Issue 104 : 8 May 2022
Talofa Lava, Kia Orana, Malo E Leilei, Tena Koutou, Hello .....
... and welcome to the latest issue of “For The Love Of The Game”, the official e-zine of the New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc., founded in Wellington, New Zealand in 2017.
If you have any feedback on this issue, ideas for future articles, or would like to contact the Editor, please click here. And, you are invited to forward the e-zine to others you know, who may be interested in reading it. An archive of earlier editions of the e-zine can be found here. For those who follow Twitter, you can also follow the Association, @AmateurSportNZ.
If you are interested in applying for membership of the Association, please click here.
Association Officers Elected At Sixth Annual General Meeting ...
At the well-attended sixth Annual General Meeting of the Association held on 26 April 2022, Marian George (QSM) was re-elected President of the Association and John Morrison (MNZM) was re-elected Vice-President of the Association. The Association’s Officers are also ex-officio members of the Association’s Board. To obtain a copy of the Association’s Annual Report for the 2021/2022 fiscal year, please contact the Association by clicking here.
(Marian George and John Morrison are the elected Officials of the Association for 2022/2023)
Association Board For 2022/2023 ...
The following have been elected to the Association’s Board for the 2022/2023 fiscal year: Adrian Tangaroa Wagner, (Wellington); Campbell Dewes, (Hicks Bay); Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, (Rangitukia); Dr, Farib Sos (MNZM, JP), (Wellington); Gordon Noble-Campbell (JP), (Wellington); Jo Coughlan (Wellington); Michael Naylor, (Auckland); Ray Tuffin, (Wellington); Tony Meachen, (Wellington); Warren Inkster, (Rangiora); Wayne Guppy (JP), (Upper Hutt); and Will Caccia-Birch, (Wellington). The Board has both a governance and operational focus, with Board Members providing service to the Association on a voluntary basis.
In other appointments made at the Annual General Meeting, Aleks Noble-Campbell (Auckland) was re-appointed to the ex-officio role of Board Secretary, Benji Crossley (Tauranga) was re-appointed Honorary Solictor and Les Foy (Wellington) was re-appointed Honorary Auditor. Andy Leslie (MNZM) graciously accepted the invitation to continue as the Association's Patron.
The Board has its first meeting of the current year on Tuesday, 17 May 2022.
Viewpoint: “Two Shillings & Sixpence” Was A Small Price To Pay ...
A sample survey undertaken by the Association of four junior rugby football clubs (one in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) reveals that it is three times more expensive to enrol an under 13 child in junior rugby in Auckland, than it is in Dunedin. That ratio becomes four times more expensive if a family has more than two children enrolled to play. Cost diminishes the further south the club is in the country, with the median price of a single player registration south of Cook Strait, less than half the price than it is in the North Island.
100 years ago, a boy aged under 16 could pay his annual football club membership fee for two shillings and sixpence. Even after allowing for inflation over a century, the price to do so today is more than ten times the sum of 1922. And even though median household incomes in New Zealand have doubled over the same period, the relative cost of participation for children in community sport has increased exponentially. What's changed? You can read more here.
(Is children's sport becoming a financial support for the adult community game?)
The Most Significant Legislative Change In Over A Century ...
On Thursday, 28 April, the Association provided an introduction to the new requirements of the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 to the “club Presidents and Chairs forum” hosted by Auckland’s Sport Waitakere. The enactment of the new law impacts all incorporated community sport organisations throughout New Zealand and is the most significant legislative change to affect amateur sport in this country in over a century. The Association intends to make this presentation available to as wide an audience as possible, so that our national sport community can begin to understand how the new law will affect incorporated clubs throughout the country.
You can download the presentation, by clicking here.
2022/2023 Membership Subscriptions Due ...
As noted above, the Association's Board will meet on Tuesday, 17 May and will (among the items of business for discussion) confirm the membership subscriptions applicable for the 2022/2023 fiscal year. Membership invoices will be sent following the meeting, with members requested to make subscription payments no later than 30 June.
As a membership organisation, the Association relies on the financial support of its members and aims to set annual subscriptions at an affordable level to support the Association’s activities as a national organisation. Your support is appreciated.
Rangiora Croquet Club – “From Recess To Renaissance” ...
Eight years ago, the Rangiora Croquet Club remained "in recess" following the loss of its facility adjacent to the Rangiora Bowling Club in 2004. In 2022, they boast a membership of in excess of sixty, a modern facility in River Road and the club has doubled its playing facility with the opening of two new playing lawns.
The 2021/22 season also met with considerable playing success in both forms of the game, (the traditional "Association Croquet" and the modern "Golf Croquet").
Alister Newey and John Foster won the Canterbury division one inter-club golf croquet competition and John Whyte won the junior grade competition. Newey then combined with former New Zealand representative Peter Parkinson in a four person Canterbury, Association croquet team to win the South Island competition. The pair won five of their six games, with a final team score of ten wins from twelve games. Alister and Hilda Newey earned the runners up spot in the provincial handicap pairs. Neville Turner who won the singles title in both forms of the games highlighted the club competition championships.
(Neville Turner (left) and Alister Newey (right))
Golf Croquet; Singles Division 1, Neville Turner 7 bt. John Foster 4. Division 2, Bruce Wayman 7 bt. Will Henderson 3. Handicap Pairs, Lesley Smith and Reid Caldwell bt. Bruce Wayman and Neville Turner. Assoc. Croquet; Singles: Neville Turner. Doubles: Alister and Hilda Newey.
(With thanks to Association member, Lindsay Kerr, for contributing this article)
From The Archives ...
All Sorts of Sport
FREE LANCE, VOLUME XV, ISSUE 800, 29 OCTOBER 1915, PAGE 21
“The sporting community of Wellington sustained a loss in the death of Private Syd. Chapman (second son of Mrs. Jessie Chapman, of 13 Park Street), killed in action at the Dardanelles on the fateful 8th August. He was a powerful swimmer and lifesaving enthusiast, having captained the winning team in the Maranui Club's contest two years ago. Playing on the side of the scrum in the Oriental Club's senior fifteen, he was fast and a deadly tackler, winning remarkably rapid promotion. He was 22 years of age. He went to Samoa with the Advance Force and answered the “Great Roll Call” on the anniversary of his enlistment.”
Sydney (Syd) Parnell Chapman was born on 6 January 1893, the second son of Thomas John (a painter and carpenter, from Bishopsdale in Nelson) and Jessie (nee Beck). He had three younger brothers and one older brother and sister. The family lived at 13 Park Street in Thorndon, Wellington. Syd’s father, who was adjudged bankrupt in 1898 and 1901, died “after a long and painful illness” when Syd was just 12 years old.
As a teenager, Syd joined the Maranui Surf and Life Saving Club as well as (with two of this brothers) joining the Oriental Rugby Football Club (based in Hataitai) where (in 1914) he became one of the youngest members of the Senior XV as wing-forward, quickly earning the reputation as “fast and a deadly tackler”. Known as a “powerful swimmer and life-saving enthusiast”, for Maranui Club, Chapman became a trainer and trophy-winning Captain. He worked for Messrs Briscoe & Co. on Victoria Street as a warehouseman.
(The Maranui Surf Club, above, was formed on 3 October 1911, at "Smith's Tea Rooms")
In August 1914, Syd enlisted with the 5th Wellington Regiment, No. 2 Platoon “A” Company as part of the Expeditionary Force for Samoa. On his return to New Zealand eight months’ later, he joined the 5th Reinforcements, travelling to Gallipoli where he was killed in action at the Dardanelles on 8 August, on the first anniversary of his active service.
The Final Word …
“Their new mission will be to … embrace the wholesomeness of amateurism ... to provide rugby opportunities for those who know the professional game will never be for them, to enthuse volunteers and to make club rugby great again."
(Gregor Paul, New Zealand Herald, muses on the future of rugby's Provincial Unions)