Local Dentist, all round excellent human being, Rugby Legend and Harden Devils stalwart Hugo Sachs received Life Membership of the Harden Red Devils on May 9 at the Harden Racecourse pavilion.
Hugo has made an enormous contribution to the twin towns after landing here in 1980. He joins a select group of past players and administrators who are life members.
Celebrating their 50th year with a dinner accomodating 300 people, Hugo says it was an unexpected surprise.
“I have enjoyed the Rugby Club, I got more pleasure out of helping than advocating for Life Memberships,” he says.
“For me, being associated with the Rugby Club has provided some friendships of a lifetime and we don’t get to see each other as often as we would probably like to, but it is a great organisation and there is nothing better than winning of course.”
Hugo also works as the local dentist and has been working with the community since 1980.
The previous Dentist in town was non other than Geoff Kruger and Hugo said that Geoff wanted to finish on 50 years and he waited until then, before taking over. “I took over on the 14th or 15th of December,” he says.
Before arriving in Harden in 1980 he first coached Griffith.
“I was in charge of the second grade and between the two grades, we won both premierships, which was great. We used to have 60 blokes turn up to secure positions at training.”
When Hugo arrived in Harden, he says they were “dragging blokes out of the pub” on the day to field sides. Their efforts paid off and the team took home the first three matches in a row.
Since his inaugural season in Harden, Hugo then became a selector for South West before coaching the U21s for three years.
“There’s a lot of very talented footballers, but the hard part is getting them to come to training and then travelling is always an issue.”
Hugo says his time with rugby has always been a bit of a gift meshed with resilience and stubbornness.
“I fractured my pelvis and dislocated my femur, and I was told never to play rugby again,” he says.
“I did that when I was 16 and was told not to play again, which I never paid any attention to.”
“I just loved playing, and if you don’t get any enjoyment out of it, don’t go out there in the first place, which is really what it boils down to.”
Perhaps due to his own injury history, Hugo was often the one called to help put people back together on the field.
One story tells of the need to stitch a nasty head would up.
“I remember poor old …………. got split right down the middle.”
The doctor at the rugby game had been sampling a few drinks and was not on the clock.
“I said to …….. I would rather wait until we got home to take him to the surgery, and he said, ‘no, I want to get this fixed up as I’m going to Griffith’.”
Accompanying his friend to the local hospital, Hugo soon found himself in charge.
“I said, ‘have you got a suture etc, etc’, and she said, ‘are you a doctor?’ I said, ‘close enough’ and then patched him up,” he says.
“Then all hell broke loose because I was a VD, a visiting dental officer, as I was doing dentistry and explained that I had done a Masters Degree.”
“He didn’t have any complications, seven or eight sutures later and the boys were off once more.”
This wasn’t the only time that Hugo was asked to lend his medical skills and understanding of biology. Back in the old days, he was often called upon to put a finger or a shoulder back in when they came out, something that was necessary when a long way from home or hospital or for the very tough players who had it happen every now and again, to get straight back on the field.
Although Hugo has long hung up his boots and taken a step back from any more emergencies with Rugby, he can still be seen cheering on the team from the sidelines. It’s just what he did to help in those day and what those who had the skills to help did is now just referred to the hospitals on the bush circuit, meaning players are in pain longer and it can be a worse outcome, but times have changed.
Hugo’s two sons Tim and Harry both played and like Hugo, both suffered nasty and often recurring injuries which they didn’t let hold them back. Tim came out of retirement to play for North Sydney later in his career after several shoulder dislocations. Harry’s knees are in quite the mess, but he hasn’t let it stop him. He like his father has contributed deeply to the club and been a President, player and coach.
Hugo said, “Now I’ve got three grandsons playing,”
“The eldest one just got selected for Norths representative side in the Under 10s. He’s a fly half, but he has decided he is going to be a hooker, and I’m thinking, ‘geez mate, you need a lot more bulking out, you are not like your old man (Tim) in build’.”
Hugo’s youngest grandson is described by his grandfather as a terrorist on the football field.
His middle grandson is another great player.
“So, three Sachs, so it will be interesting to see if they all play in the same team when they are over 21,” he says.
“They seem to love the game.
“My darling wife blames me for the injuries that all of them have received, because I encouraged them to play.”
Mandy and daughter Jess have continued to contribute to the club and it’s often the wives, partners and girlfriends that get in and keep the clubs going so that the men traditionally and now the women can keep everyone entertained with their football.
Hugo says it was a great experience to sit and reminisce about the great group of characters that used to work within the Club – both off of the field and on at the dinner.
For now, Hugo continues his work as a dentist for the Harden community (without the emergency footballer stitch-ups or popping shoulders in).
But if you were in a bad way, everyone looked to the tall fella on the sideline with the gentle hands that knew how to get it done. And it brought everyone calm.
Although he no longer coaches or plays, one thing remains true.
Once a Devil, always a Devil.
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