THE LATE R. G. DEANS.

NZ Truth, Issue 173, 10 October 1908, Page 3

THE LATE R. G. DEANS.

An Appreciation,

; ,(By "M,").

It was wiili a heavy heart and a Reeling of loneliness that we followed the mortal remains of a beloved comrade to his last resting-place on Friday, and' tne ■subdued calm - petvad'ing the cemetery ' -when our dead 'leader's colto T9fSß»iw«ere(l ,was one that will longj.^e>-^ffl^a&^t > iti ! It needed nQ#*^^^J^»iit W\ j marks "of the officiati3if®^»p(Si^i to ot a. noble and upri^gay-^re^c, ai 4:>.osa iof us who' knew, him w"etl" lookcrf . upon him as a gentleman, and tlig -best comrade' that man ever had, and; inj after years discussions of the gamu 'will bring back past memories of noteu players, and the name of Bob Deans : -will occasion tender and 'regretful thoughts r at his all too early demise, it was ln^tprivilege to know' liiin onhis'iirst; pTonunence m the Rugby atena, and his qiuie.l .though upright- demeanat immediately^m- . pressed* one, and the' honor of calling him friend became greater as the wedks rolled .by. 'From first, to last^is life was" 'of; the :best arid worthy of his training as a pioneer's son, and it Will , soften the blow to /his, aged mother to know his life was of •the highest possible honesty and chivaW :ry. Educated at the High School, his^'i abilities' as a footballer there :\ ; ga,Ve promise of his after; brilliant career j i throughout the Dominion, and ;his n'rst:ap-.i pe^rance for Canterbury m lUO3 \vas c me-, teoric. We thoUghj? we . knew him then, ;>but such was \ his shy and modest nature.} that it was only m after games, ,wlicn h&controlled his team, that one lovod'•■hirni'more, and his cheerful words when one , had made a mistake, and liis heart whole sentiments on good play was more tb his comrades than all the applause of the interested onlookers. Always ready to pror tcct a comrade, or assist a fallen foeman, -his example' on the Rugby field willnev-i er be surpassed. He .chivalrous to a' degree, and scorned the idea' of petty feeling ; he played the ganie and loved it for the hohestj recreation of a manly sport. To the thousands who knew him only by sight and reputation he was popular, to those who knew him he "was an ideal, and Under all circumstances he was always a gentleman, and his loss is keenly felt. His career as a first-class back .commenced m 1903, when he represented Canterbury seven times and his province and island m 1904-5,* and his triumphs with the All Blacks m their tour of the United Kingdom m the latter season are too; fresh m the memory of all to reproduce here. He represented the Dominion m all three tests, and his famous' return tele- : gram to the "Daily Mail" after the Welsh match brings back that incident. As most readers are aware, the Welsh representatives won by a try to nil, though towards the close of the game a fine' rush by the New Zealand backs gave Deans possession, and he hurled himself at the line, being, immediately pushed back, and •the referee ruled m favor of Wales. So great was the interest through this thtrt the "Daily Mail" sent an urgent telegram to Deans, "Did you score try ?" His answer, "Yes," convinced those of us who knew him, and after his return here, m conversation one day, I referred to this, and he stated his positiveness of grounding the ball. His honesty' was > too great to doubt on the subject, .and he tuu not know the meaning of telling an untruth. Canterbury mourns the death of a brilliant athlete and citizen, and the Dominion is the poorer of an' example m ■noble life, and the touching remarks made at his graveside caused tears to come from the large assembly round, and strong men were not ashapied to weep at the loss of a beloved comrade.