OLD Timers or Past Players Day provides a great opportunity for local rugby clubs to celebrate the people who help make those clubs successful, and they are often people who wouldn’t normally feature in the sports headlines and who may never have played rugby themselves.

Lifelong Greytown supporter Lynne (Chick) Grant is very special to Greytown Rugby Football Club and given her boundless energy and enthusiasm would be sorely misrepresented by the title of “Old Timer”.

You can spot her every Saturday, sun, rain or blowing southerly, at the far corner of the paddock dressed in her finest red, yellow and black cheering on her team with immense passion.

Chick was born and bred in Greytown. Her father Bill Matthews senior played for the club and was later joined by her two brothers Gary and “young” Bill. Bill senior emigrated from England as a young man and the family is not to be confused with the other legendary Greytown rugby stalwarts, Kingi and Polly Matthews.

As a young woman, Chick enjoyed her sports, playing wing for Greytown’s Kia Kaha hockey team and participating regularly in athletics and swimming. She attended Kuranui College for three years before completing a course and an apprenticeship in hairdressing.

She met John “Jungle” Grant at the Taratahi Hotel in the 70s and after they got married moved up the road to Carterton and has remained a resident there ever since.

The Grants have four children, Shane (42), Raelene (40), Angela (38) and Stacey (35). Shane and Stacey originally played rugby for Carterton, moving to Greytown as youngsters when their dad started playing for the East Street club, and Stacey has played all his senior rugby at the club.

Jungle only played prop for Carterton for a year, and then continued in the front row when he moved to Greytown, turning out over the years for the seniors and thirds teams.

“I think he enjoyed the thirds, as there were was no practicing,” chuckles Chick.

“His brothers Alan, Ian, Owen and Alec also played for Greytown, and a couple of his nephews,” she added.

Given her incredible turn out on the sidelines, Chick gives the impression that she has a whole wardrobe dedicated to red, yellow and back. She seems capable of producing a different supporter’s outfit each week.

“I don’t go out and buy them, Johnny’s jackets take up too much of my wardrobe space.”

Over the last couple of decades, Jungle and Chick have helped out behind the scenes at the club, most recently with the after-match food. “We cooked for three seasons until last year, we’ve also done chips, drinks and lollies for supporters, but we’ll still do a boil up if the club wants one done.”

Chick has experienced quite a few changes over the years. “Johnny and the boys used to always run the roads to keep up their fitness, now the players use the gym. The players these days seem to be all taped-up, when Johnny played they’d only be taped-up when they were hurt,” she said.

“There’s good people and good personalities at Greytown. It’s a very friendly club.”

This Saturday Chick and Jungle Grant will both be presented with Life Memberships at Greytown’s Past Players Day. The day has extra special significance, as Greytown premiers will play Carterton for the Grant Cup. Bernie Clement, a Grant family friend, donated the cup in honour of Jungle’s mother Ischia, who died suddenly in the Carterton clubhouse during a fixture against Greytown 30 years ago.

-Kick-off is at 2.30pm.

By Catherine Rossiter-Stead – Wairarapa Times-Age

Upcoming “Old Timers Day” Dates