Rowing greats’ legacy honoured
The New Zealand Rowing Foundation acknowledged the contributions of eight former rowers at the NZ Rowing Championships recently.
The foundation commenced its Legacy programme in 2017 to commemorate the participation of New Zealand rowing representatives at an Olympic, Empire or Commonwealth Games, or FISA World Championships.
This year six of the eight rowers were acknowledged at a special event at the Sir Don Rowlands Centre, Lake Karapiro.
The recipients came from the golden years of the late 1960s and early 1970s when our rowing fours and eights crews reigned supreme.
Simon Dickie, Ross Collinge, Richard Joyce, Dudley Storey were members of the gold medal rowing fours at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico.
Dickie and Joyce became members of the New Zealand Rowing Eight who went onto claim the prestigious gold medal at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972.
Storey and Cole moved to the coxless fours and men’s fours respectively for Munich with Storey winning a silver medal at the same games.
Dickie remained as the eights coxswain which won Olympic bronze in 1976 at the Montreal Games.
Other recipients on the night were Gilbert Cawood who competed in the Mexico Olympics as a part of the eights gaining fourth place and bronze at the World Championships in 1970.
Two recent rowers received Legacy medals.
Caleb Sheppard was part of the Men’s coxed pair which won gold at the World Rowing Championships in 2014.
He then became and remains a member of the eights since 2015.
Surprised by her inclusion was Lucy Strack, a member of the Women’s Lightweight Double at the World Rowing Championships between 2010 and 2013.
All recipients reminisced about their time wearing the black singlet and the silver fern with honour.
The emotion of the night spilt into the room as the family of the late Dudley Storey accepted his medal and his daughter Alison remembered her father’s contribution to rowing both on and off the water.
Most famous recipient of the night went to the late Simon Dickie, selected as the cox for the Men’s Four in 1968, and the successful Men’s Eights from 1970-76.
Dickie’s lifetime friend and former competitor, Sean Hogan from the US, accepted the Legacy medal on behalf of the family. He recalled his first meeting with Dickie during an early regatta.
‘‘I was part of the starting crew and holding the Kiwis’ boat, Simon looked up at me and said when the gun goes, remember to let go.’’