Silver jubilee

Hutt News, Volume XII, Issue 12, 8 September 1948, Page 10

Silver jubilee

TAITA RUGBY CLUB

In 192 3 the formation of the Taita Rugby Club came about when a handful of the local lads approached that well-known cricketer, Mr. Stan Brice, for guidance and through his efforts they were banded together and played as a team in the intermediate grade under the auspices of the Hutt Rugby Club. They wore the Hutt Club’s colours and to signify they were from Taita a T was added as a monogram. The heavy defeat suffered in their first game would have crushed the spirit of most, but determination to make the venture a success carried them through and before long they were winning matches and finished the season with moderate success. . In 1924 they branched out on their own and adopted blue and gold as their colours and also entered a fourth grade team. At this stage both tealns were built round the sons of well-known Taita families —The Gorries, Bartosh’s, Mason’s, Foster’s and Searle’s —and it is pleasing |to note that G. E. (.“Gundy”) Gorrie and Jim Searle still hold executive positions in the club. The teams were backed by a strong body of supporters, who soon acquired sufficient funds t'o erect a gymnasium on the local ground on the old back Waiwhetu Road just opposite Rata Road. When the ground was taken over for housing the gymnasium was shifted to its present site in Mabey Road.

The club was at a low ebb just prior to the war, but was pulled out of its doldrums through the untiring efforts of three stalwarts in Bill Hollis, Len Searle'and Bill Wilson, and as it had relinquished its colours to the Training College Club it reverted to its original colours, maroon, which had been dropped'by the Hutt Club.

The first championship woh by the club was in 1940, when a team led by Albie Johnson won a division in tbe third grade. The club is proud of the achievements of this team, especially as each member volunteered and sefwdd overseas. In recognition of the fine spirit Albie Johnson enthused into this team the club has presented a shield known as the Albert Johnson Memorial Shield (Johnson lost his life when serving with the R.A;F. over enemy territory), and will be competed for annually by the club’s teams, the winning team being the one that is considered to have put up the most meritorious performance during the season. This year the shield has been awarded to ,the Senior II Division team, which won its way through to First Division status. Other championship wins were Fourth II Division, 1947 and 1948, and Senior II Division, 1948, the honours in this grade being shared with Petone. Jubilee Celebrations

On September 10, 11, and 12 the club will celebrate its Silver Jubilee with a dance and social in the Taita Hall, Mabey Road,,on the Friday night. On Saturday mornirig the players will compete in field 'events for the Matthews Cup. The annual married and singles matqh will be played on Saturday afternoon at the Taita Ground. Trophies won during the year will be presented at the smoke concert on Saturday night. On Sunday morning the Rev. R. F. Clement will conduct a church service during which the club’s Roll of Honour will be unveiled. Admission to the dance and smoke concert will be by invitation only, and the club regrets to advise that as the hall accommodation will be taxed to capacity further invitations cannot be granted. Another regret the club has is that this season it will be unable to entertain the schoolboys who played in its Saturday morning teams owing to the present incidence of poliomyelitis.