Murray Heath: Riverton is a big part of my heart
Murray Heath's connection with the Riverton Rugby Club started in 1960 as a schoolboy and remains 64 years on.
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Remarkably the Riverton Rugby Club is celebrating its 150th birthday this week. Logan Savory caught up with one of the club’s most decorated players who is now a life member.
Murray Heath pauses a little when he is asked what the Riverton Rugby Club means to him.
That slight pause is prompted by a touch of emotion.
“It means…, Riverton is a big part of my heart. Words just can’t explain it really,” he responded.
Heath’s connection with the club dates back to 1960 when he joined as a schoolboy player.
He remains attached to the club today as a life member. He has been one of the tireless workers who has put on this weekend’s 150th jubilee celebrations.
In between joining as a junior, and becoming a life member, Heath carved out a playing career which led to him becoming one of the Riverton Rugby Club’s more decorated players.
Heath recalls those early days as a kid in the 1960s fondly.
“They didn’t have rugby jerseys. We had to have our own jersey and they put a green patch on the front and back.”
Heath - a halfback -progressed through the grades before at 21-years-old - in 1971 - he lined up for the club’s senior team.
Some of his mates had played senior rugby a couple of years earlier but the advice from his father was to hold off. Heath believed that played dividends over time.
Heath was part of a Riverton era in the ‘70s that was regular central and western banner winners. It was a strong competition at that time.
“There were 13 teams in the competition. Drummond had four Southland forwards in their forward pack, then you would go to Limehills and there would be Dave Saunders, and then you would go to Wright’s Bush who had Leicester Rutledge and Johnny Ellis.
“You would go to Tuatapere and play Frank Oliver and then in ‘75 you had Ken McRae and Jeff Gardiner at Otautau.”
By 1974 Heath was playing for Southland.
“I’d been told by [selector] Bob Donnelly to keep my socks up around my knees. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be selected for the Southland.
“I didn’t like garters, they would cut my circulation off,” Heath said about wearing his socks around his ankles.
Although he obliged.
He went on to play 48 games for Southland before finishing up at the age of 35 in 1985. His final game was against North Auckland.
Heath was part of the squad that played South Africa at Rugby Park in Invercargill in 1981.
Although it was a year earlier in 1980 which might well have provided Heath’s most memorable moment in a maroon jersey.
“We won [against Canterbury] in 1980 at Lancaster Park and the next time we won there after that was 2009, the Ranfurly Shield win.”
Heath played first five-eighth that day in 1980 and kicked a winning drop goal to beat Canterbury.
“We had a great day that day because our Bs won the same day. Paddy O’Brien scored four tries for the Bs that day and we all flew home in the same plane.”
Only a few Riverton players have pulled on the Southland jersey at the top level since Heath finished up close to 40 years ago.
Frank Carron, and more recently Phil Halder, are included in that list.
Heath’s impact on the Riverton Rugby Club isn’t restricted to his playing contribution though.
In the 1970s the Riverton Rugby Club decided to build its clubrooms. Heath was involved from day one of the build to completion in 1978.
“When we were building it, I lived across the road. Once it got a roof on everyone had to come to my place to get the key. I was always over there.
“You always had a big muster of people, but when it came to the end there were six of us finish off. We painted it and all of that sort of thing.”
Heath shifted to Gore later in his playing days and played for Pioneer before joining Waikiwi to finish his career as a 37-year-old when he was living in Invercargill.
But Heath’s rugby roots have very much always been in Riverton. He returned to coach its senior team in the 1990s and in 2020 was made a life member of the Riverton Rugby Club.
For almost three years he has been part of a team of volunteers who have put together this weekend’s 150th celebrations.
Riverton is the first Southland club to celebrate 150 years. The Blues Rugby Club will follow on King’s Birthday weekend.
Riverton’s first game was in 1874 against Invercargill Blues.
“We had our 27th meeting the other night,” Heath said about the work the jubilee committee has put in for close to three years.
“Everyone on [the committee] has the right attitude. Everyone is totally dedicated to it. It will be good.”
There will be 500 people at Saturday night’s official function, with a waitlist also in place given the interest around the event.
Included among those 500 guests will be Alan Frew, Phil Young, Wayne Tinker, and Richard Wixon.
Heath believes those four former Riverton players provided one of the club’s more special moments some 52 years ago.
In 1972 Frew, Young, Tinker, and Wixon all played for South Island in a U18 showdown against the North Island at Lancaster Park in Christchurch.
Frew was captain of that South Island team.
“I think it’s unique for a small club to have all of those guys in the South Island team. It’s impressive, four boys and one of them as captain,” Heath said.
Poignantly the 150th commemorations began on ANZAC Day on Thursday.
The club has a strong connection with those who went to war. All up 128 men associated with the club attended World War 1 or World War 2. Twenty-seven of those lost their lives at war.
The club’s most treasured possession is a Riverton Rugby Club flag that travelled to World War 1 with the troops.
The flag made it back to Riverton and it had been kept in storage. However, it has since proudly been put out on display.
After ANZAC services on Thursday junior games were played at Riverton. More junior games will be played on Friday evening, before a full-on day of 150th celebrations on Saturday.
It will include the Riverton senior team hosting Waiau Star in a Western Banner showdown at 1.30pm.
Meanwhile, another Southland rugby club is holding a special gathering this weekend with Central Pirates celebrating its 75-year milestone.
Bush Pirates will take on Ohai-Nightcaps-Otautau in what will be a big day for the Central Pirates club.
The good old days when how you wore your socks was as important as your on field performance. Southland has a wonderful heritage when it comes to rugby clubs and players and Murray has been a big part of that over the years. One of the true stalwarts of southern rugby