Dubai: Things will never be the same again, but just like the evolution of Dubai, former Dubai Exiles Chairman Jim Lees wants to take the changes in his stride.

“Things will never be the same again. It is the future we should be looking forward to now. I feel it will be good,'' Lees told Gulf News.

Lees, the chairman for more than a decade starting in 1995, was one of the vital witnesses of the sudden spurt of rugby in the UAE. “This is what progress is in Dubai, and I have been involved with this progress for the past 30 years. There is no time for looking back now,'' stated the former chairman.

However, he does have a grouse that the club was not consulted before a decision was taken on the demolition of the facility. “The land had been set aside for our use by the late Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. They should have at least discussed things with us before doing it,'' Lees observed.

The ex-chairman arrived for the final day party and barbeque with a shirt worn by Exiles captain Harry Millington during their tour to the Hong Kong Sevens in 1979. “I want this shirt to be mounted and hung on the wall at the new facility,'' Lees stated.