Cake, cordial were runner’s winning formula
cross-country runner b August 23, 1937; d January 10, 2022
The chance to enjoy free cake and cordial proved life-changing for Barry Everitt. The 84-year-old died last month after suffering a stroke, but will be remembered as a man who competed fiercely for his beloved Wellington Harrier Athletic Club, and who encouraged everyone to give running a go.
Growing up in Newtown, a lot of his mates were getting into trouble, and he would later say he could have become a street kid.
The turning point came at 13, when he was encouraged to join Wellington Harriers by a neighbour, Ian Donaldson, who noted his speed when he ran anywhere.
To his surprise, Everitt found the club offered free cake and cordial, and he was hooked.
He quickly made a mark, winning events despite his inexperience. Not only did he win, but he won by large margins.
At Wellington Technical College, the good results kept coming, and he soon found himself beating more highly regarded athletes.
Club titles were followed by provincial ones, and
Everitt quickly made his mark nationally.
He won his first national title as a junior in 1956 and represented New Zealand at three World Cross-Country Championships, the first in 1965 at Antwerp, Belgium.
It was an era during which New Zealand had many top runners, including Peter Snell and Murray Halberg, and that limited his opportunities internationally.
Everitt competed for his club for over 50 years in local events like the Vosseler Shield and Dorne Cup, winning more often than not.
Club stalwart John Barrance said Everitt ‘‘was a man of great mana’’, who was widely respected.
‘‘His strength and grit shone through. His running opponents knew he was a great runner and fierce competitor. His friends knew him for his humour and loyalty.’’
As a club member he devoted himself to raising funds and helped shift the club from its base in Island Bay to its present site in Mt Victoria.
‘‘Barry’s passing is the end of an era. He was a role model to so many, a club legend, and the club’s central icon,’’ Barrance said in the club newsletter.
In a 2005 interview with RNZ, Everitt noted he ran regularly against Halberg, who won
Olympic and Commonwealth golds. Although he routinely came second, it was at a time when New Zealand sent only one athlete to such events, and Everitt did not get the opportunities he would get today.
His motivation, however, came from seeing young people enjoying competing and improving.
‘‘Not everyone can be a champion, but everyone can do their best and try,’’ he said.
Alan Stevens, who represented Wellington Scottish Harriers, regularly competed against Everitt and remembers him as a ‘‘nuggety’’ runner who always gave his best.
Everitt was a better crosscountry runner than a track competitor, and Stevens says he was very unlucky not to have represented New Zealand more often.
Niece Wendy Everitt-Brown says he was a special character who treated everyone with respect.
‘‘He was a wonderful man. Very kind and very caring. He was always very interested in up-and-coming runners.’’
He met his wife Mary (nee Mortlock) in 1969, shortly after returning from his third world championship. She was not long back from travelling overseas, and the pair hit it off immediately, swapping travel stories.
In 1978, they moved to Waikanae, where he loved running on the beach. As well as working as a courier, he had a business partner who was a florist. Friends included wellknown Wellington drag queen Carmen Rupe.
Mary says that, although Everitt had a tough childhood in Newtown, he was a very generous man, who loved meeting people and getting to know them.
His life was based around running, and he was never happier than when he saw a young runner succeed.
❚ Sources: Wellington Harriers, John Barrance, RNZ, Alan Stevens, Mary Everitt and Wendy Everitt-Brown.
Barry Everitt represented New Zealand at three World Cross Country Championships.