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Knox College Old Boys Tribute

Members of the Knox Old Boys Rugby Club showed their more sensitive side recently when they held a benefit game in honor of one of their biggest supporters.

The old boys, whose club is based in Wahroonga North Sydney, held a memorial for their Knox Grammer School friend and staunch supporter Mr. Po Mar at their oval on August 22. Five Knox Old Boys teams had matches on the day, playing against the Kings Old Boys Rugby Club. It was also the team’s annual Ladies Day.

The Knox Rugby Club boasts international players from most of rugby’s key nations England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Europe, and from the USA, Canada, Fiji, and, of course Japan.

“Mr. Po Mar originally arrived from Japan in the fifties,” said club spokesman Bryn Robertson.

“He was a huge supporter and often attended our games with his Old Boys scarf wrapped around his neck and cheered us on from the sidelines. His son Ben Mar is presently a member of one of our teams and so we thought it fitting to honour his Dad.”

“The players all wore black armbands and marched out onto the field with the bagpipes playing,” said Mr. Robertson.

“The tribute to Mr. Po Mar was done very well and the day went well, although we didn’t win all our games.

Mr. Robertson said that it was Ben Mar who had suggested raising money for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.

“He knew of the organization’s work and supports the work ACRF does” he said.

“We managed to collect just over $1,000 for cancer research. In these times that isn’t too bad! I hope we can do it again next year.” added team secretary Marilynn Buchanan.

ACRF’s Claire McArthur at ACRF hopes they do too. “When community groups like Knox Old Boys join together to honour friends and relatives who have been lost to cancer, and contribute to a future without cancer, we and the scientists we fund are deeply grateful and inspired” she said.

Knox Old Boys Rugby Club’s First Grade team won their minor premiership this year and play off in the Grand Final of their competition tomorrow, Saturday September 19. Good luck to the team.

Pictures kindly supplied by Mark Wallace (Knox Old Boys Rugby Club). Thanks Mark.