New Zealand surf lifesaving has lost one of its most influential figures, with the death in Te Puke on Friday of Murray "Hacko" Haxton. He was 75. Haxton, a former competitive swimmer, was in his 60th year serving as an official in the sport. He was a former president of Surf LifeSaving New Zealand (SLSNZ) and was a judge at the world championships. Awarded a Queen's Service Medal last year, Haxton was a life member of no less than five national sporting organisations, heavily involved in the Wellington Coastguard and the New Zealand Water Safety Council. Born in Masterton in 1931, Haxton received his surf medallion at 16 soon after joining the Maranui Surf Club in Wellington. He won the surf race at the national championships from 1952 to 1954, a feat only equalled in recent years by Cory Hutchings from 1999 - 2001 and Glenn Anderson from 2002-04. He competed for New Zealand at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics when lifesaving was a demonstration sport, winning a bronze and sliver medal. A Coastguard rescue skipper, Haxton was also involved in the Wahine disaster in 1968; reportedly plucking survivors of the Wellington ferry capsize out of the freezing water on his surf ski wearing only shorts and a rugby jersey. He was inducted into the SLSNZ Hall of Fame in 1992 and two years left his beloved Maranui club to move to Whakatane. He settled in Te Puke in 2001. Surf Life Saving New Zealand chief executive Geoff Barry said Haxton's stature within the sport was obvious at last weekend's Lion Foundation Surf League in Mount Maunganui, where the majority of competitors wore black arm-bands. A minute's silence was also held. "Hacko cast a large shadow for more than half a century over our sport and was an unswerving servant to it," Barry said. "He was a passionate supporter of lifesaving and water safety and his passing leaves us all the poorer. "A lot of people within have been influenced by him and we'll sorely miss him." Haxton, who was battling kidney problems for several years, is survived by his wife, Liz, and four children. ? NZPA
