Mangonui Rugby Club president's death felt throughout Northland

Barry Murray (in bed) succumbed to cancer, just a week after receiving his Life Member award for services to Mangonui rugby. Photo / Myjanne Jensen

Only a week after receiving a Life Member award, the man known as "Mr Kaitāia Rugby" who went above and beyond the call of duty over the years has passed away.

The death of Mangōnui Rugby Club stalwart and president Barry Murray on Tuesday due to cancer has been widely felt throughout Northland.

The 67-year-old will be farewelled on Friday by his club officials, supporters, and players in a way befitting Murray.

Club chairman Marty Yuretich said Murray was an absolutely tireless worker. He was all over the place, be it mowing and marking fields, flagging them in the morning, cooking the meal, shouting beers, then cleaning up the next day, emptying the rubbish bins, and water blasting the changing rooms.

"He was Mr Kaitāia rugby. Everything he did was for the Mangōnui Rugby Club. The community has gathered around to give him a good send-off on Friday," he said.

Receiving Life Member status is rare and has only ever been awarded to a handful of people since the inception of the Mangōnui Rugby Football Sub-Union Club back in 1921.

In an online post, club officials described how Murray had dedicated many hundreds of hours to the club and administered the game on various committees - including chairing and presiding over them in addition to carrying out mundane tasks.

"Barry was staunch to the development of junior grades and youth involvement in the game. Having as many junior and teenage teams as we could possibly squeeze in was always something he stood firm on."

He was one of the Far North's most respected and celebrated rugby union players and supporters.

Murray (Ngāti Kuri) of Kaitāia devoted most of his life to the Far North rugby union and the Life Member status was for his work with the Mangōnui Rugby Football Sub-Union.

His love for rugby dated back to his school days where he played primary through to senior-level school rugby.

He also played for Mangōnui and the North Auckland B Team, as well as coached rugby and athletics in schools.

Murray's passion for rugby drew him back to his local club. He became the Mangōnui Rugby Football Sub-Union chairman in 2009 and remained in that position until 2020 when he then became president until 2021.

While receiving the award, he said the game had taught him many important life lessons, but most importantly the significance of relationships.