The retired civil engineer, 64, sees God's hand in all elements of life: "I think God puts people where they need to be. I don't understand it, but I think that's the case ... he puts you where he wants you to serve."

That would mean that when Ellerton retired about 18 months ago after "busting his guts" for 38 years, and was, needless to say, looking for a green pasture to relax in, it was divine intervention that resulted in him becoming the Magpies' new secretary.

"You know, it was time to do something else," he said. "And I made the mistake of telling the Tamworth Rugby Club's president, Mitch Hanlon, that I'd retired. And the next day he made me secretary of the rugby club ... I should of kept my big mouth shut."

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Ellerton had thought the role involved mundane tasks such as taking the minutes at committee meetings.

"But it's a lot of things. It's getting broken windows repaired, getting our boundary fences and gates secured, managing sponsors signage; just doing basic maintenance around the club ... And that suited me because of my role as an engineer on the dams."

Ellerton grew up in Sydney and found God at age 15, after a friend took him to a youth group. He had initially gone there for the "fun games and girls", but "came away with something else".

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"I decided that Jesus needed to be the most important thing in my life - and so that changed my life."

Ellerton worships at St Peter's Anglican Church and teaches the Holy Scriptures at Hillvue Public School and Tamworth South Public School, going to both schools once a week.

He studied civil engineering at the University of Sydney, where he played mostly fourth-grade rugby as mainly a prop.

He is married to Susan. Their three sons - Zac, Nat and Sam - play, or have played, for the Magpies. Nat will contest the second-grade major semi-final against Coffs Harbour on Saturday.

Ellerton and his wife manned the canteen at Rugby Park for about five years. That experience, he said, was "a real eye-opener of all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to keep the players on the field".

After playing rugby for "something like 20 years", "giving back" to the sport by helping the Magpies cause "seemed like a natural thing to do".

The Magpies, he continued, have "a fabulous committee".

"Two years ago, the club was in very significant debt, and the people on the committee have slowly dragged it out of that debt. And it's quite exciting to be part of that [committee], because they all bring their own gifts and professionalism to it."