Charles Edward Saunders (13 September 1902 – 1 September 1994) was a New Zealand

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

who competed at the

1930 British Empire Games The 1930 British Empire Games were the inaugural edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, and was held in Hamilton, Ontario, from 16 to 23 August 1930. The event was organized by '' Hamilton Spectator'' sportswriter Bobby Robinso ...

, winning two medals, and at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

Early life and family

Born in Blenheim on 13 September 1902, Saunders was the youngest son of George Frederick Saunders and Elizabeth Saunders (née Lawrance). On 6 May 1935, he married Merle Moore at St Andrew's Church, Blenheim, and the couple went on to have three children.

Rowing

A member of the Wairau Rowing Club, Saunders represented New Zealand at the

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

. He was a member of the men's eight that won the silver medal, and the men's coxless four that won the bronze medal. At the

, he was part of the New Zealand men's coxed four that finished fourth in the final.

Later life and death

In the

1975 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1975 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those ...

, Saunders was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to rowing and the community. He died on 1 September 1994, and his ashes were buried at Omaka Cemetery, Blenheim.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Charles 1902 births 1994 deaths Sportspeople from Blenheim, New Zealand New Zealand male rowers Olympic rowers for New Zealand Rowers at the 1932 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1930 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games silver medallists in rowing Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in rowing New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Burials at Omaka Cemetery New Zealand justices of the peace Medallists at the 1930 British Empire Games 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen