OUR
MISSION

I arrived in Canada in late 1960 as a skinny 17-year-old, initially boarded with my sister and went out to watch brother-in-law Mick Torsney play flanker for the Hornets. There were only 2 or 3 Canadians on the team. I put on a few pounds and eventually sometime in 1961 was playing on the wing. In 1962 I was on the executive committee. Shows you how desperate they were for players and committee members!

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The 1960s were the heyday of rugby life for the Hornets. Ask anyone who played for them in those days and they will tell you it was an era like no other in terms of rugby, team spirit, camaraderie, after-game sing-songs, social connections, and tours. In truth, a lot was to do with the fact that we were nearly all from somewhere else, but we had rugby as the magnet that kept us as one. There were players from Natal, Neath, Cornwall, Leeds, Ballymena, Dublin, New Zealand, Australia, and Scotland, including international trialists. And,...most importantly perhaps, we had... The Ranch. Look at some of the 50th and 60th Hornets Anniversary programs and you can read some of the Ranch stories. A large house with 5 bedrooms, a huge 'party' room, 5 rugby team members living there, a big garden with a big swimming pool, a vending machine stocked with beer, and on game days, "The Hornets Nest" dedicated barroom at the back. During the rugby season, which in those days went well into November and even December, after home games, the beer-ups and legendary singing were at the Ranch. In the winter, the parties were renowned.

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I was fortunate to secure a room at the Ranch for 3 years and will never forget those incredible years of great rugby and social life beyond compare.

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We won the Intermediate Championship in 1962 and again in 1966 where I was on the right wing. That year, we scored 246 points and only allowed 21. The team included Ranch residents myself, fullback Ian Butler from Nottingham, who could kick 'em over from our half, and Dave Stock from London. There was also Neath hooker Selwyn Jones, #10 from Natal Nick Krueger, prop Bill McShane from Ballymena, o/c youngster Don Courtney from Dungannon, NZ rugby league player Rex Billington at i/c, scrumhalf Merv Taiaroa from NZ Universities Maori team, flanker Ian Mason from Scotland, etc. My good friends, winger Roger Langley from Nottingham and flyhalf Brendan Webb from Ireland, also lived at the Ranch at that time.

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Over the next 10 years or so I played for the 1sts, 2nds or 3rds and finally retired in 1978 after a dislocated shoulder.  While I was at the hospital the after-game beer-up was at my house/garden/pool, for this was post-Ranch and pre-Mohawk Sports Park, and, judging by the damage done, it was a huge success. About 1970 I was part of the committee looking to find our own ground and I lead the negotiations with the City to secure our clubhouse at MSP, in 1979. I arranged to get rugby as half-time shows at Ticat Games in the early '70s and also did the commentary for the crowd. After retirement from playing, I did some refereeing for a couple of years, then coached junior and high school teams for 20 years. I started and coached rugby programs at several high schools including Brebeuf, Hill Park and Sherwood and it gives me a touch of pride to see many of them as Hornet senior players. I also played for the W.h.o.r.e.s and the NOBs.

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More recently I enjoyed helping organize the Wales vs Canada game at MSP in 1994, organizing the Club's 50th Anniversary in 2004, assisting Nigel as liaison with the Wales team tour to Canada in 2005, living and rubbing shoulders with them for a week, and being on the Hornets tour to Wales in 2007. Of course, also enjoying all the Hornets rugby games and other events.

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For most of my 60 years with The Hornets I have been either playing, coaching or serving on the executive. It has been a very large part of my life and an absolute pleasure.

Sorry, couldn't keep this down to two paragraphs, it's a life story.

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Long may The Hornets survive, and me too for a few years anyway.