Rolie Eveleigh will be fondly remembered by both his peers and the wider Waitaki Boys’ High School family, as a much respected teacher (1970–2002) and first eleven coach for over 20 years. Rolie was also involved in selecting and managing various age group Otago teams and served as President of North Otago Cricket from 1998 to 2001. It was entirely fitting that The Willows trophy for the annual Waitaki BHS/St Kevin’s fixture should be named in his honour.
Rolie had a great respect for the values and traditions that cricket espoused and he and his wife Wendy always enjoyed their visits to The Willows. He also enjoyed the ‘ebbs and flows’ of the traditional inter-school fixtures with Otago BHS, King’s, Timaru and Christchurch BHS where the connections and friendships established were greatly valued. Rolie well understood that the same qualities he promoted to his players of teamwork, preparation and resilience were equally applicable to both cricket and life in general.
Consequently, several generations of first eleven players, including a number of first class representatives, both benefited and thrived from his encouragement, coaching expertise and fellowship.
Rolie will be warmly remembered as an absolute gentleman and a passionate supporter of the great game.