No van-ishing act for Taylor’s treasured transport
One-time Manawatu¯ rugby treasure, the Go Go Van, might be gone from Palmerston North, but it is enjoying an afterlife – albeit in Crusaders’ land.
The van previously belonged to Palmerston North engineer-inventormechanic Neville Taylor, who had his workshop at Kairanga.
He had the van decked out in Manawatu¯ green-and-white stripes and lights and two raucous air horns.
Taylor was a dedicated Manawatu¯ Rugby Supporters Club member and ‘‘Go Go Manawatu¯’’ was the supporters’ slogan long before the Turbos’ era.
Across 35 years his van became almost as well known around the country as the ‘‘Bucketheads’’ were to be, although they too seem to have fizzled out.
Taylor died aged 66 in
2012 and, when the van was put up on Trade Me, it was bought by Christchurch motor vehicle enthusiast Patrick O’sullivan who intends to restore it, just not in Manawatu¯ colours.
O’sullivan listens to Radio NZ every night in his garage and when he heard I was scheduled for my monthly RNZ ramble, he got in touch. He wanted to reassure Manawatu¯ rugby folk that the heavily modified 1966 Leyland 15 was far from deceased.
For many years Taylor had parked his van on the showgrounds-cum-arena embankment adjacent to the scoreboard. When the Manawatu¯ team did something exciting, he let rip with his battery of air horns and flashing lights.
It was in 2007 that his van became headlines when, after 28 years, the Arena Manawatu¯ people wanted it booted out because it supposedly didn’t gel with new seating and tents of all things.
Then followed an almighty hullabaloo generated by the Manawatu¯ Standard.
The rugby union soon became embarrassed by the publicity over the eviction and Taylor was offered another spot. But it was hidden away at the Pascal St end, and he turned it down.
Eventually, following the public storm, the authorities relented. In revenge, Taylor loaded the van with kids, told them to keep their heads down and drove them in for free.
In a final act of defiance by his mates following his funeral at the supporters’ club, they drove his casket around the oval in the van.
Taylor and his mates would pile into the van and travel to all away games, trailing green-and-white ribbons through main streets and everyone could see Manawatu¯ was in town.
O’sullivan says it can be scary to drive, it doesn’t stop in a hurry. The body is laced with patches of ‘‘bog’’, fibreglass to patch rust corrosion.
He also discovered racks of cup holders that can only fit beer stubbies and yet cans were the supporters’ receptacle of choice for decades.when on rugby supporting duty, Taylor always considered others first and was mostly the sober driver, ushering players and supporters between watering holes and hotels. He didn’t drink a drop until he had parked the van for the day or night.
One year when the rep teamwas playing in the middle of the North Island, an All Black among them had to get to Auckland by Sundaymorning and Taylor generously drove him there.
Record reds and yellows
By all accounts, last Saturday’s FreybergCollege Old Boys’ club rugby match was just one untidy, unpleasant game.
So it’s perhaps no surprise referee Ben Koch ended up issuing 11 cards, five of them red, which must be anew Zealand record.
Late in the game there was a flurry of handbags which apparently after a Liverpool kiss erupted into a punch-up, and Koch and his touchies flashed the reds. Not long ago Koch was a Varsity lock so he has a feel for the game, and he knows the amount of paperwork which goes with orderings-off.
Koch won’t be refereeing in round 4. That’s his designated huntingweekend.