Volunteering comes easily for stalwart
Bruce honoured for tireless work in district
Volunteering and giving time to help the community is a family trait, says Bruce Cleland. “I was surrounded by parents and grandparents that were volunteers. So it’s a case of being second nature — monkey see, monkey do.”
Bruce, who is one of this year’s Stratford District Citizen Award recipients, isn’t the first member of his family to be recognised with this award. His father, Neville Cleland, received one in 2016.
“I grew up in a family which had an attitude of helping where needed.”
Bruce has taken that family attitude with him throughout life, lending a hand and getting involved in a variety of groups, clubs and initiatives in the Stratford district.
While much of his volunteer work has been with sporting groups, it’s not been his only passion over the years. He was a member of the Taranaki Monitor Farm Committee for eight years, which was a group of farmers keen on making improvements to their farming practices.
Growing up in Toko, Bruce was a member of the Toko Tennis Club for 10 years, serving as treasurer for two years. He then went on to join the Douglas Tennis Club and has been a member of the Stratford Tennis Club since 1988. Bruce has been president of the club for the last 26 years, and is also a life member of the club.
“You just get on with it and fit in whatever needs doing,” he says of his many years of service to the club. Over the years, that service has involved countless hours seeking sponsorship for the club’s various initiatives, as well as undertaking general maintenance for the club and doing “anything and everything” to get children involved in the sport.
Over the past decade, Bruce has been coaching children in tennis, and is responsible for getting numerous children hooked on the sport.
“It’s about giving them the chance, getting them a racket, giving them the opportunity to have a go. They can’t know if they like it if they have never tried it.”
He was also instrumental in fundraising the money needed to upgrade four courts to Astroturf under lights.
“They’re the best Astro courts in Taranaki,” he says. “We’re very lucky to have had the support of local funders.”
It’s not just locally that the sport has benefited from Bruce’s determination and passion. He has also been involved in Taranaki regional tennis, has been a member of the Taranaki Tennis Association since 1989, becoming a life member in 2021 and serving as president for four years. He’s been a selector and manager for Taranaki representative teams, a delegate on the Central Districts Tennis Board from 1994 to 2003 and chairman for five years of that. In 2014 he was recognised as Sport Taranaki and Tennis Central Volunteer of the Year.
Tennis isn’t the only sport Bruce is involved in either. Volleyball is another of his passions and the Stratford Volleyball Club has benefited from Bruce’s tireless efforts over the years. He was president of the club for five years, a role his son has now taken on. He was also a committee member of Volleyball Taranaki for some time and still plays the sport himself. One of the best things, says Bruce, is when he travels to other places in New Zealand to attend volleyball tournaments and players tell him the Stratford facility is a favourite location for them.
“The TET Multi-Sport Stadium is a great venue and players love it here.”
Bruce can take some of the credit for the venue’s reputation himself, having been involved with the facility right from the beginning. It was back in the early 90s that the idea of the $2.8 million development grew from a discussion about the then singlestorey building, he says.
“It started with a conversation with the netball crew in 1991 about adding a second storey and it grew from that.”
As well as playing a key role in the venue’s development since that first conversation, Bruce has been chairman of the Stratford Combined Sports Society for 21 years and is a life member of the society.
Stratford mayor Neil Volzke says Bruce is well known for his willingness to get involved whenever, and however, needed.
“Bruce is a local champion, he does everything with a positive attitude and a sense of humour.”