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Junior rugby on the Taieri Plain will be in celebration mode next weekend when the West Taieri Junior Rugby Club marks its 50th anniversary.
The junior section of the Outram-based club was established in May 1963, when 24 boys from Outram, Momona, Henley and Berwick were brought together to form the club's first team.
The committee had to borrow money from its senior club to get established, a match ball was donated and parents spent weekends chopping and selling firewood to purchase a set of jerseys and socks.
Dunedin man Peter Mockford (62) was a member of the original team and has fond memories of the club.
''We all played for our schools but this was the first time we had a club in the area.''
There was then just one rugby field and a small shed used as changing rooms, he said.
Mockford still follows the progress of West Taieri through his great-nephew, Liam Brady (6), who plays for the club's under-8 team.
''The club has gone from strength to strength since those early years. It's great to see,'' Mockford said.
Anniversary organising committee chairman Darryl MacKenzie said more than 120 people were expect to attend, including the club's first female player, Donna Allison, who is returning from Australia. Allison played for the club in 1979.
A weekend of festivities was planned, beginning with a Friday night gathering at the clubrooms, home matches for the seven junior teams, a dinner and dance on Saturday evening and a rugby fun day on Sunday run by Otago players.
MacKenzie said the club continued to thrive on the back of strong community support, and more than 100 junior players were involved this season.
Anniversary registrations would remain open until late next week if former players, coaches and supporters still wanted to attend, he said.
Mockford was looking forward to the weekend and catching up with former team and school mates.
''I just hope I can recognise a few of them after 50 years,'' he said.