A long-time servant of the game in the Caledonia area was promoted to the main board of Scottish Rugby at the governing body’s AGM in Edinburgh at the weekend.
Bob Richmond of Mackie FPs, where he has been active as a player and an administrator for 45 years since moving to the area from his native Wigtownshire in 1967, regarded the appointment as the icing on the cake in his time in the game.
Richmond said: “It has always been a privilege to serve the game in some capacity, not least at Mackie and then as a district coach before becoming the SRU representative for the North Caledonia area. This new appointment means I can continue to serve the area, which includes clubs in Orkney, Shetland and Stornoway and hopefully make meaningful impact for all the clubs in my patch.”
During his time at the Stonehaven club, which has included three terms as president, Richmond became a popular, well-known figure in the north-east who took over the reps post from Mike Munro of Aberdeen Wanderers.
Thanks to his commitment to underage rugby at Redcloak, Mackie became a leading light in promoting youth rugby in the area, gaining a reputation for fair play and good attitudes with other clubs in the area as well as those much further afield in Scotland.
He acknowledged that the current suspension of play due to the spread of Covid-19 made any development of the game difficult, but added: “These are difficult times but we’ll come through them, especially if we all work together.
“My role is to ensure clubs and Scottish Rugby are seen to be working together in the best interests of the game.”
At the same meeting, the post of Scottish Rugby president was filled by Ian Barr, the 57-year-old from Lasswade Rugby Club, polling 112 votes against the 97 registered by by Keith Wallace of Haddington Rugby Club.
