It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Sydney Rugby scene just won’t be the same without Robin Timmins who passed away suddenly earlier this week aged 77.

Timmins was a formidable woman who broke down numerous barriers in her time in the game and was the first ever female referee and the first woman to be made a life member of NSW Rugby.

Her death was front of conversation at the Catchpole Medal dinner earlier this week and all looked back fondly on the life of the pocket dynamo that was Timmins.

Timmins’ passions were the Woodies, referees and the Liberal Party (I’m not sure if that’s the right order) but you always knew where you stood with her.

One of her many jobs in rugby administration involved referee appointments and back in the day before the wonders of mobile phones, email and text messages, Friday nights would involve a spreadsheet and the good old landline filling gaps if any whistleblowers fell ill or were called away.

You would want to have a good excuse if you pulled out of a game that late in the week!

Former Wallaby and great Eastwood man Brett Papworth remembers many a feedback session with Robin at TG Millner Field.

“She reminded me a bit of my mum, which always made me pay attention!, Papworth told Around The Traps.

“She wasn’t afraid to pick up the phone either, when she had something to say. A terrific lady with great passion for our club. I saw her almost without fail every Saturday. Just a legend!”

In 2013 she received the Medal for the order of Australia (OAM) and an International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) development Awards for her many contributions to the rugby community.

Ali Warman who worked for many years with Timmins probably captured the legacy best.

“She was a trailblazer for women in rugby and sport before it was even a thing … simply because she loved rugby,” Warman said.

“She was strong, she was fierce and she suffered no fools. But when you got to know her, she was all heart. Especially when it came to her beloved Woodies and Referees.

“I am grateful for knowing her, look fondly at our conversations. Rugby is all the more richer for having her involved over so many years.”

‘Tim Tam Corner’ at TG Millner just won’t be the same without Timmins and then there’s the car seat covers in her beat up old car – Matt Dunning’s old Woodies jersey!

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One of the great things about the Shute Shield is the way that the clubs embrace their communities.

You see it at places like Rat Park, Coogee Oval, Manly Oval, North Sydney Oval and The Eric where kids as well as family and friends are encourage to get up close to the first graders after the matches.

At Coogee they even sing the club victory song with the first grade side on the field and it’s a great thing to witness.

Most kids love a kick around at halftime too, but the security people at Bear Park got it so wrong last weekend when Northern Suburbs sealed the minor premiership against the Hunter Wildfires.

Hugh Sinclair and Nick Duffy celebrated their 100th first grade matches and their families and others struggled to get on the field such was the nature of the ham-fisted security.

Norths patron and former Wallaby Reg Smith was turned back at the gate to the field by the zealous security cohort who I must say would have been only operating under instructions.

North Sydney Oval is going to feature in the first two weeks of the finals series, so let’s hope security cools their jets.

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Sydney Uni must be looking to the future if their table at the Catchpole Medal dinner is any sort of indicator. Their table was filled by a group of the club’s colts, many of whom would have been in the midst of preparations for playoff games this weekend

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Our game has always prided itself on being a game for all and at the Catchpole Medal dinner during the week we saw the joy that it brought to a group of mixed abilities players at a special game staged at Concord Oval earlier this year.

Well the mixed abilities movement is growing and the Golden Oldies clubs from Engadine, Oatley and Burraneer have joined forces to start the Sydney Mixed Abilities Rugby Team (SMART for short) Powerful Owls.

The SMART Owls are an all inclusive sports opportunity for adult players over the age of 16 to play rugby.

The idea is being driven by James Delliquanti, the secretary of the Engadine Limping Lions, who witnessed the positive benefits of mixed abilities rugby at the Golden Oldies World Festival in Perth.

The three clubs are now recruiting players and have a Try Rugby day on Sunday (August 13) which they are hoping will become a regular occurrence.

Like Golden Oldies players play to their opponents abilities and players wear different coloured bibs depending on their skills

Black can and want to be tackled.  Red means you just give them a cuddle to stop their run and yellow means you are just corralled.  It’s a great initiative so well done to all concerned.

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An interesting name in the Randwick side named for the first week of the finals with the former Gordon opensider Tom Silk starting for the Galloping Greens match up with the Highlanders.

Silk was a key part of the good Gordon sides of the past couple of years but has had trouble forcing his way in the first grade side in front of young Tom Horan.

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Some great yarns from the Catchpole Medal dinner with Stan Sport’s Sean Maloney’s story of his time playing at Manly and Warringah up there with the very best.

The big lock had followed “an opportunity” north and thrown his lot in at Rat Park one season and vividly remembers the Battle of the Beaches derby.

The game was played at night and he recalls being sledged mercilessly from the hill at Rat Park. You’re no good No.4, you’re only here for the cash, you should be ashamed of yourself was the line of the banter.

As the game wore on the sledging kept ramping up and up and Maloney was keen to know where it was coming from and from whom.

On the way to a lineout on the eastern side of the ground he looked up into the crowd and there were the culprits – his father and brother!

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Great to see Richard Manchee win the Dick Byres Medal as Sydney’s best whistleblower at the Catchpole Medal dinner during the week.

Even better was his banter on a panel with Andrew Blades and Sean Maloney where he held his own with stories about the most annoying player on the field – Norths James Margan – and the coach he cops most from off field – Woodies’ Ben Batger.

Manchee’s honesty gave great insight into what goes on from 3.05pm to close to 5pm most winter Saturdays. Very enjoyable!