He died on 6 July at the age of 76 and was still highly active on the rugby administration front as the long-serving treasurer of the Mid District and the Rhondda and East Glamorgan District RU.
Born in Abercynon in 1947, he became Head Boy at Mountain Ash Grammar School before joining Abercynon RFC as a back row forward. He played for many years at the club before moving into administration to give back to the game he loved.
“I knew Gordon for more than 40 years and our careers almost mirrored each other’s. We both played for our local clubs and once we had hung up our boots, we joined the committee,” said Rob Butcher, one of the current Mid District WRU Council representatives and a recent chair of the WRU.
“He became fixture secretary and then secretary at Abercynon, in 1971. He then took over from George Morgan as one off the Mid District reps on the WRU in 1987. He sat on the WRU’s board for a decade and made a massive contribution.
“He was always very passionate about the game and never accepted the demise of the Celtic Warriors as Welsh rugby’s fifth region. He campaigned long and hard for a professional rugby team to be set up in the valleys.
“He worked tirelessly as the treasurer of the Mid District and held the post for more than 30 years up to his death. His is going to be a very hard act to follow because he was so involved in almost every aspect of the workings of the Mid District.”
When the Mid District set-up a Trust to honour the memory of the former WRU President, George Morgan, in 2008 for the ‘Young Player of the Year’ in the area, Williams became the treasurer. He was heavily involved in the organisation of the annual dinner and golf day to raise funds for the Trust.
“At the dinner we always add someone to the Mid District Hall of Fame. Neil Jenkins was the first player to be honoured in such a way and Matthew Rees and Gethin Jenkins have also been added,” said Butcher.
“We broke with tradition six years ago by adding Gordon’s name to mark his immense contribution to rugby in our district. It was a very popular choice because he really was held in the highest regard by so many people.”
Earlier in the year he was at Sardis Road to hear Nigel Walker and Ieuan Evans make their pitch for support to additional reforms to the governance of the WRU. That was an issue that was very close to his heart and it was a topic he raised with Evans in another meeting only a few weeks ago.
“Gordon was a great servant to Welsh rugby who made a huge contribution to the game he loved. He was a loyal clubman at Abercynon RFC, a long-term treasurer of the Mid District and an invaluable member of the WRU general committee,” said Evans, the WRU chair.
“His on-going concern for the welfare of the WRU stretched long into retirement and he was one of the first to arrive for our roadshow visit to Pontypridd to explain the need for constitutional change. He worked hard on trying to modernise the WRU over a long period of time and always strived to make a difference.”
An accountant by trade, he was a director of his own company and leaves a wife, Ann. The WRU offers sincere condolences to Ann, her family and the many friends of Gordon Williams.
