The bench is not generally where an All Black wants to be.
But in this case, it was exactly where they wanted to be.
Two All Blacks and rugby representatives rolled into Ranfurly on Wednesday to officially unveil a new bench that the team has donated to the Māniatoto community.
Prop George Bower and winger Sevu Reece did the unveiling at the Central Otago District Council’s Ranfurly isite gardens.
It was a thrill to see the long-awaited bench displayed, CODC Cr Stu Duncan said.
“The whole bench/seat initiative is about the All Blacks saying thanks to the community for having their backs and supporting their national team.
“By giving us a bench, they are giving the community a safe, neutral space where people can have each other’s backs, where they can sit and chat or just contemplate, and although it’s a quite spot, they’re still in the heart of the town. The bench provides a focus. It’s a way of bringing people together.”
It is one of the locations selected within the geographic area of the New Zealand’s 26 Provincial Rugby Unions.
Maniototo Community Board chair Robert Hazlett accepted the macrocarpa seat on behalf of the community. He said the event had been kept fairly low-key given the small space, to be able to get as many school children along as possible with their caregivers.
“They not only had the thrill of meeting All Blacks, but they witnessed and were part of something special happening in their community. That seat will be there for a long time, and many of them will remember today as a special day for years to come.”
Local identities associated with the New Zealand Rugby Union, including former All Black Andrew Hore, and members of the Maniototo Rugby Club were present along with current and past members of the Maniototo Community Board.
The players autographed balls and memorabilia after the ceremony, which was opened by Runanga elder Mauraka Edwards.
The weather played ball, only deteriorating into a hail flurry towards the end of the event, with everyone scuttling to the veranda of the former railway station building which is home to the Ranfurly isite.
Over the next few months, in the lead up to the Ranfurly 125th anniversary, people can expect to see a number of beautification projects for the town reach completion including a new seat in Ranfurly Street gardens, paid for by savings out of the Council’s maintenance budget, the new toilets at the isite and trees planted on Charlemont Street.
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Pictured: All Black players Sevu Reece (left) and George Bower (right) unveiled the new macrocarpa seat for the Ranfurly community as part of a national/regional campaign to say thanks for NZ’s support of the ABs. Pictured with Finn Dowling (11) and Lochy Barnish (5). The seat is situated at the in the Council’s isite garden. The concrete for the base was donated by Ranfurly Transport.
