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A Recollection from Alan Purdie
After leaving college, Alan’s sporting focus was on running with the Presbyterian Harrier Club – Wellington. Alan did not want to be bound to a sports team, or a team situation. After being knocked out playing XV rugby, rugby was no longer an option. Alan tried athletics with the Kiwi Club at Hataitai Park, and tennis at the Te Rama Club at Kilbirnie, but favoured the Harriers.
The Presbyterian Harrier Club – Wellington was very much a part of the Bible Class movement. There were multiple Presbyterian Clubs in Auckland, South Auckland, Lower Hutt, Christchurch, Timaru and Dunedin. All of these Clubs would compete annually for the St. Andrew’s Trophy event that was held during Queen’s Birthday weekend. While the club was labelled Presbyterian, no one was excluded from joining. However, most of the membership was made up of Presbyterian Bible Class members. The Bible Class movement was very active in the 1950s and 1960s, and many of the harriers knew each other through that connection or College activities. It was a common connection that made for a strong bond of fellowship within the membership.
Here is a sampling of the Presbyterian Harrier Club – Wellington song:
In Wellington there were also Baptist and Methodist Harrier Clubs. All the Church based Clubs were affiliated with Wellington Athletics through a Harrier Sub-Committee. This affiliation enabled them to compete against the other registered harrier clubs in its organised events such as the Dorne Cup, Shaw Baton Relay, Vosseler Shield, Provincial Championships, the Wellington to Masterton Relay and an End-of-Season Road Race. There were also annual Junior and Senior Championships within the Presbyterian Harrier Club – Wellington. Whilst Alan was a junior, he ran second in the Road Race, the course being from the Taranaki Street Wharf to Point Jerningham and back.
The Wellington to Masterton Relay required a team of ten. The race started at the Post Office Square by Queens Wharf and ended at the Masterton Post Office. Alan usually ran the legs from Featherstone to Greytown or Greytown to Clareville. The Club would hire a bus for runners and supports with cars shuttling runners to the starting points. Alan stated that it was usually a great day out.
The harrier season spanned the winter school and university term, approximately April to October. Each Saturday the harriers would run from a Presbyterian Parish Hall located around Wellington, with the local Bible Class girls providing afternoon tea. Alan mentions “That of course, was an attraction in itself!”
Alan mentioned that they visited most of the Churches in the then Wellington Presbytery area – Plimmerton to Island Bay, Eastbourne to Karori, Seatoun to Rosneath and many in-between. The Plimmterton run was usually scheduled near to the shortest day so they could all have a mid-winter swim.
Members were divided into several packs depending on ability or desire. The packs were usually called ‘Fast,’ ‘Medium,’ ‘Slow,’ and ‘Social.’ Usually a local member or members laid the course for the day with both shredded paper for the cross country part and chalk markings on the footpaths and road.
There was usually an annual Church Parade and they finished the year with a self-catered banquet and prize giving, usually held in the St. John’s Hall. Each member had personal trophy ribbons attached to a Club pin badge, to which members could add dated bars for annual 100% attendance, Championship wins and for Club Captains. Members would wear their jackets for Club occasions.
Alan Ran three St. Andrew’s Trophy events out of Wellington, in South Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch.
"We went to South Auckland by a hired overnight bus with the majority of us wearing Bowler Hats. These were the required attire for the other trips as well. In Christchuch we had great fun going up the Cathedral tower and timing the Bowler hats as they floated down toward the ground."
Going South by ferry Alan was in a two berth cabin with a fellow who was not a harrier, and he got quite a shock when the cabin door flew open, and a harrier fired a water pistol at him!
On the trip to Dunedin Alan and the harriers went by train to Lyttelon and return. There was a refreshment stop at Ashburton, but as there were always a number of sports teams travelling at Queen’s Birthday weekend, the sports teams and the harriers were put in carriages near the front of the train, meaning by the time they got to the refreshment room the passengers were about six deep. However, one quick-minded harrier got a whistle and blew it as if the train was about to start which cleared they way for the harriers to get served.
" We were able to advise a team of girls travelling that the train was not about to depart! Lots of fun!"
By the time it was Wellington’s turn to host the St. Andrew’s Trophy weekend, Alan was Club Captain, so did not run the race. The Presbyterian Harrier Club – Wellington hosted the race out of the Johnsonville Church over a hilly course on farm country out towards Makara and it went well for their winning team.
In 1963 after being away on the St. Andrew’s Trophy weekend, soon after by the Dorne Cup race Alan caught glandular fever which stopped his harrier days.
The Presbyterian Harrier Club – Wellington was very much a part of the Bible Class movement. There were multiple Presbyterian Clubs in Auckland, South Auckland, Lower Hutt, Christchurch, Timaru and Dunedin. All of these Clubs would compete annually for the St. Andrew’s Trophy event that was held during Queen’s Birthday weekend. While the club was labelled Presbyterian, no one was excluded from joining. However, most of the membership was made up of Presbyterian Bible Class members. The Bible Class movement was very active in the 1950s and 1960s, and many of the harriers knew each other through that connection or College activities. It was a common connection that made for a strong bond of fellowship within the membership.
Here is a sampling of the Presbyterian Harrier Club – Wellington song:
“Over hill, over dale, always keeping to the trail the Presies are at it again.
Young and old, meek and bold, we don’t care about the cold, because often we are too jolly tired,
Short and tall we are motley crew and all, but our fellowship is always admired.
So it’s up, up, up and down the other side crossing the hill tops high. Though we puff, thou we groan, we will always have it known that the Presies will never say die, the Presies will never say die.”
In Wellington there were also Baptist and Methodist Harrier Clubs. All the Church based Clubs were affiliated with Wellington Athletics through a Harrier Sub-Committee. This affiliation enabled them to compete against the other registered harrier clubs in its organised events such as the Dorne Cup, Shaw Baton Relay, Vosseler Shield, Provincial Championships, the Wellington to Masterton Relay and an End-of-Season Road Race. There were also annual Junior and Senior Championships within the Presbyterian Harrier Club – Wellington. Whilst Alan was a junior, he ran second in the Road Race, the course being from the Taranaki Street Wharf to Point Jerningham and back.
The Wellington to Masterton Relay required a team of ten. The race started at the Post Office Square by Queens Wharf and ended at the Masterton Post Office. Alan usually ran the legs from Featherstone to Greytown or Greytown to Clareville. The Club would hire a bus for runners and supports with cars shuttling runners to the starting points. Alan stated that it was usually a great day out.
The harrier season spanned the winter school and university term, approximately April to October. Each Saturday the harriers would run from a Presbyterian Parish Hall located around Wellington, with the local Bible Class girls providing afternoon tea. Alan mentions “That of course, was an attraction in itself!”
Alan mentioned that they visited most of the Churches in the then Wellington Presbytery area – Plimmerton to Island Bay, Eastbourne to Karori, Seatoun to Rosneath and many in-between. The Plimmterton run was usually scheduled near to the shortest day so they could all have a mid-winter swim.
Members were divided into several packs depending on ability or desire. The packs were usually called ‘Fast,’ ‘Medium,’ ‘Slow,’ and ‘Social.’ Usually a local member or members laid the course for the day with both shredded paper for the cross country part and chalk markings on the footpaths and road.
There was usually an annual Church Parade and they finished the year with a self-catered banquet and prize giving, usually held in the St. John’s Hall. Each member had personal trophy ribbons attached to a Club pin badge, to which members could add dated bars for annual 100% attendance, Championship wins and for Club Captains. Members would wear their jackets for Club occasions.
Alan Ran three St. Andrew’s Trophy events out of Wellington, in South Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch.
"We went to South Auckland by a hired overnight bus with the majority of us wearing Bowler Hats. These were the required attire for the other trips as well. In Christchuch we had great fun going up the Cathedral tower and timing the Bowler hats as they floated down toward the ground."
Going South by ferry Alan was in a two berth cabin with a fellow who was not a harrier, and he got quite a shock when the cabin door flew open, and a harrier fired a water pistol at him!
On the trip to Dunedin Alan and the harriers went by train to Lyttelon and return. There was a refreshment stop at Ashburton, but as there were always a number of sports teams travelling at Queen’s Birthday weekend, the sports teams and the harriers were put in carriages near the front of the train, meaning by the time they got to the refreshment room the passengers were about six deep. However, one quick-minded harrier got a whistle and blew it as if the train was about to start which cleared they way for the harriers to get served.
" We were able to advise a team of girls travelling that the train was not about to depart! Lots of fun!"
By the time it was Wellington’s turn to host the St. Andrew’s Trophy weekend, Alan was Club Captain, so did not run the race. The Presbyterian Harrier Club – Wellington hosted the race out of the Johnsonville Church over a hilly course on farm country out towards Makara and it went well for their winning team.
In 1963 after being away on the St. Andrew’s Trophy weekend, soon after by the Dorne Cup race Alan caught glandular fever which stopped his harrier days.
Relates to
A Recollection from Alan Purdie . Presbyterian Research Centre, accessed 19/06/2025, https://pcanzarchives.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/117410
