AURUFC e-NEWS 29 November, 2006

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AURUFC e-NEWS 29 November, 2006

New Head Coach

Your Editors report with pleasure, the appointment of Mark Stewart, this year’s playing coach of the AURUFC Third Grade team, to the position of 2007 Coach of the Club’s First Grade (Premier Division) side.

Under Mark’s guidance, the Third Grade side had the admirable achievement of reaching the Preliminary Final in the SARU 2006 Competition.

Mark has a rich rugby background in both Scotland and Australia and is highly qualified for the appointment.

All associated with the Club extend to Mark congratulations on his appointment, together with best wishes to him and to the players who will be in his charge, for a successful and enjoyable 2007 rugby season.

Go the Blacks!

University of Adelaide Blues Presentation Dinner:

This function was held on Tuesday 21 November in the Equinox Room, Union House at the University of Adelaide.

Presentations were made to two of the most prominent members and stalwarts of the AURUFC – Hugh Sheppard and Terry Hall

Hugh Sheppard:

Hugh was presented with two awards – a University of Adelaide Sports Association Half Blue and one of several Bob Heddle Scholarships.

For the Half Blue, Hugh was nominated by the Adelaide University Rugby Union Football Club. For his nomination to be successful, Hugh had to satisfy stringent criteria, those set by the Club and those set by the Sports Association.

Clearly, Hugh Sheppard was much more than minimally qualified for a Half Blue, the second most prestigious sporting award made available by the Sports Association.

Hugh has been a regular player at Premier Division (First Grade) level in the South Australian Rugby Union competition this year during which he captained the side in many matches. He was judged to be the First Grade Side Best and Fairest Player and won the Players’ Player Award. It should be noted that the AURUFC did not enter the First Grade SARU Competition, after a break of some years, until 2006.

In 2005, Hugh Sheppard took on the task of helping organise the University of Adelaide’s participation in the rugby segment of the Australian Universities’ Games and participated in those Games. This year, he again played a similar role in the Australian Universities’ Games. Hugh Sheppard also represented South Australia in the State’s Under 20 rugby side in 2006.

Bob Heddle was Director of the University of Adelaide Health Service from 1964 until 1982. He was a member of the University Council and University representative on the Sports Association Council. He made available a sum of money for the award, on the basis of sporting achievement, of some scholarships each year.

Heddle Scholarships are awarded by the Sports Association in the current year and are limited to five in any one year. This year, only three were awarded. They take the form of a substantial monetary prize.

The photograph shows Hugh Sheppard being presented with his Heddle Scholarship by the President of the University of Adelaide Sports Association, Andres Munoz-Lamilla.

Terry Hall:

A Club Letter is the third most prestigious award for sporting achievement made available by the University of Adelaide Sports Association. Again, to qualify for the award of a Club Letter, a nominee must satisfy stringent Club and Sports Association criteria.

Among the criteria are services to the Club, representation in Australian Universities competitions and any other representative honours.

In making the presentation to Terry Hall, Ms Robyn Brown, Director of Alumni and Development, the University of Adelaide stated:

"Terry Hall was a playing member of the Adelaide University Rugby Union Football Club from 1968 to 1984.

He played Australian Rules during his formative years and his first game of rugby was in 1967 while residing at St Mark's College when he played in inter-collegiate matches against Lincoln and Aquinas Colleges. An immediate attraction for the game developed and in 1968 he played in the St Mark' team which was a Division IV team affiliated with the Adelaide Uni Rugby Club. Despite being under-sized for the position he played loose-head prop and second row. During the subsequent years Terry progressed through the ranks and played several seasons in First Division with Adelaide Uni. In 1976 he was selected for the South Australian Division II team against Victoria.

Terry was an active club member and held the positions of Club Secretary and Club Treasurer. He was also a Board Member of the South Australian Rugby Union. He was awarded a Club Letter in 1975 but this was lost in a house fire, hence the reason for the replacement today.

He is still a member of Adelaide Uni Rugby having returned to the club in 1997 with the formation of the Adelaide University Rugby Old Blacks - a team for past players over 35 who think they can still play. As Treasurer of the Old Blacks he has played a pivotal role in their participation in three World Golden Oldies Rugby Festivals; Adelaide in 1999, Toulouse, France in 2001 and Brisbane in 2003. The Old Blacks also played in a World Vintage Rugby Festival in Limerick, Ireland in 2004 under the guise of the Adelaide Baa Baa Allstars. The Old Blacks are having a rest at the moment but Terry has continued playing in Golden Oldies Festivals with another South Australian team and has played in San Diego, California in 2005 and Wellington, New Zealand this year."

Appeal for Photographs taken During the AURUFC 2006 Presentation Dinner

Your Editors have been requested to ask people who attended the 2006 AURUFC Presentation Dinner and who took photographs there, to please forward copies of their photographs, with appropriate captions identifying the people photographed, to Lachlan Tailby so that he can post them on his AURUFC photo website. The address is: lachlan@lachlan-tailby.net

Absence of your Editors

Your Editors will be absent for several days in order to attend a reunion, in Sydney, of the former players of the St Albert’s College Rugby Union Football Club of the University of New England, Armidale, NSW.

It is probable therefore that there will be no e-News next week.

If you have items for inclusion in an e-News, please send them and if there are any that are urgent, an e-News will be sent out late next week. Otherwise, the e-News will be held over until the following week.

Ó 2006, Adelaide University Rugby Union Football Club Inc.

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Acknowledgment: The AURUFC, through the e-News, acknowledges with gratitude, the generous sponsorship of Angove’s Wines.