185:, the second was to introduce a set of standards that clubs would be required to achieve before becoming members of the union. That same year, Mullock resigned as secretary of the WFU, and was succeeded by William Gwynn; but in 1895 Gwynn suffered a mental breakdown and his duties were covered by the Treasurer, William Wilkins. At the next Annual General Meeting, Rees was elected to the post of Secretary instead of Gwynn.
208:, and the press began to bill the forthcoming clash between the two countries as the "Match of the Century". Rees travelled with other committee members to Gloucester to view the All Blacks in action, and it is thought that Rees proposed the Welsh tactics that counteracted the New Zealand scrummage. A week before the game, Rees set himself up at the Queen's Hotel in
212:, making himself available each day to "...receive all communications." Although there is no evidence of who decided on the strategies to be adopted on the day, the Welsh did change their tactics, which in turn disrupted the New Zealand style of play. Wales went on to win a controversial match by a single try.
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On 30 June 1948, Rees stood down as the secretary of the Welsh Rugby Union, a position he had held for 52 years. On 6 June 1949 Rees died, just a month after the death of his longtime president Howard Lyne. During his time as secretary, Rees had seen the growth and transformation of rugby union in
255:, and they had at least one son and a daughter. In 1900 he was elected to the Neath town council, and in 1905 he became the Mayor of Neath. After the outbreak of World War I, Rees was made the recruiting officer for the Neath district, responsible for the recruitment of more than a third of
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Unlike those who had taken on roles in the WFU before him, Rees was not a rugby playing man. His views were therefore atypical of many of the rugby playing men his role supervised. He was a
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Rees took the role of
Secretary very seriously, and without the self-funding provided by Mullock, Rees made sure that funding was always available to keep the union solvent. In 1905 the
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227:. Organised rugby was disbanded during the First World War, but Rees continued his duties after the end of hostilities, and was made permanent secretary of the WFU in 1921.
150:, and on leaving school followed his father into the local building trade. In 1888, Rees began his long association with rugby when he was appointed as secretary of
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Wales, and had steered the national team through its first Golden Era. Rees had become synonymous with Welsh rugby in the first half of the twentieth century.
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conferred on Rees the rank of captain, to reflect his position as the principal registration and tribunal officer for the area.
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162:. In a hostile meeting of the WRU in 1891, several members of the board attempted to unseat the then secretary and treasurer
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In 1892, Rees made two proposals to the WFU; the first was for the union to donate 100 guineas to the
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toured Great
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as a replacement for the secretary post, but after a plea from Lyne and
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Fields of Praise: The
Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union
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administrator who was the longest serving secretary of the
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277:. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
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119:(13 April 1863 – 6 June 1949) was a
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235:Personal life and civic duties
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166:. Rees was proposed by
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70:(1949-06-06)
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68:6 June 1949
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247:and an
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202:Wales
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