Tech Old Boys becomes Northern United

Northern History | History

 

In the late fifties Tech Old Boys discovered that less secondary school players were becoming available to play for them, a development that may have been due, in part, to the establishment of the Indians' Hockey Club.

Tech Old Boys approached the Wellington Hockey Association to request a distinct area of the city wherein it could foster schoolboy hockey, and thus boost its membership.

The WHA allocated the district from Ngaio to Johnsonville (and its immediate surrounds) to the club. It was from this rather arbitrary decision that Tech Old Boys established its lasting and significant relationship with the Northern Suburbs, including Onslow and Newlands Colleges.

In 1965 Wellington Technical College became Wellington High School, and this transformation was the symbolic culmination of a decreasing relationship between the hockey club and the college from which it had derived its name. Club life member G. J. M. Eeles claimed in 1967 that the Technical College's name-change required the hockey club to either abandon its historical name, or to 'go out of existence'. Hence, at a special general meeting on August 15th, 1967, it was decided that Wellington Technical College Old Boys' Hockey Club would change its name to Northern United Hockey Club and move its headquarters to the suburbs in which it was increasingly becoming involved. Thus, the club's considerable experience and resources could continue to be valuably used to contribute to the development of Wellington hockey.

In 1966 committee meetings were already being held in the northern suburbs at the peculiar location of the Newlands Fire Station, where three members of the executive were part of the brigade. Although the club's physical home had shifted, club-members were eager to ensure that the spirit fostered as Tech Old Boys would continue.

Upon the change, Wellington Technical College Hockey Club founder Allan A. Kirk stated that, 'I want all members of the present club to realise that I wish the Northern United Club to worthily uphold the traditions of the old club that it replaces.' At the club's 50th Jubilee, in 1980, A. C. Carr claimed that following thirteen years as Northern United, '[the] old traditions and the old legacies, the foundations that the original members made for this club, are still those on which today it stands.'

Kirk and Carr would no doubt have been pleased by Northern United's early success in the club championship, winning it in 1970 for the first time since 1934, and then again in 1971 and 1973.

In Northern United's first year a ground at Alex Moore Park was made available for men's hockey. The club's executive decided to purchase floodlights for this ground to maximise its usefulness. These were erected and first put to use in 1969.

Furthermore, as the club grew, Northern found its traditional gathering place for 'after match discussions,' the De Bretts Hotel, was unable to cater for all its teams, and thus an appropriate location for clubrooms was sought.

Initially, moves were made to acquire a building from the Wellington Postal Centre site and to relocate it at Onslow College or Alex Moore. However, there were no buildings available, and Onslow College refused all entreaties to borrow space.

Permission was however granted by the WCC for Northern to lease the space above Alex Moore Park's changing rooms. Although many contributed to their establishment, in Stan Francis's brief account of the clubrooms' construction he pays particular homage to Hugh Clift for promoting the idea and for fundraising, and to Ken Wood for designing the rooms and for vital efforts liasing between the many parties involved.

In 1971 Messrs Bays and Bowden Builders were contracted to erect the clubrooms. They created the enclosed space, but it was left to Northern's volunteers to draw on their various and considerable skills in order to complete them. On April 14th, 1973, Frank Kitts, then Mayor of Wellington, opened the completed rooms.

 

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