Olympic medallist Dick Quax has died at the age of 70 after a long battle with cancer.
The late Olympian and politician Dick Quax worried his cancer treatment would stop as his bank account was drained by a fraudster signing cheques across Auckland in the sporting great's name.
Quax died on Tuesday, aged 70. His funeral is being held today at the Holy Trinity Cathedralin Parnell and is expected to be well attended.
A former world record holder, Quax won silver in the 5000m at the 1976 Montreal Games.
Dick Quax died on Tuesday from cancer and feared his treatment would stop after being the victim of a fraud. Photo / NZ Herald
Last October the Herald revealed Quax had been named in court documents alongside his wife Roxanne Bakke as complainants in a criminal court proceeding.
After court documents on the case were released this week, the Weekend Herald can reveal Quax feared he wouldn't be able to pay for his cancer treatment.
It was an anxiety Quax and his wife kept to themselves, his brother Peter Quax said yesterday.
Quax had been the victim of chequebook fraudster James Alexander Spencer Bayley, who had attempted to steal nearly $20,000 from the sporting hero.
Bayley was sentenced earlier this year by Judge Anna Johns to home detention.
At the time of the fraud, Quax's cancer treatment was costing $6000 every three weeks and when he discovered his money was being swindled away he feared he would not be able to continue the treatment.
Quax's brother Peter knew about the fraud but said his sibling and sister-in-law kept the details to themselves.
Quax winning silver in the 5000m race at the 1976 Montreal Games. Photo / AP
"At the end of the day Dick was pretty strong. He didn't complain about anything," he told the Weekend Herald.
"I was thinking this morning, he came second at the Olympics and people don't realise how sick he was at those Games ... he never ever used being sick as an excuse of coming second."
On July 21 last year, Quax discovered some suspicious transactions in his bank account.
Westpac confirmed it had sent a new chequebook to Quax's home during that month but it went missing and Quax never received it, court documents read.
Bayley, on July 20, had successfully cashed the first fraudulent cheque worth $1490 in Quax's name at a Westpac smart ATM.
Just two minutes after the first offence, Bayley cashed a second $2650 cheque.
The next day Bayley continued his fraud and cashed a $985 cheque. Another $765 cheque presented to the bank was not honoured.
On July 24 the fraudster walked into the Westpac Newmarket branch, produced a New Zealand driver's licence as identification, and cashed a $1220 cheque in Quax's name.
The same day, Bayley also successfully withdrew $3500 from Quax's account and deposited it into his own.
Bayley then brazenly tried to cash a $8500 cheque the day after. This time, however, Westpac didn't honour the transaction.
When Bayley was finally stopped, the total amount withdrawn from Quax's account was $9845.
Quax, a former Auckland and Manukau City councillor, who also stood for parliament in 1999 and 2002, wrote in a victim impact statement that the fraud was "really stressful".
He said he worried about how he would pay for his ongoing treatment.
Luckily, Quax said, the money was reimbursed by the bank.
Dick Quax was a local politician and also previously ran for parliament. Photo / File
"It could not have come at a worse time because he was going through cancer treatment," Judge Johns said at Bayley's sentencing.
"It was an additional stress he did not need given his health and it has taken him a lot of time to sort the matters out."
Bayley, 34, was convicted and sentenced for the fraud, a separate burglary, and drugs charges to six months' home detention on March 29 in the Manukau District Court.
At an court earlier appearance, Judge Johns also declined the Herald's application to photograph Bayley in court, saying there wasn't a high enough public interest and publication would create undue hardship for Bayley.
Bayley has previously convictions, most of which occurred in Australia.
