Captain’s thank-you for cancer treatment
this charity, so a big thank you.”
Just five months after his diagnosis, Gerald was invited to become captain at the Holme Valley club, taking on vice-captain duties first.
He officially took the post in November 2016, although his cancer treatment was not progressing.
A change in treatment and radiotherapy paid off but, the following month, an accident on the golf course, retrieving a ball from a ditch, resulted a rotator cuff injury which needed major surgery.
His operation was delayed until after the year of captaincy, but Gerald organised sessions with Meltham professional Simon Race to change his way of playing golf to compensate for the injury.
Gerald puts the fact he was able to play a full year’s golf down to Race and to a high pain threshold from his days playing rugby league.
“However, I still have only 25 per cent use of my left limbs, with an appointment next month with the specialist,” he said.
“I visit the Prostate Cancer clinic every three months now and my radiotherapy has worked well.
“I can congratulate everyone at the Greenlea Cancer Ward at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, as they have all been fantastic throughout my treatment.
“Likewise with the prostate cancer unit at St James Hospital in Leeds, where I had my radiotherapy; they were always pleasant and made it nearly a pleasure to go there and it leaves happy memories of the treatment I received for my potentially life-threatening condition.
“It sounds strange, I know, but my treatment for this deadly condition was almost a pleasure and does not leave me with any bad thoughts in my mind.”
Gerald took up rugby when Holmfirth Secondary Modern School (now High School) opened in 1959, and he played for Holmfirth Youth Club before making his open-age debut for Underbank in 1964 (a 28-0 win over Primrose Hill).
He played in the Inter-town team, known as Fartown Boys, with the likes of Ian Van Bellen, Chris Forster, Bob Irving and Martin Calvert and in 1966 played in his first of eight Holliday Cup finals, losing to Lockwood 36-18.
He was Underbank Player of the Season that year as a 19-year-old and the following campaign picked up his first trophy, when Underbank beat Moldgreen 8-4 to win the Huddersfield League Play-off Final.
Gerald joined the Underbank committee in 1970 and, four years later, was chairman, helping secure a £10,000 Sports Council grant ahead of the new clubhouse at The Cross opening in March 1980, the culmination of a six-year project.
In addition, Gerald became chairman of Holme Valley Sports Council From the left, Ruth Triggs, charity volunteer, past captain Gerald Parr, James Fish – assistant professional, John Wazniac and Carol Parr until it merged with Kirklees in 1984, when he was still coaching the Underbank age-group side he’d mentored since 1978.
Awarded the Huddersfield District Rugby League Sportsman of the Year prize – he also played against the semi-pro touring Australian Sea Eagles side – he also became Pennine League Sportsman of the Year.
A Holme Valley Service to Sport Award followed and, in the early 1990s he took up golf, initially at Bradley Park before Marsden and then his current club.
Two years after joining Meltham he was asked to be Rabbits Captain and he won the Union’s Mellor Trophy (with Alan Roebuck) in 1996 before winning it again in 2012, alongside David Heap.
Representing Meltham Rabbits, he partnered Alan Green to win Yorkshire’s Fowler Trophy at Horsforth in 1998 – the first time the club had taken that honour.
He served on the Meltham Rabbits committee throughout this time, in addition to three years on the general committee.
“When I was invited to become captain, it did not take long to say ‘yes’ and to relish the challenge,” he explained.
“All I can say now is thank you to everyone who helped raise £3,124 for my cancer charity.”