Frederick Ross "Buddy" Lucas (22 May 1931 – 18 October 2002) was a New Zealand swimmer and surf lifesaver.

Biography

Lucas was born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

in 1931, the son of

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

Fred Lucas. He was educated at

Mt 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 N ...

, where he excelled at

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

and swimming. At the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games were 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. A documentary fil ...

he won a gold medal as part of the men's 880 yards Freestyle Relay and two bronze medals in the 440 and 1650 yards freestyle races.Buddy Lucas – profile at the New Zealand Olympic Committee website
. Retrieved 12 July 2013. Lucas won a swimming scholarship to the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

in 1951, becoming the first New Zealander to win a sports scholarship to the United States. Lucas travelled to Iowa via the United Kingdom, where he won the 220 yards and 440 yards freestyle events at the British championships. In 1952, despite being rated the second-best swimmer in the British Empire, his nomination for the New Zealand team for the Helsinki Olympics was rejected. In 1954 at the Vancouver British Empire and Commonwealth Games Lucas won a silver medal as part of the men's 330 yards medley relay. After his return to New Zealand from Iowa in 1957, Lucas worked in his father's menswear store in

Queen Street, Auckland Queen Street is the major commercial thoroughfare in the Auckland CBD, Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The northern end is at Queens Wharf, Auckland, Queens Wharf on the Auckland waterfront, adjacent to the Britomart Transport Centre and ...

, and later was a sales representative for

May & Baker May & Baker was a British chemical company founded by John May and William Gerrard Baker in Wandsworth, London in 1839. They initially specialized in the manufacture of chemicals derived from mercury and bismuth. Over the years they diversified ...

. He was active in

surf lifesaving Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted social movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries, in ...

, having joined the

Piha Surf Life Saving Club Piha Surf Life Saving Club (sometimes called Piha Lifeguard Service) is a surf lifesaving club for the southern section of Piha, on the west coast of Auckland Region, Auckland, New Zealand, some 45 km from the Auckland central business dist ...

in 1944, and served as the club's president for 16 years. In 1958 he won the men's open individual surf race at the New Zealand national surf lifesaving championships.Romanos, J. (2001) ''New Zealand sporting records and lists.'' Auckland: Hodder Moa Beckett. Lucas died in Auckland in 2002 after a short illness.

References

1931 births 2002 deaths Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games gold medallists in swimming Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games silver medallists in swimming Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in swimming New Zealand male freestyle swimmers Swimmers at the 1950 British Empire Games Swimmers at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Iowa Hawkeyes men's swimmers New Zealand expatriate swimmers in the United States New Zealand surf lifesavers 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen 21st-century New Zealand people Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games Medallists at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Swimmers from Auckland People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School {{NewZealand-swimming-bio-stub

Biography

See also

References