Peter Blair, HSOB's oldest former player at the celebrations, meets its youngest premier grade player, Liam Beattie – another former Gisborne Boys' High First XV player to join the club after leaving school.
Peter Blair, HSOB's oldest former player at the celebrations, meets its youngest premier grade player, Liam Beattie – another former Gisborne Boys' High First XV player to join the club after leaving school.
Squash doyenne Dame Susan Devoy returned to the squash court and entertained the Saturday night dinner crowd as the guest speaker during Gisborne High School Old Boys’ centenary celebrations over the weekend.
Spokesman James Warren said the reunion – for those who appeared in HSOB colours in rugby, netball, squash, hockey, football and cricket – was fully booked out, with 250 attendees.
But the total turnout was far more, with people “coming and going” over the weekend, he said.
Devoy, during her speech, spoke of her squash career and her term as Race Relations Commissioner while other topics included tales of Sir Edmund Hillary.
The squash wing of the club put on an exhibition of matches highlighted by Devoy, four times the world champion, playing a game of “ins and outs” with A1-graded player Holly Donnelly and HSOB life member Audine Grace-Kutia.
Dame Susan Devoy, here with prominent HSOB squash players (from left) Willie Donnelly, Audine Grace-Kutia and Hadfield Kutia, played Grace-Kutia and Holly Donnelly during the celebrations.
Large numbers watched HSOB’s rugby friendly against Ngatapa on Saturday afternoon, with car parks being difficult to find at The Oval.
The two premier grade sides were having one more hit-out before the beginning of the Poverty Bay club rugby season this weekend – the Tiny White Opening Day named after the famous HSOB All Black – but the Patutahi-based side were no match for the centenary revellers, who won 43-0.
The result presented “promising signs” for HSOB, Warren said.
Ngatapa looked “keen”, but HSOB had a size advantage and displayed some running rugby.
A benefactor of that was winger Bryan Howard, who scored a hat-trick of tries and won HSOB’s man of the match award.
High School Old Boys players before their centenary reunion friendly with Ngatapa at the Oval on Saturday. In an echo of history, Ngatapa hosted HSOB to celebrate the opening of its clubrooms at Patutahi in 1965 - 60 years ago. That match was drawn. Saturday's was not. HSOB won 43-0.
HSOB football teams shared the rare opportunity of playing the round ball code on the Oval, with the first team defeating the seconds 3-2.
High School Old Girls netballers celebrated the centenary with a Past v Present social match at the courts outside the Anzac St clubhouse.
Long-serving, dedicated netball identity Kath Thomas – a HSOG player and coach, and rep coach and umpire – was among the distinguished attendees at the reunion.
All Black triallist and Poverty Bay representative Peter Blair was the oldest attendee from the rugby fraternity, but he was not the only player from the 1950s – a golden era for HSOB – at the celebrations.
Another highlight was having the Fred Barwick-coached HSOB Under-19 side of 1978 turn up en masse to enjoy the weekend.
The reunion magazine featured a foreword by All Blacks great Sean Fitzpatrick, son of Brian – a HSOB, Poverty Bay and All Blacks second five-eighth of the 1950s.
The former All Blacks captain, who grew up in Gisborne and now lives in London, wrote that he felt “a deep connection” to Gisborne and HSOB.
