Edwin Smith (also known as Ted; 17 September 1922 – 15 January 1997) 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 won a silver medal 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 ...

as part of the New Zealand men's eight.

Biography

Smith 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 ...

, New Zealand, on 17 September 1922. Smith served with the New Zealand 24th Battalion in Italy and Egypt. Smith became a member of the West End Rowing Club, joining the December 1948 eight crew as bow. In 1949 this crew became Red Coats by winning the New Zealand Premier Eight Championships at Karapiro. The crew became the New Zealand

Empire Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

Eight and underwent strenuous training on the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

at Mercer and Ngāruawāhia and on lake Karapiro. The boat to be used at the Empire Games was the tried and true Charles G. Herdman, a one piece Towns Skiff owned by West End Rowing Club. New Ayling oars with larger "spoons" were acquired. At the

he won a silver medal rowing in the bow as part of the men's eight alongside crew members Donald Adam,

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 brot ...

, Murray Ashby, Bruce Culpan, Thomas Engel, Grahame Jarratt, Don Rowlands and Bill Tinnock. In a tight race, the New Zealand eight were beaten by Australia by a margin of , recording a time of 6:27.5, 0.5 seconds behind the winning boat. Smith later served as a coach for West End Rowing Club, on the club's executive committee and as a starter for rowing regattas. In honour of his services, he became an elected honorary member of the rowing club and later a vice-president.

References

External links

Voyager New Zealand Maritime Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Edwin 1922 births 1997 deaths New Zealand male rowers Rowers at the 1950 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games silver medallists in rowing New Zealand military personnel of World War II Rowers from Auckland Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen