Richard William Tonks (born 21 February 1951) is a former national 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 a ...

coach and a former rower who won a silver medal at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Through his coaching career he has coached crews to a total of 25

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

medals—including thirteen gold—and a total of seven Olympic medals—six of which were gold.

Early life and rowing career

Dick Tonks' father,

Alan Tonks Alan Tonks (born April 2, 1943) is a former Canadian politician. He was the Liberal MP for the federal riding of York South—Weston in Toronto from 2000 to 2011, and was the Metro Toronto Chairman from 1987 to 1997. Background Tonks is the ...

, was an accomplished rower and coach, and it is presumed that his influence was a major factor in Dick's taking up rowing at Wanganui Boys' College at the age of thirteen. He first competed at the Wanganui Secondary Schools Regatta in 1965 and subsequently—coached by his father—rowed in the school's first eight for three years. In 1970, back at the sport, he rowed for

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

in Dunedin and was able to earn a place on the national team in 1971. By 1972 he was stroking the New Zealand coxless four, alongside Ross Collinge,

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 w ...

and Noel Mills. The boat went on to win silver at the

Munich Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

, beaten by half a boat-length by the East German crew. Curiously, Tonks never won a national title, coming second in the single scull to

Murray Watkinson Murray Paul Watkinson (11 June 1939 – 19 January 2004) was a New Zealand rower. He competed at the 1964 and 1972 Summer Olympics in the single sculls and placed fifth and tenth, respectively. He won a European bronze medal in this event in 1 ...

in 1974 and never being part of a strong enough club to win in larger boats.

Coaching career

Though he coached while rowing, Tonks returned to coaching in 1989 when he was asked to coach a women's four at the Union club, in

Wanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest nav ...

. As well as drawing Tonks on the path to coaching success, this also led to his second marriage to Florence Matthews, a member of the four. In 1994 world champion scullers Philippa Baker and Brenda Lawson asked Tonks to coach them in the double, leading to gold at

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, bronze at

Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...

in 1995 and making the final at the

Atlanta Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in 1996. After this, Tonks began coaching

Rob Waddell Robert Norman Waddell (born 7 January 1975) is a New Zealand Olympic Gold Medalist and double World Champion Single sculler rower, and America's Cup yachtsman. He is a triple New Zealand Supreme 'Halberg Awards' Sportsperson of the year winner ...

, who would go on to win gold in the single scull at Cologne in 1998 and St Catharines in 1999 before taking the gold at the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. Until 2000 and his move north to Karapiro, Tonks had treated coaching as a "hobby," and was often working full-time, including work for the railways—"pushing paper, 8 to 5"—and nights spinning wool at the Cavalier Bremworth carpet factory. Tonks has been influential in the careers of rowers such as Olympic medallists Caroline and

Georgina Evers-Swindell Georgina Emma Buchanan Earl (born 10 October 1978 in Hastings, New Zealand), better known under her maiden name Georgina Evers-Swindell, is a New Zealand former rower. She competed in the double sculls with her identical twin sister Caroline E ...

Mahé Drysdale Alexander Mahé Owens Drysdale (born 19 November 1978) is a New Zealand politician and retired rower. Drysdale is a two-time Olympic champion and a five-time world champion in the single sculls. He is a seven-time New Zealand national champion ...

, Nicky Coles,

Juliette Haigh Juliette Anne Haigh (born 4 August 1982), also known by her married name Juliette Drysdale but better known by her maiden name, is a retired professional Rowing (sport), rower. Haigh was born in 1982 in Auckland, New Zealand. Her parents are Pe ...

Hamish Bond Hamish Bryon Bond (born 13 February 1986) is a retired New Zealand rower and former road cyclist. He is a three-time Olympic gold medallist at the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, and at the 2020 Tokyo Olym ...

and Eric Murray. He has been the New Zealand rowing coach at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

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, the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. His contract with Rowing New Zealand was terminated in December 2015 after a public fallout over him having coached top Chinese rowers without having asked for permission from his employer. During the spat, Tonks said about Rowing New Zealand's chief executive Simon Peterson that he "couldn't run a bloody corner dairy". An arrangement was agreed on by which Tonks would continue to coach Drysdale and the women's double sculls boat (

Eve MacFarlane Eve Macfarlane (born 27 September 1992) is a New Zealand rower. Described as a "natural rower", she went to the 2009 World Rowing Junior Championships within a few months of having taken up rowing and won a silver medal. She represented New Zeala ...

and

Zoe Stevenson Zoe Stevenson (born 19 June 1991) is a New Zealand rower. She won gold in the women's double sculls with Fiona Bourke at the 2014 World Rowing Championships. Stevenson was born in 1991. She obtained her secondary education at Tauranga Girls' Co ...

) until the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

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in a private capacity. Drysdale won gold at the event, with was the sixth Olympic gold medal of one of Tonks' rowers. On his coaching style, Tonks is reported to have said, "good coaching is a dictatorship and I am a dictator." He later admitted to saying this during "a very bad year." He also holds that his relationship with his athletes is a professional one, stating: "I’m their coach, not their friend."

has agreed, citing this as the reason he did not invite Tonks to his wedding to

in 2013. Dick Tonks currently coaches for the Canadian national team in their preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

Awards

Dick Tonks has won the

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 middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Sir Murray Halberg. The initial award was han ...

' "Coach of the year" five times—in 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2012; more than any other coach in the award's 27-year history—and has been named a finalist twelve times. He has also been awarded "World Rowing coach of the year" at the World Rowing Awards three times—2005, 2010 and 2012—since its inception in 2002. Tonks is currently the only person to have won the award more than once. In the

2003 New Year Honours The 2003 New Year's Honours List is one of the annual New Year Honours, a part of the British monarch's honours system, where 1 January is marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of ot ...

, Tonks was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

, for services to rowing.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Tonks, Dick 1951 births Living people Rowers from Whanganui New Zealand male rowers Olympic rowers for New Zealand Olympic silver medalists for New Zealand Rowers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in rowing Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Olympic coaches for New Zealand Rowing coaches Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen