Once again we would like to thank all of our members, old boys, sponsors and amazing volunteers who made our 140th weekend so special. PRFC is better off both financially and collegially due to everyone's efforts.

It was a full house Friday and Saturday nights, there was even a good crowd in the club from midday on Saturday! It warmed the heart to see all the familiar faces, from multiple PRFC generations connecting over a few drinks and some delicious kai!

We have been inundated with great feedback from Friday nights ‘Homecoming’ event. Murray and his team did a tremendous job. Anna and Cheryl had the club looking like a million bucks, the delicious Champagne ham and soft Brezelmania buns were a hit! Jane Blandford was busy in the kitchen most of Friday, with assistance from Harmony and Steve.

It was pleasing to see so many sponsors take part in the weekend! The management committee has been focused on building better relationships with our generous sponsors, the engagement at the festivities on the weekend showed that we are heading in the right direction.

Thank you to Gallagher's for sponsoring the event and special mention to Jess Setu at Collective and Richard Devery at King Toyota for helping out with Junior BBQ's on the Saturday.

A massive shout out to Glen Tarpara our Master of Ceremonies for Friday night, like the clubrooms he was looking sharp and handled the formalities perfectly.

Our club Taonga, the treasure Ross Plunket still has it with the Gavel folks! His exceptional auctioneering skills fetched some great prices for the club and he kept the large crowd laughing from start to finish. Cheers Plunks.

We really appreciate everyone's participation in the limited edition jersey auction, your generosity injects much needed funds into the club and supports rugby in the village for years to come.

We also thank our representative players who took part, helping out on the night.:

Jackie Patea-Fereti
Brad Shields
Ngani Punivai
Riley Higgins
Harmony Kuatai
Lavinia LeaStanley Solomon
Zach Gallagher
Milly Mackey
Keira Sua-Smith
Tjay Clarke

It was another manic weekend on the bar, cheers Fraser and Cat supported by our ponies Eli, Jax, Tyler and Coach Fred as well true blue Prem Reserves Manager Benny Martin, Friday night also saw Junior Convenor Mat Bartholomew have his debut shift on the bar!

Saturday proved a busy one too, and it kicked off early doors, thank you Annie for looking after the luncheon crowd then Kristen, Cullam and Beaumont were there to meet the hordes after the Premier game. Elieta then helped on the bar for the second night in the row, and as well as doing the afternoon shift Destiny came back to look after the late shift and lock up, our club survives because of the generosity of our phenomenal volunteers like Elieta and Dest.

After his full day at the Rec on Saturday, Life Member Gus gave a hand re-stocking the bar then had to go on a mercy dash for more beers after the village faithful threatened to drink a few brands dry on Saturday night.

Credit to Rachelle too who has spent days reconciling the influx of various payments to the club over the weekend. 

Thank you Viv and Annie who had the club shop open both nights so members could grab PRFC merch and the popular limited edition 140th badges.

Thanks again to Gus, Puddle and the dad's army crew for getting the new William Hardham VC wall painted, mounted and completed in time, and Gary and Graeme for the stunning trophy and memorabilia presentation.

We are indebted to Tarn Styche for capturing some amazing snapshots from Friday night, your photos encapsulate the enjoyment and camaraderie had by all.

You can see more photos here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1313107627481149&type=3 

Wasn't it great to see 5 junior curtain raisers on the number 1 before the premier fixture, the kids beaming smiles, flanked by parents and supporters on the sidelines, on a classic sunny, Petone winters day. Such a great initiative by Cheryl, further strengthening the ties between the junior and senior sections.

Good wins by the Colts, Prem Reserves and Ponies were somewhat dampened by the Premier result. To Ponekes credit they came out firing and we couldn't quite reel them in after a poor first half. Stanley Solomon looked dangerous with every touch, igniting a couple scoring plays. Injuries continue to plague our senior men, all sides will need to unite and dig deep in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for the Village Viewpoint later on Friday. See you out at Hell park this Saturday, the Prem Reserves look to solidify their spot at the top of the Harper Lock Shield table and the prems will want to get back to winning ways against the Hawks.

The Ponies have a huge clash against Noths at Porirua park, with finals around the corner a win will book them a home playoff.

The Colts will want a solid win to make sure they are in the top age grade division for the second round.

Thanks again to all of our members who got in behind the 140th weekend, and our hard working volunteers who made it happen. A special mention to the 140th Sub-Committee Scotty Mariner, Steve Tanner, Murray Blandford, Mel Bains, Anna Tapa, Cheryl Hirtzel &  of course Andy Leslie. Apologies to the countless other volunteers I have missed who chipped in and put together a truly memorable weekend.

Once more, here's to 140 years of bringing people together through rugby, friendship and community in the great suburb of Petone.

Sincerely
Hack

Hayden O'Toole
Chair, Petone Rugby Football Club Inc.