South Canterbury Rugby’s men and women in the middle are preparing to whistle up their 125th jubilee.
The South Canterbury Rugby Referees Association (SCRRA) held its first meeting in May 1901, and in that time has notably produced two test referees in Colin Hawke and Dave Bishop while another, Tim Gresson, has held office at International Rugby Board (IRB) and Rugby World Cup level.
This Easter weekend the SCRRA is inviting all current and past members, associates and supporters to join them at Fraser Park to celebrate the milestone.
A formal reception and meet and greet will be held on Good Friday followed by an ‘‘active recovery’’ session over coffee and a walk at Caroline Bay on Saturday morning.
The jubilee will conclude with a dinner on Saturday afternoon featuring New Zealand international rugby union referee, and former head of the International Rugby Board’s Referee Board Paddy O’Brien as the guest speaker.
SCRRA member Mark Liddy said the jubilee would be more of an informal event with a focus on giving past and present members the chance to reconnect.
‘‘Everyone can come and tell lies about how good they were and the best games they ever had. It’s also a chance to show the guys who aren’t involved now around the premises and the amazing new facilities that the Fraser Park Trust has developed here.
‘‘We’re really just wanting to get the word out so that no-one can say ‘oh, I never knew that was on’. We’re counting on having about 50 people but if we could get 60 to 80 people there it would be exceptional.’’
Member Trevor Sapwell said the job and treatment of a rugby referee had changed a lot over the years, ‘‘In the old performance days, you were hauled aside and told ‘look, you didn’t do this very good, and you were useless at that’. It was a negative approach, it wasn’t what you did right, it’s a wonder so many people stayed on,’’ Mr Sapwell said.
Mr Liddy added that a lot of the modern day coaching ethos was about growth.
‘‘It’s now ‘how did you think you went? What did you learn? What did you try different?’. Kind of like NCEA versus school cert.
‘‘There’s a lot more analysis, even at club level now, the coaches spend half their time analysing the other teams and what they do, and even what the referee does.’’
Member Geoff Fuller said the jubilee would be a great chance for the referees to compare and share their experiences from over the years.
‘‘There’s a big emphasis now on learning, developing, and I think it’s more involved because it can be at times a lonely job. It’ll be a good way to talk to some of the oldies, and discuss how they did theirs and what they went through.’’
Mr Liddy said the SCRRA were also gearing up for a significant change post jubilee.
‘‘We’ve always worked incredibly closely with the union and have a really great relationship. We’re going to give up our incorporated society status and fold into the union as a committee of the union.
‘‘It’s only going to be a slight change to the way things are, mostly the way things are organised behind the scenes. People outside aren’t going to notice any difference.
‘‘This is the time to do it, 125 years is a remarkable achievement. These guys and guys even older have put in so much time and effort in fundraising, building our building that used to be here [at Fraser Park] and all sorts of things.’’
He said as long as there was rugby there would be referees.
‘‘We have some great young men and women here taking up the whistle, the games can’t happen without a referee and the better the referee, there’s a chance the game’s going to be better. It’s a real New Zealand thing where a freezing worker, a lawyer, a priest and a teacher, can all be equal as rugby referees.
‘‘We always need more though, because it’s like when you’re coaching a rugby team, you only need 20 players to make a team but by the time four of them sprain their ankle and something else happens, you’ve got to keep numbers coming.
‘‘It takes the strain off people having to do two games on a weekend and stuff and there’s always a fall-off at the end of every season.’’
Anyone wishing to inquire about or attend the jubilee can email [email protected] for further information.
