Post 2 of 8. 1968 - 1980.
School Years.
I was initiated into the world of bicycles via my mother’s 26 inch women’s framed bicycle that had a rear child carrier fitted that I sat in as a small child. Here are my mother’s exact words about when she rode the bike with me sitting in the rear carrier behind her. ‘You would put your little palms of both your hands on my lower back and say ‘faster mum, faster’. I must have absolutely loved riding on the back of my mother’s bicycle because as it had 26 inch wheels, this allowed me to have quite a high outlook of all that I could see around me, and I discovered the feeling of riding along with my mother piloting as liberating and the ultimate expression of freedom, and this feeling would continue with me for my entire life on 2 wheels.
An indication of my physical strength as a child was when I was given my older sister’s red tricycle to ride. I wonder if my parents were a little timid in wanting me to ride a 2 wheeled bicycle because of the fear of me falling off it and hurting/injuring myself. It is a natural fear for almost all parents I suggest. My mother’s father [my grandfather] owned The Royal Cycle Works bicycle shop in Tay Street in Invercargill. However, as my parents were middle class and our home was in the Newfield suburb of Invercargill, they simply didn’t have a lot of discretionary income to be able to afford to buy brand new bicycles for both my older sister and me.
I somehow knew and believed I could ride a 2
wheeled bicycle from a very young age. So when I was gifted my older sister’s
red tricycle I wanted to somehow prove to my parents I had both the physical
strength and skills to ride it. However, the method I used wasn’t the most
intelligent…As I was the youngest member of our family I grew up understanding
that ‘actions tended to be louder than words’. So I rode that red tricycle as
aggressively as I possibly could.
I was so physically strong as a child I could
skid both the left and the right rear wheel – the spoked wheel had solid rubber
tires. So, they skidded on both gravel, solid concrete, and asphalt footpaths.
As the rear driving hub could be stopped by pedalling backwards, I did this and
of course the harder you pedalled backwards the more force was applied to stop
the rear wheels and they would skid. This trick greatly appealed to me, and I
could skid either to the left or right wheel depending on which side I leaned
all my weight towards. I could get up to quite a high speed because I was
strong in the legs. It wasn’t long before spokes in both real wheels began
breaking from the pressure and forces applied from high-speed braking. Then the
wheels began buckling. My father must have seen the damage I was inflicting on
the red tricycle’s rear wheels. He never said anything to me and decided to
punish me for my efforts, and he hung the tricycle up by binder twine on the
wooden rafters of the garage. Each time I looked for the tricycle I discovered
it up high in the garage and I wondered why my father had done this. Of course,
his psychological game he was playing was that ‘so you want to wreck your
tricycle, so you then don’t get to ride it’. I would have been around 5-6 years
old I think. My parents were reluctant to buy a two-wheeler for me, probably a
little scared I would fall off and hurt myself. However, when they did it had
13in wheels and was ideal. I rode the bike so much, never fell off, and yet
they still never had faith in me that I had sound bicycle riding skills,
determination, and strength. My mother had a 26in wheel bicycle, and one day
when I was around 5-6 I thought I’d try to ride it. I ended up being able to
pedal it without sitting on the seat – as I was too short. As I riding along
somehow one foot slipped off the pedal and I slipped off the bike and my boy
more private parts slammed into the top of the steel bar of the frame – WOW now
that HURT BIG TIME! Can you imagine the pain? This next part gives an
indication of the type of character I had. Rather than walking the 26in wheel
bike back home, I chose to mount the pedals again once the pain had subsided. I
put some pressure on the pedals again and AGAIN off one foot slipped off the
pedal and AGAIN the very same boy private parts slammed onto the top of the
steel frame of my mother’s bicycle and WOW was the pain EXCRUCIATING this time!
Was I insane or what? I begged my parents to buy me a brand-new Raleigh Chopper
or Healing Dragster bicycle that were all the rage for kids during the mid
‘70s. My mother’s father and my grandfather owned The Royal Cycle Works bicycle
shop in Invercargill and yet they refused to buy me a brand-new bicycle. My
parents said that for my 11th birthday I might get a surprise. For
my 11th birthday I got a 26in wheeled ‘Chopper’ – not a Raleigh
Chopper, but an even better bike. This bike was painted metallic green. It had
ape-hanger handlebars, a banana seat and chrome sissy bar. But the best part
about this bike was it had a three-speed Sturmey-Archer rear hub with a click
shifter on the handlebars – WOW! My father had spotted the bike in my mother’s
sister’s husband’s hay shed on their farm; it was my cousin’s bike. He must
have offered my uncle a price and it was purchased. My father had stripped the
bike down completely so the metal frame could be sandblasted, and it the
metallic green paint was baked on in an oven. I couldn’t believe my great
fortune. The bike was way better than any brand-new bike bought from a bike
shop. I loved that bike! As it had 26in wheels it was a big bike in appearance.
Almost every other bike at the time had smaller sized wheels and it was
intimidating with its ape-hanger handlebars, banana seat, and chrome sissy bar.
I rode that bike as hard and as fast as I could with its 3 speed Sturmey-Archer
rear hub.
I played rugby as a child, then joined the YMCA
Judo club, however I think my parents wondered if I could/would stick to
anything. It was when I attended Tweedsmuir Intermediate School from 1975 to
1976 age 12 that I began to show form in running. I became a Southland Primary
Schools Sports Association Champion in the 100m sprint 12 years, and was
runner-up in the 800m and I placed third in the Long Jump and Boys Relay 12
years in Form II. I became the Form II Boys Cross Country
Champion. I played in the ‘A’ softball team and played in the rugby team. I
also excelled in academia in Form II. I also wore glasses after being diagnosed
with short sightedness. My parents had requested I have a male teacher in Form
II after going through primary school with women teachers. This proved very
beneficial. I developed a lot of confidence and as such auditioned for the
school production The Hobbit. I was disappointed not to gain the main character
Bilbo Baggins and settled with second main character Gandalf The Wizard. I sang
a solo song – it was John Denver’s ‘Sweet Surrender’ except the lyric ‘Sweet
Surrender’ would change to ‘Sweet Adventure’ – in recognition of Gandalf accompanying
Bilbo Baggins on his adventures in the production. I also had some of my artwork in Form 2 feature in a prestigious art festival. It is fair and reasonable
to suggest Form 2 was my greatest year of not only achievement also development
of all my time at school.
My first real understanding of time came also
when I was in Form II at Tweedsmuir Intermediate School in 1976 when I was 13.
I began working as a milkboy delivering milk and cream early in the morning
before school started. I was required to be out of bed at around 6.30am and
sometimes around 5.30am. This was a real shock to my system, and I needed a
small clock with an alarm that would wake me up at the correct time. The work
was very physical, and I wasn’t a large or tall boy. However, I had DNA/genes
on my side, my grandfather on my father’s side was a great sportsman in his day
and it wasn’t long before I worked out I had inherited my grandfather’s DNA/genes.
Another milk boy I worked well with helped me out considerably and he and I
developed into a great team. He challenged me to run with both milk crates full
of milk and cream and it was a real struggle to begin with. However, in time my
body started adapting and fitness improved. As we worked in all-weathers this
helped me learn discipline and resilience.
I made the decision to attend a co-ed high school that was trades focused. I wanted to be a carpenter when I left school. After such a successful time at Intermediate school I wondered what high school would be like. I found out very quickly on my first day. I was accosted by a 4th form student who had waited a year for me to arrive and confronted me at interval time in a concreted area outside. He challenged me to meet him after school over at the ‘Puni – a creek/stream that ran parallel to the school and there was a lot of grass fields on the banks. This was not how I envisaged beginning my high school career. Thankfully this ended without me getting ‘done over’ after someone I knew bailed me out and instructed the perpetrator to ‘leave me alone’. I ended up playing in the 6th grade rugby team that year 1977 with both of those 4th form students.
My parents allowed to me join the St Pauls Harrier and Amateur Athletic Club in 1977.
This proved to be a winning bet especially around stickability. I gained
immediate success in running on the athletics track and during winter at
harriers. Such success only increased my motivation, and I attended training
after school up at the Surrey Park Athletic track. I met another keen runner
who was also a St Pauls Harrier and Amateur Athletic Club member and he and I
developed a friendship we still have today. He was a few years older than me.
[note on training] My friend had read a book
authored by Garth Gilmore and it was about a very influential New Zealand
athletics coach Arthur Lydiard. Lydiard had revolutionized jogging and had a
media profile. I decided to read Gilmour’s ‘No Bugles No Drums’ the story of
Peter Snell one of New Zealand’s greatest Olympians. I enjoyed the
read. Then I read the book ‘Gold’s Aren’t Easy’ authored by Spencer Jolly, it
was the story of Dick Taylor who won the 10,000m at the 1974 Commonwealth Games
held in Christchurch New Zealand. While these books were motivational I
desperately wanted to know more about training methods for various running
distances both on the athletics’ track and harrier races over cross country and
on the road. Because both of us never had one-on-one coaches. So we were
thirsty to know how to train for running. This was very different to
recreational running or running to exercise. Training meant more discipline and
more structure. This was about competition and that meant winning and losing.
My life was changing. There is a lot of debate about when is the correct age to
introduce children to competition and sport. For me it was 11. And in the first
year of high school when I was 13 I began becoming more structured and winning
in athletics and harriers sporting events and races. My friend had a 90cc
motor-scooter and he introduced me to weight training. He would pick me up and
I would pillion on his motor-scooter and the two of us would ride to the other
side of the city where his uncle lived. His uncle had a set of weights – a
barbell with various single weights that could be loaded onto each side of the
bar, plus a set of dumb bells, a shorter bar about a foot in length that could
also be loaded with single weights from a kilogram up to 5kg each. My friend
and I learned the various exercises that could be performed with a barbell and
dumbbell, and we took turns performing repetitions of exercises that would
make up a ‘set’. We learned the jargon and correct technique for lifting and
performing exercises from books borrowed from both our high school library plus
the city public library. My body was developing rapidly in strength and size
for a 13–14-year-old teenager. My friend who was two years older than me has
always vouched that I could outlift him even then. This would be a bit of an
omen as to how I developed my knowledge for sport plus my passion for exercise.
It was primarily from self-learning and experimentation – as Frank Sinatra
sings ‘I Did It My Way’…
At high school I excelled at running in athletics on the track and became athletics champion in my age group on a couple of occasions. I broke existing school records in both the 800m and 1500m as well. I also excelled in cross country running and won several championships in my age group as well. I joined the local St Pauls Harrier and Amateur Athletic club in 1977 aged 13 and enjoyed immediate success on the track during summer. I placed second in the club championships over the 100m and 800m at the track championships plus placed second in cross country and road racing club championships in 1978 and 1979.
The first year of high school [1977] I began
working after school in my father’s printing business. This continued for all 4
years of high school. I worked 1 hour per day 4-5pm, 5 days a week Mon-Fri. I
also worked there during the school holidays so all year round. My father paid
me fair and reasonably for the work I performed [$4/hour] and we enjoyed an
amicable relationship. My mother was working as the office secretary in my
father’s printing business. We never had any working issues at all. I did what
I was asked to do and never complained. The work involved vacuuming the floors
of the building, emptying rubbish bins, washing & drying dishes, and taking
mail to the post-office. I would always ride my bicycle into work from our home
– a 5km distance. So 10km return. By the end of the week that was 50km. In 1979
when I was 15 I began running into my after-school job. Not every day, however
it was excellent training for my running career.
In 1978 aged 14-15 I was a very successful
harrier running for the St Pauls Harrier and Amateur Athletic Club. I gained
fastest times in several road races and cross-country races. I also became the
junior athletics champion and boys’ cross country champion at high school. I
also broke two [2] school records in the 800m and 1500m on the track. I also
supported community ‘Fun Runs’ and entered several in 1978, one was for raising
funds for an ‘all-weather athletic track’ to be constructed at Surrey Park and
was rather expensive. The weather where I lived at the deep south of the South
Island of New Zealand could be excessive with cold and wet winters and some
summers lacking sun and warm temperatures. Our province of Southland is primarily
farming with sheep, lamb, pork, venison, and dairy. The Invercargill city is
primarily a servicing city for the farming population. Southlanders have a
distinct dialect and can be identified pronouncing the letter ‘R’ in a rolling
fashion. The movie ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’ produced in 2005, starring Sir
Anthony Hopkins as Invercargill motorcycle racer Burt Munro gives an excellent
pronunciation of the rolling letter ‘r’ for reference. So, it was imperative an
all-weather athletics track be built because with grass only it could get too
slippery for runners to run on. I also competed in a ‘fun run’ raising funds
for the 1978 New Zealand Commonwealth Games team who would be travelling to Edmonton
in Canada to compete in the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
I went on to compete in the local Southland
provincial secondary schools’ athletics championships gaining a second placing
and 2 third placings in 1979. Also, at the Southland centre Athletics
Championships in 1979 I won the 800m for the under 16 boys category competing
for St Pauls, and I was a Southland Champion! At those same championships I
placed second in the 100m and 1500m for under 16 boys. I placed third in the
4,000m road race for under 16 boys. I was in Form 5 in 1979 and it was School
Certificate year – a standard New Zealand secondary school qualification that
would also allow entry into the 6th Form. Although my parents never
put any pressure on me to pass the qualification, they were quietly concerned
that I needed to pass and my mother did ask me to swat for examinations – this
involved studying in my bedroom, revising and note taking on subjects. Although
the thought of swatting alone was enough to bring out a sweat in me, I can
clearly remember taking the kitchen transistor radio into my bedroom during
swatting...how anyone could concentrate on swatting while listening to a radio
I don’t know. One thing I have never forgotten during that time swatting for
examinations and was listening to the tragic news Air New Zealand Flight 901
‘TE901’ was missing over Antarctica on 28th November. It proved
catastrophic. I did pass the School Certificate qualification that allowed me
entry into Form 6 for 1980.
Also during 1979 while I was in form 5 at Cargill
High School another friend suggested instead of buying a motor scooter when I
turned 15 and obtained my motorcycle rider licence, I buy a ’10-Speed bicycle’
and go touring with him and a small group of other high school friends. What
influenced me to buy the bike was the social element as if I had bought the
motor scooter it would have only been me and nobody else, whereas riding a
10-Speed bicycle with others seemed more social to me. Over the Easter of 1979 I
was part of a high school group of 6 teenagers aged 15 & 16 who rode
touring bicycles loaded with equipment over a 500km route over 5 days. Because
of the success of the trip we then made the decision to circumnavigate the
South Island of New Zealand over the Christmas/New Year holiday period of
1979-80. We did cheat by taking a passenger express train loaded with our
bicycles and equipment 564 km north-east. Plus, a friend and I skipped riding
the final 234 km. Therefore, for us the total distance covered was 1,122 km. In
November 1979 my friend who invited me on the bicycle touring trips challenged
me to compete in a local marathon, so I said, ‘I will if you will’. The deal
was done. We trained and decided to enter the 1979 Winstone Marathon from
Riverton to Invercargill. Part of entry requirement was you had to provide your
estimated finishing time. I guessed 3 hours 30 minutes. We ran side by side for
the whole 42.2km/26 mile race and as I had made up electrolyte replacement
drinks I felt good for the whole race. We crossed the line side-by-side
together in a time of 3 hours 29 minutes 53 seconds. We were both 15 years of
age on the day. I won the prize for closest to estimated time as I was a mere 7
seconds out! Both of us never received any recognition at our respective high
schools for our achievement.
My final year of high school 1980 was successful
as I became both the Senior Boy’s Athletics and Cross Country Champion. I also
competed in the Winstone Riverton to Invercargill Marathon for the second time
and finished in an excellent time of 3 hours 5 minutes.17 seconds and I was 16 years
old. Although I didn’t get University Entrance accredited I did sit and pass
the English exam and gained 6th Form Certificate. I was ready to
enter the workforce, so I thought...
PHOTOS:
Pic 1 is my first 2 wheeled bicycle with 13 inch wheels. I loved that bike and rode it everywhere around the Alexandra Holiday Camping ground at Christmas times. I was 7.
Pic 2 is my 11th Birthday present in 1974 a Raleigh with 26 inch wheels. My father stripped the frame and had it sandblasted and painted metallic green [baked]. The bike had a 3-speed Sturmey-Archer rear hub with a 3 speed click shifter on the handlebars. Accessories included ape-hanger handlebars with a chrome sissy bar. I loved my 'Chopper'.
Pic 3 is my Healing 10-Speed bicycle bought new for $200 in 1979 from Wensley's Cycles in Invercargill.
Pic 4 Certificates for when I first became a Southland provincial athletics champion aged 11 100m, and 2nd 800m in 1976 at Tweedsmuir Intermediate School in Form 2.
Pic 5 Certificate for 1976 Tweedsmuir Intermediate School Form II Boy's Cross Country Champion age 12.
Pic 6 Certificates 1977 Southland College Under 14 Athletics & Cross Country Champion.
Pic 7 Certificates 1979 Cargill High School Athletics Championships 2 Records 800m & 1500m, and 2nd place Senior Cross Country.
Pic 8 Certificate 1979 Southland Center Athletics Under 16 800m Champion.
Pic 9 Certificates 1979 Southland Secondary Schools Track & Field Championships. Intermediate Boys. 2nd Place 1500m, 3rd Place 800m. 1980. Senior Boys. 3rd Place 800m.
Pic 10 Certificates 1979 & 1980 Winstone Marathon Riverton to Invercargill completion certificates. Aged 15 & 16.
Pic 11 1979 Winstone Marathon Riverton to Invercargill #70. 61st place. Time 3 hours 29 minutes 53 seconds.Age 15/16. [My first Marathon]
Pic 12 1980 Winstone Marathon Riverton to Invercargill. #61. 54th place. Time: 3 hours 5 minutes 17 seconds. Age 16/17.
Pic 13 1979-80 Christmas-New Year South Island Bicycle Tour. Lake Hawea. I'm on the left. Age 17.
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