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NEWS<br />
26 <strong>Ashburton</strong> <strong>Courier</strong>, <strong>August</strong> <strong>13</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
Musterers set to take on Methven B<br />
in longrunning charity rugby match<br />
TONI.WILLIAMS<br />
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz<br />
Mighty musterers from the<br />
mountains will take on the<br />
Methven Brugby team in a<br />
decades old charity match<br />
nextweekend.<br />
The RakaiaGorge<br />
MusterersvsMethven Rugby<br />
Club match has beenrunning<br />
for thepast 63 years, although<br />
acouple of games had been<br />
cancelled due to snow.<br />
They hadtheir50th<br />
anniversary in 2007.<br />
Rakaia Gorge Musterers<br />
team managerPaul Ensor, of<br />
Double Hill RunRoad, said it<br />
was the longest running<br />
charity match in the southern<br />
hemisphere, although it had<br />
not been played<br />
consecutively.<br />
Aformerplayer himself<br />
Ensor, nowaged 43,saidthe<br />
mind was willing butthe body<br />
tended to suffer.<br />
He played 12 games in his<br />
time but said players like<br />
Chaz Todhunter, of<br />
Glenfalloch Station, would<br />
have played more games, as<br />
would legends like Jim<br />
Morris, from Manuka Point<br />
Station, (now retired and<br />
living in Tarras) who used to<br />
ride his Clydesdale horse<br />
across the Rakaia River to get<br />
in and outinthe 1980s.<br />
‘‘He was likethe<br />
Marlborough man of the<br />
valley,’’ Ensor said.<br />
The musterers team in past<br />
were from up the Rakaia<br />
Gorge butinrecent years<br />
players have been gathered<br />
from Rakaia and<strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
gorges, both sides of the<br />
Rakaia River and along the<br />
Foothills to Mt Somers.<br />
‘‘We have had to spread the<br />
net out abit further these days<br />
as there are notthe number of<br />
shepherds and musterers<br />
around as there used to be.<br />
‘‘We just try andgrab<br />
anyone whohas workedup<br />
here over the past year andfit<br />
enough to pull on apairof<br />
boots ... generally they have<br />
some sort of connection (with<br />
mustering).’’<br />
He was hopeful for aheapof<br />
guys so they could have rolling<br />
subs on the day.<br />
‘‘Some of the guys are hill<br />
fit, but not necessarily rugby<br />
fit.’’<br />
Ensor said historically at<br />
the end of the autumn muster<br />
there were heaps of guys<br />
floating around and they<br />
decided to hold arugby game.<br />
‘‘One yearthe gorge forward<br />
pack weighed more than the<br />
All Black teamofthe day... it<br />
must havebeen around the<br />
1970s,’’ he said.<br />
‘‘It doesn’t mean they were<br />
better, they were just<br />
heavier.’’<br />
The match, held at the<br />
Methven Rugby Club grounds<br />
on Methven Chertsey Road, in<br />
Methven on <strong>August</strong> 22,will<br />
raise money for St John<br />
ambulance.<br />
Adonation bucket will be<br />
passed around and acharity<br />
auction, offeringacouple of B<br />
and Baccommodation<br />
packages and farm supplies,<br />
will be up for grabs.<br />
Ensor was hopeful this year<br />
would see the musterers take<br />
victory but said it was more<br />
about the camaraderie fora<br />
cause, than the final result.<br />
‘‘Unfortunately we struggle<br />
to match the Methven side. We<br />
come together at theend of<br />
the seasonbut they have been<br />
playing together allseason.<br />
We are abit of acobbled<br />
together bunch.’’<br />
Ensor said night games<br />
always suited themusterers<br />
better in the past.<br />
‘‘We were able to slip a<br />
couple of extra playersonin<br />
the shadowsand that helped<br />
us abit. We got found out one<br />
year andthe following yearwe<br />
didn’t play as (well) any<br />
more.’’<br />
The senior musterers game<br />
kicks offat2.30pm with an<br />
Under 9junior musterers<br />
curtain raiser at 2pm.<br />
Rakaia Gorge Musterers from around 1958, Rod Heard with pipe (third from right) helped get the game<br />
going. Photo supplied.<br />
Rakaia Gorge Musterers vs Methven rugby during the 25th anniversary game in 1982 saw local Peter<br />
Den Baars support the game with his Packmans Palace. Photo Supplied.<br />
LOCAL LISTENING<br />
Peter Mac l 1pm to 6pm<br />
2304059<br />
MSA OUTDOOR<br />
BOWLING CLUB<br />
With our winter bowls<br />
programme starting to wind<br />
downour convertedtrophies<br />
are being playedfor amid<br />
somefiercebut friendly<br />
competition.<br />
Firstlythe Bruce Weir<br />
Trophy wastaken out by<br />
John Moffatt, MikeSkilling<br />
and Trevor Pearce.<br />
The Kennedy Trophy,<br />
donated by the legendary<br />
late Tom Phaup, was wonby<br />
TonyInwood, Des<br />
Prendergast, and Mike<br />
Skilling.<br />
Our finaltrophy round will<br />
be heldon <strong>August</strong> 12 at<br />
1.30pm.<br />
Our return visit to<br />
Richmond has been bought<br />
forward aweek, now being<br />
Sunday <strong>August</strong> 23, which will<br />
allow members to playinthe<br />
Sub Centres fundraising<br />
tournamenton<strong>August</strong> 30.<br />
Aworkingbee to lift the<br />
matswillbeheld<strong>August</strong> 24<br />
at atime to be confirmed.<br />
Opening day for the<br />
summerseasonis set down<br />
for SaturdaySeptember12,<br />
with new members most<br />
welcome.<br />
We hostour firstSkip2It<br />
FridayTriples on<br />
September18 at 12.30pm and<br />
the Peters Cup OpenFours<br />
Tournament is set for<br />
September20 at 9am.<br />
ASHBURTON<br />
WRITERS’GROUP<br />
The annual general meeting<br />
of the <strong>Ashburton</strong>Writers’<br />
Groupwas held recently, it<br />
had beendelayed dueto<br />
Covid19. President Julie<br />
welcomedall present. After<br />
the minutesand financial<br />
reportwere read, the<br />
presidentgave her reportfor<br />
the year 31 March <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
The electionofofficers<br />
washeldand resulted as<br />
follows–President –Julie<br />
Fechney, VicePresident–<br />
Stacey Broadbent,<br />
Secretary/Treasurer–Rae<br />
Magson. Themeeting<br />
concludedand the monthly<br />
meetingwas held.<br />
Aquotation was givenby<br />
Stacey “To write means<br />
more than pretty wordsona<br />
page, the act of writing is to<br />
share yoursoul with the<br />
world.”<br />
Rae readareporton the<br />
completed ShortStory<br />
Competition. Therewere 83<br />
entries, all of these were<br />
read.<br />
There wasdiscussionon<br />
the timesand dates of our<br />
meeting. As manymembers<br />
andpotential members are<br />
notable to attendinthe<br />
afternoons it wasdecidedto<br />
hold the meetingsonthe<br />
fourth Wednesdays of the<br />
month,commencingat7pm.<br />
First meeting to be on 26<br />
<strong>August</strong>.<br />
Theassignment for the<br />
meetingwas to writeastory<br />
titled “ThenMyCar Broke<br />
Down”. The instantexercise<br />
by Deirdre was achallenge<br />
being “Devil’s Advocate”.<br />
Themeeting concluded with<br />
the servingofafternoon tea.<br />
The nextmeeting<br />
assignmentis “letter to my<br />
younger self”.<br />
Visitors are welcome,<br />
contact Rae on 308 8927.