Top bloke: Damien O’Connell with his Otago volunteer of the year trophy
The Wakatipu Rugby Club president says his job’s so time-consuming he’d probably be sacked if he wasn’t working for himself.
Damien O’Connell’s hard work has seen him named Otago Rugby Union volunteer of the year.
The accolade put him in the running for the national volunteer gong at the annual Rugby Awards. However, he hasn’t made the last cut to three finalists for the award announced tonight.
New Arrowtown coach
Arrowtown Rugby Club has picked Hayden Finch to coach its Premiers side next year now Simon Spark has stepped down.
Finch – Otago Country’s assistant coach for the past two years – was the Premiers’ assistant coach/player from 2008-2010.
The new team manager will be former Arrowtown junior coach Glen Wallace.
Wallace will handle the backs and Finch the forwards.
O’Connell’s had four years as president but this year’s been his busiest, he says.
On top of his presidential duties, he became Wakatipu High rugby administrator after the former administrator left town.
O’Connell also coached his son’s under-eight team this season, as well as playing for the Premiers – wife Kay is also the club’s junior administrator.
The illness of club captain Glenn ‘Scooter’ Reid has also seen O’Connell inheriting some of his duties: “That’s left a big hole.”
O’Connell: “Most volunteers don’t do stuff for recognition, you do it ’cos you enjoy it. I get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing what happens and seeing things change for the better.”
The president – a self-employed painting contractor – says his biggest project was refurbishing the clubrooms last summer.
Ironically, in his earlier committee days, he’d argued the club should relocate from the Recreation Ground, where its clubrooms are, to the Events Centre at Frankton.
“Now I’m glad that the older guys said no because the [Events Centre] couldn’t handle us if we were there now, between us, soccer and netball.”
O’Connell, 37, says his biggest fault is impatience.
“If I want something done, I’ll just go and do it instead of waiting for the person that’s supposed to be doing it.”
He thinks he’s probably inherited some of his drive from his late father Joe, a local cricketing volunteer for decades.
However, O’Connell hopes to step down at this month’s AGM.
“You sort of feel stale sometimes – you need fresh ideas.
“It’s not like I’m going to disappear – I’ll be immediate past-president.
“I have done a lot of hard work – I just want to make sure things do carry on.”
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