NOT RUNNING: Dave Hoskin.
THERE will be a clearing of the decks at the Wanganui Rugby Union's 2014 annual meeting on Tuesday night, with ballot votes on the two chairman positions as well as the emergence of the new union president.
In something of a surprise, WRFU board chairman Dave Hoskin has chosen not to run again, ending his tenure after a record 14 years in the role.
Since the union's establishment in 1888, Brian Vaughan (1984-93) and the late Paul Mitchell (1974-83) were the only other men to serve as chairman of the board for 10 years or more.
Whether or not Hoskin had been interested in continuing as the chairman, he would have been strongly challenged across the table as board members Jeff Phillips and Jeff Slight have put their hands up for the role.
"It's time for a change," Hoskin said yesterday when asked for the reason for his departure, agreeing that either of the two Jeffs was a capable successor.
"It will be interesting to see what the outcome [of the vote]is."
Since 2001, during Hoskin's time as WRFU board chairman, Wanganui has won the 2003 NPC Third Division, the 2008-09 and 2011 Pink Batts Heartland Meads Cup trophies, this year's Lochore Cup, and also held its 125th Jubilee in 2012.
"When we won the Meads Cup and defended it in Wanganui, that was the highlight," he said.
He will very much remain part of the set-up, however, as the sole nomination for union vice-president, while previous VP Norm Crowe was the sole nomination for the presidency, replacing Brian "Porky" Green.
"It keeps me in there for a couple more years," Hoskin said.
Crowe has been vice-president for the past two years, having previously been a board member for nine years and on the Council of Clubs for 15 years.
For the 2015 nine-man WRFU board, all previous members are available again except Hunterville's Tom Kilgarriff, who's stepping away after three years.
In the ballot for the new chairman, between Slight and Phillips, both have the pedigree.
A board member for 10 years, Slight also served as union president in 2011-12, having been vice-president.
He has been on the board for 10 years and chairman of the Council of Clubs for the past eight years.
A former representative lock for Wanganui from the Kaierau club in the mid-1990s, Phillips has been a board member for five years.
Slight is also going for the Council of Club chairman's position again in a ballot vote with board member Kyall Green.
The chairman of the Council of Clubs and three other council members make up four positions on the union board.
The elected board chairman then announces the other four independent members.
Acting WRFU chief executive JB Phillips said if Slight were elected as chairman of the board and to the Council of Clubs, another council member would come up to fill the fourth spot.
The 127th annual meeting will be held in the Grand Hotel's Jubilee room at 8pm on Tuesday, after the Council of Clubs meeting which starts at 7pm.
The result of elections for the top roles could have a big bearing on the employment of the next fulltime WRFU chief executive, replacing Dale Cobb who resigned in October.
JB Phillips said they had received four applications so far - two from outside Wanganui.
The deadline to apply is January 15 and the successful applicant will be announced on March 2, before the regular club season kicks off on March 21.