His All Black mates call him Kamo but at the source of the nickname - the Kamo Rugby Club - Ian Jones is known as Jonesy. When he entered the clubrooms at the weekend, more hands stretched to shake his than Australians reaching for the Pope. But the 1.98m (6ft 6in) 41-year-old,who played a record 105 games as a lock for the All Blacks from 1989-99, directed media attention away from himself to the shortest man in the room, 1.6m (5ft 3in) 82-year-old Jack Wilkinson, a nippy halfback and utility back in his playing days. Both are among the club's 14 elite life members who received tributes for their contributions at a special ceremony on Saturday. Jonesy said his father had played rugby for Kamo and his great-great uncle, flanker Bunny Finlayson, was the club's first All Black in 1925-30. "I started playing in the under-5s and I've always tried to do my best, but I've done nothing like as much for the club as these other people," he said, indicating Mr Wilkinson and other life members. "Oh, you have made us so proud," the old-timer replied. Earlier, Mr Wilkinson spoke for all the life members during the ceremony, recalling many milestones in the 121-year-old club's history since he joined in 1938. His address was laced with humour, including a tale of All Black halfback Lindsay Townsend joining Kamo in 1958 and, after his first home game, asking club chairman Jack James where the showers were. "Just follow those other players going over the hill," he was told. Mr Wilkinson said that when Townsend returned he was "blue in the face". "How did it go?" Jack James had asked, wondering how the club's star player had liked washing in a creek. "No bloody soap," came the curt reply. Mr Wilkinson praised the tireless efforts of life members Roy Dickie, Frank and Fay Colhurst, Jenny Finlayson, Denny Trewhella, Ian Jones, and administrators the late Brian Moore, Bill Taylor and Jock Finlayson.
