ill Darrah, now 90, was a young man of 17 when he first came to BTairua to stay with his uncle, Lige Green. Bill found employment Recollections alongside his uncle with Mr Harold Cory-Wright (Kade’s great grandfather). It was during this time that Bill played for the Tairua of the Day rugby team, and held the position of club secretary. “This joker... That Joker...” They all of their homes for the Saturday matches Rugby in the 1930s seemed to be jokers back then–back in that showcased the best of each town. as told by Bill Darrah to Kade Cory-Wright the late ’30s. And Bill Darrah was one of For that reason it became more than just them. He played amongst the Tairua and a game. It was part of the town, part of Whenuakite players that combined in the the culture, part of the whole peninsula. late 1930s to compete against the local Games became town events, and not only teams. “Uh, playing was a loose term”. Bill would everybody come along, but there admits losses were regular against such would always be a feed on after the match. powerhouses as Hikitaia. “It was never Everybody who came along would be about the score. Nope, never was”. more than catered for, with the club rooms– What an adventure it was–to jump on or the pub in Tairua’s case–being filled with the back of the truck in the blue and white people and food no matter where the game stripes; the conjoint between the two was. Hikitaia would even put a night on towns, with matching rope belts; sitting for the travellers whenever the team made on hay bales as the rough ride across the the journey across, displaying the friendly Tapu-Coroglen Road began. If it wasn’t hospitality that everyone within the rugby the trip over to play at Hikitaia or Rhodes community had. A hospitality, remembers Park, then it was off to Whangamata or Bill, that would even extend to the end of Whitianga, or a home game with the whole the ’30s, with “John Prescott lending out town coming to watch–“and there were a bus to take the players over the hill,” in only 16 houses in the place”. Bill tells me what would have been considered first- with pride of one of those games at Rhodes class service compared to earlier years. Park. “Had a scrum 10 m from our try line– Sadly all good things come to a close–the ball was passed to me and I ran backwards ‘39 season finishing with a flourish for Bill, carrying the ball undetected. Scored a try winning a trophy donated by Harry Grills for Tairua”. for his commitment to the team. The end “And those blue strips on our tops? We of that season brought a close to the rugby travelled to Whenuakite for a game and playing for the next few years, with the war The 1930s Tairua Team. Back row: Derek Cory-Wright, Frank Marshall, both teams were wearing blue–so my taking priority among all the little towns Ken Marshall, Lige Green, Bill Homan, Bill Darrah, B. Peterson, Fred Lilley Aunty, Marvis Green, tore up a white sheet and establishments. Kneeling: Bill Donovan, Bert Rushton, Pat Beach, Bert Hamilton, Syd Laycock. Sitting and tacked a strip to our jerseys”. front: “Poyner Beach became known as the mascot of the team, eagerly anticipating The games themselves were close And Bill? He married local girl Eva Beach each game–too young to play, but still being an avid fan of the mismatched Tairua- in 1941. With their first son Robert, they left Whenuakite team”, Bill recalls. between the three east coast teams, with the Bay, Tairua and Whanga all slogging Tairua to take over the family dairy farm on it out in the rain or snow to bring the nail Huirau Road, Turua, which they worked for bitingly close matches to an end. But the the next 40 years. Bill and Eva eventually Hauraki games weren’t quite so even, with retired and moved to Thames. A lot of the Hikitaia and Thames often turning Tairua time, Bill can be found on a small block of into an exhibition match, where they were land at Kopu, training his trotters for the thrashed by the men from the plains. next race. Four generations of Darrah boys have No surprise really, with “those Marshall been turning up for local rugby teams over brothers–Bob, Ken, and Frank–being the years. Great grandson, Sam has just the kingpins” of our team (see photo). completed a successful year with the Thames Of course there were the Laycock boys High School First XV. Nephews, Jim and (Reg and Syd), the Beach boys (Alan and Alan (Nooky) both played for Thames Valley Pat) and a Cory-Wright (Derek, my own in their day. grandfather), and Bill himself; but let’s just say that the team overall wasn’t exactly an amazing exposé of skill. Thames High School’s Head Boy for So it seems that Mr. Charles Beach, 2012, Kade Cory-Wright is a contributing the team’s selector (and Bill’s future writer with PakuViews. Armed with an father-in-law) didn’t really have a wealth impressive scholastic record, Kade plans of opportunity from which to pick to study journalism when he attends players–most of the time the team could university, and is keen on having a career as manage only two subs. But the playing a sports writer. He’s off to a great start–also A younger Bill Darrah on his bike taken in Tairua in the 1930s. Present day, Darrah is of the legendary game– that’s what was see interview with grandfather Derek Cory- shown leading his prize horse Star Shiraz on his farm at Kopu. important, as whole towns were drawn out Wright in 2012 Autumn/Winter issue.

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16 PAKU VIEWS ISSUE 5 SPRING 2012