HEAR THE WAUCHOPE THUNDER ROAR! WAUCHOPE THUNDER RUGBY CLUB Sport plays such a key role in the community, providing a fabric to connect people socially, be it as an active participant or enthralled spectator. It is a great way to stay fit and can serve invaluable lessons to youngsters on discipline, structure, respect and mateship. Rugby Union is a game for people of all ages, genders, sizes and abilities with a number of different formats on offer. Wauchope Thunder is a local rugby union club currently playing in the Lower Mid North Coast Rugby Competition. We spoke with a couple of the organisers to find out more about the local rugby scene. Wauchope Thunder was officially formed in 2014 when a local man named Peter Daley entered a junior rugby team for his son and his son’s mates into the
Port Macquarie Friday night competition. The next year a group of rugby tragics met at the Hastings Hotel and a committee was formed. At that time there was an increase in the scope regarding the number of teams participating in the Mid North Coast rugby competition which also contributed to the Wauchope Thunder being founded. Local teams Hastings Valley Vikings had been running for 20 years and Port Macquarie Pirates for 40 odd years, so initially it was challenging for the fledgling club having such established clubs on the door step. However, with the population of Wauchope, Beechwood, King Creek and Thrumster growing, numbers have and continue to slowly but surely gain momentum each year. The actual name Wauchope
Thunder came about after a series of suggestions from club members who decided on a combination name. ‘Wauchope’, of course, took its name from the local area the club originated from. ‘Thunder’ was suggested by club members who are Big Bash cricket fans (Sydney Thunder) and in reference to the rolling thunder often heard over the top of Bago Mountain, which is also featured in the teams logo. The Club has continued to grow from its founding years with a senior men’s team participating in local competition since 2015 and a senior women’s team active since the inception of the women’s competition in 2017. The juniors played between 2014-2019 but sadly, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, were unable to field teams in 2020 or 2021. They are, however, working hard and confident this will change
