Modesty is an unfailing quality of so many of our volunteer sports administrators.

 It’s a virtue shared by local rugby stalwart, Kim Rickards who recently received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his decades work in our oldest football code.

“Yeah, I was surprised, I had no idea that I’d been nominated until I was contacted by the Office of the Governor-General; just to advise you that you had been nominated.

“It was very much out of the blue… it makes you start to think of so many good people that have done so many good things… when you volunteer in a sport, you see how much work is done behind the scenes.”

While described as an “Orange City Rugby Union Club legend”, Kim believes that his medal was more to do with his work as President of the Central West Rugby Union over a number of years.  

A local solicitor, Kim however is not your typical blue-blood, private-schoolboy rugby caricature, but came from one of the most working-class suburbs of Sydney.

“I’m a ‘Blacktown boy’ who went to the local high school, it was a real rugby league school in a very rugby league area, I knew nothing about rugby,” he recalls.

 “What happened was, a group of us were good mates and we were looking at a way we could still stay mates after school, and one of our teachers said, ‘why don’t you play rugby?’, and we said, ‘rugby?’.”

With the help of a couple of his teachers, they then started a small sub-district club called the “Blacktown Old Boys” which grew and became the Kellyville Rugby Club.

“When we started playing rugby, we didn’t know the rules, and would get tackled and try and get-up and play the ball,” Kim laughs.

The lure of the bush later saw him buy a property at Woodstock near Cowra where he “played at being a grazier for a few years,” before returning to the law.

 While all football codes have their own particular appeal beloved by players, officials, and supporters, Kim believes that rugby’s great quality is the physical diversity it encompasses.

“All team-sports offer different things, rugby of itself, offers something for people from the full-range of physical shapes and sizes, you can be any build really, and be part of a team. It’s got a really good spirit that way,” he said.

He said that this camaraderie became apparent when the family relocated overseas with a teenage child at a loose-end.

 “In 2006, we went over to the Midlands in England with my son, 16, to a place just south of Coventry. He didn’t know many people, so we signed him with a local rugby club. 

“We had the most amazing time, we went to so many towns and places you just wouldn’t have gone to otherwise and he made some great mates, it was incredible,” Kim said.

 He said that the life-and-death battle for player numbers, sponsorship, and profile between the two traditional rugby codes; the behemoth that football (soccer) has become; and the newcomer, Australian Rules, should encourage all sports to be innovative and flexible with how they offer their product.

 “I think it’s to do with marketing, but also to do with input from the players to make the sport as safe and enjoyable as you can.

“It’s a matter of really understanding that there will be injuries, but ensuring that they are given the best medical care with all expenses covered,” Kim said.