Kenneth James Boswell (16 September 1912 – 20 February 1984) was a New Zealand

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

who won a silver medal representing his country at the

1938 British Empire Games The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 ye ...

Biography

Born in

Waihi Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby res ...

on 16 September 1912, Boswell was the son of Mary Ellen Boswell (née Grant) and David McLaren Boswell, a miner and union member who was involved in the

Waihi miners' strike The Waihi miners' strike was a major strike action in 1912 by gold miners in the New Zealand town of Waihi. It is widely regarded as the most significant industrial action in the history of New Zealand's labour movement. It resulted in one strike ...

. The family moved to

Petone Petone (Māori: ''Pito-one''), a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. The Māori name means "end of the sand beach". Europeans first settled in Pe ...

, and Ken Boswell was educated at Petone Technical High School. He played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for the Petone Rugby League Club senior team, and rowed for the

Petone Rowing Club The Petone Rowing Club (PRC) is a non-profit organisation, located on the Petone foreshore, in the harbour of Wellington, New Zealand. Formed in the year 1900, the club has a long-standing history of developing champion rowers, with a proud histor ...

. Boswell was a member of the Wellington provincial representative

rowing eight An eight is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing (crew). It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or "cox". Each of the eight rowers has one oar. The rowers, who sit in ...

in five seasons between 1934 and 1939, usually in the 6 or 7 seat. At the 1937 New Zealand Rowing Championships held at

Akaroa Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for "Long Harbour", which would be spelled in standard ...

in February 1937, the Petone four of Jim Clayton (

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

), Albert Hope, Boswell, and John Rigby, coxed by

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

, won the senior men's coxed four title. The same combination were selected to represent New Zealand in the same event at the

, where they won the silver medal. Boswell gained two further national rowing titles, winning the men's double sculls at Picton in 1939 and Wellington in 1940, both with Petone clubmate Pat Abbott in the stroke seat. Boswell died on 20 February 1984, and he was cremated at the North Shore Memorial Park, Albany.

References

1912 births 1984 deaths People from Waihi Petone Panthers players New Zealand male rowers Rowers at the 1938 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games medallists in rowing Sportspeople from Waikato Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games {{NewZealand-rowing-bio-stub