ association. He was elected in his own right in 1965 and was made a vice-president in, 1971. His term as presi-' dent, 1980 to 1982, was

marked by some dramatic events, not the least of them being the turbulent Springbok tour of 1981. As the commanding officer of rugby in Canterbury that year, Mr Drake was placed under a lot of pressure, as well as suffering some personal indignities.

There were happier times for him in 1982 when the Canterbury team, under its new coach, Alex Wyllie, began its resurgence. At the end of that season Mr Drake was on hand to accept the Ranfurly Shield in Wellington and a week later he had actually started his walk to the presentation area to pass it on to Counties when Robbie Deans saved the game, and the shield, with a late penalty goal. In recent years Mr

Drake has served the union largely in the financial and judicial areas. Under his chairmanship the judicial committee has gone a long way in its aim of reducing to a minimum the incidents of rough play. Mr Les Russell will take over from Mr Barnett as the new president tonight. There are also only the required three nominations for the vice-presi-dents, the sitting pair, Messis Murray Inglis and Craig Sullivan, and Mr. Neil Gow, who will fill the gap created by the election of a new president. The changes at the top will also create a vacancy on the committee and this is being sought by three candidates, Messrs Peter Hall (Bumside), Brent Moore (New Brighton) and Arthur Erdman (Lyttelton).