Tristan Freitas Hegglun (29 July 1915 – 22 July 1983) 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 ...

rugby union player 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 ...

, and local-body politician. He rowed for his country 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 ...

, and won two national rowing titles. A front-row forward and

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

, he played provincial rugby for both and , and was involved in services matches during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He later served as a Blenheim borough councillor.

Early life and family

Born in Marton on 29 July 1915, Hegglun was the son of Edward Tristan Hegglun and Gertrude Lilian Hegglun (née Gomez). He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

in Blenheim. In 1945, he married Patricia Mary Meachen, daughter of the member of Parliament for

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

and later

mayor of Blenheim The mayor of Blenheim officiated over the borough of Blenheim, New Zealand. The office was created in 1869 when Blenheim became a borough, and ceased with the 1989 local government reforms, when Blenheim Borough was amalgamated with Picton Boroug ...

, Ted Meachen. The couple went on to have seven children, including Marilen Hegglun who won several national rowing titles, and was one of the first women to represent New Zealand in rowing internationally. Another of their children, Richard Hegglun, played for the Marlborough rugby side during their 1973–1974

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challeng ...

tenure, and Richard's son, Greg Hegglun, played first-class

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

for

Central Districts The Central Stags, formerly known as Central Districts, are a first-class cricket team based in central New Zealand. They are the men's representative side of the Central Districts Cricket Association. They compete in the Plunket Shield firs ...

Sporting career

Rowing

Hugglun was a member of the Wellington Rowing Club before World War II, but he is more closely associated with the Wairau Rowing Club in Marlborough. He won two New Zealand Rowing Championships titles representing Wairau: the single scull in 1949 at

Lake Karapiro Lake Karapiro () is an artificial reservoir lake on the Waikato River at Karapiro, south-east of Cambridge in New Zealand's North Island. The lake was formed in 1947 by the damming of the Waikato River to store water for the 96-megawatt Karapir ...

, and as a member of the men's coxed four crew in 1954 in Picton. At 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 ...

, Hegglun, as reigning national champion, represented New Zealand in the single scull, finishing in fourth place. In later years, Hegglun was one of the driving forces behind the development of

Lake Ruataniwha Lake Ruataniwha is an artificial lake in the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand. It was formed in 1977–1981 as part of the Waitaki hydroelectric project. It lies on the traditional boundary of the Canterbury and Otago provinces, ...

as a rowing venue. As a national champion, Hegglun was accorded life membership of the Wairau Rowing Club, but in 2010, as part of the club's centennial celebrations, he was also posthumously awarded life membership in recognition of his service to the club.

Rugby union

Playing for the Poneke club, Hegglun was first selected as a middle-row forward (in a 3–4–1 scrum formation) in the provincial rugby team that played in 1938. Later that season, he played in the front row against . In Wellington's match against in 1940, Hegglun scored a try under the posts in his side's 8–3 victory at Athletic Park. In July 1945, Hegglun was a member of the side that defeated to lift the Seddon Shield. When Marlborough successfully defended the shield against Golden Bay-Motueka the following month, by 24 points to 3, Hegglun's forward play was described as "outstanding". In 1946, Hegglun was named as a front-row forward in the South Island team to play the North Island; the rain-shortened match, played at Athletic Park, Wellington, was won by the North 8–3. Later that year, he played at lock for a combined Seddon Shields Districts side against the touring Australian national team, scoring a try as the Australians won a close match 15–12. Hegglun continued to play a prominent role in the Marlborough side until at least 1949.

Military service

Before World War II, Hegglun worked as a builder and bridge constructor. He enlisted as a private in the Infantry Reinforcements,

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 ...

(2NZEF), Third Echelon. In February 1943, he was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the New Zealand Infantry, and that year, on 3 December, he was wounded in action. While serving in the Middle East, Hegglun took part in services rugby matches, representing 2NZEF, including against a British Combined Services team and an Australian Imperial Force side in December 1941, He also played a prominent part in the inaugural rowing regatta in 1942 between New Zealand forces and the Cairo River Club for the Freyberg Cup, held on the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

. The trophy was won by the New Zealanders, with Hegglun winning the single scull, being a member of the crew that won the coxless four, and stroking the New Zealand Division pair that finished third. In 1943, Hegglun won the single scull in the Cairo championships, defeating the Egyptian champion in the process. Hegglun also showed some talent as a boxer, contesting the heavyweight class in the New Zealand divisional boxing championships in Syria in 1942, where he was knocked out in the semi-final. Following the war, Hegglun remained active in the military, serving in the

Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the parent administrative regiment and corps of regular and reserve infantry battalions in the New Zealand Army. It was originally formed in 1947 with a singular Regular regiment and multiple reserve r ...

Territorial Force, rising to the rank of colonel. He was commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Nelson–Marlborough–West Coast Regiment, between 1959 and 1961, and deputy commander of the Southern Military District from 1961 to 1967. In 1953, he was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded a ...

, and in the 1967 Queen’s Birthday Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire.

Later life and death

Hegglun worked as an overseer for the Blenheim Borough Council. Active in community affairs, he served as a Blenheim borough councillor, and as the Marlborough regional civil defence officer. Hegglun died on 22 July 1983, and was buried at

Fairhall Fairhall is a locality in Marlborough, New Zealand. Blenheim is about 7.5 km to the northeast. The Fairhall River runs past to the west. The river and locality were named in 1847 for a chainman in a survey team in the area. Demographics ...

Cemetery. His wife, Pat Hegglun, died in 2010.

References

External links

Photograph of Hegglun in 1950, in his British Empire Games blazer

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hegglun, Tristan 1915 births 1983 deaths People from Marton, New Zealand People educated at Marlborough Boys' College New Zealand male rowers New Zealand rugby union players Marlborough rugby union players Wellington rugby union players Rugby union props Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand Rowers at the 1950 British Empire Games New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire Local politicians in New Zealand Burials at Fairhall Cemetery Rugby union locks Rugby union players from Manawatū-Whanganui