“Behind the Cups” is a series where we sit down one-on-one with people from club land for an in-depth conversation discussing their rugby journey.
In honour of National Volunteer Week (15-21 May), we will be sitting down with a few community members who are selflessly volunteering their time and effort to local clubs.
Nugget Bowden, has been a part of the Gungahlin Eagles since the late 1960’s, playing many roles including manager, strapper and water runner, and was voted Volunteer of the Year in 2022.
Tell us a little bit about your rugby history?
“I actually started playing rugby in school in the late 60s. Then I joined the Air Force in 1971 and played some rugby through my Air Force time. I came back to Canberra for work and discharged in 1993. In about ‘97 I was very good friends with Peter Johnson who is the president of ACT Rugby at the moment. Johno at that stage was managing first grade for what was then Daramalan, and he roped me in to manage second grade in around 1997.
"I then managed second grade for the next 3-4 years and at that stage when you're managing a side you also did the strapping, ran the water and everything else that was involved. We didn't have, at that stage, teams of trainers and strappers and doctors on the sideline.
“I stayed with them till about 2001, I then moved out of Canberra for a few years with work. I came back in 2010 and immediately joined back up with Gungahlin Eagles. I started back as a strapper-trainer, not aligned with any particular side. I did my sports trainers qualifications with SMA and then I did the sideline for fours, threes, twos and ones for about six years. Then I got a little bit too slow to be running water, so I started managing third grade.
“We managed to pick up three or four titles in that period up till last year when my son-in-law started coaching Colts so I ended up starting to manage Colts and that's what I'm doing now. Over this whole period, I’ve managed, strapped, run water, been a sports trainer and now virtually dogs body, but I’m just managing Colts now.”
Yeah, wow you’ve done it all!
“Yeah, everything across the gamut of what happens in a rugby club!”
You’ve worn many hats but what’s your favourite kind of volunteering role to do?
“I really, really enjoy managing the Colts, young fellas coming through straight out of school. It keeps me very young trying to keep trying to keep up with them! I’m not a particular fan of their haircuts or the music, but that's the way it is these days. We have I sign up in the in the changeroom, one that Marco Caputo put up a few years ago and it just says “you can do anything but no shit haircuts”. Which has not been taken up I can tell you.”
Do you have a specific highlight from your time with the Eagles whether that's before or after you came back?
“Oh it would have to be with third Grade, when we won three in a row. And then 2020 when we made the finals, made the grand final in second, third and first grade which was a really good year.”
You’ve volunteered your time for a long time across a lot of duties, but why is volunteering so important for communities especially sporting clubs?
“Sporting clubs, especially community sporting clubs, wouldn't exist without a reasonable volunteer base. I mean you just can't get the things that need to be done, done.
“If you can’t get volunteers into the organisation, I don't think we would have a community-based rugby competition, it would just be schoolboys and then Brumbies. So it really is important to have volunteers.
“I think when most people get into it, they get much more out of it than they actually put in. It really is a rewarding pastime, and it takes up a bit of time. I don't mind now because I'm retired, so I can be down at the ground in 10 minutes if something needs to be done down there. I get a lot more out of it than I put in and you couldn't pay me to do it anyway.
“But honestly, the community-based sports, and it isn't just rugby either it's across the board on the on the sporting front, without volunteers it just wouldn't happen.”
Yeah absolutely, there’s so many jobs behind the scenes that people just don't realise need to happen to make things run.
“Absolutely, I mean I look after the kit at the moment as well. When you’ve got 120-140 people looking for training shirts, socks, shorts and hoodies. The committee orders the stuff and then a couple of us get down there when it arrives, stack it on shelves and hand out and sell it, all that stuff. That sort of stuff takes up time and it fills the day that's for sure.”
You were Volunteer of the Year for 2022, congratulations!
“Yeah, yeah grateful and humbled by that. Was really, really grateful to the club for nominating me. Unfortunately, I was away [during the presentation night], my daughter rang me and said, “you better have a look at this” and I thought ‘oh ok thank you’. A good mate of mine Rick Rummery was there and picked up the award for me.
“Yeah really, really humbled and happy! There’s an awful lot of people around many clubs who could have picked up that award any day of the week.”
Is there a message or any advice you'd give to people to get involved in volunteering?
“Oh just get out and have a go!
“We’ve got a young fella now who can't play and he's now turning up learning to strap. He’s 20/21 years old and he can't play so he’s a volunteer which is really great. We need people like that. There's something anybody can do at any time, it's so easy, all you need to do is come down, put your hand up and have a go.
“One thing I would really like to get across is that we have a lovely group of ladies who are mums and look after things. They put on a really spectacular after-match function with Penrith the other night, and that sort of thing goes so well. Visiting teams, especially Penrith coming up on a bus every second week, so to be able to give them a meal and a drink before they left was really great! Just 10 or 12 moms got together and put together a pulled pork meal on bread rolls, it was just great, and that sort of thing is really, really appreciated by visiting clubs.
“We sat down with all of [the Penrith team] and had a laugh. They're really lovely people and thoroughly appreciated the gesture. We want to try and do it for every visiting club.
“My message would be if you have the opportunity and the time, jump in and have a crack with any sporting club. Rugby especially, but if you can help in any club go ahead and do it. You'll find it's much more rewarding that it is time consuming.”
Before the end of National Volunteer Week, ensure you reach out to the people amongst your club or organisation who volunteer their time and effort with a message of appreciation.
