Kerry Ayling Ashby (4 September 1928 – 3 March 2015) 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 ...

Early life and family

Ashby was born in Devonport on Auckland's North Shore in 1928, the son of Catherine Adele (née Gozar) and Edward Ashby, and the older brother of Murray Ashby. From 1943 to 1946 Ashby was educated at

Mount Albert Grammar School Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in ...

, where he was a

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

, captain of the rowing team and member of the 1st XV

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

team. He played senior club rugby for the Grammar Old Boys club. He was married to swimmer Winifred Griffin.

Rowing career

Ashby rowed for the West End Rowing Club in Auckland, and won New Zealand national championship titles in the men's eights in 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1963, the men's coxed four in 1953 and the men's double sculls in 1956. At the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. The main venue was ...

he won the silver medal as part of the men's eight alongside crew members Donald Adam, Murray Ashby, Bruce Culpan, Thomas Engel, Grahame Jarratt,

Don Rowlands Sir Donald David Rowlands (17 June 1926 – 18 March 2015) was a New Zealand rower and businessman. Early life and family Rowlands was born in 1926, the third child of Ruby Winifred (née Harrison) and Horace Edward Rowlands, and was raised ...

, Edwin Smith and Bill Tinnock. At the next

British Empire and Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

in Vancouver during 1954, he won another silver medal in the men's coxed four. He also competed in the men's coxed four at the

1952 Summer Olympic Games The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

in Helsinki, but did not progress beyond the repechages. He later coached the Mount Albert Grammar rowing squad from 1966 to 1978, and was the manager of the New Zealand rowing team at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, where the New Zealand men's eight won bronze. Ashby served a term as president of the New Zealand Rowing Association, and was made a life member of both the West End Rowing Club and Rowing New Zealand. In the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to rowing. Ashby died at his home in the south Auckland suburb of Weymouth in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashby, Kerry 1928 births 2015 deaths New Zealand male rowers New Zealand rugby union players People from North Shore, New Zealand People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School Olympic rowers of New Zealand Rowers at the 1950 British Empire Games Rowers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Rowing coaches New Zealand sports coaches New Zealand sports executives and administrators Commonwealth Games medallists in rowing Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games Medallists at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games