Ana Apatu: Bobbing and weaving with Jim

Ana Apatu.

I ask Jim Ramsay, patron of our Flaxmere Boxing Academy, how he feels our Boxing Academy is progressing.

Jim, aged 69 years with sparkly blue eyes, says "Ana, boxing is an art, it's a science. It is something you learn to be better at over time. My only injury in 15 years of boxing was a cut eyebrow."

He feels many people have the wrong impression of boxing. "I had far worse injuries with other sports, rugby for example.

"Boxing teaches you to use both your right and left hands right-left. He believes there is only one other sport which uses more muscles - swimming."

He tells me he lived in Flaxmere for over 37 years. Originally from Waipukarau, he and his wife Marie moved to Flaxmere to work for Charlie Bridgeman of Bridgeman's Transport as owner driver, later forming his own transport business, JR Ramsay, known as the "Cool Train". Marie and Jim married with both in their teen years - and had three children under three years.

Jim's passion for boxing was sparked during his school days. He became a NZ Junior Champ at the age of 15.

"I used to go to senior champs when I was 14, my Hawke's Bay trainer somehow wangled it to get me there. I got through to the quarter-finals and was number six in the country.

My sons fought after me, Phillip fought against David Tua's brother." A brilliant fight, Jim tells me.

Jim, who has fought over 200 fights, started the original Flaxmere Boxing Academy, training from his basement at his home, also coaching local Flaxmere children.

The club was later to shift to the Soma building, a premises in those days located on Omahu Rd, then to the old TAB or Tote room at the racecourse.

This room had native timber walls and a wooden sprung floor. Jim went on to start the Hastings Boxing Club where the Hastings and Flaxmere clubs combined.

He tells me his wife Marie was absolutely fantastic; both with helping set up the HB Boxing Association and with helping with the kids being coached.

Jim tells me there was huge interest, with 30-40 children and teenagers involved at that time. He and Marie would take the boys to Christchurch and Hamilton to the interim and senior and NZ champs. Getting the children and teenagers to eat well was quite hard.

Sometimes Marie and Jim would have to dip into their own pockets to buy pyjamas and food.

Jim shows me a photo taken in 1993 of himself as head coach with trainers John Healey, Hira Nathan and 20 boys between the ages 9 and 18. No women trained in those days, it was quite strict, Jim tells me.

Police would refer "wayward kids". Getting young people involved was enormously satisfying, Jim tells me. "Some of these boys made it to the NZ champs.

I had 15-17-year-olds getting into a lot of trouble. Years later I would see them in the main street and they would come up to me - I gained more satisfaction teaching the art of discipline from boxing than growing a champion."

Not a big man, I ask Jim what his skills were. He shrugs and tells me he was not particularly good at one thing but I sense he is being humble. Jim progressed through the various weight divisions as he grew - from paper, flea, mosquito, bantam, feather, light, light welter, welter and light middleweight.

"My coach would say to me 'get out there and give it a go'." Jim tells me Sid Smales was the best in the country.

"Sid taught me the best moves and punches than anyone else ever did. He gave me 150 per cent with his coaching. Looking back on it now, if I had given back that same 150 per cent that Sid gave me, I would have gone to the moon. Boxing is like a bug - once you get the bug, it's infectious."

Jim feels there is much potential for Flaxmere. "With Boxing and what Henare (O'Keefe) has taken on is to teach respect, respect your mates, parents and teachers. I love this club with what Henare, the coaches and the team are doing for Flaxmere. I think Henare has a huge diamond-studded heart."

- Ana Apatu is chief executive of the U-Turn Trust, based at Te Aranga Marae in Flaxmere.