Welsh rugby is mourning the passing of two stalwart servants of the game following the recent deaths of Terry Vaux and David Johnson.
Vaux was synonymous with the golden age of rugby at Pontypool, where he provided great service in a variety of roles.
“Terry was a brilliant servant to Pontypool RFC, having first been elected to the club’s committee in 1966,” said a club statement.
“He immediately served on the Finance and Ticket sub-committees, acted as chairman from 1972 to 1978, became president from 1987 to 1993 and was the club’s solicitor from 1970 through to 1996.
“Terry also served the whole of Welsh rugby within the WRU as a representative from District A, which he did for 25 years from 1978 to 2003. He was a Vice President of the WRU in the early 1990’s and was due to become President in 1993, however withdrew his candidacy prior to taking post.
“Terry latterly served our local clubs, as secretary of District A.”
Having taken over from Jack Davies as one of the three WRU reps for District A in 1978, Vaux became chair of the referees committee and also took up one of the two posts on the International Rugby Board.
By 1991 he was a junior vice president, became next in line as senior vice president a year later, but pulled out of the race to become president in 1993 in the wake of the row over his involvement with the tour to South Africa to help that union celebrate its centenary in 1989.
“I don’t believe that the support for me at this time would be sufficiently universal and therefore in the best interests of Welsh rugby District A my family and myself I have decided not to stand for election for the presidency,” he said in March 1993.
He continued to serve District A on the general committee and in 1996 found himself embroiled in a potential strike by referees in a pay row. It was the year after the game had gone open and as chair of the referees committee he realised it was going to become increasingly difficult to pay officials from the top t0 the bottom of the game.
“The general committee are anxious to pull back the boundaries of professionalism. Wales has gone too far and we want to pull it back to the first and second division,” said Vaux in December that year.
“To pay referees down to the fifth division is giving the wrong signals Welsh rugby can’t afford this — clubs will go bankrupt. We see professionalism in division one and two which is the end of the gate-taking clubs below which there are no sources of income.
“Feelings and opinions are running very strongly – stronger than I expected. It would be sad if we couldn’t come to an agreement but there are no plans for any meetings at the moment.”
The strike was averted and he continued to sit of the WRU until he lost his seat in 2003. Even so, he continued to serve the game, and the club, he loved for another three years.
David Rees Johnson, who has also died, became the Welsh Districts Rugby Union representative on the WRU general committee in centenary season, 1980-81. He took over John Rees.
Prior to that he had been a highly respected referee and became the treasurer of the WDRU. At the WRU he became chair of the disciplinary committee serving, in that role for more than a decade and was also served on the referees and general purposes committee.
With his wife he ran the Welsh fixture pool, which was of huge benefit to clubs seeking fixtures at the last moments. After leaving the WRU he represented Gwent on the WDRU.
The WRU thanks both Terry and David for their contributions to our national sport and offers sincere condolences to their families and friends.