Hawick RFC 150th Year Celebration
Dear Hawick Rugby Football Club member
I am sure you will be as delighted as I am that the “invincible” Green Machine went through the whole
of season 2022-2023 undefeated winning the Premiership trophy and the Scottish Cup in the process
and retaining the Bill McLaren Shield a record number of times. What an incredible achievement!
Season 2023-2024 is now fast approaching when our great club will celebrate the 150th anniversary of
its founding on December 8th, 1873.
As one of the first clubs in Scotland to reach its 150th birthday this will be a momentous milestone and
we intend to celebrate the unparalleled history of our club which is renowned not just in Scotland but
throughout the rugby world. We have a host of plans as you will see from the accompanying attachment.
The Club’s annual income is spent wisely each year to ensure that our teams can compete on the field
with the best in the country. Our ambitious commemoration plans will therefore entail us having to
considerably exceed our normal expenditure.
To help with this we are hoping that 150 members and friends of Hawick RFC will be willing to donate
a minimum of £20, more if you can afford it, and become members of the “HRFC 150 Club” whose
names will be included in the November Dinner brochure. Any money contributed will be greatly
appreciated and used solely to bring our plans to fruition to mark this significant landmark in the Club’s
history. A huge thank you to anyone who feels able to contribute.
I am hugely privileged to be President at this exciting time for Hawick RFC and I am sure I can rely on
all Robbie Dyes to rally round to support the planned special events. Let’s all make this a memorable
commemoration.
Ian W Landles BEM
President
Hawick RFC
To donate
HRFC 150 account details
Account – Hawick Rugby Football Club
Sort Code – 83-23-01
Account Number – 00723833
Reference – HRFC 150 Donation
Dear Club Member,
I hope you have recovered from what was a simply incredible finale to the league season, at Mansfield Park last week? The spirit, determination, and desire shown by our Robbie Dyes in digging deep to win the Premiership Play-Off Final, was outstanding, and showed what that Green Jersey means to them. Equally the way the town rallied round the lads made for an atmosphere which was absolutely electric.
As you know, Hawick Rugby Football Club, one of the most respected in the Scottish game, is about to celebrate its 150th anniversary in season 2023-2024. The Club has a proud history and has produced sixty male international players, three of whom, Stuart Hogg, Rory Sutherland and Darcy Graham are in the current Scotland squad, and six female internationalists including Lisa Thomson and Lana Skeldon, who represented their country in the recent Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.
Another Hawick rugby player was denied, through tuberculosis, the Scottish cap he would almost certainly have won, but he went on to attain worldwide fame and universal respect as “the Voice of Rugby”, his name, Bill McLaren.
We at the club are working on an extensive program of events to commemorate and celebrate the clubs wonderful achievement, with the highlight of the celebrations being a prestigious marquee Dinner, on the hallowed turf of Mansfield Park, where so many household names from Scottish Rugby have played.
On the evening of Friday 17 November, 2023, Hawick RFC, in association with the Bill McLaren Foundation will be commemorating the Club’s 150th anniversary, and also paying tribute to ‘Oor Bill’, following what would have been his 100th birthday on October 16th this year.
The dinner will include a wonderful 3 course meal, keynote speakers, a Q&A, together with an auction and other entertainment, with the cost of a ticket being £85.
This email is by way of an invitation, to ask if you as a member of the club would like to attend the dinner. We know from the initial interest expressed, that this event will be heavily subscribed so we are very keen that our valued members have the opportunity to reserve their place, by intimating their interest in replying to this email. Please can we ask that you advise us by March 31st if you as a member would like to reserve a seat.
If you are a Green Room Member please can I ask that you confirm your interest directly to Gus Neilson by email on
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. While all other members please comfirm your interest either to Malcolm on
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or John on
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to reserve your place. We are not asking for payment at this time, however we will do so in due course ahead of the new season beginning.
For your information, some of the other exciting initiatives planned during the season are:
A special publication of memoirs and stories from ‘150’ club members and players, past and present together with some notable guest contributors.
An exhibition detailing the history of our great club, to be held in the museum at Wilton Lodge Park, and a re-enactment of the clubs first game, which was against the men of Langholm, this to be played in period dress,at Buccleuch Park, the site of the original match.
These three projects, together with many more being worked on, will show how the town of Hawick and the game of Rugby Union have been inextricably linked throughout the clubs history, and how Hawick’s contribution to the game of rugby in Scotland and further afield is unique.
Once you have taken the time to consider this opportunity, we would be very grateful
if you would be kind enough to let us know if you are keen to attend.
Equally should you have any questions, please email or call, either John Thorburn or Malcolm Grant, who would be happy to help.
Thank you for your kind consideration
Yours sincerely
Ian Landles (President)
John Thorburn (Honorary Secretary)
Malcolm Grant (Vice President)
On behalf of Hawick RFC
Contact details.
John Thorburn –
Email –
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Tel- 07929 655132
Malcolm Grant –
Email –
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Tel- 07880 701574
Season 2023-24 will mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of Hawick Rugby Football Club. The town’s cricketers purchased a football to keep themselves fit over the winter months and decided that rugby was “manlier and more congenial to the Border nature than the tamer association game”. The Club was formed at a meeting on December 8th, 1873 but it wasn’t until February 7th that the first game was played against Langholm at Buccleuch Park, home of the Cricket Club.
One of the intentions of the Club to mark this significant milestone is to bring out a book provisionally entitled “Voices of Hawick Rugby”. A start has been made to interviewing past players and supporters asking them to share their Hawick rugby memories and to say what the Club means to them. We are ambitiously aiming for 150 contributions. If you would like to contribute to this project get in touch with Vice President Ian Landles at imlandles.ohawick@btinternet.com
The two example contributions below give a good idea of what we are looking for.
HAWICK RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB 150TH ANNIVERSARY
Season 2023-2024
What is being planned – in alphabetical order not order of importance.
The Book
Publication for Christmas market 2023. Launch to which all contributors will be invited.
The Dinner
To celebrate Hawick RFC 150 and what would have been Bill McLaren’s 100th birthday. November 17th, 2023. Marquee on pitch.
The Exhibition
Discussions ongoing with Museum. Bill McLaren – October 4th to end of November, 2023/ Club – March to end of June, 2024
The Game
Hawick v Rest of Borders will be played on Tuesday 7 May 2024
The Hogmanay Ball. December 31st, 2024
The Kit
Special strip for season 2023-2024.
The Lecture.
A lecture entitled “150 Years of Rugby in Hawick” by Ron Smith will be given to Hawick Archaeological Society on Tuesday 6 February in Hawick High School at 7.00
The Merchandise
Usual best-selling items with HRFC 150 added logo
The Mural
This will be unveiled on Saturday 16 September on Mansfield Road
The Raffle
£2 a ticket. £1000 prize. Draw December 8th, 2023
The Re-enactment
Hawick v Langholm in period dress at Buccleuch Park. Sunday 17 September 2023.
The Seat
Bernie Armstrong has agreed to make a remembrance seat commemorating the Hawick players who fell in the two World Wars and this will be unveiled on Saturday 11 November prior to game against Marr
The Walk of Fame
Paved pathway into ground. Black granite stones inscribed with the names of the Club’s 60 plus internationalists including Scotland Women’s caps. All living internationalists to be invited for the unveiling. This will happen after the flood works have been completed
The Gin
Limited edition. 100 commemorative bottles of gin from Border Distillery.
The Wreath laying
2023-2024 Captain to lay wreath at first Captain Bob Michie’s grave in the Wellogate Cemetery