Final sign off for rugby on radio
Buggles released Video Killed the Radio Star in 1979: it was the first music video shown on MTV in 1981. It was written because Trevor Horn, one of the writers, could feel a change a-coming.
I worked in radio fulltime in the 1990s and then on and off, doing various things from riding a lawnmower the length of country to, for the last 10 years, turning up at Cooks Gardens or, on one occasion, during the 2011 Rugby World Cup at Spriggens Park, to watch the Butchers’ Boys, the Whanganui rugby team play and I’d co-commentate on Radio sport or Newstalk ZB with Grant McKinnon. For the last couple of years I got to sit in the big boys’ seat with Richie Nimmo helping out.
Last week was a strange week for me, week two of the Mitre 10 Heartland Championship, our first home game against last year’s Meads Cup champions Thames Valley. It was strange because normally on game week from Tuesday I’d be doing some research on the opposing team, looking at names, ringing my Pacific Island brothers and asking so ‘C’ is ‘th’? And ‘Q’ is ‘ng’? I’d look at their game from the week before and take notes. A few laughs and messages to Richie making sure he was good to go. Make sure the Sky decoder is on series link for Heartland Rugby and watch those games, wait for the email from the Whanganui Rugby union that gave the team namings. I’d input
those details including club, games played, height, weight and age into a spreadsheet. List the ref and assistant ref and the result of the last games played between the two teams in the week before the match, and any other handy information. I’d then spend the better part of a couple of hours remembering names and positions: never a good thing to try with a few Double Browns under your belt. Saturday morning would roll round, a commentary team meeting at The Grand, a beer or two to calm the nerves and then head to Cooks just after 1pm. Catch up with a few people, go over team sheets again and then come 2.30pm it’s kick off.
Last week was different. I did none of those things because that semifinal loss to Thames Valley on October 19, 2018, was the final live radio broadcast of local rugby. Like Trevor Horn, I could see this a-coming a long time ago with the demise of local radio and, to be honest, we were fortunate to keep it as long as we did. But I didn’t want the demise to be not talked about, not mentioned, because those who went before me certainly deserve more than that.
Grant McKinnon thinks local rugby broadcasts had been around since the 1950s, and his memory is incredible. He said the station opened in 1949, Norm Neilson was broadcasting games in the 50s and Eugene Crotty followed. Mac took over in 75, the year I was born, and for 42 winters he was at Spriggens Park and then in comfort at Cooks Gardens. In 2008 he asked me to join him in the commentary box. It combined two of my passions, radio and rugby, and a chance to learn from, in my opinion, the best. I had listened as a boy to Mac and Murray Ahern, I could hear him when I was a ball boy for Whanganui, such was his delivery.
Guy Lennox made an appearance as did Red Morris in the box over the years with Mac and I was fortunate to spend eight years with him, 10 in total in the commentary box, bringing to the listener, whether in Waverley, Bulls, Marton or the chap who sat with his headphones on in front of us, the best rugby around, Heartland Rugby! Thanks to Richie Nimmo and stats man Ben Strang for the last couple of years. Thanks to the Whanganui rugby teams. I thank Norm Neilson, Eugene Crotty and Grant McKinnon for painting an 80 minute picture for the last 60-70 years.
I’ll miss doing the broadcasts, and I hope someone will miss listening to them.
I found it appropriate after Grant hung up the microphone to carry on in the manner in which he would finish the broadcast every week and I also find it poignant and appropriate for this.
“On behalf of all of those mentioned this is Dave Campbell, wishing you a very good afternoon indeed.”