Newspaper Article 2012 – Ian’s legacy will live on

Ian’s legacy will live on

Obituary

The many people from all walks of life who attended the funeral of Ian Atkins last Saturday were a testament to the high esteem in which he was held.

Best known for his successes as a rugby player and coach, Ian passed away in Hawke’s Bay Hospital on November 27, aged 83.

Ian Alfred Atkins was born in Hastings on May 28, 1929, the third child of Alf and Dorothy Atkins. He eventually had six siblings.

Ian was educated at Greenmeadows and Taradale primary schools before moving on to Napier Boys’ High School. He was captain of the 1st XV rugby and 1st XI cricket teams in 1946 and 1947.

After leaving school, he worked for Morrison Industries, where he was given the opportunity to go to Vancouver and establish a branch in British Columbia.

He played cricket and rugby there and was selected for the British Columbia side to take on Bob Stuart’s 1953-54 All Blacks. Although defeated 37-11, Ian won two tightheads against All Black hooker Ron Hemi, no mean feat.

In his second season, he captained a championship winning club team and devoted time to coaching and organising rugby in the Vancouver district.

On Ian’s return to Napier in 1954, he married Margaret Boyd from Puketapu on May 21, 1955. The couple had two children – Helen in 1959 and John in 1961. In 1964, Ian was appointed manager of the new Andrews and Beaven branch opening in Hastings.

He played for the Taradale Rugby Club in 1955 and for the Hawke’s Bay team which beat the touring Wallabies 14-11, the only New Zealand provincial side to do so.

In 1956, Ian was part of the Hawke’s Bay team which lost 20-8 to the touring Springboks. That same year, he also played for the Hawke’s Bay team which challenged Canterbury for the Ranfurly Shield. Hawke’s Bay led 6-0 with 30 minutes to play but Canterbury ran in 21 points to win 21-9 and retain the shield.

Ian started coaching rugby in 1957 with the Hastings High School Old Boys senior team. They were winners of the Maddison trophy inter-town competition in 1959, 1960 and 1961, becoming the first side to win this prestigious trophy in three successive years.

In 1962, Ian started coaching the Taradale senior rugby team, which had success in the Maddison Trophy in 1970 and 1971. In 1972, he was appointed selector-coach of the Hawke’s Bay Magpies team which won 11 of 16 games, including victories over Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and Southland.

“Nothing gave him greater pleasure than the development of his family.”

All the teams Ian coached were noted for their attractive style of play and an emphasis on team participation in achieving their game plan and goals.

Due to a job promotion within Andrews and Beaven, the family moved to Lower Hutt in 1973 and he started coaching cricket in the Hutt Valley soon after.

On Ian and Margaret’s return to Taradale in 1998, he launched a junior cricket academy at the Taradale club in conjunction with his brother, Richard.

In the wider community, he was a long-time Rotarian of the Lower Hutt and Taradale clubs. He was a past president of the Lower Hutt club and was made a Paul Harris Fellow in 1996 for his services to the club and community.

In 2009, he was the Hawke’s Bay regional winner of the Sparc [SPARC] Volunteer Coach of the Year and was also given a Lifetime Coach award, which recognised his selfless dedication to coaching over many decades.

Although Ian’s sporting achievements as a player and coach are extensive, nothing gave him greater pleasure than seeing the development of his family.

At Ian and Margaret’s golden wedding anniversary, he said: “If I’d known how much fun grandchildren were, I would have had them first.”

His contribution to society has been huge and he will be sadly missed by his family and many friends. But there will be many who continue to live by the principles and values taught to them by Ian Atkins and his legacy will live on.

Photo caption – BIG GUNS: Ian Atkins was in teams that took on the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies.