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Whanganui’s Mike Donoghue has been involved with New Zealand Marist for nearly 60 years — now he has earned the title of NZ Marist Rugby President.
Marist announced its Rugby Football Federation executive committee members on April 20, including the appointment of Bernard Gittings of Hamilton Marist as vice-president andDonoghue as President.
Donoghue was President of Whanganui Marist from 1997 to 2006 and from 2023 until now.
He has spent most of the past 30 years associated with Whanganui Marist and was grateful to the named federation President.
“I was very honoured, I think it was a good recognition for the amount of time I have been on the executives and for the work that I do.
“I think a big part of my thing is I’ve always kept in touch with grassroots. I haven’t had high aspirations about being in charge — I’ve just wanted to do the best I can for Marist and the clubs involved.
“I’ve always had something to offer in regard to rugby and helping people out generally.”
Donoghue said his high school, St Patrick’s Silverstream, where he was rugby joint captain and head prefect, instilled his passion for Marist Rugby.
After he left school, his family moved to Ōhaupō, and he played two years for St Patrick’s Te Awamutu Marist. He joined Hamilton Marist in 1972 and was involved in the premiership team until the mid-1980s, winning multiple titles.
Donoghue has been involved with Whanganui Marist for the better part of 30 years. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
He moved to Whanganui about 1988 for work and got involved with Whanganui Marist the following year.
“Initially, I was going to pull out of rugby, but they coerced me into helping in the administration and a coaching role,” he said.
He spent a couple of years coaching, up to five years managing different grades and has regularly been on the committee for the club since 1989.
He had spells back in Hamilton for work but retained strong ties with Whanganui as the Whanganui Marist Central Region delegate, responsible for keeping in contact with Marist teams from New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Masterton.
Donoghue said Whanganui Marist’s former president Gus Spillane inspired him to take on the Marist Rugby presidency role, especially with the growth of the Spillane Tournament played by North Island Marist clubs.
“In 1926, he donated the Spillane Trophy, and it was played for between Whanganui and Wellington for the first four years.
“Hamilton Marist put a challenge and ended up taking the tournament to Hamilton in 1931, and it’s still in existence now.”
Apart from during World War II and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the Spillane Trophy has been played for ever since.
Donoghue’s goal as President was to continue to develop the tournament.
“It is going to be 100 years since Spillane started, so we are going to try to motivate people to mark that off and also try to get around the clubs,” he said.
“Now that I am retired, I think I can get around and in front of the clubs a bit more.
“With 28 clubs spread out from Invercargill to Whangārei, it is really hard to get [the Presidents] all together. There has only been once or twice where they have all [been] together.”
