Past met present at this year’s Waitaki Day.
Members of the 1973 Timaru Boys’ High School rugby First XV celebrated their 50-year reunion on the day of the annual interschool exchange between Timaru Boys’ and Waitaki Boys’ High School, with 11 members of the 1973 squad travelling to Oamaru for the day.
Old boy Dave Hawkey, who played flanker for the team, said he had been talking with team-mate Harvey King when the idea occurred to them.
‘‘It was a little hastily organised but we thought what better time to do it and why not.’’
The pair managed to contact all but one member of the original 20-man squad.
Two of the squad had since died; captain Lawrence Robert was killed in a car crash in Australia in his 20s and Maurice Tallott died about three years ago.
They could not get in contact with one who lived in the United Kingdom, one was unable to attend due to medical reasons and three were on overseas holidays.
However they still managed to have 11 members of the team attend. —Ian Hercus (prop), Harvey King (No 8), Kevin Gallagher (lock), Barry Brown (flanker), Stu Lamb (centre), Lyal Cocks (hooker), Warren Eddington (centre), Don Garland (winger), Dave Hawkey (flanker), Neville Brown (fullback, vicecaptain), and Adie Young (halfback).
They were invited to attend the Waitaki Day assembly where they were guests of honour. They spoke at the assembly and to the present First XV ahead of their clash against Waitaki, and attended the match in Oamaru.
Established in 1883, the annual exchange between the two schools is the longest continuous exchange in New Zealand.
The Timaru Old Boys’ Association then hosted the 1973 players in the memorial library and to end the day they went out and shared a meal. Mr Hawkey said it was surprising how easily they still recognised people. ‘‘Everyone had most definitely aged but people don’t change really and there was still familiarity in faces. ‘‘Part of the fun was guessing who was walking up the driveway.’’ Mr King said they were a very successful team. ‘‘We played in an under-20 grade although we were only 16 and 17 at the time but we won every game.’’ Mr Hawkey said they won that competition but were not as successful in the interschool competitions.
‘‘We beat St Andrew’s [College], narrowly lost to Otago Boys’ and were well beaten by Waitaki [Boys’].
‘‘During the ’70s they [Waitaki] were probably the dominant team.’’
Mr King said he would still rate the team’s chances against the present Timaru Boys’ High First XV.
‘‘We possessed some good skills, had some quick backs. I think we’d give them a tough game.
‘‘It’s a different game now though, different ways of training and different skills.’’
PHOTO: KOLOURCARE
Mr King said the reunion really showed the importance of camaraderie.
‘‘It was great seeing the boys again. We instantly seemed to click, like we’d just left off.’’
Mr Hawkey agreed.
‘‘It didn’t take us long to re-gel as mates. We chatted as though we’d been together recently, even though for most, it was a 50-year gap.’’
They are hoping to arrange another meeting in five years to allow those who could not make it this time a chance to catch up.
‘‘I think we’ve all realised getting into your 60s there is no guarantee of health — you get a different appreciation of being alive and well,’’ Mr Hawkey said.
Mr King said it could easily not have happened.
‘‘It’s easy to just sit at home and talk about wanting to do something.
‘‘Just pick up the phone and you won’t regret it. In a couple of years you never know, a few of us could be dead.’’
Mr King and Mr Hawkey said they would be travelling to see their coach Trevor White who could not make the reunion and present him with a special 50th reunion scarf they had arranged to have embroidered for the occasion.
