British and Irish Lions visit Maitland

The Maitland Mercury

British and Irish Lions visit Maitland on Sunday, July 6, 2025, to play tribute to their first captain Robert Seddon who died in a boating accident on the Hunter River ther in 1888.

Transcript

00:00The story behind Robert Seddon is one that we hold dear to our heart. We look after his

00:06grave in honour of that and it's a really important part of our history and Maitland

00:11Rugby Club's history is very important to us. So I welcome you all and extend my sincere gratitude

00:17to Pat Howard and the Maitland Rugby Club for their incredible work in preserving this space

00:21and honouring the memory of Robert Seddon. It is indeed a tragic event that brings us here today.

00:27Robert Seddon the Lions first ever captain lost his life at the tender age of 28 in a sculling

00:32accident on the Maitland River on August 15 1888. Robert was a remarkable athlete, capped three

00:39times for England, scoring tries for the Lions against teams including Auckland and New South

00:44Wales and even kicking goals in Australian rules matches against Bendigo and Port Adelaide. He was

00:51inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2013 who will forever be missed. But where there is

00:58profound sadness there is also strength. I look around this cemetery today and see a rugby community

01:04from opposite corners of the world united together. To stand here this morning 137 years later paying

01:10tribute to a lost member of the rugby family speaks to the truly remarkable bond we all share.

01:15This universal bond I believe our game's greatest strength. In closing I'd like to share with you

01:23an excerpt from a letter found in Robert Seddon's blazer pocket after his passing by his teammate

01:29Jack Aderton and Andrew Stoddart, the latter of whom would assume the captaincy of the Lions for the

01:36remainder of the tour. The letter penned just days before the tragic accident includes Robert's reflections of

01:42the Lions first ever tour including the following passage about the team's travel by steamer to the

01:48Hunter region. He says the sail was the most beautiful sight which will be long remembered by most of our

01:56players. Sailing up the river a bright moon was out and creeks and tall mountains covered with trees

02:02on each side of us while we were smoking and singing as if we had not a care in the whole wide world.

02:08Robert Seddon may not have originated from this land but it is here a place he held dearly that became

02:14his forever home. May he rest in peace. Thank you very much.

02:18Thank you Phil and as you alluded to there there's actually an AFL game where he was kicking goals

02:29because that initial tour had 35 rugby matches, 16 AFL games and of course a cricket game as well

02:36just as a good measure and they're in Queensland just a few days later. So on behalf of the Lions could

02:42I get the Iron Evans chair of the board and Lions number 616.

02:51Geoff and Wauriawn, thank you very much indeed. It is a thrill to be here as Lion 616

02:58became due respect to Lion number 11, Robert Seddon. We're involved in a beautifully imperfect game

03:07which evolved from the very first tour 137 years ago. It's organically grown to becoming this anachronism in

03:16the global game that we rely very heavily on and the shape of that has largely remained intact all the way

03:24through the very first period in 1888. For us as the British and Irish Lions we're extremely grateful for

03:32the stewardship of making Rugby Club to look after and with due respect to our very first captain,

03:38Robert Seddon, who died so tragically but have made an awful lot of contribution to our legacy and

03:45that's really important for us. Legacy is really important for the game as a whole but for the Lions in

03:51particular. We shine a very powerful beacon wherever we travel and in this moment it's shining very much on

03:59making rugby club and this graveyard here where we pay due respect to one of our first leaders,

04:06our very first leader who shaped the modern phenomena of that is the British and Irish Lions.

04:13And we talk about values, values are so important to the game of rugby union, integrity, friendship which

04:20is our greatest attribute as a sport, friendship, true friendship forged in difficult circumstances.

04:26You can't ask for more tragic and difficult circumstances of losing your leader midway through

04:31your tour but you remain united. That unity is so important to the game. You cannot play on your own,

04:37you need your mates, you need your friends, true friendship that lasts a lifetime and that's really

04:42important for us. On the behalf of the British and Irish Lions can I thank you once again from bottom of my heart

04:48for the stewardship and the care and consideration you show for our leader from 1988, from 1888 rather

04:56and look forward to hopefully, if you're in one more, many more tours yet to come but thank you

05:02very much indeed from the bottom of our heart as you pay respect to Robert Zedden. Thank you very much.

05:06Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

05:16Before we lay the reins, we'll observe a minute's last for Robert Zedden.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended