Humble Beginning.
Five decades ago, in the growing town of Richards Bay, some thirty rugby enthusiasts attended a meeting at the then Alusaf canteen (now Bayside Aluminum). What was on the agenda? The formation of the Richards Bay Rugby Club. The Chairman at this founding meeting was Trapie Truter, the Town Clerk at the time.
The ball got rolling! From here the first formal meeting took place at the old Richards Bay Hotel under the chairmanship of Town Engineer Noel Viljoen. Some fifty people attended this meeting, and the following office bearers were elected:
DEJ van Vuuren (President), Trapie Truter (Chairman), Paul Hippert (Coach), Hans Kaiser (Secretary), and JC van der Walt.
The Club started with around fifty-four players, who themselves developed the first temporary rugby field. This field was located on the ridge next to the Richards Bay Hotel (the space between the current Hotel Richard and Protea Hotel).
The Municipality assisted with the lighting but there were no change rooms. Hans Kaiser and JC van der Walt organized a huge Tombola Dinner Dance at the Anglican Hall in Empangeni to raise money for the new club. It is said that this was the biggest social event in Zululand up to the year 1972.
Info By N. Hibbert
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