Image: Jim Davis watching a semi final at Sydney Uni with Eastwood’s Rob Millner and Rugby Club’s Lisa Kane

IT WAS WITH great sadness that the Sydney club rugby community learnt of the passing of Jim Davis in late December 2022 after a long battle with multiple health conditions. 

Jim took over Rugby News shortly after the passing of his great mate Eric Spilsted. In a turbulent time for print media, Jim worked tirelessly for more than a decade to keep the legacy of Eric and the Rugby News publication alive. Without Jim, Rugby News would not have celebrated 100 Years in publication in 2022. 

Born in Bondi in December 1942, Jim attended Roseville Public School and North Sydney Boys. He became a qualified motor mechanic after finishing school and then worked as a sales representative, before transitioning to advertising and marketing through the 1970s and 1980s. 

It’s here Jim found his calling and a successful business career, working alongside good mate Andy Blades, quickly followed. 

Jim and Andy ran a successful marketing business and in 1991 Jim won the Australian Direct Marketer of the Year award, with Andy writing and supporting the submission. They later sold the business to John Singleton. 

Jim was a regular and eager supporter of the sporting endeavours of his two sons, Mark and Jonathan. 

Through this, he found a great passion for Sydney club rugby and over the years became involved in various capacities with Gordon (where he was presented with an award for outstanding service to the club in 2000), Eastwood, Warringah, Sydney Uni, Parramatta, Randwick and Manly.  

There wasn’t a rugby ground in Sydney where Jim wasn’t welcome for a beer and a pie on Saturdays throughout winter. 

Through the early 2000s, Jim began assisting Eric Spilsted with publishing Rugby News and he took over the business at Eric’s request following his passing. 

Jim used his expertise and experience in the advertising and marketing industries and called on the many contacts he had throughout Sydney club rugby to keep Eric’s legacy alive through the 2000s. 

He was diligent when it came to copy, layout, and the fine print and prided himself on never letting a mistake go to print.

He also had the foresight to get his head around “this new web stuff,” well before most were ready or capable of doing so, and he was presented with the Eric Spilsted Memorial Medal for Media in 2006 at the NSW Rugby Gala Awards Night. 

He’s one of the main reasons why Rugby News remains in publication, both online and in print and he is missed and will continue to be missed at rugby grounds right around Sydney. 

Jim’s love of club rugby lives on through his family. He currently has two grandsons Jack and Harry playing at Sydney Uni, with Harry set to play in Sunday’s first colts grand final for the Students. 

This week, we asked a few of Jim’s old friends to share their thoughts on Jim and his contribution to grassroots and club rugby. 

Mike Aronsten: Former President – Gordon Rugby Club

 “On a cold night at Willoughby Park in the steely shadow of the Willoughby bus depot I met Jim Davis in the early 1990s. He had come to watch a Gordon training night after coach Chris Hawkins had recruited Jim’s son Mark to join Gordon from Warringah.

“Jim being Jim, he could not stand by without becoming involved in some way. He quickly volunteered to seek and recruit sponsors for the club. He soon joined the Board and became Treasurer.

“Like everything else Jim did, there were no half measures. Despite running his own successful direct marketing business (a pioneer in that discipline), he devoted many hours to the club both behind the desk and at the coal face on Saturdays.

“This was a man who would never let anyone down. I have not met a person to match Jim’s integrity and passion for supporting his clients, club and community.

“Through my friendship with Eric Spilsted I introduced Jim, who eventually provided office space for the then publisher of Rugby News. Jim’s company also provided production facilities for the weekly program. When Eric passed it was logical for Jim to take over.

“Despite his tenacity and drive, Jim had a great sense of humour and enjoyed a good laugh or a practical joke with his mates which included many Gordon players and supporters of the day. Like me they will miss Jim Davis and will always remember him.”

Jim with with former Gordon board members Mike Aronsten and John Kable

David Mortimer: Chairman – Sydney Uni Rugby Club

“Jim was one of rugby’s very best. He loved the game, its history and its characters. He was a man of great integrity with balance and a great admirer of rugby talent. He was one in a generation.”

Karen Watson: Friend and Rugby News colleague

“Jim often spoke of the weight of responsibility he felt in ensuring that Rugby News lived up to the enduring legacy and heritage of rugby reporting that Eric had built up over the years. Details mattered to Jim as well as stories that reflected not just the fabric of rugby but the colourful characters within and around the sport.

“Jim’s dedication and passion for all aspects of rugby from grassroots to professional, across Men and Women, XV and Sevens – and even the journalism and administration of the sport – was a reflection of how much he valued and loved rugby as a sport and as a community. 

“I owe a great deal of my success and reputation in various roles within rugby to Jim. 

“He spotted me at a Rats game and in his usual style, beckoned me over to catch up. It started with a coffee that lasted for hours and ultimately became a friendship and working relationship that was to last 10 years until his passing. 

“He opened so many doors for me to develop and pursue my interests in rugby. He was a fantastic mentor for “the Red Bandana” –  I miss our long conversations greatly now he’s gone.”

Jim with former Eastwood Coach John Manenti 

Andrew Swain: Rugby Commentator

“The thing that makes club rugby great is the stories and the characters. That’s why we love this great game. 

“Without Jim Davis, so many of these stories would not have been told. Jim brought the rugby community together through the art of storytelling, and he will be missed.”