He, along with brother Brian, of Wellington, were at the club’s recent Sponsors’ Day game against Upper Clutha.
Des Paulin, a former orchardist, is the club’s patron, and started his association by playing for the club’s junior team when he was 19.He played for the premier team until he was 32.
He has also been coach, and was elected president in 1955 and 1956.
He was made a life member in 1988 and lives across the road from the club’s sportsgrounds.
Now, he watches his grandson Tave (8) play.
"I give advice but nobody takes any notice of me," Des said.
Brian also played for the junior team from age 14 to 19 before moving away to follow a career with the National Bank.
Their brother, Frank, and other family members including Kenny, Raymond and Kevin Paulin also were involved in the sport to varying degrees.
Des’s son, Tim, coaches the club’s backs, and Tave has just started his rugby career.
The Clyde club started in the 1880s, and amalgamated with Earnscleugh in about 1927, Des said. He started playing rugby while at school and played for a year for the junior team at age 19, the year before it went into recess because of World War 2.
It restarted in 1947 and he resumed playing in the senior team.
"I stopped when I was 32 as I had a job and family obligations so I decided to no longer play," he said.
The decision not to play after having a family was more a financial one because if a player got injured, there was no compensation in those days, apart from whip-rounds by team-mates.
He recalled one Clyde player who got hurt, had to leave his job and stay with his parents as a result.
Brian recalled the club headquarters was an old shed, and with no hot water in the showers. The windows were broken, and when girls used to walk past, the players had to hide themselves.
Des said rugby was one of the main social activities in the region at that time, apart from the Saturday night dances.
"If you didn’t play rugby and weren’t in a rugby club, you didn’t have any social life.
"It was the only sport available to play in winter, although the girls played hockey."
Brian said the pubs used to shut at 6pm, and there would usually be a party at someone’s place.
If they played away, they would travel in a bus, stopping at various pubs on the way back.
"It sometimes took a long time to get home," Brian said.
When they first started playing, there used to be a cricket pitch in the middle of the grounds, no grass, and buckets of water had to be kept close so players could wash the dirt out of their eyes.
The club had gone through highs as it won the premier grade competition in 1951, 1965, 1966 and 1967.
"Clyde did very well, given the size of the town," Des said.
However, it had to withdraw from the 2015 competition as it was unable to field a team, but through the club’s hard work to attract more players, it played in 2016 and this year.
Des still attends home games but does not travel to away games as much as he used to.
"I will be 92 next month and not as active, but I still enjoy watching the games," he said.
Club president Phil Attfield had the last word.
He said the club was very much a family, supportive and with a close bond among members and supporters.
