Staging the celebrations at the Maitland Showground is a salute to the club’s long history. They played at the Showground before moving to Lorn Park in 1948 and Marcellin Park in 1997.

Blacks anniversary dinner spokesman Patrick Howard said the club was expecting former players to travel from all over Australia to take part.

He said the club hoped that fans and players would help with celebrations by unearthing any old memorabilia or photos to put on display at the dinner and during the year.

The evening also celebrates the Maitland Blacks Junior Rugby Club’s 50^th anniversary. The juniors were established by the Maitland Marist Brothers in 1967 and were originally known as the Marcellin Juniors with teams in the under-16 and under-18 Newcastle competition.

The junior club has provided the core of Maitland’s nine first grade premierships – 1969, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1983, 1991, 1994, 1998 and 1999 – since it’s inception.

The Blacks have won 12 first grade titles overall since entering the Newcastle competition in 1911 including the 1977 premiership in the club’s centenary year.

Their first title came in 1916 during the early years of World War. The competition was suspended from 1917-1919 as a result of the war.

Post war they defeated East Newcastle 11-5 to win the 1927 premiership and were premiers again in 1937 defeating Merewether Carlton 6-3.

Between 1929 and 1937 appeared in seven grand finals for the two victories.

The Newcastle competition was suspended after the 1939 season due to World War II and did not resume until 1948.

The Blacks have produced three Wallabies with modern-day heroes Luke Burgess and Nic White both coming through Maitland’s junior program.

More recently Luke Burgess and Nic White have donned the green and gold.

White is currently plying his trade in Europe and is unable to attend the dinner this Saturday, but Burgess and Waratah Jeremy Tilse will headline a long line of past and present players in attendance. 

Former player Charles White played for Australia in the inaugural international against England in 1899 and in 1903 played in the first Trans-Tasman Test against New Zealand. 

The Blacks have had numerous players represent at state and NSW Country level. Their first NSW player was Richard Blaxland in 1886.

Fairfax Media 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. “But we like to think we’re doing our bit to grow the game both on and off the field.”

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

“Golbourn and Mudgee started early, too, but both had lengthy breaks, like decades, whereas Maitland can say confidently that the club has been running pretty much continuously through the 140 years, but for the war years and a flood,” Mr Emmett said.

“In 2002 Sydney University, Australia’s oldest union club, played us as part of our 125th anniversary so the weight of history is quite 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, celebrated international  Robert L Seddon, is buried at Telarah.  

“He drowned while enjoying recreation on the river,” Mr Emmett observed. “It was apparently one of the biggest funerals in the area, ever, and members of the Maitland Rugby Club have tended the grave every year since.”

FIRST GRADE: 12 – 1916, 1929, 1937, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1983, 1991, 1994, 1998, 1999

1955 Bob Scott-Murray

1969 Peter Perkins

1974 Ian Gollan

1981 David Bevan

1985 Tim O’Toole

2003 Adam Perkins

2008 Adam Perkins

2015 Nick Davidson

Kelly Yeates (dec), Bill Connery (dec), Rob Morris, Ian Gollan, Paul Fletcher, Grant Mahony, Jack Lynch, Todd Bowd, Rod Watt and Immy Steinerts.

If one story epitomises the Maitland Blacks culture and place in the heart of Maitland, it was the incredible response from near and far to rally to the side of Dom Punch, who received spinal injuries while playing for the Blacks in the 2015 reserve grade grand final.

The club’s and community fundraising efforts raised more than $200,000 to help Punch’s recovery, but just as importantly team and club mates have been with Punch and his family along the road to recovery.