Ruawai club celebrates 100 years of colourful history

After 100 years of club rugby, Ruawai rugby-ites had plenty to talk about at their centennial celebrations.
Having started off playing in whatever farmer's paddock was available for a season or two, the Raupo Ruawai club has had a colourful past.
Stalwart Bryce Gatehouse, who has given more than 60-years service as secretary or treasurer, says in the early days a shed was towed to the various fields as a place for the teams to get changed. Washing up was done in the closest cow trough until the late 1950s when a complex was built around the newly constructed War Memorial Hall.
The first clubrooms sat proudly on the Ruawai foreshore close to where the wharf still is. It was a relocated church that had been barged down the river from Dargaville in 1968.
It wasn't until 1977 that they obtained the current clubrooms and, still later, floodlighting for the fields.
"We were probably one of the first clubs in New Zealand to have floodlighting," Gatehouse said.
Guest speaker for the 100-year celebration  was former All Black, Frano Botica who told  about 400 people gathered for dinner of his years in the black jersey and the three years he played in England.
Master of Ceremonies was Ross Cooper, a former All Black selector and Chief's coach. Cooper, who now lives in Thames Valley, said he  had always supported grass roots rugby and through his friendship with Ruawai player Matty Matich, a former Northland player, he had been delighted to attend the centennial celebrations.
"For me it has been a real privilege over the years to have been involved in so many different divisions of rugby," he said.
Other dignitaries in attendance were Matty Matich, Kevin Murphy, who captained the 1956 North Auckland team and Ken Whetton, father of former All Blacks, Gary and Alan.
Mr Whetton had been a young junior clerk at the National Bank and played for Ruawai for a couple of years.
Ruawai rugby didn't have much luck over the weekend games, winning only the Golden Oldies match. The U14's loss to an older and bigger Australian side, and the seniors lost against an invitation team, of which former Northland captain Glenn Taylor was a player, 17-15.
Both Mr Gatehouse and his wife Noelene were publicly acknowledged and Noelene given a framed Golden Oldies shirt as thanks for all her catering, jersey washing and numerous other activities she had carried out over the years.

Both club jerseys and a Northland jersey were auctioned off as fundraisers with prices of above a $1000 being fetched for several. The club continues to enjoy regular annual exchanges with Australia, Ponsonby and Suburbs.