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16
PAKU VIEWS
ISSUE 5 SPRING 2012
COASTAL PROPERTY
SPECIALISTS
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A younger Bill Darrah on his bike taken in Tairua in the 1930s. Present day, Darrah is
shown leading his prize horse Star Shiraz on his farm at Kopu.
The 1930s Tairua Team. Back row: Derek Cory-Wright, Frank Marshall,
Ken Marshall, Lige Green, Bill Homan, Bill Darrah, B. Peterson, Fred Lilley
Kneeling: Bill Donovan, Bert Rushton, Pat Beach, Bert Hamilton, Syd Laycock. Sitting
front: “Poyner Beach became known as the mascot of the team, eagerly anticipating
each game–too young to play, but still being an avid fan of the mismatched Tairua-
Whenuakite team”, Bill recalls.
Recollections
of the Day
“This joker... That Joker...” They all
seemed to be jokers back then–back in
the late ’30s. And Bill Darrah was one of
them. He played amongst the Tairua and
Whenuakite players that combined in the
late 1930s to compete against the local
teams. “Uh, playing was a loose term”. Bill
admits losses were regular against such
powerhouses as Hikitaia. “It was never
about the score. Nope, never was”.
What an adventure it was–to jump on
the back of the truck in the blue and white
stripes; the conjoint between the two
towns, with matching rope belts; sitting
on hay bales as the rough ride across the
Tapu-Coroglen Road began. If it wasn’t
the trip over to play at Hikitaia or Rhodes
Park, then it was off to Whangamata or
Whitianga, or a home game with the whole
town coming to watch–“and there were
only 16 houses in the place”. Bill tells me
with pride of one of those games at Rhodes
Park. “Had a scrum 10 m from our try line–
ball was passed to me and I ran backwards
carrying the ball undetected. Scored a try
for Tairua”.
“And those blue strips on our tops? We
travelled to Whenuakite for a game and
both teams were wearing blue–so my
Aunty, Marvis Green, tore up a white sheet
and tacked a strip to our jerseys”.
The games themselves were close
between the three east coast teams, with
the Bay, Tairua and Whanga all slogging
it out in the rain or snow to bring the nail
bitingly close matches to an end. But the
Hauraki games weren’t quite so even, with
Hikitaia and Thames often turning Tairua
into an exhibition match, where they were
thrashed by the men from the plains.
No surprise really, with “those Marshall
brothers–Bob, Ken, and Frank–being
the kingpins” of our team (see photo).
Of course there were the Laycock boys
(Reg and Syd), the Beach boys (Alan and
Pat) and a Cory-Wright (Derek, my own
grandfather), and Bill himself; but let’s just
say that the team overall wasn’t exactly an
amazing exposé of skill.
So it seems that Mr. Charles Beach,
the team’s selector (and Bill’s future
father-in-law) didn’t really have a wealth
of opportunity from which to pick
players–most of the time the team could
manage only two subs. But the playing
of the legendary game– that’s what was
important, as whole towns were drawn out
of their homes for the Saturday matches
that showcased the best of each town.
For that reason it became more than just
a game. It was part of the town, part of
the culture, part of the whole peninsula.
Games became town events, and not only
would everybody come along, but there
would always be a feed on after the match.
Everybody who came along would be
more than catered for, with the club rooms–
or the pub in Tairua’s case–being filled with
people and food no matter where the game
was. Hikitaia would even put a night on
for the travellers whenever the team made
the journey across, displaying the friendly
hospitality that everyone within the rugby
community had. A hospitality, remembers
Bill, that would even extend to the end of
the ’30s, with “John Prescott lending out
a bus to take the players over the hill,” in
what would have been considered first-
class service compared to earlier years.
Sadly all good things come to a close–the
‘39 season finishing with a flourish for Bill,
winning a trophy donated by Harry Grills
for his commitment to the team. The end
of that season brought a close to the rugby
playing for the next few years, with the war
taking priority among all the little towns
and establishments.
And Bill? He married local girl Eva Beach
in 1941. With their first son Robert, they left
Tairua to take over the family dairy farm on
Huirau Road, Turua, which they worked for
the next 40 years. Bill and Eva eventually
retired and moved to Thames. A lot of the
time, Bill can be found on a small block of
land at Kopu, training his trotters for the
next race.
Four generations of Darrah boys have
been turning up for local rugby teams over
the years. Great grandson, Sam has just
completed a successful year with the Thames
High School First XV. Nephews, Jim and
Alan (Nooky) both played for Thames Valley
in their day.
Thames High School’s Head Boy for
2012,
Kade Cory-Wright
is a contributing
writer with PakuViews. Armed with an
impressive scholastic record, Kade plans
to study journalism when he attends
university, and is keen on having a career as
a sports writer. He’s off to a great start–also
see interviewwith grandfather Derek Cory-
Wright in 2012 Autumn/Winter issue.
Rugby in the 1930s
as told by Bill Darrah to Kade Cory-Wright
B
ill Darrah, now 90, was a young man of 17 when he first came to
Tairua to stay with his uncle, Lige Green. Bill found employment
alongside his uncle with Mr Harold Cory-Wright (Kade’s great
grandfather). It was during this time that Bill played for the Tairua
rugby team, and held the position of club secretary.