James (Buster) Barrett was a lightly framed loose forward in the old 2-3-2 scrum and one of the first All Blacks to be produced from Auckland’s Marist club. However, Barrett was not originally from Auckland, as has been assumed in the brief biographies previously published on the man. He hailed from Paeroa in Thames Valley, only coming to Auckland in his teenage years to serve an apprenticeship as a wheelwright. His initial clubs were City and Ponsonby and it was only after the abolition of Auckland’s district scheme and the promotion of Marist to the premier grade, that he followed other footballers of Irish Catholic backgrounds to that club. He played the first of 21 games for Auckland in 1911, representing the union up until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. He made the All Blacks for the second and third tests against Australia in 1913, winning his colours after the first choice of players had left for a tour of North America. In 1914 he was a late replacement for the All Blacks’ tour of Australia, but made just one appearance, the midweek match against Central-Western Districts at Orange. Barrett has claimed to family members to have been the lightest forward to become an All Black, but that unfortunately can’t be verified as his statistics don’t appear in any Auckland or New Zealand reference books. On the outbreak of war Barrett, as an accomplished horse-man, joined the Auckland Mounted Rifles, serving mainly in Egypt. He played and coached teams while in the army but suffered a knee injury which ended his playing days and any hopes of making the 1919 team which won the King’s Cup and then toured South Africa. At the end of war Barrett spent two years in Ireland, the land of his forebears, before returning to the family farm in Paeroa. In 1937 he took up his own farm near Morrinsville, marrying late in life and fathering a son, Jim junior, in 1944 when aged 57. Jim junior also was a fine player, who as a member of the Morrinsville St Joseph’s club played 22 matches for Waikato as a lock in 1967-69. He had a national under 23 trial in 1967 and among his appearances for Waikato was one against France in 1968 and in a Ranfurly Shield challenge against Hawke’s Bay in 1969. James Barrett b. 8 October 1888 in Auckland d. 31 August 1971 in Hamilton http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/data...?OriginalID=101596&SearchID=7818592&Ordinal=3
