Big St Marks birthday bash
Banquet part of historic rugby club’s centenary celebrations
BUILDING a better club for future generations will be the key to furthering the legacy of St Marks Rugby Football Club as they gear up to celebrate their centenary. The club will mark the occasion with a banquet to be attended by various past and present members.
The Eastern Province club, still active in the EP leagues, kicked off celebrations last year with a prayer meeting at St Marks Church.
It was later followed by other monthly activities, including a golden oldies event and a breakfast for former club members.
Club veteran and executive member Charles Kleinbooi said the event, which will take place on April 28, would see a host of guests from the sports portfolio of local government and members of the South African Rugby Union.
Kleinbooi, who started at the club as a junior in the U9s, said it was humbling to be part of the fabric of the club.
“To know that you are part of this club and its history is something special,” he said.
“For everything it has been through, I just hope the club can continue on its path to even greater success.”
He said that looking ahead, they wanted to establish a St Marks Old Boys section.
This would give current players a chance to delve into the history of past successes in the hope they would be inspired to do even better.
Established in 1917, the club was founded by Father HWF Burvill, who was the parish priest of St Phillips and St Marks churches in Port Elizabeth at the time,
The club, which is based in Schauderville, has survived two world wars and apartheid-era regulations, which resulted in it being moved from its original site in Crawford Street, North End.
One of the oldest living members, Harold Wilson, joined the club in 1972 as an administrator.
He had played his club rugby for PE Lads in South End before being headhunted to join the club.
Wilson said the club had over the years produced at least 80 provincial players, as well as a host of national players.
Asked what it meant for the club to reach this milestone, Wilson said it was a great achievement and hoped it would continue to produce players that made it synonymous with quality in the province.
“I would like to see the club emulate the players from the pre-war era in terms of their dedication,” he said.
“If they can do that, then I’m sure the club will continue to exist for many years to come.”
He said that players’ levels of dedication were something that had to be continuously worked on because they were representatives of the communities in which they served.
“Just as one works on the skills needed to become a top player, so, too, one needs to work on being committed to the club because you are a representative in the community where your club was established.
“The imprint of the rules which were laid down by the early members of the club must be looked at and if they can be emulated, there will be continuous growth and the community will become a stable one.”
Some of the most notable moments in the club’s history came in 1933 when St Marks won the First Division League, Kibler Shield, Ohlson Trophy and the Eland trophy of the coloured Eastern Province Rugby Union.
A unique record was set in the Rhodes Tournament when two of their players, Pieter Jones (senior) and Pieter “Punchie” Jones (junior), played at fullback for Eastern Province teams (1931 and 1950), which won the coveted Rhodes Trophy.