
For the much of its existence as Wellington’s Premier rugby ground, the far side of Athletic Park was known as the western bank, and its denizens were known as western bankers.
Not for the faint-hearted, the western bank was a precarious, often dangerous, and sometimes feral embankment that was upgraded following the infamous All Blacks- Springbok test in pouring rain in 1921, and later in 1961 replaced by a then state-of-the-art stand with covered seating for 5,300 spectators underneath an open, exposed and steep top deck that could accommodate 6,600 souls. This was given the name the Millard Stand, after the then long-time WRFU administrator and chairman.
Like the 1921 test against the Springboks, the first international played with the new Millard Stand on 5 August 1961 was also a test would go down in history and become known as the ‘Cyclone Test. All Blacks fullback Don Clarke kicked a freak sideline conversion into the wind to give the All Blacks a 5-3 victory.
What of the man that the stand was named after?
Millard was a giant of a rugby administrator for over five decades, and prominent in national administration for three decades.
John Norman Millard was born in Fortrose on the south coast of Southland in 1890 and was educated at Southland Boys’ High School between 1904-08.
In his youth, Millard was a promising track and field athlete and rugby player as a wing and centre in Otago where he moved to start university in 1909. But a leg injury ended his provincial career for Otago after just two games. These two caps for Otago were in 1911 against the New Zealand Natives side and against Wanganui.
Millard’s job as a school teacher took him to Wellington and he served on the Wellington union management committee between 1916-1964, and he was WRFU Chairman in 1937, the year of the second in-bound Springboks tour, and occupied that position until his retirement 27 years later in 1964. He was also WRFU President in 1950.
He was a prominent selector and was the Wellington rugby team’s sole selector for seven seasons from 1927-34, and again in 1952 and 1953. He was also New Zealand Universities selector-coach between 1921-1933.
A highlight of his first stint as Wellington selector was beating Great Britain 12-8 in 1930 and also winning the Ranfurly Shield that year.
He was a maths and science secondary school teacher and started his teaching career at Wellington College between 1912-1927 before transferring to Hutt Valley High School in 1928 and spending some time in the deputy Principal’s chair. When the headmastership came up at the end of the 1933, Millard applied and got the job. He was that school’s principal between 1934-52.
In 1953 Millard was elected to the NZRU Executive in 1953 and remained there until 1966.
He also served a year as President of the NZRU in 1942.
Millard was All Blacks manager on their 1953-54 tour to Britain, Ireland and France.
A June 2000 New Zealand Herald article had this to say about the Millard Stand:
With the top deck uncovered, exposing the masses to a freezing southerly and biting rain, it remains one of the premier vantage points to watch a rugby match.
All Black and Wellington wing Stu Wilson said the Millard Stand was a huge factor in the home advantage.
“When you ran out there the crowd was almost on top of you. When you saw the top deck of the Millard was full, you knew the crowd was behind you.”
Former All Black captain Andy Leslie first played at the park as a schoolboy in an age-grade representative match.
In subsequent games for Wellington and his sole test appearance on the park, against Ireland as captain in 1976, Leslie always looked on the Millard Stand fondly.
“It had a huge impact,” he said. “With it being just a rugby ground, the crowd was almost in your face. When you run out from under the old stand, you looked up into a sea of faces.
“It was a magnificent atmosphere. The only stadium that compares in that respect is King’s Park in Durban.”
For his services to rugby, Millard was awarded an O.B.E in 1954 and in 1967 he was made a Life Member of the NZRU.
Millard died in Wellington in 1978, aged 88.
Article References:
- Donoghue, Tim. Athletic Park. A Lost Football Ground. Tom Donoghue Productions, Wellington 1999.
- Evening Post, various clippings, 1920s-1960s.
- Palenski, Ron, Chester, Rod and McMillan, Neville. The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand Rugby. Hodder Moa, Auckland 2005.
- Swan, Arthur C.; Jackson, Gordon F. W. (1952). Wellington’s Rugby History 1870 – 1950. Wellington, New Zealand: A. H. & A. W. Reed