Over 400 people will converge on Maitland Showground in a line-up of past and present players, friends, family and guests, headlined by home-grown Wallaby Luke Burgess and Waratah Jeremy Tilse.

Nic White, another Wallaby who played for the Blacks, is plying his trade in Europe and is unable to attend.

Newcastle Herald journalist Josh Callinan will MC the night and guest speaker will be former Wallaby and Waratah, now Fox Sport commentator, Stephen Hoyles.

“As a club, and like the game itself, it’s been 140 years with challenges and successes,” club president Ben Emmett reflected this week. “We like to think we’re doing our bit to grow the game on and off the field.”

The Maitland Blacks formed officially in 1877 and are Australia’s second oldest rugby club.  

“There are a number of clubs that also started very early, and a number of those also had substantial hiatus’ within their histories. However, barring the War Years and the destruction and devestation of flooding, The Maitland Rugby Club has operated since its inception 140 years ago,” Mr Emmett said. “In 2002 Sydney University, Australia’s oldest union club, played us as part of our 125^th anniversary so the weight of history is substantial.” 

That history is rich. Maitland hosted a touring English rugby team, the pre-cursor of the Lions, in 1888. The captain of that team, Robert L Seddon, is buried at Telarah.  

“He drowned while enjoying recreation on the river,” Mr Emmett observed. “Members of the Maitland Rugby Club have helped along with community members to tend the grave every year since.”

In  2013 members of the British and Irish Lions touring party and ARU visited the grave, laying wreaths alongside members of the Maitland Rugby Club.

The club also hosted the New Zealand All Blacks in August 1903 on their first Australian tour when they played Combined Northern Districts at Albion Cricket Ground, West Maitland (now Maitland Showground). 

These days, the Blacks are one of the largest junior rugby entities in Australia, evidenced by over 100 under 7s registered in 2017.

The seniors have gone from four sides to six this year. The club also boast a women’s side, girls up to the age of 16 can play open rugby with males, and this year, in a state first, a girl played under 15s against the boys.

“We have a very broad church at Maitland,” Mr Emmett said. “People are attracted to the culture within the club that values the person over the position.”

For Mr Emmett, a former first grade and 150 club-game player who now “invests his time of a Friday night in fourth grade, and coaching juniors”, it’s important that the club gives back to the community.

The Maitland Rugby Club and its members have contributed substantially to the community raising funds in excess of $250 000 in the past six years for local charities.

However, it was  events of 2015 (a freak injury to a Junior member and the spinal injury sustained by respected Blacks player Dom Punch in the 2015 second grade grand final) that showed the Blacks to be far more than a sporting club.

“These events were a horrible tragedy but they galvanised us,” Mr Emmett said. “Our response showed that the club is about more than just sport, it’s about looking after your family.”

The dinner on Saturday night is part of rolling celebrations through 2017.

The Back to Blacks weekend will be held the following weekend and organisers are hoping to have every side from juniors through to first grade playing at their home ground, Marcellin Park.

The club will celebrate a special “Heritage round” fixture on July 8 (round 11) against defending premiers Hamilton.  The  annual winter ball is in August and a  juniors’ 50th anniversary event is planned.

“While discussion regarding the direction of rugby in Australia is topical at the moment, we as a club are committed to doing our bit both in developing rugby at grassroots levels but also being a strong contributor to rugby union in country NSW and on a larger scale,” Mr Emmett said.

“The dinner on Saturday night will be not only a celebration of the club but a shared love of rugby across the ages.”