Nearly a year ago the society was asked to nominate one of its members for their services to rugby and refereeing. That was the easy bit – less easy was the task of making a submission of no more than 100 words to the selection panel that would do justice to Steve. Fortunately, I was able to call upon the support of other committee members with the following (eventually successful) result:
In my twenty-nine years as a member of SRUSR, Steve Barr has been a constant yet unassuming presence within the society. Always thoughtful, approachable and polite, Steve has always been on hand to offer sage advice to me as referee and, latterly, as chairman: advice based on his experience as a referee and RFU touch judge, followed by a transition to RFU referee coach. Throughout all of this time, Steve has occupied that most challenging of society roles, appointments officer. He is chairman of the Staffordshire Rugby Union competitions committee and also of the West Midlands Federation of Assessors.
Steve is one of a select group of volunteers from around England who have been recognised for their work. Well done, Steve. Well deserved.