For more than 31 years Jeff Walker has given up hours after school, over weekends and during holidays and for this he has received the Taranaki Secondary Schools Sport Association (TSSSA) Service to Taranaki Secondary School Sport Award.
Jeff, a teacher at Stratford High School, was nominated for the award by the school's director of sport Matt Cleaver who says that within the school "Jeff has been instrumental in the development of sport within the school".
Jeff has committed to coaching rugby, cricket and basketball across all year levels, as well as putting time and effort into coaching rugby league, touch rugby, sevens and girls' rugby. Matt adds "not only did he coach the girls' rugby team, he was instrumental in getting it set up within school".
Jeff says that seeing the students enjoying themselves while playing sport, as well as seeing them learn the values that team sports teach, is what drives him be so involved.
"Jeff has always been a strong advocate for kids that are not always achieving academically at school", Matt says. He adds that Jeff was one of the co-founders of the Central Rugby Club, "a club that was set up to allow those kids who have left school at an early age for various reasons an opportunity to continue to play rugby in their age group".