It's Finals Weekend

Here we go - semi finals are here

Tukapa Colts vs Inglewood United

Due to the adverse weather conditions, the game between Tukapa Colts and Inglewood United today at 1.00pm will now be played on the back ground of Spotswood College.

The after match function will still be held in the Tukapa Club rooms.

It is with great sadness we report the passing of Gary Leonard Wilks. The club extends condolences to Gary's wife Glenyss and his extended family.

Gary was a real club stalwart at Tukapa who passed away last week at the age of 73 having succumbed after a relapse in his long battle with cancer.

Gary was a Westown boy who joined Tukapa morning grades as a midget in the mid-1950’s, carried on every season in the juniors until required to play for Devon and then at NPBHS before returning to the Blue and Whites on leaving school at 15 years of age to begin work at the Post and Telegraph Department as a trainee technician.

He progressed through the Under 17s, Under 19s and Colts before winning two Taranaki championship titles, firstly in 1969 in what was known as the Junior Open grade, which today is the level equivalent to the Senior B’s. Team-mates of Gary in that successful Junior side included such well-known Tukapas as Kevin Hickland, Anton Mora, Bob Old and Kevin Nielsen.

Later Gary moved into playing for the Senior 4ths alongside the likes of Mick Gilbert, Ian Morris, Rusty Gilbert and Barry Marsh. In 1973 this team won the Taranaki Senior 4ths Championship with Kevin Curd as captain and Brian Hunger as coach.

Having finished his rugby playing career in the 1970s, Gary took up long distance running being a foundation member of the NP Joggers and Walkers Club. He ran numerous marathons and half marathons during his 40 plus years with the Joggers Club, culminating in him completing the annual Coast to Coast event as part of a two-man team.

However, Gary’s connection to Tukapa remained strong throughout his whole adult life with his major contribution after he retired from playing being the enormous amount of voluntary work he did off the field. He always showed up to help at every club working bee as well as doing two stints on the Executive Committee in the early 1990s and again 20 years later around his time as Club President in 2007-08.

More recently, Gary has been a loyal and passionate supporter of the Senior A’s in particular. He would never miss a home game and was always one of the first to help out at Sanders Park by bringing in the flags and goalpost pads, emptying rubbish tins and making himself useful in general. Gary finished his working life as an electrician and, as the go-to Club guy for electrical work, Gary contributed a huge number of unpaid hours installing and maintaining everything electrical at Tukapa for over 40 years.

All of us regulars at Tukapa will greatly miss Wilksie, who genuinely was a “real good bugger” and a life-long true blue Tukapa man. For those interested, you can view a video of Gary’s funeral service on his tribute page at: www.eagars.co.nz/gary

Keith Roebuck: Peerless Supporter

It is with great sadness we report the passing of Keith Robert Roebuck on Sunday 1 November 2020.

Keith Roebuck, who was tragically killed in a hit and run road smash two weeks ago, will forever be remembered at the Chookhouse as one of our most fanatical supporters. To say Keith loved his club rugby is a serious understatement- he was more passionate about supporting the Chooks at the grassroots level than watching the All Blacks or the Taranaki Bulls and, as for Super Rugby, that was always Keith’s lowest priority.

Over the past 128 years, there has only been one man awarded a life membership for his passionate support of the Blue and Whites, and that was John Stapleton back in 1903. If we were considering life memberships these days for mad keen supporters then Keith Roebuck would be the leading contender.

For at least the past two decades Keith’s routine for home games at Sanders Park consisted of “brunch” at the NP Club along with his Tukapa mates Pat Scannell, Ron McLeod, Ken McDonald and, when he was back in town, Johnny (the Grocer) Gray. Having placed some bets on the horses and lubricating their tonsils, the boys would eventually make their way up to Sanders Park, usually running late and then moaning about a lack of handy parking places, before finding a perch on the crowded deck outside the Chookhouse.

For Keith and Ken, both being vertically challenged, the problem at every home game was not being able to see over the heads of the fans crowding out the front of the deck. However, this problem was overcome by them borrowing a couple of beer crates so they could then peer over the top of the other spectators. During each afternoon, led by Keith, the boys would keep the sale of green-bottled beer going at a not-so-steady pace, which would then carry on till at least 7pm in the evening.

Apart from home games, Keith and his mates also traveled to all of the Tukapa Senior A team’s away fixtures; never in the supporters’ bus but always in the private vehicle of the designated sober driver, which was never Keith.
Keith’s main sporting success as an athlete was in surf lifesaving as a proud member at East End SLSC for over 55 years, culminating in him being awarded life membership in 2013. Apart from winning championship titles as a competitor, Keith also coached several women’s teams to gold medal success in both the six place and four place rescue and resuscitation events.

At Tukapa, Keith played initially for our Under 19s, then the Colts, the Senior B’s and then the Senior Thirds. He ended his playing days with our Senior Fourths alongside club stalwarts such as Wayne Penn, who fondly recalls Keith’s off-field contribution to the social side of the game on memorable away trips to such places as Mokau and Whangamomona.

Keith’s funeral service is being held at 11am this coming Sunday (22 November) at the NPBHS Assembly Hall, followed by a send-off at East End Surf Club. The club extends condolences to Keith’s wife Louise and his extended family. We also wish Louise a speedy recovery from the injuries she received in the incident.

It is with great sadness we report the passing of a great club man Robert Clement O'Dowda (Bob). The club extends condolences to Bob’s wife Jan and his extended family.
A service to celebrate Bob’s life will be held at Eagars Te Henui Chapel, 174 Lemon Street, New Plymouth on Monday 2 November 2020 at 10am, followed by a private cremation.
https://www.eagars.co.nz/funerals/service/10962/

Bob seemed to be borne with A Tukapa Jersey on.

Like many players at the time, he started in Midgets and progressed through the grades to Senior (Premier).
Bob played for our Senior A's (Premier) from 1961 to 1969 including being part of the title-winning sides coached by Pat Doherty which won championships in 1966, 1968, and captained the side in 1969.

Bob also played for Taranaki in 1961-62 and again from 1968 to 1970. He was mainly a 1st five-eighth for Tukapa but played mostly 2nd five for Taranaki. He went on to serve on the Management Committee as well as coaching and managing several afternoon grade sides in the 1970s.

Bob,s passion and commitment to rugby was accentuated when as a fundraising activity for the redevelopment of Yarrow Stadium he ran around Mount Taranaki.

Tukapa Rugby & Sports Club (Inc)

Notice of Annual General Meeting

Thursday 19th November 2020 at 7pm

In the Tukapa Clubrooms, Sanders Park

All welcome

……………………………………………

Coaching Opportunities

Are you interested in coaching at one of Taranaki’s premier Rugby clubs in 2021?

Tukapa rugby and Sports club is taking expressions of interest for coaches in the Premier, Division One, and Colts/Under 85kg teams for next season.

If you have prior coaching experience, are passionate about creating a good club/team culture and want to join a highly successful club, please contact club Chairman Scott Siffleet for more information.

Email Scott@lifestylebuilding.co.nz or via mobile on 021317331.

Please note these are volunteer roles and applications close on the 15th of November 2020.

Message from the TRFU

Next Sunday, November 1 we will be celebrating our Clubs. We are excited to share some of our Club Day initiatives with you and your club members. We are offering the following to our clubs.

Tickets
40x complimentary GA Child tickets to distribute to your junior members. The first 40 kids at Tukapa this Friday between 4.00pm and 5.00pm will get the tickets

Discounted $10 GA Adult and $6.50 GA Child tickets (usually $15 and $10 respectively) are available for your club members to purchase using your unique club code. (Tukapa)
Please note that discounted tickets are only available when purchasing online.
Discounted tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE.
The top-selling club will receive a signed jersey and a $250 crowded house voucher.

Match Day
Club members who wear their club jersey to the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls v Counties Manukau match will be in to win Yarrows Taranaki Bulls merchandise.
At half time there will be a U11 grade 4x100m junior relay race involving clubs in their club jerseys.

Club Socks
The Yarrows Taranaki Bulls will be representing their clubs with their club socks.

So lets get online to purchase our tickets and get along to support our boys in the Taranaki Bulls.

Now Open for Registrations

Entries are now open for the NZSparky Tukapa Touch Rugby Competition. This year we also have a Primary School touch competition where each team can have two adults or high school kids on each team, so get your teams together early and register now.

Click the link below to register your team.

Prizegiving update

The Streamline Junior Rugby Prizegiving will take place at 10.00am Sunday 18 October 2020.

Junior players are asked to bring a plate to share with your team. We also ask that all Tukapa playing jerseys are returned on the day.

Along with prizegiving we will have other events on the day such as Parents vs Kids Rugby games, Bouncing Castle for the young ones, a Lolly Scramble, and meet the Egmont Seeds Premier players. 

This is always a great morning out so make sure you bring the whole family.