Sir Colin Meads. Illustration / Rod Emmerson
Legend, good Kiwi bloke, gentleman, loyal - there's no shortage of words to describe the mighty Sir Colin Meads.
As news spread yesterday that the 81-year-old had died, some of those who knew him best gathered at the Waitete Rugby Club in Te Kuiti to salute a man who is being widely mourned here and overseas.
Club bar manager Maria McDonald opened the taps for those who wanted to raise a pint in his memory.
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She described him as the club's kaumatua - someone who was loved and respected by many.
"He was a true gentleman. He hated men swearing if there was a lady present - he gave them heaps ... the young kids all looked up to him but he was a real down-to-earth, good guy.
"As famous as he was, he hated being called sir - so they used to say it just to rub him up."
She said Tui was his beer of choice and nobody could keep up with him.
"I couldn't fill them up fast enough for him - he'd drink half a keg."
Last night the glass he always drank from sat propped up on a blue-covered box alongside his old club shirt in the middle of a large table. Not far away his framed picture hung on the wall.
For many, the first sign the great Pinetree had fallen came when a bunch of yellow daffodils was placed at the foot of a newly erected bronze statue in the town. By early evening, cards, rugby balls and more flowers had joined the pile. Around the country - and across the Tasman - people placed rugby balls, boots, shirts and gumboots at their door as a mark of respect.
Last week it was reported Meads had taken a turn for the worse. His death yesterday morning comes just 12 months after his pancreatic cancer diagnosis in August last year.
Club president Jason Church said it had been a sad day for the club.
"The hardest thing is we're a rural club, so we've lost a club stalwart. He's a life member but to a lot of people he's more than that, he's a friend."
Several generations gathered at the club, testament to the impact Meads had on the community.
"He was always someone that the young fellas can relate to," Church said. "He sometimes would have been too straight a shooter for some of them, but they'd go and talk to him to get advice on how they'd played that day."
The realisation that next time they played they would look up to the stands and see a space where Meads used to be left many in the club feeling "hollow", Church said.
Waitomo District mayor Brian Hanna said the town would undoubtedly host a large farewell for Meads.
"Our district is in a state of numbness," he said. "He was the most famous New Zealander alive, not only for his rugby but for his fundraising for the area and New Zealand in general. The things he's done since he's hung up his rugby boots have been phenomenal."
Meads' neighbours said he would always stop to talk and share a drink, and often spoke to children at the local school.
Te Kuiti local Jean Hitchen had fond memories of the man she had known since childhood.
His usual greeting was, "Gidday girl - how's it going?"
"He was just so human. He was a natural. No matter your walk of life - he was an average small town guy who treated everybody with respect."
Meads is survived by his wife, Verna Meads, their five children, 14 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. His youngest daughter, Shelley Mitchell, paid tribute to the "full life" her Dad had led.
"He loved being an All Black and he loved his family dearly," she said. "We will miss him terribly."
Tributes from outside Meads' immediate family and hometown also continued to flow as news of his death spread, with politicians, members of the sporting community and the public all sharing their memories.
Prime Minister Bill English described Meads as a "genuinely good New Zealand bloke" whose death made it a sad day for New Zealand.
"He represented what it means to be a New Zealander. He was no-nonsense, reliable, hardworking, warm and very generous with his time.
"I remember when I was younger hearing stories about how he used to shear sheep all day and go running at night. I thought I'd give it a go. I quickly learned the Meads legend was built on physical and mental toughness."
Colin Meads, All Black No583, was born on June 3, 1936, in Cambridge - the oldest of two boys.
He grew up on a family farm near Te Kuiti and began to rise to prominence in the rugby world as a teenager - playing his first of 139 matches for the King Country in 1955. Meads played his first game as an All Black when he was a couple of weeks shy of his 21st birthday, on May 18, 1957 in Sydney.
He went on to play a total of 133 All Black matches, 55 tests and 78 games - including 11 as captain - between 1957 and 1971.
Although he began his international career as a flanker, it was as a lock that Meads played most of his rugby.
He has been described on the All Blacks' official website as "one of the best and most inspiring players New Zealand rugby has known in any position".
"Meads was no bigger than many of his contemporaries and at about 1.92m and around 100kg he would be regarded as too small as a lock for modern rugby. But he always gave the impression of being a giant and he complemented his natural athleticism with a rare ferocity."
His career as an All Black drew to a close in the early 1970s, after a narrow series loss to the Lions in 1971.
He was injured in a car accident near the end of that year and despite recovering did not appear to have been considered for the 1972-73 tour of Britain and France.
In 1973 Meads captained a President's 15 to victory over the All Blacks before retiring after a record 361 first-class matches. He continued to play for his Waitete club until 1975.
He turned to administration and coaching at provincial level, and selected and coached North Island teams before being promoted to the national selection panel in 1986.
That appointment was brief because Meads decided to join the rebel Cavaliers tour of South Africa as coach. He was axed from the panel and for a time was persona non grata to the New Zealand Rugby Union.
In time he was forgiven and in 1992 was elected on to the NZRU council and managed the All Black teams of 1994 and 1995.
In late 1999 New Zealand Rugby Monthly magazine named him the New Zealand Player of the Century and in the 2001 New Year's Honours list he was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office said it was too early to say if a state funeral would be held.
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