Thomas Carl Engel (19 November 1927 – 6 December 1979) was a New Zealand rower who won a silver medal 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 ...

Biography

Born in the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

suburb of

Grey Lynn Grey Lynn is an inner suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located to the west of the city centre. Originally a separate borough, Grey Lynn amalgamated with Auckland City in 1914. Grey Lynn is centred on Grey Lynn Park, which was not part of the ...

on 19 November 1927, Engel was the son of Ernest Carl Engel and Anneta Eileen Engel (née Donohue). He 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 enjoyed success as a boxer, defeating

Kerry Ashby Kerry Ayling Ashby (4 September 1928 – 3 March 2015) was a New Zealand rower. 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 broth ...

in the final of the weight division of the school's boxing championships in 1944. He won the same division as well as the open championship the following year. Engel was the

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 ...

of the

West End Rowing Club West End Rowing Club is based at Saunders Reserve on Rosebank Peninsula, in Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand. It has won numerous national, British Empire Games, Commonwealth, World and Olympic titles, with four club members winning five Olympic g ...

eight that won the men's eight title at the New Zealand championships in 1949; the other crew members were

Bill Tinnock William James Tinnock (5 April 1930 – 3 April 2017) was a New Zealand rower. William (known as Bill) Tinnock was born on 5 April 1930 in Auckland, New Zealand. At the 1950 British Empire Games he won the silver medal as part of the men's eig ...

Murray Ashby Murray Ashby (12 May 1931 – 18 November 1990) was a New Zealand rower. Ashby was born in 1931, the son of Edward (known as Ted Ashby) and Catherine Adele (née Gozar) Ashby, and the younger brother of Kerry Ashby. He was educated at Mount Al ...

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 ...

Grahame Jarratt Grahame Laughlan Jarratt (10 January 1929 – 5 August 2011) was a New Zealand rower. At the 1950 British Empire Games he won the silver medal as part of the men's eight alongside crew members Donald Adam, Kerry Ashby Kerry Ayling Ashby ( ...

, Bruce Culpan, Edwin Smith, and Donald Adam (cox). The same crew subsequently represented Auckland in the 1949 interprovincial rowing championships, and were again victorious. The latter race was seen as an important trial for the 1950 British Empire Games, and the entire West End crew was selected to represent New Zealand. At the 1950 Games, raced on Lake Karapiro, the New Zealanders finished second in a time of 6:27.5, half a second behind the winning Australian crew. Engel died on 6 December 1979, and his body was cremated at Waikumete.

References

1927 births 1979 deaths Rowers from Auckland People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School New Zealand male rowers Rowers at the 1950 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games medallists in rowing {{NewZealand-rowing-bio-stub