First winners of the Maadi Springbok Shield to reunite for 50th celebration
It’s been 50 years since the winners of the first Springbok Shield rowing race have been together. This month at the NZSS Maadi Cup competition at Lake Karapiro, the crew will reunite once more for celebrations.
Rowing cox, Colin Maisey, may not recall if he was thrown into the water as part of the traditional victory celebrations, but he does remember clearly the race itself.
It was 1965 in Oriental Bay, Wellington, and the Hamilton Boys’ High School four were competing in the first Springbok Shield rowing race held at the NZ Secondary Schools (NZSS) Maadi Cup competition.
“Conditions were difficult. It was rough, windy and raining.
“We didn’t have lane courses back then, and I remember picking a landmark and using that as a guide in going straight.”
Hamilton Boys’ High School were first out of the blocks, with the simple plan to lead from the start. They were in front at the 500m mark, again at the 1000m and 1500m marks, and through to the line.
“We had our game plan and stuck to it,” Maisey recalls.
More than that they won by a convincing boat’s length to beat their arch rivals, established rowing school, Wanganui Collegiate.
The crew will reunite this month at the NZSS Maadi rowing competition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Shield.
They will attend a lunch with VIP Rowing NZ guests, and will present the medals and the trophy to the winners of the boys under-18 four Springbok Shield race.
Maisey is looking forward to catching up with his old crew.
“Basically the school assembly after we won the Springbok Shield is the last time I can recall the five of us all together.”
In his second season of rowing, Maisey was only 14 years old and weighed 50 kgs. His older brothers were involved in rowing also, as a rower and cox, so it was only standard for Maisey to get involved too.
“It was in my genes. My father was short, so yeah, in rowing there’s places for big people and places for the little people.”
He continued to cox throughout his high school years as well as with the Waikato Rowing Club before moving around New Zealand for work, ending up in Auckland.
Maisey retired a couple years ago after 40 years with the ANZ bank and now enjoys working part-time gardening at the Botany Downs Primary School.
Even though rowing has taken a back seat in his life, he has enjoyed watching his son and daughter participate at the Maadi Cup for Westlake Boys’ High School and Westlake Girls’ High School a few years ago.
When asked who he was backing in this year’s Springbok Shield race, Maisey replied “of course I hope Hamilton Boys’ High wins it”.
But, he added, he is happy to award the shield to the deserving team on the day.
The AON Secondary Schools Maadi Cup will take place at Lake Karapiro from March 22-28.
