Judges panel chairman Keith Smith (left), Pip Symes (daughter of inductee the late Anna Symes), inductee Andrew Donald and Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe at the Whanganui Sports Hall of Fame induction. Photo / Mark Brimblecombe
Judges panel chairman Keith Smith (left), Pip Symes (daughter of inductee the late Anna Symes), inductee Andrew Donald and Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe at the Whanganui Sports Hall of Fame induction. Photo / Mark Brimblecombe
Former international hockey representative, the late Anna Symes, and former All Black Andrew Donald have been added to Whanganui’s Sports Hall of Fame.
The Whanganui Sports Hall of Fame was established in 2008 to recognise and preserve the achievements of the region’s most outstanding athletes, coaches and sports personalities.
Symes and Donald are the 35th and 36th inductees.
Donald was All Black No 828 who played halfback for Whanganui Collegiate, Ohakune Karioi Rugby Club, Whanganui and the All Blacks.
Donald, born in Whanganui in 1957, played 20 matches for New Zealand from 1981 to 1984 and played 118 times for Whanganui. He is one of 17 players to play for the All Blacks while still playing club rugby in Whanganui.
Donald said he was proud to join the exclusive company of other Whanganui greats, as well as Symes who his family was close to.
“It is a great honour to be inducted, it was a thrill actually,” he said.
“What made the day even more special was the late Anna Symes because we knew her as a person and she was a lovely lady – it was really sad how she was taken away but it was so neat to have her family there.”
Donald said he had unforgettable memories playing rugby locally, crediting the life balance as the catalyst for staying in Whanganui despite offers elsewhere.
“I played for the one club and the one union. I had offers to go and play somewhere in other unions but I really liked the balance because I could still keep farming,” he said.
“I think we were part of a good era. Six other guys played centuries for Whanganui, there was a hell of a group of us there – I loved the challenge behind playing for Whanganui.”
Andrew Donald (right) played 118 games for Whanganui. Photo / Alexander Heritage Library
Donald said he owed a lot of his professional career and longevity to former Whanganui Collegiate School rugby coach Jim Wallace who encouraged him to play halfback.
Donald was originally a first five but, heading into his fourth year at Collegiate, Wallace helped him realise the First XV captain was also a halfback, converting Donald to the No 9 jersey.
“At that age, you are soaking up anything you hear and he was ahead of his time as a coach – what he was teaching us back then is still very relevant today,” Donald said.
“He showed me how to pass, where to put my feet and I soaked that up. When I went home for school holidays, I bashed the hell out of my parent’s hedge.
“He said to me ‘make the most of it Andrew while you are young because you will blink and your career will be over’.”
Donald retired from rugby in 1987, aged 30, after suffering from “niggly” injuries and not making the World Cup side.
Nowadays he can be found working hard on his farm in the northern part of Whanganui, the same farm he worked on as a young boy.
Symes (nee Matthews) was born in Whanganui in 1965 and attended Nga Tawa Diocesan School in Marton.
She represented New Zealand from 1986 to 1990, playing 25 international games including two Hockey World Cups, and was considered a much-valued, active member of the Whanganui hockey community.
Symes coached various players, teams and schools once she settled back in Whanganui including the Whanganui women’s team which enjoyed considerable success and earned promotion.
The late Anna Symes was inducted into the Whanganui Sports Hall of Fame for her contributions to hockey in Whanganui and New Zealand representation.
She also coached the first-ever junior girls’ hockey team at Whanganui Collegiate School in 2005 and served as director of hockey at the school from 2015 to 2022. She was recognised as the driving force behind the boys’ and girls’ First XI success.
Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe, who attended the induction, welcomed the pair into the Hall of Fame.
“It is wonderful to recognise the contribution to sport for Anna and Andrew who will now sit alongside a list of illustrious names already on the list,” he said.
“The addition of two more names into the Whanganui Sports Hall of Fame adds to our rich history in sport across many disciplines who have represented New Zealand and Whanganui on the world stage.”
