Testimonial match will be tribute to Donald

Apr 16 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

FOR more than 37 years Donald Naysmith has dedicated his life to Livingston Rugby Club.

From arriving at their temporary playing fields on Bankton Mains as a lanky teenager with his boots slung over his shoulder to becoming an integral cog in the Livingston Rugby Club machine, Donald has been part and parcel of the county rugby scene.

Even after the full-time whistle sounded on his playing days, he continued to devote himself to the club as he filled a variety of positions from match and team secretary to President.

His wife Joan helped serve the teas, joined by daughter Linsey, and his teenage son Ewan is now making inroads in the sport, making the Naysmith’s one of the first families of the club.

And now after given almost four decades of loyal service to the club Donald is set to get a little back in appreciation in the form of a testimonial match.

But sadly, the match between a Donald Naysmith Select and a Select squad from Forth Valley comes not just as a tribute to the Livi stalwart but as a fundraiser for charity.

Naysmith was diagnosed with an untreatable form of cancer last October and the match has been arranged to raise cash for two charities close to his heart — Hearts and Balls who work for injured servicemen and injured rugby players and for the Jamie King Uro-oncology Fund at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital.

The second charity was set up to enable specialist team members to travel to other cancer centres to learn of new treatments and techniques.

The testimonial match promises to bring together the great and the good from county and national rugby from past and present and Donald is hoping for a good turnout.

He said: “I have met so many people over the years from all walks of life through rugby and I hope to see many of them at the testimonial.

“The sport brings together all kinds of people from sheriffs to surgeons and there will be so many faces from over the years who will be coming along.

“Guys like Peter Harris, Andy Adams and David Wilson will be there and it will be great to see them all again.

“I was overwhelmed when I heard about this match but that’s rugby. It really is a friendly sport and you could go to any country in the world with your boots and get a game with people. It’s terrific. I’ve been involved with rugby for so long and I’ve seen the great, the good and everything else.

“I also want to raise a bit of money for a couple of charities which are close to my heart.”

Donald has been the ultimate stalwart for Livingston Rugby Club and his love of sport also served him well in his work where he was head of PE at Armadale Academy for more than 25 years.

In total he pulled on the Livingston top-team shirt more than 500 times, but he still remembers the first day he popped up looking for a game at the age of just 15.

“I remember turning up at a training session at Craigshill when I was still just 15,” he recalled.

“At that time there were no youth ranks at the club so it was straight in with the big boys. It was a big jump but I think it quickened up my development.”

The wiry teen quickly cemented his position in the second row and at number eight and later went on to make a wealth of appearances and held the posts of captain and vice-captain, before joining the club’s committee on his playing retirement and serving in a variety of roles including president.

He is currently the club’s vice-president (rugby) and represents Scottish Hydro Electric Premier Division 3 clubs on the Scottish Rugby Council.

After so long at the hub of West Lothian rugby, Donald has seen all the highs and lows but there are a few memories which stick out for him.

He continued: “The highlights for me were coming through in the 70s and 80s when we had a brilliant seven-a-side team — known as The Magnificent Seven — which won many tournaments. We were also very strong at 15-a-side level.

“Another memorable time was when we won promotion to Premier 3 and playing at that level brought many highlights and seasons I’ll never forget.

“Reaching the Shield final at Murrayfield was another wonderful time for the club although that ended up being a tough week for us as we lost that final and also lost out on league promotion.

“We used to always get a good crowd at our games too and if my testimonial can pull in an amount similar to the ones we used to then I’d be delighted.”

Donald’s 15-year-old son Ewan is carrying the Naysmith name on in county rugby and he will also be turning out in the testimonial match.

Ewan is currently part of the Edinburgh U16 Squad after coming through the youth set-up at Livi which Donald insists is the way forward for the club.

“Ewan has been playing since he was four years old and LRFC have micro, mini and midi sections for kids which is great for bringing kids through,” revealed Donald.

“He’s now playing for Edinburgh under 16s which is a great achievement and the pathway perhaps on to the Scotland set-up.

“Player development is the future and there are a few young guys from Livingston involved in these squads.

“Livingston has a very good youth system but there was a blip which meant we had no under 18s for two seasons which ultimately cost us in recent seasons.

“But the remedy is in place and Ewan and his team are part of that and the club now has more than 200 young players on their books.”

But at the age of just 53 Donald was stunned to be diagnosed with terminal cancer after visiting his doctor with what he felt was a minor complaint.

“You never know what life has for you around the corner and I was stunned when the doctors told me they had found a tumour,” admitted Donald this week

“I had only gone to the doctors for a pain in my chest and to get that kind of news was a massive shock.

“But you can either lie in bed and hide under the covers or you can get up and get on with your life which is a decision I made early on.

“When I was diagnosed I was told the best drug for me to take wasn’t available on the NHS.

“I had to buy it myself at a cost of £3600 for a six week cycle.

“But thankfully, having completed two cycles of treatment, this drug is now available on the NHS thanks to the hard work and pressure of Angela Constance MSP, Councillor Ellen Glass and Ken Hogg who fought hard on my behalf.

“I feel fine and healthy and feel that the drug is working to prolong my life expectancy.

“Rugby has given me the attitude to keep going as you simply have to pick yourself up and get on with it after you have been knocked down.”

The testimonial match will take place at Livingston’s home ground, Almond Park, on Wednesday, April 29, with a 7.30pm kick-off and will pit a Donald Naysmith Select against a Forth Valley Select.

Scotland’s most-capped player, Chris Paterson, will attend the match and initial indications are that former Scotland caps Graham Shiel, Craig Joiner, Rowen Shepherd, Stewart Campbell and Peter Wright will represent the Forth Valley Select, while a number of players with strong connections to Livingston and who play or played at higher levels - prop Duncan Wilson, locks Andy Adam and Craig Hunter, back-row forwards Stevie Logan and Rab Barrie, stand-off Peter Harris and centres Davy Wilson and Andy McMahon - will take the field as members of the Donald Naysmith Select.

Gavin Kidd, a member of the club’s testimonial committee, admitted Donald has earned the match for his selfless work in county rugby.

He said: “Donald has been an inspirational figure and has given so much to the game. He’s not the sort of man who would want a fuss made and he’s asked that all monies raised from the testimonial game are donated to the Hearts and Balls Charity and the Jamie King Uro-Oncology Fund at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.”

Donald has seen Livingston Rugby Club come on leaps and bounds over the last four decades with the improvements to the Club’s permanent home at Almond Park being the biggest achievement, but he insists the club needs more help from the council.

“Almond Park is a great venue for rugby but the club needs new training facilities,” added Donald.

“I hope the future sees the club recover and develop facilities with help from West Lothian Council.

“But I’m confident the club will go from strength to strength with the young players coming through now and it has certainly changed a lot since I first turned up for a game.”