FRIDAY night's Astley Cup Ball was the perfect opportunity for five Bathurst High footballers to reminisce on their school days.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
David Conyers, Adam Hart, Greg Grinham, Mark Regan and former school captain Ken Dillon were the only members of the 1975 rugby league team to attend the ball at Bathurst Goldfields.
They unfortunately never tasted Astley Cup success during their school career - Bathurst would endure a horrendous 25-year drought from 1964 to 1989 - but the memories they created with their classmates still last to this day.
Mr Conyers, who enjoyed a successful career in rugby union, described the social aspect of the Astley Cup as "incredible".
"The fact that you get out of school and compete and you get to travel and get billeted out there with other kids in people's homes.
"It was a very good thing to unite the school.
"And I think Ken Barwick is doing a great job today and his passion for it is incredible.
"It was really nice to see everybody, even if they weren't an athlete or that way inclined, still get right behind it and cheer it on. It was a really nice school sentiment towards the cup."
That 1975 team Mr Conyers competed in also contested the University Shield.
"We could always beat Lithgow, then we'd come up against South Dubbo, who won the title five or six times, beating all the Sydney sides.
"We could never get past them so we never progressed that well in that competition."
Mr Conyers said the Astley Cup Ball was a fantastic opportunity for him to catch up with his ex-classmates.
"Adam and I are the only two blokes that live in town," he said.
"The others are scattered all over. Greg is a headmaster of a school in Sydney, Ken lives in Wagga. Mark is in Camden.
"We don't get to see each other that often."
It was only during year 10-12 that Mr Conyers played rugby league, before he enjoyed a career in rugby union, that included successful stints coaching across the Central West, North America and Europe.
The Astley Cup celebrated 100 years in 2023, originally founded in 1923 as a contest between Dubbo schools before it became a competition for Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo in 1925.
Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.
