Life membership for Group 2 Rugby League CEO Jim Anderson

The honour was conferred at an extraordinary general meeting on October 18 that also saw CRL cease to exist when delegates voted to merge their organisation into NSW Rugby League.

Fortunately, current life memberships will transfer across.

Similarly honoured alongside Jim Anderson was Bob Walsh from Narromine - between the two of them they have given 81 years of service to the East Coast and Western Regions.

Currently Group 2 Chief Executive Officer, Jim Anderson has held roles such as Treasurer and Vice President of Group 2 and CRL Delegate for the last 16 years.

But he's been involved in administering the game for almost five decades, having joined the Bellingen committee aged 21 in 1971, at the end of his first year as a player.

Jim said he has always looked up to the people with life membership as it's not easy to get.

"They don't just award that. I was nominated by our group, the East Coast region ratified it and sent the nomination to Sydney and the Board vetted all particulars to make sure they were correct.

"Then you've got to be voted in - you've got to get 60 per cent of delegates approving it in a secret ballot."

Asked how he felt about receiving the award, Jim said he was "pretty proud and pretty chuffed".

Born in Bellingen, Jim was in the building industry before joining the police force aged 34.

During his 20-year career, he worked at various stations in northern NSW, including Bellingen from 1988-1992, but the posting that he enjoyed most was Kings Cross, because of the stark contrast in resourcing between city and country.

Rugby league has been one of the great passions in his life, alongside his family and fishing, and he has many fond memories of the days when the sport was central to the life of Bellingen.

"Whole families played and the whole town would be there for the games. People would come in from the farms - it was their day out," Jim said.

From 1980, Bellingen's first grade team had an amazing winning streak after a 19-year dry spell.

"Bellingen won in 80, 81, 82, 84, 88, 89 and 90," Jim said. "In 1980 a young Rip Taylor was playing - he was captain/coach, and then next year we won the Clayton Cup."

Back then, there were plenty of strapping lads working in the bush, in the mills or on the dairy farms who stuck together and played rugby league.

These days, there don't seem to be as many available, Jim said.

"The population's not here of young men. With the decline of dairy farms and sawmills and the arrival of soccer, there's more choice for young people.

"But it's good, as long as they're partaking in a sport."

Looking to the future, he's glad to see women moving out of the auxiliary and heading onto the field to play rugby league, both tag and tackle.

"Women's football is taking off so happy days ahead for everybody I hope."

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