Mystique Eden Park

Monday, May 21, 2012

Mystique Eden Park

Members of Fiji Club New Zealand (FCNZ) attended the North Shore Historical Society’s meeting at the Senior Citizens Hall, Takapuna during the weekend.

Mr. Graham Walton the chief guest was interlocuting on '100 years of Eden Park’, the spiritual home of New Zealand rugby with visual aid and period photos.

Eden Park in Auckland was created out of the swamp in the early 1900s and eventually through Auckland Cricket Board and Auckland Rugby Board it has become in 2011 a mammoth internationally renowned stadium.

Major rugby tournaments were held at mystique Eden Park, for instance, the British Empire games in 1950 which also coincided with the opening ceremony of the Eden Park Stadium.

“During those pioneering days up to 60,000 people would attend major rugby matches like the Panthers and the Springbok, and Eden Park would be swarming with people, with hardly a space to spare, “said Graham Walton.

Thousands of fans would stand on rooftops of private homes that had vintage view of Eden Park and watch the matches for free.

An enterprising Irish lady build a stand on her private property at 1 Cricket Ave, adjacent to the Eden Park and christened it O’Sullivan Stand. She did a thriving business with the rugby aficionados by selling them tickets to her cricket stand.

Flour bombs were dropped on the rugby players during the controversial 1981 Springbok tour at the mystique Eden Park, in protest against apartheid in South Africa, by a conscientious objector from a small airplane.

He made 58 daredevil flyovers over the Eden Park and the whole nation froze and held their breath.

Soccer, hockey, cricket, running and in 1943 our American brothers played their football at the Eden Park to the sports crazy New Zealanders.

Our mighty All Blacks won World Rugby Cup in 1987 and 2011 at the holy grail of rugby the Eden Park.

“After the presentation by the guest speaker Mr. Walton we had tea break and engaged with the good people of Takapuna,” said President Alton Shameem JP, the New Zealander - Fijian of Fiji Club New Zealand (FCNZ) and Fiji Council New Zealand (FCoNZ).

Ends

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