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MY LIFE at EDEN

by Graeme Dryland (aka Drys)

No matter what position you hold within our great club, whether it be player, coach, manager, administrator or supporter; the Eden Rugby Club is dear to your heart.  I’d like to share a few stories of my involvement with Eden, after a conversation with my good friend and former team mate, Grant Nicholls.

My early rugby years were at a now defunct club being Hillsborough and it was on leaving MRGS together with Geoff Wood, that we swapped our red and white hooped colours to join my good school mates Dennis Watt, Robbie Guptill, Brian Martin wearing the gold and black colours. It was from the 7th grade (U17yrs) days that I forged true life-long friends with the likes of school mates in Denny, Rob and Marty.  This extended to team mates in Vaughan Tebbutt, Grant Nicholls, Geoff Pope, Tom Halloran, Derek Danks, Keith Marshall, Jim Bell, Dave Foreman, Darcy Martin just to name a few.

My rugby career never reached any great heights and my only regret was to never play on Eden Park No.1.  However, in the late 60’s and early 70’s, the Eden teams I played in with the above mates, either won championships or were always in the top 4 in Auckland grade championships.

It was in the late 70’s when the Senior B’s was formed. (Now called Senior 1’s).  The Eden Bees basked in the glory of championship honours and runner’s-up twice in the next five years.

These were the days when footy-trips were the norm. “Let’s go to the States in two years!“.  Fundraising ventured from selling weekly tote tickets with the prize of a “Pallet of Piss“, gambling dos, contracts to paint the running-rails of the Ellerslie and Takanini race-courses and we organised pre-test match dinners with celebrity speakers. Guest-speakers at these “test-fever” dinners included “Round the World Yachtsmen “, rugby rockstars like Pinetree and Kel Tremain; Ebony and Ivory (Stu and Bernie); Murray Mexted and Miss World; Eric Rush and Ian Kirkpatrick; Earle Kirton and Grizz Wylie; Mark Ella (from Aussie) and Neil Jenkins (Welsh top points scorer) and MC’d by the late Phil Kingsley-Jones.

The Eden Rugby Club was the first NZ rugby club that Phil performed in.  Our dinners became “world famous around Auckland rugby clubs“!

Our American tour was in 1980. Our squad consisted of twenty guys together with team supporter and club life member Stan Foster.  We had an arduous itinerary which included games in San Francisco and in Los Angeles, coupled with sightseeing in Vegas, Tijuana and watching the AB’s v American Eagles in San Diego and finishing with a few days of R & R in Honolulu.

Some personal highlights for me (player/manager), included being shot in the back of the head while walking around Union Square in San Fran by some maniac snipper firing a slug gun. Next night, a close-call with a brick being dropped from three-floors up, to smash on the curb only centimetres from my foot. Thankfully, not partaking in a tequila session with Keith Marshall after our day in Tijuana. I dropped the bottle of tequila (with the worm), which shattered glass everywhere.

But Keith had the last laugh when he sowed me up with rum and cokes at the LA airport while having some farewell drinks with my Canadian-based sister and her husband. How they allowed me onto the plane is a mystery. “Who is the manager”, security asked.... “he is!”  I do remember walking down the planeaisle crying-drunk, looking for my seat number.  I also fell asleep on the plane toilet for an hour.  An air-hostess unlocked the door to the delight of some desperate passengers, but to the embarrassment of one passenger whose pants were around his ankles!!

What a trip!  It is often talked about 40 years later, whenever two or more senior B’s guys meet over a cold one. If Stan was still alive, he would be able to vouch for us on how well-behaved the crew were, and how we were true ambassadors for New Zealand.

In 2013, Des and Pittsy took a Golden Oldies group to South America ... games in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. I was a nonplaying reserve and assistant to the assistant manager.  The South American hospitality was second-to-none, as was the steaks, the wine, the sights and the rugby.... they play golden oldie rugby with a lot more vigour and wanted bragging-rights in smashing a NZ team.  We attended the AB v Jaguares and Australia v Jaguares matches.

Over the past years I’ve had the privilege to serve on club committees, Old Boys committees and being the President of both.  Now just an avid supporter enjoying the club’s achievements of recent times.

I did have the position of club barperson while on the club committee in 1979. The clubrooms had been broken into overnight and our chairman of the time (namely, Mark Bateman) rang me early on a Friday morning asking me to call in to the club to ascertain what bar stock had been taken. Unbeknown to me, the four culprits were still at the club celebrating their burglary achievement, and were now thoroughly intoxicated.  Surprises all round when I opened the door!

After being threatened with my life with a large knife at my throat and yells of “kill him, kill him“ and then whacked over the head with a hockey-stick, they bundled me into the cooler-room, which they locked before their escape.  I was rescued thirty minutes later (feeling rather cold, but relived) by a club neighbour who overheard (over the sound of his lawn-mower) my shouts for help.  Later, these guys had their turn of spending two years in their own “cooler“.

Eden has been my second home for much of my life, as is the case for many club members. Great lifelong friendships have been forged and it is great to have a few beers and reminisce about our playing days and tell a few lies.

I hope our centennial year is as much fun as the fulfilment of being involved with Eden for me over the past 55 years.  Winning the Gallaher Shield has been a great kick start to the festivities.

Cheers,

Drys

Article added: Thursday 05 August 2021