Obituary: Whanganui rowing legend Don Gemmell 'a pretty humble sort of a chap'

Don Gemmell (centre) with the 1956 Olympic crew. Photo / Supplied

Obituary

Whanganui Olympian Don Gemmell has been described as "a pretty humble sort of a chap".

The rowing great died last week at the age of 89.

A 1956 Olympian, Gemmell was also part of the Union Boat Club four that travelled to the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales.

Another member of that crew was Whanganui's Peter Aitchison, who said Gemmell was a
great tactician and "knew when to put the pressure on".

"Don was strong guy, a very fit athlete. He excelled at school in various sports as well, and was good in the first XV (rugby) at Wanganui Tech.

Gemmell captained the team.

"He had a great sense of humour, a bit of a practical joker. We went to regattas all around New Zealand and he was a great guy to travel with," Aitchison said.

That travel wasn't always done by road, as Gemmell was a trained pilot.

Aitchison, then still at school, witnessed one particular flying incident first hand.

"We saw this Tiger Moth fly over and next minute it did a cartwheel. I was sitting eating my lunch and said 'My God, that plane has crashed'.

"Sure enough, it had crashed into the trees at Victoria Park. The wings were torn off but luckily he was unharmed."

Gemmell's daughter Linda Mentink said her dad was "a pretty humble sort of a chap" when it came to his achievements.

"We had to ferret that out ourselves. It would be 'Dad, what's that Olympic jacket in the wardrobe for?'.

"He did put a book together at the end about the Olympics and Empire Games for his kids to see. That's been good for his grandchildren too.

"Some of them rowed and he loved seeing them achieve and would give them pointers. He was just so knowledgeable."

Don Gemmell and his wife Janet on his 80th birthday. Photo / Supplied

Allan Tong, also a member of the Union Boat Club, was part of the crew that went to the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

The Olympic four was rounded out by Ray Laurent and Peter Lucas from Clifton Rowing Club and coxswain Colin Johnstone from Aramoho Boating Club.

"We had a regatta at Picton to select the crews and all the provinces were given the right to put in composite crews to compete," Tong said.

"We were teamed up with the two boys from Waitara.

"At the trials we won our first heat against the current NZ champion four, then won the next two races and got selected.

"It was somewhat different to the conditions you see today."

Gemmell won his first red coat (national championship) at Whanganui in 1958, stroking the Union Boat Club coxed four to success over 2000m.

That was followed by red coats with the Union eight at Waihola in 1959 and Picton in 1960.

Gemmell once flew a Tiger Moth to Queenstown for a regatta, telling the team he would buzz over the main street to let them know to pick him up from the airport, Aitchison said.

"He did such a low buzz down the main street that he scared the hell out of everyone, he was almost at power pole level.

"The guy who flew down too said 'I'm not going back with him, that's for sure'."

Tong said he had regularly accompanied Gemmell on flights over the years.

"We were pretty close and always got on well together.

"You couldn't ask for a more lively guy to have as your mate, that's for sure. We certainly had some fun."

Flying was another major passion for Don Gemmell. Photo / Supplied

While there may have been the odd accident, Mentink said her dad took the responsibility of transporting people very seriously.

"He instilled in us (his children) an innate sense of responsibility, whether that's respecting the mountain when skiing or always being mindful of the sea.

"Now we've instilled that in our kids."

Gemmell was "always there" as a father and husband, Mentink said

He was married to his wife Janet for 61 years.

"Dad always encouraged us to be the best we could be. He was incredible supportive, and would be on the sidelines for my brother's rugby and our swimming.

"We experienced a lot of cool things because that's the sort of person he was. We skied and we dived, and he always liked a challenge. He made us a part of that."

It wasn't just on the water where Gemmell excelled.

He and his brother Colin took over Gemmell's Footwear from their father in the 1950s and ran the business for more than 40 years.

"Dad went and worked out at the Whanganui port for 10 years after that, doing all the hydrographic work," Mentink said.

"He taught himself how to use computers. That was a really learning curve for him and he loved it. He was always a great man of the sea."

Don Gemmell leaves behind his wife Janet, children Linda and Bruce, son-in-law Richard, grandchildren Sam, Michalla, Ginny, Nick and Jono, and great-grandchildren Adaline and Henry.