Six decades in a row brings New Year's honour for Bay legend

SOUVENIRS GALORE: Doc McDonald in his room full of memorabilia he has collected during more than six decades of service to rowing. PHOTO/DUNCAN BROWN

Embarrassed but proud at the same time.

This was Hawke's Bay Rowing Club stalwart Dr Doc McDonald's reaction when he learnt he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to rowing. With more than 60 years of voluntary service to the code he shouldn't have been embarrassed but he has never been one to chase the limelight and has preferred his rowers to get the kudos.

The father of four and grandfather of eight rowed for the Canterbury and Wanganui-based Union clubs before switching to coaching mode. Being part of the national title-winning eight crew with Union in 1959 was the highlight of his competitive days.

On the coaching front he has guided four clubs and four secondary schools to national titles and New Zealand Rowing and New Zealand Universities crews to international medals. Havelock North's McDonald was quick to reply when quizzed on his coaching highlight.

"Helping the Canterbury club's premier men's quad crew win a national title in 2004. That was 99 years after the club's previous heavyweight title."

A retired dental surgeon (yes that's where he got the name Doc from and it has stuck ever since), Dr McDonald, has won the Maadi Cup eights title twice with Wanganui Collegiate and once with Christ's College Christchurch. The Maadi Cup is the most prestigious secondary schools regatta in the country and Dr McDonald coached a Napier Boys' High School eight to second place in 2013. He has also tasted Springbok Shield four oar glory with NBHS.

He believed he had another three years of coaching left in him.

"I've got a bit of unfinished business with the NBHS eight. They are young and small but will grow and the 2018-19 season could be the one for them".

Former Havelock North High School rower Giacomo Thomas and the former Napier Boys' High School pair of Andrew Potter and Thomas Jenkins are the best he has coached during the 13 years he has been in the Bay. All three have podiumed at international level and have won the Hawke's Bay Secondary School Sportsperson of the Year award.

Thomas won bronze with the Kiwi quad in 2009 at the under-19 world championships in France while Jenkins and Potter won golds in the pair and four, and silver in the eight at the 2013 Youth Olympics in Sydney, and Jenkins won gold with the Kiwi coxless four at the Bulgaria-hosted junior world championships in 2012.

He predicted former NBHS rower Ed Laver, 21, who has recently returned to the code, could record similar success at international level in an eight or a pair.

Dr McDonald's recipes for success are simple. "I can see movement and speed and I also have a good rapport with the athlete," he said.

While none of his four children rowed Dr McDonald has been impressed with the enthusiasm his 9-year-old granddaughter Evie Skidmore of Havelock North Primary School is displaying for the sport. Skidmore could prove to be the lure for Dr McDonald to continue coaching for another six years at least.