Clutha Rugby Football Club 150th Jubliee

03/06/2026

I had a lovely email from Tim - Acrux Wool Systems today.

A reminder - don't miss your chance to own a limited-edition pure merino Jubilee jersey, featuring a specially designed logo created by the man with the artistic flair, Richard Hurring, in collaboration with Wools of New Zealand.

These premium jerseys normally retail for $175, but as part of our Jubilee celebrations, they are available to our loyal supporters for just $125.

Orders close 5 June.

To order, please email or text Deborah Keach with your size and order details:
[email protected]
0274 802 159

30/05/2026

Some final thank yous…

Thank you to all those who literally put their hand up to purchase an auction jersey — bonus funds for the club moving forward.

Thanks to Sam Vaughan for all his help and reassurance in the planning, and for his careful facilitation of Saturday night.

We were also very fortunate to have a star-studded guest speaker in Marc Ellis. Thank you for taking the time to travel back down south to join us, and for giving us plenty of laughs!

An even bigger thank you to Saturday night's MC Hunter Darry. Hunter held the crowd and won our hearts from the outset. Such good company!

We still have a small number of books left so please get in touch if you would like to secure a copy.

Merino jersey orders close on the 5th of June. I will deliver to you once we have received the orders.

Be sure to check your inbox (or spam folder) for the links to the photos that were sent out yesterday.

And that’s us all done — thanks, team 🥰

29/05/2026

Thinking back to a fortnight ago, one can only be grateful for the fantastic support we received from Zelda Pearson, who facilitated all of the drink orders, stock, and operated the bars alongside her champion mate Rod and the team from Kākā Point Surf Life Saving Club.

We were equally blessed on Saturday night to have the Round Table on hand — the service was simply outstanding.

Zelda, thank you for everything you did both behind the scenes and during the weekend itself. A constant support to us all!

To everyone, please feel free to share any additional photos from the weekend, as I am almost finished compiling the albums to share with everyone.

23/05/2026

A few more thank yous ...

We give huge thanks to the catering team at Casafuego. Andrew and his staff certainly turned it on! An amazing effort and meal, especially given the large number in attendance.

Also, a huge thank you to Olivia at Te Pou Ō Mata-Au — nothing was ever a problem and you were an absolute dream to work with. It was fantastic to be able to showcase this facility to our many out-of-town registrants.

22/05/2026

Next we cover off all the decoratives and the little bits and pieces!

Last February, the signs went up — thank you to Ben Keach Builder for sorting all of that out for the Jubilee Committee free of charge. Thank you also to Peter Duff, Robert and Heather, Tom and Lauren Willocks, Pat and Deidre McKenna, and Wayne Felts ITM for allowing us to place our signs on their properties.

To all those who helped contribute to the Hall of Fame, thank you. It created a great wee space for people to mingle, reflect, and look through the archives.

Thank you to my Mum and Jilly for making all the red and white bunting — it looked amazing!

And then there was the ground marking — a particular request, I know, but it looked awesome. Well done to Tim, Hudd and Alfie Nicol for sorting it. Very special.

Our floral arrangements — thanks again to Jilly and her side-kick Ali Dempster. How amazing did they look! Thirty-four boot floral arrangements — outstanding!

The buttonholes were also made by our dear friend Jilly, and it was a real treat to present these to two of our distinguished elder gentlemen in the crowd on Friday night — Doug Miller (94) and Jack Harrold (91).

And to The Big Event — thank you! Very late notice, but you more than answered my SOS and helped create a special backdrop for Saturday night.

And how good did the cake look! Lovingly made by Jenna McPhee — daughter and granddaughter of Life Members Geoff McPhee and Jack Harrold respectively.

And lastly, the Speight’s bottles... 😀

21/05/2026

Friday’s catering…

Our next Jubilee thank you goes to one of our Jubilee Committee members, Richard Hurring, who from the outset put his hand up to cater the Friday night function. Paua patties, venison, lamb and ham buns — superb. With his right-hand lady Kate beside him, taking care of the finer details and everything in between!

The continuous supper style worked a treat, ensuring everyone was well fed throughout the evening.

Thank you also to Mike Hurring for manning the BBQ all night — always Mr Reliable!

And to Jilly and Craig, thank you for all your help on the night too. Legends.

The grazing platter was courtesy of two great mums and an aunt 🥰

Not many pictures, if any, of the food… but everyone looks happy, so they must have been well fed 😆

Another feature of the night was the well wishes and snippets collected by Richard.
https://youtu.be/JGyvkJj4KME

20/05/2026

The first of our Jubilee thank-yous goes to our Junior Club Committee. For decades now, tribute has been paid to those who lead the junior section of our club — a club with consistently high numbers of registered players and teams, no mean feat in selecting, coaching, and managing them all.

2026 is no exception — once again, the strength and depth of our junior section has been on full display.

We acknowledge and thank the 2026 Junior Club Committee:
Convenor: Simon Faddes
Club Secretary: Philippa Geary
Club Treasurer: Nicola Law
Committee: Andrew Begg, Braden Glover, Carl Glover, Phil Keighley, Willow Lunam, Ashley McElrea, Kylie Munro, Rebecca Scholten, Grant Sinclair, Adam Turnbull

To formulate a programme on Jubilee Day that works around senior games starting at 12pm — keeping our youngsters on the main fields and part of the hype of the day — is no small task. Thank you, Simon and team.

We also acknowledge the support you gave the Jubilee Committee — with Willow, Andrew, Carl and Simon stepping in to help on Friday night, before the team backed up to run the BBQ all day and keep everyone well fed in what can only be described as a crisp morning and early afternoon.

You were kind, aware of what needed to be done, and simply got on with it.

All the very best for the rest of the season. You’re a great wee team, and the club is incredibly lucky to have you all involved.

We thank Life Members Peter and Gerald Johnston, who made considerable contributions to our junior section over many years, for presenting some of the Player of the Day certificates.

Go well.

19/05/2026

Well, well, well - we best get on to some post-event admin!

We had a brilliant weekend and we appreciate all your kind messages.

Many of you were very keen to get your hands on a Merino jersey. We are now taking orders!
The Jubilee Committee is excited to offer a Jubilee Edition pure merino jersey, featuring a specially designed logo created by the man with the artistic flair, Richard Hurring, in collaboration with Wools of NZ.
These premium jerseys normally retail for $175, but we’re offering our loyal supporters a special Jubilee price of just $125.
Pure merino. Pure quality.
To order, please email or text Deborah Keach with your size and order details by the 5th of June.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0274 802 159

The merchandise shop is open until Friday ☺️
https://clutharugby.impakt.co.nz/

And the book! Thank you for the great feedback I have had. We have limited copies left so please get in touch. $55.00.

More to come ... we have so many thank yous and stories from the weekend to share.

15/05/2026

A very rushed post as I head out the door😝

Wishing all our youngsters, Senior and Premier players a great day!

Our club is honoured to be playing Crescent today in the two Ground 1 fixtures.
Excerpt from the book ...
For many, there is no fixture of greater significance than Clutha versus Crescent. Generations of players and supporters have felt the weight of this rivalry, which runs deeper than the scoreboard. Each encounter carries decades of shared history, local pride, and fierce but respectful competition. The intensity on the field and the passion in the stands reflect more than a game of rugby—they embody community spirit, loyalty, and the enduring bonds that make country rugby so special.

Also be sure to make some noise for Kelsey Miller, who will run out for her 50th consecutive game for Big River Country — an inaugural honour for the club. For those who love a bit of history, Kelsey is Dougal’s daughter, with the Miller family having a long-standing connection to the Clutha Club.

And then a bit more noise, please, for Sam Stratford, who will play his 50th game today for the Clutha Steamers! Sam is a tremendous young man and a great club man — just yesterday morning he sat down beside me and let me boss him around for an hour or two! Enjoy the occasion, Stratty!

See you all there!
Go well!

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