Farrell to local football legend Bobby Minshull
It is with great sadness that we advise of the passing of Wellington United stalwart, life member and club legend, Bobby Minshull.
Born in Liverpool, England Bobby arrived in New Zealand in 1963 thanks to a job transfer. As a talented midfielder he was quickly signed up by his new workmates to play for Northern. Despite being a highly rated footballer he was quite humble about his talent. In 1966 he came second in the Arcus Trophy competition for best and fairest player, a feat made all the more impressive by the fact he was out for half the season with an injury.
Following stints with Waterside and Wainuiomata in the Central League, he jumped at the chance to play National League when Wellington City approached him in 1972. It was the start of a life long relationship.
He went on to make 154 appearances for Wellington City. In 1976 after they had been relegated from the National League Bobby was one of six remaining players that turned up for preseason training. Taking on the role of player coach he managed to guide City to third with the NZ Soccer Annual stating "Bob Minshull confounded the critics by moulding a balanced side from virtually nothing" While many credit Bobby as being the driving force that saved the City club he was typically humble when asked about it years later, pointing out it was his wife, Ann and the other players wives that did all the hard work saying "I just played football"
While Bobby finished his senior playing career in 1981, his involvement in football never stopped. He was instrumental in creating the junior club at Wellington City, recruiting teams from Lyall Bay and Clyde Quay schools. When Wellington City merged with Wellington Diamond United in 1986, Bobby took on the mantle of reserve team coach establishing the team as a regular finisher in the top four of the table.
Bobby's involvement in the club was enormous, he couldn't remember the details but it wouldn't be far off to say that he had served in almost every position available, player, coach, manager, Chairman, President, ball boy (in his 70s!) and supporter. When asked about his contribution to the club he summed it up by saying "Every little bit I can do means someone else doesn't need to do it"
Bobby's contribution to football in Wellington was immense and has been recognised with him being awarded life membership of Wellington United, Capital Football and in 2017 being inducted into the Wellington Football Hall of Fame.
We have lost a great friend and true gentleman our thoughts and love go out to his wife Ann and the family, who are still recovering from the recent loss of their son Ian.
RIP Bobby
Funeral details will be posted when advised
Poll: Do you believe in ghosts?
Just for a little bit of fun, we'd love to know whether Kiwis believe in ghosts. What goes on in our communities that we don't know about!
Perhaps you've seen a ghost or lived in a haunted home in New Zealand. We'd love to know, so vote in our poll and share your experiences in the comments below.
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55% Yes
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42.7% No
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2.3% Other - I'll share below
Happy Monday, neighbours, this riddle has three answers, can you solve it 🤔
I am a word of meanings three.
Three ways of spelling me there be.
The first is an odour, a smell if you will.
The second is some money, but not in a bill.
The third is past tense, a method of passing things on or around.
Can you tell me now, what these words are, that have the same sound?
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Road slips, road closures and heavy rainfall
The lower North Island is being battered by heavy rain, with authorities telling people in Wellington to limit travel.
What you need to know:
- Some roads have flooded around the region, with NZTA Waka Kotahi saying SH2 near Petone had one northbound lane closed.
- Police said on social media flooding and slips had been reported on SH2, particularly between Petone and Silverstream. They are warning people to take care driving
- A train was hit by rockfall on the Kāpiti line and reversed away from it so commuters could get off at the Paekākāriki station.
- Hutt Valley High School closed due to burst water main
- Wellington Region Emergency Management Office is urging residents in the Greater Wellington region to work from home today if they can, due to heavy rain in the region.
Chair Anita Baker told RNZ she was expecting heavy rain in another hour. She said teams were meeting about whether to kick in emergency responses.
- Flooding and slips have been reported on a number of roads, including parts of State Highway 2, particularly between Petone and Silverstream. Police ask motorists to take care by reducing speed, using headlights and watching your visibility.
- Lower Hutt battered by heaviest rainfall in the region overnight
- Cars being removed from Hutt City carpark due to flooding.
- The Riverbank carpark in Lower Hutt is closed due to flooding, with contractors removing the cars currently parked there.
- At 7.48am SH2 is wet at Melling in Lower Hutt and traffic is backed up
Weather warnings:
- An orange heavy rain warning is in place for Tararua Range, Kāpiti Coast and north Wellington.
- heavy rain watch was also in place from 8am to 6pm for Horowhenua.
- Some roads have flooded around the region, with NZTA Waka Kotahi saying SH2 near Petone had one northbound lane closed.
- An orange heavy rain warning is in place for Tararua Range, Kāpiti Coast and north Wellington.
- A heavy rain watch was also in place from 8am to 6pm for Horowhenua.
Keep up to date with latest updates on the Stuff website.
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