Leslie Edward Pithie (7 July 1908 – 31 January 1980) 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 bronze medal for 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 ...

Early life and family

Born at

Sawyers Bay Sawyers Bay is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located to the southwest of Port Chalmers in a wide valley on the shore of Mussel Bay, to the northeast of Dunedin city centre. The suburb, on the western shore of Otago Harbou ...

near

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

on 7 July 1908, Pithie was the son of Frederick Pithie and Margaret Elizabeth Pithie (née Riddell). He was educated at

Otago Boys' High School , motto_translation = "The ‘right’ learning builds a heart of oak" , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = ; years ago , streetaddress= 2 Arthur Street , region = Dunedin , state = Otago , zipcod ...

. In 1938, he became engaged to Gwendoline Williams of

Hawthorn, Victoria Hawthorn is an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Hawthorn recorded a population of 22,322 at the 2021 census. Glenferrie ...

, Australia, and the couple married on 27 November 1940 at the Presbyterian church in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

suburb of Toorak.

Sporting career

Rowing

A member of the Port Chalmers Rowing Club, Pithie was included in the Otago provincial rowing eight from 1934 to 1937, and was a South Island rowing representative in the eight in 1937. At the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Pithie was the bow in the New Zealand men's eight that won the bronze medal, finishing two lengths behind the second-placed Australian crew.

Other sports

In Dunedin, Pithie played rugby union for the Pirates Football Club. He was a member of the Otago water polo team at the 1928 New Zealand national championships.

Military service

Pithie was commissioned in the 1st Otago Regiment in 1930, serving until 1936 when he was posted to the reserve of officers. Following the outbreak of World War II, he enlisted in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

in Melbourne, but later returned to New Zealand where he joined the

2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

. In April 1941, he was posted to the 7th Officer Cadet Training Unit, and was a platoon commander in the force sent to garrison Fiji that year. There he was promoted from lieutenant to captain, and he was appointed liaison officer for the brigade at divisional headquarters when he returned to New Zealand. He later served as adjutant of the advance party in New Caledonia, before attending Staff College in New Zealand. In September 1943, he rejoined the division at Vella Lavella as divisional intelligence officer. In December 1943, he was promoted to the rank of major and appointed brigade major to the 14th Brigade, serving in that role during the

Battle of the Green Islands The Battle of the Green Islands or Operation Squarepeg was fought from 15 to 20 February 1944, between Imperial Japan and Allied forces from the New Zealand 3rd Division and the United States. Undertaken after landings to secure lodgments on Ne ...

Other activities

In 1940, Pithie filed a patent application for a mascara applicator, and a US patent, number US2271034A, was granted on 27 January 1942.

Death

Pithie died in

Torquay, Victoria Torquay is a seaside resort in Victoria, Australia, which faces Bass Strait, 21 km south of Geelong and is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. It is bordered on the west by Spring Creek and its coastal features include Point Danger and Ze ...

on 31 January 1980.

References

1908 births 1980 deaths Sportspeople from Dunedin People educated at Otago Boys' High School New Zealand male rowers Rowers at the 1938 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games medallists in rowing New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand emigrants to Australia People from Port Chalmers Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games {{NewZealand-rowing-bio-stub