The New Waratahs
Armidale Waratahs (The Tahs) | February 05, 2024
You might be wondering how a club that hasn't taken the field for nearly twenty years, Waratahs Cricket Club of Armidale on the Northern Tablelands of NSW, can still be under discussion and their memories vivid? Its a valid question.
The past is glorious.
It stems from the strong bond players developed at Waratahs, especially from the mid 1960's onward. Yes, we had good players - some of the best Armidale has seen - but it was more than that. There was something about how Waratahs leaders strove to be inclusive of all players in the club. It was a club of 3,4 and even 5 teams. Others were too but it was a club of teams not a group of teams who played for a club. Tony Bennett (#355), who led the club in the early part of the 1980's, broke down barriers between the grades. Others like Peter Langston (#357) and Andrew Davis (#354) followed and it was this sense of family which led to Premierships, in multiple grades and the sight of 1st graders standing, cheering at the boundaries of the lower grades once their own game had finished early and visa versa. It was old hands giving advice and encouragement to young lads and the hero worship of the blokes they longed to be. It was the pride all club members took in all performances.
Even when things went pear-shaped and Waratahs finally lost their first grade spot, it took another ten years until the last Waratahs cap went onto the field for a final time, that spirit held uppermost by a small band of long term club leaders like Graham Patterson (#346) and Albert Hofkamp (#476).
Yes the past is glorious ... but we don't live there and for those who played or watched from the other side of the scoresheet or the boundary, while the details of who scored what, who grabbed that big bag of wickets and when, isn't as important as the friends we made doing it. For years, supported by its rich statistical history available online through its website Waratahs Cricket Club of Armidale or in the "On This Day" posts from Waratahs Facebook page, some of us have kept the kindling burning around the mateship fire, hoping that one day, there would be more of us than just a few to sing those old rousing campfire songs and raise the roof with the Waratahs Anthem.
Then in October 2023, a wonderful thing happened. With about 30 gathered at the premises of one of our finest, who had unfortunately left earlier, we decided we had had enough of telling people tales of a club we once played for ... a club that doesn't exist. So we reformed Waratahs, in a new, slim line, no frills, non playing form because sitting around the campfire is a whole lot more fun than running around a cricket field, especially for creaking knees and aching backs!
So if you played for Waratahs, you are invited to join us. If you played against Waratahs, you are also invited to join us. If you just watched from the sidelines or perhaps wondered when your partner would ever come home ... you are invited to join us. Its about the singing, not the song.
It takes 90 seconds to join. Its free. It will lead you to a diverse range of contact with a diverse range of people, all with wonderful songs to sing. Our intention is to schedule Test match attendances, diners, golf days, all manner of ways in which we can stay in touch and look after each other. One of the really great initiatives is future oriented. We are establishing the Ian Campbell (#212) Scholarship, which will every year pay for an Armidale junior cricketer - any gender - to attend a cricket coaching camp and therefore keep the game going on. How could we name it anything else? Fund raising events and activities will be part of it but no membership fees. Already, this initiative from Steve Hadfield (#524) is underway, with Simon Joyce (#512) donating an all new design Waratahs cap for members to purchase via a donation.
So Waratahs lives on. Visit the website. Go to the Facebook page. Follow what we have done and what we do here on CricConnect. We already have members who were watchers of their husbands and other relos, back in the day; we have members who were worthy opponents; Veterans Cricket NSW is cheering us on; and of course, a growing list of former players.
Follow the link at the end. Everyone is welcome. You'll be always glad you did. The Tahs.
