LtoR: New Waitete life members Stan Meads and Neil Macrae
Two giants of rugby in the King Country have joined an exclusive club within a club.
Stan Meads and Neil Macrae have been named life members of Waitete Rugby Football Club.
LtoR: New Waitete life members Stan Meads and Neil Macrae with club president, Jamie Maarhuis
The pair join an illustrious group of just 20 people to achieve such recognition in the club’s near 100-year history.
“I was flattered,” Meads told The News. “It’s a great honour and I really do appreciate it.”
Stan Meads played 15 games for the All Blacks, 74 for King Country; his brother, Colin ‘Pinetree’ Meads played 55 for the All Blacks and 139 for King Country.
“I played all my club rugby with Waitete and so did Colin. Waitete was so good to us both, very encouraging and helped us in no small way to go as far as we did.”
Meads, now based in Te Awamutu, believes his big brother – although he may have been slightly shorter, give or take a quarter inch, and depending on who’s being asked – would be proud.
“We sparred a bit, but Colin would have been thrilled. He’d have made some sort of cheeky remark, but underneath it he would have been delighted for me.”
Pinetree, a fellow life member, died in 2017.
The club held a special event for Meads and Macrae which proved the perfect occasion for catching up with mates.
: LtoR: Waitete RFC life members Max Lamb, Stan Meads and Neil Macrae with club president, Jamie Maarhuis
“Too right!” Meads said. “It was amazing to get amongst all the people and have a chat. I tried to talk to most of them – it was a really enjoyable day.”
Meads coached at the club – as well as King Country at provincial level – after he hung up his boots.
“I was busy farming and I had a wife and kids, so for years I was pretty tied up, but I tried to give as much as I could back to the club because I owed them a lot.”
While Meads represented his club for approximately 12 years (1954–66), playing records are just one consideration when it comes to life membership. In some cases, such as Neil Macrae’s, it stems from other involvement, often behind the scenes.
Waitete RFC’s manager, Macrae has served the club in various capacities for more than 30 years.
He said he enjoyed the life membership event immensely.
“It’s quite an honour,” he said. “Waitete is a well-known rugby club around the country and even around the world, and life membership is not something that’s handed out to everyone.”
Macrae was instrumental in resurrecting the Peace Cup – contested among central North Island sub-unions – and initiating touch rugby at the club.
Waitete RFC president, and former King Country Ram, Jamie Maarhuis said both men are most deserving.
“Neil has been contributing to Waitete for the past 36 years with an unprecedented 33 years as a committee member. He has been involved in everything we’ve achieved during the past few decades,” he said.
“Stan has contributed to Waitete and rugby in general, on and off the field, for a long time, from being an All Black, to coaching, managing and supporting teams. He should’ve been a life member long before now.”
The recent event was attended by about 100 people, including all of the club’s living life members – Max Lamb, John ‘Polly’ Lang, Robert ‘Bud’ Snowdon and Malcolm Burmester, said Maarhuis.
“We had a great turnout of family, friends, club members and current and former players and coaches. I believe Stan and Neil were ecstatic, although maybe a little embarrassed about all the fuss.”
