John McBeth presents military medals to Marist St Pats
Former Premier player John McBeth has bestowed a great honour on Marist St Pats by presenting his military medals to the club.
The 1997 Jubilee Cup winner has recently completed over 20 years of service to the Australian Defence and has returned to his beloved Marist St Pats. He wanted to recognise the impact Marist St Pats has had on his life by sharing his medals and his story with the club.
Our players and members had the privilege of having John speak to them at the clubrooms over the past two weeks and has graciously shared his story and reflections in his own words:
Early days
I was born at Wellington Hospital in 1976 and attended Newtown Primary school before moving to Porirua when I was eight and attended Windley School. I then attended Bishop Viard College for forms one and two; followed by forms three to seven at St Patrick's College, Wellington.
It was a natural progression for the lads from St Pats College to gravitate to Marist St Pats and after completing school and joining Marist St Pats I also undertook my plumbing apprenticeship.
Joining Marist St Pats
The essence of playing for Marist St Pats was really captured with the love and passion I observed from the first day I walked into the club. There were a cross section of blue and white collar workers saturated amongst the players and as a playing member of the club, you were none the wiser.
I trained and played alongside from Police Officers, labourers, accountants and teachers - Matt Christie was my geography teacher and I actually played alongside this great player!
Again a true testimony to the dedication and love people have for this club.
Mentors and friendships
Patrick (Pat) Dunn was my mentor and was instrumental with respect to my personal and professional development. A lot of people don’t know he invested a lot of time with players on and off the clock. I had a lot of personal issues from my parents marriage breakdown that affected us kids.
Pat provided a shoulder to lean on and an effective soundboard to problem solve my time out and tailoring my aggression on the field. I have a lot to be grateful with Pat and as you know will always shy away from any accolades, as this is something he most definitely avoided!
Ruffy Mollo was someone who always made time with my admin issues from club fees, personal questions, inappropriate questions, and having no socks! His tenacity in managing the teams players and his busy schedule was second to none. I never felt embarrassed about having no money, he paid for my drinks a few times when I was short at the bar. He would give the ‘nod’ and walk off.
Tony Meachen was a great coach and spent time with his beloved forwards; the passion he had was infectious and this was more evident with his corporate knowledge of the game. He helped me understand that a bad game is all it is… learn from it and, most importantly, get over it and move on. I learned a lot from this man and I appreciated the game a lot more too.
I hold Kevin Horan in the highest regards with his no nonsense approach to this game. His devotion and time spent breaking down plays was my very first insight into the technical aspects of scrummaging and what grit actually means. I will forever be grateful for his time helping me develop both personally and professionally.
The senior players with the team Pottsie, Zak, both Matts, Higgs, Rolleston - just to name a few - made you want to play harder. I learned the definition of resilience very early on thanks to grit displayed by the 1997 Jubilee Cup winning cup team.
What I admired about all Marist St Pats players, junior and senior, within this club there were no egos. Yes we have each other grief, mere banter as we all had a common goal… TO WIN.
Service to the Australian Defence Force
Upon receiving my Australian Citizenship in 2000 I joined the Australian Defence. I am very patriotic and could not think of a better way to give back than to join the Army.
My very first unit was 2-14 Light Horse Regiment based in Brisbane. At the time they had M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier able to take up to 10 people. I made a lot of good mates here and played a lot of rugby, I can recall being airlifted from one place back to base with a few of the lads in a Blackhawk Chopper due to a rugby game.
Five years later I transferred to the Royal Australian Corps Military Police. I soon found my calling and trained for a specialised role. I failed the barrier testing twice and finally passed in my third year and became a Close Personal Protection Operator, (CPPO), a specialised role as a bodyguard within a team or on my own.
I was fortunate to serve in Baghdad, Iraq and Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. I travelled the world and these experiences are something I will never forget. Some of my friends never made it home. A lot of things of saw I can’t unsee.
I decided last year my mental health was more important than pursuing a career that I assessed was no longer a viable option for me. I enjoyed the many opportunities afforded to me however it was time to look after me.
Coming home to Marist St Pats
After everything I've said and done, donating my medals to the club I love and respect is merely a small gesture to thank Marist St Pats for their service to someone like me and for the others who don’t have a voice.
What an exciting time 2024 is for the proud players of Marist St Pats. The dedication and commitment of these players is evident in not only the way they play but the attitudes they have amongst themselves.
I was fortunate to watch the Premiers and Premier Reserves play against Tawa and Wainuiomata. These young men should not be underestimated as they have what it takes to take the competition out.
I was very proud to see the lads post-game and be a part of our clubrooms again, as it has been quite some time since I left New Zealand.
The atmosphere is actually buzzing up at the clubrooms. No one is being coerced to remain, the players and some supporters forget they have homes. What I saw just last night at the clubrooms were certain conversations taking place from players, unknown to them I could hear them speaking amongst themselves.
They weren’t talking about PlayStations, Xbox, Tinder or any other social platforms… They were actually talking about being pumped about training upcoming Tuesday! That in itself resonates with me and is a confirmation that this club under the strong leadership of our Management Committee and Director of Rugby Sean Horan is in good hands.
There is no magic formula, it’s a cliche but it’s true - the good, the bad and the ugly.
Marist St Pats is honoured to be presented with John's medals, they are now displayed with pride in our Trophy Cabinet. Thank you John for sharing your story with us!
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