Dave Gallaher Memorabilia on Show at Western Bay Museum

Western Bay Museum hosted a special exhibition over the 150th anniversary weekend celebrating the life of Dave Gallaher — Katikati's most famous Ulster Irish settler, who went on to become an All Black legend and war hero. Among the highlights were Gallaher's rugby cap and a number of items on loan from Ponsonby Rugby Club, where Gallaher played before captaining the Original All Blacks on New Zealand's first rugby union tour outside Australasia from 1903 to 1906.

Ponsonby Rugby Club volunteer historian Paul Neazor was present at the museum to share the story of how Gallaher's legacy continues to inspire the club to this day. Information boards detailed Gallaher's journey from Katikati to international rugby stardom and ultimately to the Western Front, where he was fatally wounded in 1917. The exhibition offered visitors a rare opportunity to connect with a figure whose story spans Katikati's settler roots, the birth of New Zealand rugby, and the sacrifice of the First World War.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).