New Zealand’s oldest living Olympian Reg Douglas leaving Whanganui for Central Otago

Reg Douglas (centre) with wife Allison (left) and Philippa Baker-Hogan during a farewell for the couple last month.

New Zealand’s oldest living Olympian Reginald “Reg” Douglas is leaving Whanganui.

Douglas, 94, and his wife Allison are moving to Cromwell to be closer to his daughter Maree Fredrikson who resides in the Central Otago township.

Born in Auckland, Douglas was raised at Mercer, where his father ran a flax mill on the Waikato River, downstream from the Mercer township.

He had to row a dinghy across the river every day to attend primary school.

Joining the modest Mercer Rowing Club at a young age, Douglas came to national attention when he secured the New Zealand championship single sculling title in 1951 at Akaroa when he was 20.

Douglas went on to win a further seven New Zealand championship titles, known within the rowing fraternity as “Red Coats”.

These were all achieved with his club rowing partner Bob Parker in the coxless pair between 1954 and 1959.

In 1954 the combination won both the coxless pair and double sculls events, the first time in New Zealand rowing history the feat had been achieved.

In 1952, the pair was selected to represent New Zealand at the Vancouver Empire Games, where they won the gold medal in the coxless pairs and a silver medal in the double sculls, which was raced only one hour after their first event.

They were presented their medals by the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip.

At the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Douglas and Parker again wore the black singlet, being selected in the coxless pairs.

Two years later, they returned from the Empire Games in Cardiff with a gold medal.

During the latter part of his working career, Douglas moved to Whanganui at the invitation of well-known local rower Alan Tong - himself a New Zealand rowing representative - and worked as a painter and decorator.

He met Allison MacArthur at the St Johns Club Dance Adjunct about 20 years ago and they were married in 2013.

Over the past 73 years, Douglas’ original “Red Coat” blazer has seen the unwanted attention of moths so Rowing New Zealand gifted him a new “Red Coat Pocket”.

This was presented by Whanganui Rowing Association president Philippa Baker-Hogan during a farewell for the couple at the Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club on May 29.

Last year, Douglas received a legacy medal from the the New Zealand Rowing Foundation in recognition of his dedication to and excellence in the sport.