James Morris and John Wansbone with the trophy.
I received an unexpected call the other day.
It was James Morris, a Northland Legend of Sport and national table tennis champion from the 1970s and 1980s.
He had been busy giving his garage a spring clean when he came across something special, the Northland Sportsman of the Year Trophy that he was awarded in 1981.
“Hey, do you guys want it?” he asked casually. “They never asked for it back and it’s been in storage for the past 40 years”.
It didn’t take long to register the significance of what he was offering, and the trophy is now sitting proudly in the Sport Northland office.
The names etched into the trophy are a who’s who of Northland Sport, from Brian Maunsell, Laurie Byers in the 1960s to Ross Blomfield and John Parker in the 1970s, with James the final recipient in 1981.
In fact, his name appears twice, first claiming the honour in 1976 after winning national titles and competing internationally. And then there is All Black great Sid Going, who won the award three times, in 1967, 1969 and 1971. Legend has it that Sid was overlooked in the following years after calls he had won it too often!
Trophies like this are taonga. They remind us of the sporting heroes who emerged from the north and the communities who celebrated them.
But this discovery has also ignited a bit of a mystery. What happened to the other trophy, for the Northland Sportswoman of the Year?
Before Sport Northland was established in 1991, the regional sports awards were presented by New Zealand Breweries in partnership with the Kamo Lions Club.
For many, the awards were a highlight on the social and sporting calendar, with stars from across codes celebrating together. Unfortunately, historical records from that era have proved surprisingly hard to piece together and the awards took a break in 1982.
Thankfully, while the whereabouts of the Sportswoman trophy remains unknown, the names of the winners are not lost.
In a curious twist, we received an email last year from a sports trophy collector in France who has compiled a global database of trophy winners.
Although he didn’t possess the trophy, he did have a list of the Northland Sportswoman of the Year recipients, that he captured several years earlier.
Whether his information has any connection to the trophy’s disappearance is anyone’s guess, but it has renewed our determination to track it down.
Northland has produced some exceptional sportswomen over the years. Like James Morris, Neti Traill won the national title in table tennis and was awarded the Sportswoman of the Year trophy three times in 1967, 1969 and 1971. Sandra James won the trophy in 1968 after representing New Zealand at the 1967 World Netball Championships, while Wendy Brown was another three-time winner in 1977, 1979 and 1981 for her achievements in athletics as a national sprint champion.
And yet, despite these remarkable achievements, the trophy that once bore their names has vanished.
So now we’re asking the Northland community for help. If anyone has information about the missing Sportswoman of the Year trophy or even a hunch, we would love to hear from you. Email: info@sportnorth.co.nz.
And if you’re overdue for a clean out of your garage, attic, or old storage boxes… keep an eye out. You never know what forgotten treasure might be waiting to be rediscovered.
Past Trophy Winners (1964-1981)
Sportsman of the Year
1964 Brian Maunsell (Hockey)
1965 Garry Frew (Table Tennis)
1966 Laurie Byers (Cycling)
1967 Sid Going (Rugby)
1968 Ross McPherson (Hockey)
1969 Sid Going (Rugby)
1970 Bryce Beeston (Cycling)
1971 Sid Going (Rugby)
1972 Ted Salmon (Hockey)
1973 John Parker (Cricket)
1974 Ross Blomfield (Rowing)
1975 John Parker (Cricket)
1976 James Morris (Table Tennis)
1977 Alex Bonnington (Golf)
1978 Eddie Dunn (Rugby)
1979 Murray Parker (Cricket)
1980 Fred Woodman (Rugby)
1981 James Morris (Table Tennis)
Sportswoman of the Year
1964 -
1965 -
1966 -
1967 Neti Trail (Table Tennis)
1968 Sandra James (Netball)
1969 Neti Trail (Table Tennis)
1970 Shirley Richards (Archery)
1971 Neti Trail (Table Tennis)
1972 Pat Carrick (Cricket)
1973 Patsey Stevens (Squash)
1974 Audrey Fry (Outdoor Bowls)
1975 Donna Child (Martial Arts / Judo)
1976 Kathryn Blackmore (Martial Arts / Strength)
1977 Wendy Brown (Athletics)
1978 Susan Hooper (Table Tennis)
1979 Wendy Brown (Athletics)
1980 Lynda Gray (Athletics)
1981 Wendy Brown (Athletics)