'It has exceeded all expectations' - Earlston rugby ace Mark Stewart holds successful charity day in memory of team-mate killed in road accident
Ex-Earlston rugby player Mark Stewart says it was thinking about late team-mate Stewart Ramsay, killed in a road accident at the age of 27 in February, that inspired him to captain a team named after his pal to a 30-7 victory over the club’s current squad in a memorial charity match on Saturday.
Stewart, 30, of Galashiels, organised the fundraiser at his old club’s Haugh ground – also featuring a concert and auction in the clubhouse afterwards – in memory of Bedrule-raised Ramsay, a wing and number six for Earlston for six years.
The ex-butcher’s shop and farm worker, nicknamed Rambo, of Denholm, died when his Ford Fusion car came off the A68 near St Boswells, leaving his parents Liz and Ally, girlfriend Steph Pender and children Grace, four, and Ava, one, heartbroken.
“The charity day was a resounding success,” said long-distance lorry driver Stewart, formerly a number eight.
“I was kind of overwhelmed with how it all went.
“The game kicked off about ten minutes early because of the heat. We just wanted to get going.
“It was meant to consist of four 20-minute spells, but it was called 20 minutes early as the hard ground was starting to hurt the players.
“For our team, which had just been thrown together on the day, to win was outstanding. We just seemed to click. We all wanted to win.
“I organised strips for us to play in and they were green and white hoops, Celtic’s colours, because Stewart was a massive Celtic fan.
“He had a tattoo on his forearm of a person holding a balloon and letting go of it. The balloon was green and that signifies somebody letting go of another person and them going to heaven. On the balloon string was his nickname Rambo.
“Before the game, we had a huddle in the changing room and I said ‘take a look at that jersey and take a look at that name. That name is close to your heart for a reason. Win it for him’.
“There was nearly a tear in my eye. I just managed to hold it back and then we had a minute’s silence.
“After the game was finished, obviously I lifted the trophy and went round as many people as I could to try to offer them a drink out of the cup.
“I let out a massive sigh of relief because I wanted to win so badly. Under no circumstances were Earlston winning that.
“Most of Stewart’s family were there and it was great to see how many people stayed around because people disperse after games quite a lot.
“Most of the people stayed around and enjoyed a live singer, and I think I counted 140 people there for the auction. It was a well-supported event.”
The event was attended by almost 30 of Ramsay’s family and friends and almost £4,500 was raised by an auction, with bucket collections and other donations expected to increase that total to between £5,000 and £6,000.
Proceeds will be split between road safety campaign group Brake and Blood Bikes Scotland, two charities close to Ramsay’s family’s hearts.
The final total raised will be revealed on the Earlston Sevens Facebook page, to be found at www.facebook.com/earlstonsevens, once all the money collected has been counted.
Stewart added: “With everything we are going through at the minute financially, for people to dig deep like that, there are no words to describe it. It has exceeded all expectations.”
Stewart thanked everyone who supported the day, including fellow veterans in his Rambo select team such as ex-Jed-Forest players Euan Scott, Ryan Miller, Scott Raeburn and Declan Wallace.
“Three-quarters of our Rambo select team were either football players or retired,” Stewart said. “Guys came out of retirement to play the game.”
Such was the day’s success, plans are now in place to make it an annual event to keep Stewart’s memory alive.
“It’s going to be every year now, I think,” Stewart said.
“I want nothing more than my friend’s legacy to live on, to have a memory for his children.
“I want that to be a yearly thing and so do his family.
“The Rambo select have won the trophy and it’s away getting engraved just now, but it will be staying at the club, and hopefully next year about this time, we’ll do it again and get it every year so it can be a pre-season friendly.”