"THE IMMORTALS" CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF PROGRESSIVE RUGBY

Chronicle (Levin), 1 June 1949, Page 7

"THE IMMORTALS" CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF PROGRESSIVE RUGBY

The Shannon Football "Club, known in the early days as "The Immortals," will this weekend celebrate its 50th anniversary. Congratulations are surely due to this club, which is one of the oldest in- the Horowhenua, and which has done much to boost the national game in this district. Feature of the celebrations will be the playing off at Shannon on Monday of the annual Maori-Pakeha match, the first important rugby -fixture in the new season.

The club has usually had a senior and a junior team, and of latter years also a third grade team. The junior team in 1914 was the first to distinguish itself by winning the junior championship. The senior's iurn did not come until years later, but in 1922 they won the Manewatu senior seven-a-side tournament at Palmerston North. In 1927 the seniors won the Nash Cup — the first Horowhenua trophy to come t-heir way. It was not until 1936 that their efforts of years 'were crowned when they won not on y the senior championship of Horowhenua, but also the Nash Cup and the McLennaji Cup. -The club has always had a fair share of players in the HoroWhenua representatives, Horowhenua and Manawatu combined, and Manawhenua teams. It is worthy of rnention that during the period when Manawhenua held the Ranfurly .Shield, Shannon had the distinction of providing no less than five members of the team. In 1908 J. Tannahill, a member of the Shannon club, played in the combined Horowhenua and Manawatu team against the British team.

To mark their jubilee the club has pub'ished a scuvenir booklet which wili prove a valuable addition to the history of rugby football in the Horowhenua. The club has two life members, Mr. W. Moynihan (the M:*ynihan family have been prominent in 'Shannon football) and Mr. A. H. Richards (the chairman cf the jubilee committee and a'so well known in rugby circles) . Both these men rre also life members of the Horowhenua Rugby Union. Friday will see the commencement oi a gala weekend in Shannon, when, in conjunction with the Shannon School's diamond jubilee, a ball will be held in the Druids' Hall. On Saturday there will be a match with Otaki on the domain. Church services will be held on the Sunday and on Monday wreaths will be laid at the War Memorial. A parade of footballers of four decades will foliow, led by the Horowhenua Pipe Band, the finishing point being the domain, where the Maori-Pakeha t game will be held. There will be smoke concert in the Druids' Hall in the evening.

THEIR SUCCESSES: Cups wbn by the Shannon teams in the Horowhenua competitions are pictured ahove. OUTSTANDING TEAM : The Shannon seniors avIio won * tlie championship, Nasl> Cup and McLennan Cup in 1936. Back row: A. Gillespie (defegate H.R.U.), S. Robbie, A. Wood, N. Fee, J. Anderson, I. Cameronj R. Sands (selector and coach). G. Rohhie. Middle roAV : A. Richards (pres.), H. Cootes, C. An-. derson, P. Nepia (vice-capt.), J. Camei'on (capt.), A. Satherley, F. Petherick, R. Kohika, A. McKinlay (hon. sec.). Front row: D. Cole, N. Rohhie, G. McKinlay (mascot),' D. Ricliardson, P. Hakaraia, 1). Mercer. Inset: S. Trotter. Absent: Geo. and Gordon Wood.