The Goulburn Rugby family is deeply saddened by the death of Life Member Terry Tilden, who passed away at Warrigal Aged Care on 27 December. He was 86.

While none of us last forever, it was the universal wish of all that knew him that somehow Terry might prove immortal. While passing was inevitable, it is a day the club has long dreaded and a loss the Reds will never be fully ready for.

A man who was involved ever since its reboot in 1957, Terry was referred to variously as the heart and soul of the Goulburn Rugby Club, the father of the Dirty Reds and Mr Goulburn Rugby.

If you went to a laboratory and tried to design a better ambassador for Goulburn Rugby, you could do no better.

Generous, gregarious, spritely, committed, welcoming and loyal are just a few of the words you could use to describe the man, and they would be incomplete.

His involvement with the Dirty Reds began at Day One of the club’s relaunch in 1957. Characteristically self-effacing he described, with a wink and a grin, his part in that very first team.

“My role in that first side was absolutely essential,” he said.

“Without me they only had 14 blokes.”

Terry Tilden scoring a try in 1958.

Those who played with him clarify that he was a very handy player and much more than just a number filler. But he would never want to stuff up a good story, or a good punchline.

Of course his efforts didn’t remain solely on the paddock. He turned his hand to anything the club needed. Coach, committee member, fund raiser, supporter. How many opposition goal kickers heard his call of “That’s a whammy” echo across the various grounds the club played on over the years? Some even earned a double whammy. That’s when he was drawing upon some serious juju, although no stats have been kept on the effectiveness of the whammy.

But whatever the Club needed, Terry would put his hand up. Across the years, significant stories about Terry’s involvement pepper the club’s history..

In 1970, Terry was linesman for a second grade match against RMC at Seiffert Oval in (while he also happened to be the acting mayor of Goulburn). The match was an extremely fiery affair with penalties and cautions delivered one after another. A fight always seemed on the cards and it finally presented itself when Goulburn’s Harold Robinson was tackled high and then given a boot to the head for good luck.  

Unprepared to sit back and watch that, Terry ran on to the field and flattened the guilty RMC forward, forgetting briefly that he wasn’t a fighter, and that he WAS a linesman. The RMC pack unfortunately remembered they WERE fighters and soon an all in brawl began with Terry soon also on the ground and both sides throwing fists like they were windmills.  

RMC had been winning the match but the referee, Major Cliff Dodds, ruled “no game” which ruled RMC out of the semi finals. There was much deliberating after the match but it was felt that, given the spiteful nature of the match, and the fact Terry was clobbered by a trained serviceman, they’d take no further action. He was not only exonerated for his actions,  

but RMC also (eventually) awarded Terry a plaque on a shield with a broken linesman’s flag which is still in the possession of the club today. 

In May of 1975 a column in the Goulburn Post, when referring to the Goulburn Rugby Club, columnist Peter Parlett makes the comment… ” or the Dirty Reds as Terry Tilden calls them.” It is a name that clearly stuck like you know what to a blanket, and gives even more veracity to the title Father of the Dirty Reds.

In 1977 he got to know a talented young rookie by the name of Simon Poidevin, who went on to do great things in rugby and who has very fond memories of a man who played a significant role in nurturing his interest in adult rugby.

“Terry was a true legend of the Goulburn Dirty Reds and will always be part of my personal rugby history,” Poidevin said.

“He was the most loving, caring and supportive person and I might add the most outgoing and gregarious dry cleaner in the region. We took all of our family business his way without a thought.”

In terms of rugby related memories, Terry was there from Poidevin’s very first game.

“I played in 1977 and was lucky to be part of the grand final winning side and Terry was an absolutely inspiring character to all of us and has remained that for all the time since.”

Poidevin said he could go on with anecdotes about “Wiz” all day, but had one particular story he thought that epitomised some of Terry’s traits.

“I was playing against the All Blacks in 1980 in Brisbane and one if the all All Blacks cracked my head open and there was a bit of blood… and all I could hear in this huge stadium was someone yelling out “Come on blood nut, keep on going.” That was Terry. Travelled all that way, along with a group of other supporters, let me know he was there and inspired me to go on.”

Terry’s love of the sport of rugby was absolute. Many were the presentation nights where he would state his oft-repeated summary of the sport.

“Rugby is the only game. All others are derivatives thereof and should be treated with the contempt they thus deserve.”

Like so much of what he said, it was delivered with a good-natured wink and a smile but it still made it clear this was his number one sport. In fact Terry got what not every gets… that while he was a passionate rugby fan, his depth of passion was also the result of the community he was part of and helped build and the people he met, became involved with and mentored.

The unveiling of the sign for Terry Tilden’s Hill. This photo and main photo, Pete Oliver.

Terry’s involvements in the broader Goulburn community are much broader in scope. Working with community and service groups, a councillor and deputy mayor, a performer, and for those of us lucky enough to visit Catholic school fetes of the 70s and 80s, a chocolate wheel barker and handler extraordinaire.

On top of being the engaging dry cleaner Simon Poidevin alluded to, he also assisted people involved with the Brain Injury Unit and a whole list of other non-rugby things that will no doubt be summarised elsewhere.

But for Goulburn Rugby… he attended (or played in) more games than probably anyone else in the club’s history, and that’s even with more recent health problems limiting his involvement.

If you played more than a handful of games over the last 67 years, he saw you play. For literally generations of Goulburn Rugby players… he met you, probably spoke to you and likely knew you.

I believe all of those that met him would agree on the following.

When he was talking to you, his focus was on you. He had time to hear what you wanted to say, and he was interested.

He had a million funny stories and anecdotes and told them better than anyone else could.

He never rubbished players or sides coming off the field. He encouraged, supported and cheered.

He smiled when he spoke and was engaging, honest, friendly and decent to all.

He was a great role model, an entertainer, a true gentleman, and perhaps the very best of us.

Two years ago, the club decided to name the three hills that sit alongside our two ovals. There was a small amount of discussion about whose names would adorn two of them, but there was no discussion about the main hill in front of the club house… it would be named after Terry Tilden. No argument. Total agreement.

The sign with his name on it sits there now as a reminder and always will, but we will all of us retain our own Terry Tilden stories.

Terry leaves behind his dearly loved wife Margaret, his children Wayne, Tracey and Scott, their respective partners, children and grandchildren.

The Goulburn Rugby Club reaches out to them all, extends our genuine sympathies and condolences and reminds them that they are all forever part of the Goulburn Rugby Family.

His funeral will take place at St Peter and Paul’s Cathedral at 2pm on 9th January followed by a private cremation and a wake at the Goulburn Rugby Clubhouse.

There are never enough words to summarise anyone’s life and particularly one who stands astride this club like a colossus. A big, gentle, grinning colossus.

But for now…Goodbye Tez. Farewell Wiz. Thank you from an eternally grateful Club.

Vale Terry Tilden.