A pillar of youth work and chess promotion

Noble Keelan

Gisborne chess legend Noble Keelan has been recognised for his work in promoting the game and his work with youth in Tairawhiti.

Noble is best known for his role in establishing the Eastern Knights Chess club, which he co-founded in 2000 with the late Genesis Potini. In the subsequent award-winning movie The Dark Horse, Noble’s character was played by Kirk Torrance.

After Mr Potini passed away in 2011, Noble continued to lead the Eastern Knights and now teaches chess in schools and communities from Potaka to Mohaka, mostly on a voluntary basis. More recently, Tairawhiti REAP and Te Araroa Education Foundation have provided funding for this delivery.

In 2015, Noble helped establish Ka Pai Kaiti Kings Chess Club with Tuta Ngarimu, and has since provided chess activities at whanau and community days, including the “Lean on Me” concert to promote suicide prevention awareness.

Noble recently started work on the Papataiohi youth offenders programme at Turanga Ararau.

Introduced to chess at the age of nine, and in reflecting upon his own troubled upbringing, Noble acknowledges the opportunity he now has to support young people in similar situations today.

The team at Turanga Ararau say he has been able to relate to their youth through not only sharing his testimony but by building meaningful relationships through chess.

Asked if it makes him happy that he has come from a tough background, to the fame of his achievements and being part of a movie, Noble says, “No, it is about putting smiles on children's faces.”

The awards ceremony and charity dinner will be at Te Tini o Porou Conference Centre in Kaiti on Friday, June 24. Tickets are available from the Family Works office or at www.eventfinda.co.nz