Richard Bland Honoured

On his retirement, Richard was honoured for his 30 years as a National Director at Congress. Richard's bio and his contributions to bridge in New Zealand were published in the Congress Bulletin:

Director Richard learned bridge in 1971 and he joined Waimate Bridge Club in 1972. After moving to Dargaville in 1975, he was part of a group that formed the Dargaville Bridge Club.

”As a new club, with fairly inexperienced players, we had to allocate roles to people, and I picked up directing.”

Richard directed his first tournament in 1979, the Dargaville Junior Pairs, and gradually got asked to do more until he was directing all Northland tournaments.

In 1990, Richard sat his first bridge directing exam.

“It was supposed to be the Club Director's exam, but the standard of the paper was so hard that it was upgraded to a Tournament Qualification.”

Richard has been Congress Director continuously since 1990, except for two years that he spent overseas.

“This year will be my 30th Congress as a Director. I get a real buzz out of that team atmosphere, and the way in which we strive to produce a really good event for the players. I value the congress directing experience because of the professional and collegial way in which the team works. I also feel that it is a way I can give back to the game which gives me so much pleasure.”

Richard moved to Whangarei in 2009. These days, Richard rarely directs outside of club sessions but is still involved with assessing directors and some education work with directors. Outside of bridge, Richard is an avid reader and is a Trustee of the Whangarei Harbour Town Basin Marina. Although no longer sailing, Richard helps out with some of the training at the local yacht club.