You may have seen a letter from Stew Davies this week retiring from the post of Roos President after 6 years of great service and leadership.
Please take the opportunity to say thanks in person when you see Stew at Keirle Park, as you still will.
The Manly Roos Junior Rugby Club could not have asked more of a man. Stew has put his heart and soul into the club for many years, and inspired many including me with his clear vision what junior rugby is all about, how enjoyable it is, and how straight-forward it should be to be part of. This has been on top of being P&C President at Manly Vale. Deb and his family have supported those herculean efforts, and we are severely in their debt.
Stew could be relied on at any time by the Club to do the right thing when representing us with the Council, the Marlins, the MJRU and the SJRU, and kept great relationships with all of them. When players or parents had overstepped the line of enthusiasm, he would represent them at the SJRU judiciary. When teams and visitors needed something done, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it. When both minis and juniors had their game days, he would be there, dragging his buggered knees along with him.
The Roos will power along extremely well in the next few years. Our playing numbers have held up well as numbers in other clubs have fallen. We have the best playing fields in Sydney. We have a clubhouse that, few may know, the Roos largely paid for. Our committee has great people and characters (always room for more!) representing almost every age group of the club. All this is where Stew has left us.
The Roos is a great and unique club. Where other clubs have taken stern organisation to legal-firm intensity, we have been a little more relaxed, true to where we live. Where other clubs press for glory in representative teams, we press for giving all kids the opportunity to play rugby. As it happens, we then do bloody well in premierships and representative teams, because we have dedicated coaches and managers with great expertise, who volunteer their time and energy. And we believe that kids and parents enjoying each other’s company and playing the game is more important than a referee’s maybe dodgy call.
We usually get these balances right, but not always. It takes work, and Stew has been working at it. He’s been fantastic. When we get together next, come along and thank Stew and Deb with us, and celebrate the Mighty Roos.
Josh and the Roos Committee
