Editorial: Let's flaunt our sports heroes

WITH nominations now being called for 2016 inductees into the Whanganui Sports Hall of Fame, it's timely to consider how much those already in the Hall of Fame are celebrated in the wider Whanganui community.

The short answer is ... not much. Incredibly, of the 24 current inductees, only three have streets named after them.

When local boy Billy Webb beat Charles Towns on the Parramatta River for the professional world sculling title in 1907, Whanganui people were so delighted that the council named Webb Rd in his honour.

Flash forward a few decades and the council named a street after Olympic sprint bronze medallist Arthur Porritt.

But it wasn't because of this athletic feat, rather after he became the first New Zealand-born governor-general in 1967.

And further on, three-times world rowing champion Philippa Baker-Hogan had a riverbank walkway at Aramoho named after her.

Look down the list of names still unacknowledged and the one that jumps out is Peter Belliss, a three-times world lawn bowls champion.

What more has he to do to get his name out there?

And there are plenty of others, including our first Olympic cycling medallist, Gary Anderson, New Zealand cricket captain Harry Cave, national amateur golf champion Bryan Silk, athletics star Bev Shingles, the motorcycling Coleman family and All Blacks Bill and Glen Osborne and Moke Belliss.

Rowing also has double Olympic medallist Trevor Coker and gun coaches Clarrie Healey and Dick Tonks; and hockey has high achievers Les Wilson, Alan McIntyre and Pat Barwick to celebrate.

Don't just think about street and park names for these stars -- sports bodies should consider naming their facilities after them. For instance, the Gary Anderson Velodrome has a nice ring to it.

Whoever makes it into the Hall of Fame this year, let's do a better job of putting their names out there to show our pride in them and to inspire our youngsters to achieve at the highest level.

�Dave Scoullar is a former Chronicle deputy editor.