‘Champions in their field’ 140 Years of Katikati Rugby

Western Bay Museum has a great line-up of local sporting history on display this month, including:

David Gallaher – First captain of the ‘Originals’ - the Ulster boy from Katikati.

Greg Davis – Katikati Senior player that the All Black selectors overlooked and the Australians secured. Greg captained the Wallabies and played 105 games for Australia.

Waihī Surf Lifesaving Club. One of the oldest clubs in Aotearoa, this display shows the great history of a great club. Old photographs indicate the growth and development of both the Club and Waihī Beach. The old lifesaving reel is on display with full woollen swim costumes. An interesting and humorous read about the history and respectability of swim costumes and what was considered acceptable for the times.

Denny Hulme - Te Puke - World Champion in Motorsport.

The timeline is indicative of the many times Denny stood on the world podium – his record is incredible. Denny’s awards and honours are outstanding. Denny’s first MG is in the

Taylor Bros Transport Ltd Exhibition Gallery. This was the car that projected Denny onto the world scene when he won his first race at Ardmore. He sold the car as he needed the money to fund his early days of racing in Europe. When Denny became successful he purchased his beloved MG back and had her rebuilt.

The Western Bay Museum’s opening hours are weekdays 10am – 4pm and weekends 11am – 3pm with free entry for all Western Bay of Plenty ratepayers (excludes public programmes).