July 28, 2026
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ROB WELSH LIFE MEMBERSHIP PRESENTATION – HAWICK RFC AGM, 20TH JULY, 2026 - Past President Ian Landles's remarks
IT IS MY PLEASANT DUTY TONIGHT TO MAKE A PRESENTATION TO A MAN WHO WE ALL HOLD IN THE HIGHEST RESPECT. HE HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH HAWICK RUGBY AT SOME LEVEL FOR OVER 70 YEARS. HE FIRST PLAYED AT THE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL WHERE HE OWED A LOT TO BOB ELLIOT WHO MOVED HIM FROM WING FORWARD TO BE HARRY WHITAKER’S HALF-BACK PARTNER. HE THEN WENT ON TI PLAY FOR THE P.S.A. AND A COUPLE OF SEASONS FOR THE LINDEN WHEN THE HAWICK SELECTORS CAME LOOKING. “THE GREEN MACHINE -125 YEARS OF HAWICK RUGBY” TELLS US THAT HE WAS POSSESSED OF FLARING ACCELERATION - HEI STILL WAS UNTIL HIS RECENT KNEE OPERATION – WAS OF POWERFUL BUILD AND WAS HARD TO STOP. THIS LED TO HIM CATCHING THE EYE OF THE SOUTH SELECTORS AND THEN FURTHER RECOGNITION CAME HIS WAY AND THIS IS WHY HIS HANDSOME FACE ADORNS OUR INTERNATIONAL WALL OF FAME. HE WON CAPS AGAINST IRELAND AND ENGLAND IN 1967. HE SHOULD HAVE WON FAR MORE. PLAYING FOR THE SOUTH HE’D FORMED A FINE CENTRE PARTNERSHIP AND GREAT FRIENDSHIP WITH GALA’S JOCK TURNER WHO DIED FAR TOO YOUNG AND THEY WOULD HAVE PLAYED IN THE SCOTLAND MIDFIELD TOGETHER FAR MORE OFTEN THAN THEY DID HAD THEY BEEN EDUCATED AT EDINBURGH ACADEMY, HERIOTS OR WATSON’S BUT COMING FROM HAWICK HIGH SCHULE AND GALA ACADEMY DIDNI COONT IN EER FAVOUR WHEN IT CAME TI NATIONAL SELECTION IN THESE BAD OLD DAYS. OO CAN IMAGINE WHAT THESE HIDEBOUND OLD SCHOOL TIE MEN WAD MAKE O THE TUIPOLUTOS AND VAN DER MERWES! HE WAS ALSO A CONSISTENT AULD-FASHIONED TAE-BASHIN GOAL-KICKER AND FAMOUSLY A MEMBER O HAWICK’S NEVER TI BE EMULATED 10 IN A RAW SEVEN O 1966-67. HIS LENGTH O THE FIELD TRY AT THE GREENYARDS STILL MAKES ROBBIE DYES DROOL AT THE MOOTH TI THIS DAY. IN ALL HE PLAYED 184 GAMES FOR HAWICK AND WENT BACK TI PLAY A BIT FOR THE LINDEN AT THE END O HIS CAREER AND TI COACH THEM AND THE WANDS AND TI BE FRAE THEIR FOUNDIN A STALWART O HAWICK MINIS IN THE UNSUNG ROLE O KIT MANAGER. THE FLARING ACCELERATION EARLIER ALLUDED TI ENABLED UM TI CATCH JOYCE, THE WUMAN BEHIND THE MAN, AND THGITHER THEY HAVE BRED A RUGBY DYNASTY, SON SCOTTIE WHAE OF COURSE SCORED YIN O THE MAIST IMPORTANT TRIES IN THE CLUB’S HISTORY ON YON MEMORABLE MAY EFTERNUNE AT MURRAYFIELD IN 1996 AND THEN FOWRE GRANDSONS, GARETH, GLEN, FINLAY AND CHARLIE WHAE HEV A’ FEATURED IN THE GREEN JERSEY IN RECENT SEASONS. AND A FOR YIN’LL NO BE SURPRISED IF WHEN ABOOT THE TIME HEI GETS HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY CAIRD FRAE KING WILLIAM THE FIFTH HEI’LL STILL BE DOON HERE CHEERIN ON A FOURTH GENERATION AS HIS GREAT-GRANDSONS GRACE THE MANSFIELD TURF. JOYCE AND HIM HAVE BEEN GREAT SUPPORTERS O ONY EVENT THE CLUB ORGANISES. THEY HARDLY EVER MISS A PRE-MATCH HOSPITALITY LUNCH. HE WAS A GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT TI ME IN MA TIME AS PRESIDENT AS HEI HAS BEEN TI OTHER PRESIDENTS AND A’ PLAYERS BEFORE AND SINCE. HAWICK RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB ONLY RARELY CONFERS THE HONOUR O LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND A’M SUIRE EE WILL ALL AGREE THAT THERE IS NAE MAIR DESERVIN RECIPIENT THAN ROB WELSH AND A’M HONOURED NOW TO PRESENT HIM WITH THIS CERTIFICATE WHICH READS
FOR CONSPICUOUS SERVICE OVER MANY YEARS HAWICK RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB ARE DELIGHTED TO CONFER LIFE MEMBERSHIP ON ROB WELSH.
CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU
20 JULY 2026
EDDIE BROGAN
PRESIDENT HAWICK RFC