You can listen to the interviews at www.gloucesterrugbyheritage.org.uk
A volunteer was needed to write up these recordings so they could be preserved in written form at Gloucestershire County Council's Archives and on the website.
Up stepped David Halliday, who is descended from the Hallidays who lived in Nailsworth and Minchinhampton. The former rugby player was not about to let the fact he has emigrated to Australia prevent him getting involved!
CDs of the rugby reminiscences were posted to David in New South Wales and thanks to his retirement wanderlust, they have clocked up 13,000 miles around Australia in recent weeks!
Armed with his trusty laptop, David has been sending back transcripts from remote parts of the outback.
The interview with full-back Bill Hook, 89, was typed up in North West Australia, more than 100 miles from a tarmac road, while Reverend Bill Phillips' memories were transcribed in the empty vastness of the Nullarbor Plain. Bill played in the centre and on the wing - one of three clergymen in the Gloucester team in the 1930s!
David said:
"I found Gloucestershire Archives so helpful when I was trying to trace my family history that I decided to give something back by offering to be a volunteer for them. I've helped out with lots of different pieces of work in recent years but this rugby project has really captured my imagination.
"I've really enjoyed listening to the memories of so many Gloucester legends, especially as lots of them are real characters. It was a bit bizarre sat on an empty plain on the other side of the world miles from civilisation chuckling to myself and typing away on my laptop but I'm delighted to be able to help with this really important project."
The Gloucester Rugby Community Heritage Project, which has been mainly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is run jointly by Gloucestershire Archives, the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives and Gloucester Rugby.
It is capturing and preserving large amounts of fascinating material relating to the club - at the Archives off Alvin Street, Gloucester, on the project website at www.gloucesterrugbyheritage.org.uk and through displays at the club's Kingsholm ground.
The project also promotes community involvement with roadshows for people to share their memorabilia and there's a simple step by step guide to contributing material to the website.
The club and the Archives have also worked with teachers locally to put together educational resources for the project, producing more than 100 lesson plans based on the history of the club.
Cllr Antonia Noble, Gloucestershire County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for Archives, said:
"From the outset, this project has been led by very capable volunteers who have put in hundreds of hours of work with superb results. It's people like David who have made it such a success and I would like to thank everyone involved for their dedication and commitment."
Project Manager, Malc King, from the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives, said:
"We're delighted with David's contribution to our project, and I think that the remoteness of the outback is a help, since the quality of the transcripts that David is producing is superb!
"We are still keen to record more reminiscences for the website so if you have been involved with the club over the years and have a story to tell, please come forward. After all, we will be asking your former team-mates to tell us their favourite stories about you - so it might be best to get your retaliation in first!"
For more information on how you can get involved with the project, visit the website.
Contacts: Kate Maisey, Development Archivist, Gloucestershire Archives, 01452 425294, kate.maisey@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Gary Little, Community Marketing Manager at Gloucester Rugby Club, 01452 872277, garylittle@gloucesterrugby.co.uk
