RUGBY UNION
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BARRY Ruddy says becoming a director at NSW Country Rugby Union will allow him to stay involved with the sport he loves.
Ruddy stood down as the Central Western Rugby Union president this month after three years in the role, due to work commitments.
He is moving to Ballina after Christmas to take up a new position within Westpac.
Ruddy had been heavily involved with Emus, at one stage being the board’s president for a number of years, but he no longer has an official role with the Orange club.
He said he wanted to stay involved with rugby union and his position with NSW Country will allow him to do that.
“Our job is to foster and promote the game of rugby in country NSW,” Ruddy said.
“I’ll bring a bit of my finance background to the board and see if we can do things better.”
NSW Country will keep Ruddy busy with around 10 meetings a year and he will be the director on duty when the NSW Country Cockatoos play a game at Lismore next year.
Ruddy will live in Alstonville and said he is likely to check out the local clubs in the area.
“Whichever team is closest I’ll probably head down there on a Saturday and have a look,” he said.
“It will be nice to watch a game and not have to worry about all the other stuff.”
Ruddy said he will still have a connection with Orange and the Emus.
“I’ll do some bits and pieces (for Emus) from afar. I still have ties to Orange,” he said.
“My son, Ben, is still there. Even though we don’t know what the future holds, this is not a permanent move. We’ll probably stay there for a few years.”
