Latest news with #DubaiCollege
The National
6 days ago
- General
- The National
Jacques Benade ends stint as Dubai Exiles coach after decade of excellence at UAE's oldest rugby club
Jacques Benade says he is 'going to miss it so badly' but added now is the right time to end his highly successful stint as head coach of Dubai Exiles. The South African has been in charge of the UAE's oldest rugby club for nine years. During that time, they have been the most consistently competitive side in the country. He took them to three West Asia Premiership finals, winning in 2017, while they also won three UAE Premiership titles on his watch, as well as the Dubai Sevens in 2017 and 2021. Benade is also the UAE coach. He is currently readying the national team for a tilt at World Cup qualification via the Asian Rugby Championship, which starts with a fixture against Hong Kong in Dubai on Saturday June 14. 'It will feel strange to sit at home on Saturday – my wife will love it, I'm sure,' Benade said of his decision to step down from the Exiles. 'It will feel strange not to see the boys but I'm sure I will be there supporting all the teams. 'I am going to miss the boys, but I do think it will be good for them to get someone new in, and rebuild, and see where we want to go. 'The club is in a good place at the moment. There are a lot of good players there, and I wish all the best to whoever is going to take over as they are good quality people.' Benade, who first started coaching when he was 31, remains in charge of rugby at Dubai College, and is grateful to coach for a living. 'It has been 25 years and this is what I love,' Benade said. 'I think I am very fortunate to be able to do something that I love every day. 'School is getting tougher, there is more competition, and rugby overall in the UAE is getting better. There are very good coaches everywhere. 'I am going to miss it so badly, but I think it is the right time. With every coach, I think they need to realise there is a time to move on and look at something different.' Typically, rugby clubs in the region have enjoyed waves of success but found it difficult to sustain over long periods of time. Dubai Hurricanes, for example, are the reigning UAE and West Asia champions after a remarkable end to last season, but two years earlier they had been playing second tier rugby. Benade himself took over an Exiles team in 2016 who had just won a double of trophies, having been on their knees not long before. I do think it will be good for them to get someone new in and rebuild Jacques Benade In 2012, the Exiles had been forced to withdraw from the top flight of domestic rugby while the season was running due to a lack of numbers. Jan Venter, Benade's predecessor as coach, got the club back on a successful footing, but he handed over a side who were again set for transition. 'I'll never forget when I first arrived and got a list of players from Jan Venter at the Exiles,' Benade said. 'I phoned them all, and finished up with 12 boys who were still playing rugby. Everybody else had just left. 'From not knowing what was going on, we started recruiting, got an unbelievably good team together, and to win the double in my first year was just immense.' It was a feature of Benade's spell at the Exiles that their standards rarely slipped, and they consistently challenged for trophies. Whether they can maintain that after he has left remains to be seen, but he believes they are a club in good health. 'We have an old team at the moment,' Benade said. 'Matt Mills [the UAE co-captain] and some of those boys started with me 10 years ago. It is unbelievable. 'They have been really good working together but it is also sometimes hard to recruit when you have a really settled team. [Other players] can't see a way in and they don't want to leave other clubs. 'Also, you work so hard, and we really wanted to go for the double this year, but we lost at the end against a Hurricanes team who just never stop playing rugby. 'But I had an unbelievable 10 years, and I absolutely love the club. It is a great club.' Jon Ebbitt, the club's former general manager, said Benade had left behind 'an incredible legacy' at the Exiles. 'Arguably Jacques' most important legacy at the club is the structure and player pathway that he implemented during his tenure as the Exiles' director of rugby,' Ebbitt said. 'Owing to [that], many Exiles' mini and youth, boys and girls, as well as men and women, have come through the pathway to represent the UAE on the international stage.' Ebbitt pointed out that, during the 2022-23 season, 34 Exiles represented the UAE at Under 18, Under 20, or senior levels in competitions across Asia. Benade said that player development has been one of the highlights of the job, while it is 'most rewarding seeing players go into coaching as well, from what they have learnt from you'.
Gulf Today
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
4get-me-not transforms lives of traumatised people
Ask for wisdom from the elderlies and thou shall get lots. Be involved in community with them, and thou shall get more. Julia, since age 13, began accompanying her grandfather to periodic events meant for those who, at least, have gone through the onset of neurodegenerative diseases that have, according to most recent data, soared to over 55 million since the notorious Novel Coronavirus 2020. Turned volunteer caregiver four years henceforth, Julia told Gulf Today: 'Gratitude is a very big thing because we do not realise the changes that happen with age until we are actually around people. The difference with my grandpa when I was 10 to now. He is a different person especially now that he has dementia.' 'Spending time with his friend Tony (name changed) even now that my grandpa is back in Italy, with these activities. I see Shush (name changed) who used to actively dance. She is now on wheelchair. We realise how many things in our daily life that we do not think about. We like to walk. Then, we would be unable to. These have changed my perspective,' she continued. Concerning community involvement, Julia who plans of expanding her group of volunteers, presently composed of her Dubai College clique – Eve, Molly, Sofia, and Tara – replied: 'It is important especially in Dubai where there is a mix of cultures. We have our own communities. I never would have thought to be a part of this. Make friends with people much older than me from other nationalities. I learn.' Prior to the conversation, on the grand piano for three classical pieces – 'Fur Elise' by German Ludwig van Beethoven and 'Minute Waltz' by Polish Frederic Chopin – as well as the score for the 2004 Japanese animated photoplay 'Howl's Moving Castle,' – 'Merry-Go-Round-Of-Life' by Japanese Joe Hisaishi, was Jia Loh Kumar. The Singaporean, trained since age five, was hopeful that the classical pieces 'offered a moment of peace or sparked a memory for everyone. Music has a unique way of reaching people beyond words. Being a part of an initiative that brings comfort and connection, especially to those living with Alzheimer's, is very meaningful to me. It reminds me that even the smallest efforts may have a quiet but lasting impact.' Incidentally, glee immediately registered on the face of one of two wheelchair-bound ladies, when she was already near Kumar – upon her request. Both teenagers were at a Bingo-Dance Socials for people exhibiting Alzheimer's Disease. It was part of a year-long project by the not-for-profit social enterprise, 4get-me-not and the Dusit Thani-Dubai's 'Tree of Life' philosophy; which, hotel general manager Prateek Kumar, explained, is inclusion, sustainability, and community engagement in action 'built on authenticity, intention, and care.' 'Oh yes. Some of the over 150 members we have since the beginning are still with us. One is already in the late '70s. Expats. Professionals. Business owners. Most had traumatic experiences. Some have diabetes. Some with heart problems. Through the years they have become talkative. Some, more talkative. They sleep better now. That is what we want,' said 25-year Dubai resident Desiree Vlekken. Their numbers astronomically spiked during the pandemic because of isolation and depression. Vlekken established with her husband and their young child, 4get-me-not for Alzheimer's Disease/Dementia/Aging/Support for Caregivers awareness, in 2013. Two years after her father in the Philippines had been diagnosed with deteriorating memory loss. The first two elderly homes that welcomed the Vlekken Family for their mission and vision of awareness and proactive measures against Alzheimer's Disease were the ones in 'Ajman and Sharjah.' Vlekken acknowledged the elderlies' pro-activeness: 'It has been by word-of-mouth that we have grown. They talk about their bonding experiences with others.' First timer Victoria who heard about 'them at the church would definitely return.' From the clinical standpoint, Al Zahra Hospital (Dubai) Neurology consultant Dr. Miguel Nacher, commented: 'Music-based interventions, proved to reduce agitation, improve mood and enhance quality of life. It is a meaningful tool in both the prevention and management of cognitive decline. It is non-invasive, accessible and cost-effective. Bingo, when non-commercially played, is a valuable tool to support brain wellness as we age.'
