Simon Charles Dickie (31 March 1951 – 13 December 2017) was a New Zealand

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

cox Cox may refer to: * Cox (surname), including people with the name Companies * Cox Enterprises, a media and communications company ** Cox Communications, cable provider ** Cox Media Group, a company that owns television and radio stations ** ...

who won three Olympic medals. Dickie was born in 1951 in

Waverley Waverley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Waverley'' (novel), by Sir Walter Scott ** ''Waverley'' Overture, a work by Hector Berlioz inspired by Scott's novel * Waverley Harrison, a character in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Stree ...

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

, New Zealand. He was educated at

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School (formerly Wanganui Collegiate School; see here) is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding, secondary school in Whanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui region, New Zealand. The school is affiliated to the Anglican c ...

where he was part of the

Maadi Cup The Maadi Cup is the prize for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Boys' Under 18 Rowing Eights. More colloquially, it is the name given to the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Regatta, at which the Maadi Cup is raced. The regatta is the large ...

winning crews between 1966 and 1968. For the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

, New Zealand qualified an eight and had a pool of four rowers and a cox as a travelling reserve; Dickie was part of this reserve as their cox. Preparations were held in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

at Kerr's Reach on the Avon River. The reserve rowers were unhappy with the "spare parts" tag and felt that they were good enough to perhaps win a medal if put forward as a coxed four. The trainer,

Rusty Robertson Russell Robertson (1927 – 17 February 1990), known as Rusty Robertson, was a New Zealand-born, world class rowing coach of New Zealand and later, Australian national representative rowing crews. He was the national rowing coach of New Zealand ...

, commented about them that they were "the funniest looking crew you've ever seen". There were stern discussions with the New Zealand selectors. In a training run, the coxed four was leading fours formed from the eight over the whole race. In the end, the reserve rowers got their way and New Zealand entered both the coxed four and the coxed eight. Dickie won the Olympic coxed four event along with Dick Joyce,

Dudley Storey Dudley Leonard Storey (27 November 1939 – 6 March 2017) was a New Zealand rower who won two Olympic medals. Rowing career Storey was born in 1939 in Wairoa, New Zealand. After having received an invitation to the Henley Royal Regatta, he ...

, Ross Collinge and Warren Cole; this was New Zealand's first gold medal in rowing. At the time, he was a 17-year-old schoolboy at Wanganui Collegiate, called in to replace a previous cox who had been killed in a training accident. The crew's winning boat was later sold to a rowing club to recoup costs, and ended up in splinters after a road crash. Dickie was part of the eight that was formed for the 1971 rowing season; he teamed up with Dick Joyce,

Tony Hurt Anthony John Hurt (born 30 March 1946) is a former New Zealand rower who won two Olympic medals. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, he teamed with Dick Joyce, Wybo Veldman, John Hunter, Lindsay Wilson, Joe Earl, Trevor Coker and Gary R ...

, Wybo Veldman, John Hunter, Lindsay Wilson,

Joe Earl Athol John "Joe" Earl (born 1 October 1952) is a former New Zealand rower who won two Olympic medals. Earl was born in 1952 in Christchurch and grew up on a farm in Hawarden in North Canterbury. He received his education at St. Andrew's Colle ...

, Trevor Coker and Gary Robertson. They won gold at the

1971 European Rowing Championships The 1971 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on Lake Bagsværd in the Danish capital Copenhagen. There were seven competitions for men and five for women, and the most successful nation was East Germany with five gold med ...

, defeating the favourite team from East Germany. The New Zealand eight would go on in unchanged composition to with the 1972 Olympic eight event where they again won gold. At the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 P ...

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he was again cox for the eight which this time won the bronze medal. His crewmates this time were

Alec McLean Alexander Robert McLean (born 18 October 1950) is a former New Zealand rower who won an Olympic bronze medal. Early life and family Born in Wellington, New Zealand, on 18 October 1950, McLean was educated at Onslow College. In 1975, he marrie ...

, Ivan Sutherland, Trevor Coker,

Peter Dignan Peter Fraser Dignan (6 March 1955 – 20 June 2013) was a New Zealand rower. Biography Dignan was born in Gibraltar in 1955, to a former Berlin airlift pilot. His father later entered the diplomatic corps and, as a result, Dignan spent a ...

, Lindsay Wilson,

and

Dave Rodger David Marsden Rodger (born 18 June 1955) is a former New Zealand rower who won an Olympic bronze medal. Rodger was born in Hamilton, New Zealand. Rodger was first selected to represent New Zealand in New Zealand Rowing's first Junior eight cre ...

. Dickie is one of only fifteen New Zealanders to have won two or more

Olympic gold medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

s. He later owned an adventure company in

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town on the north-eastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, in the central North Island. It is the largest urban area of the Taupō District, and the second-largest urban area in the Wa ...

Death

He died at his house in Taupō on 13 December 2017 aged 66. The day before his death he had held a reunion for the 1968 coxed four, and he was involved in organising a reunion for the 1972 coxed eight at the next

Halberg Awards The Halberg Awards are a set of awards, given annually since 1949, recognising New Zealand's top sporting achievements. They are named for New Zealand former middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Sir Murray Halberg. The initial award ...

function.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickie, Simon 1951 births 2017 deaths Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand in rowing Olympic bronze medalists for New Zealand Rowers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1976 Summer Olympics New Zealand male rowers World Rowing Championships medalists for New Zealand Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Coxswains (rowing) People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School European Rowing Championships medalists People from Taranaki