COLIN GORDON JOHNSTONE

‘A Rowing Success’

written by Nicola Johnstone

Growing up as a young child I knew who my Grandfather was and about his present life but I did not really know about his past, where he was born or what his childhood was like. When writing this Biography about Colin Gordon Johnstone I aimed to gain an insight into the foundations or beginning values Colin was taught during his childhood and the stepping stones which lead him throughout his life.

Colin Gordon Johnstone was born in Waipukurau, New Zealand, on September the 14th, 1921 to William and Winifred Johnstone. His parents had been married for just under two years when Colin was born. He spent many of his younger years in Porangahau, on the East Coast of the lower North Island.

He first attended Porangahau Primary School, where he would ride to school each day by horse. His family could not afford a car and it was too far to travel on foot. Colin’s family also owned a small dog. Colin was the older of two children. He had a younger brother, Alan, whom was often referred to as Blue. Growing up during the 1930’s depression meant that Colin’s family did not have much money. They lived in a two room house made of corrugated iron, on a farm where his father worked. Colin had to be extremely tolerant, especially when sharing a bedroom with his whole family. There was not much money to spend on luxuries but Colin did not complain. Colin’s favourite food was Pineapple. He would often talk about when he was about six or seven years old. His family, not having much money, could not afford to spend a lot on presents but on this particular birthday, Colin received a can of Pineapple. He thought it was wonderful though. In fact, he said it was the best birthday present he had ever received. In Colin’s mind, it was not the price or size of a gift that was important to him, but who it came from.

His family moved to Wanganui in 1931, just before the Napier earthquake. Colin’s father worked in a butter box factory making boxes to pack butter in, at Stratford, about one and a half hours from Wanganui. Colin often did not see his father due to the long hours and travelling he did. Colin continued his Primary education at Queens Park Primary School in Wanganui. He later went on to attend Wanganui Technical College where he represented his school at Hockey and Rowing. As well as these sports Colin played golf during the weekend and generally loved anything to do with sports. At the age of eleven, Colin had his first taste of rowing when he joined the Union Boat Club in Wanganui, as a coxswain. In 1938, Colin joined the Aramoho Boating Club, as both a coxswain and a rower.

In 1938, Colin also commenced work with the New Zealand Railways. After World War II he worked at the Foreman of Works Office in Aramoho, and was then promoted to the Staff Officer’s Office. In 1939, Colin’s rowing crew, won the first 8 oared rowing title for his Aramoho Club at the Rowing Championships in Wellington. This was to be the first of many New Zealand Chanpionship titles for Colin. During this year William Johnstone, Colin’s father divorced Winifred and married Cameron Campion, who became Colin’s stepmother.

Unfortunately, World War II interrupted Colin’s life. After joining the army in 1941 he later went overseas in 1943 with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Forces serving in Egypt and later in Italy with the Machine Gun Corps.

Colin married Mona Pretoria Varley Rodley in January 1943. Mona was not only a wife to Colin, but was a true friend to him for the rest of his life. While away at war their first daughter Dawn was born. He only saw glimpses of her early life through photos and letters sent by Mona. In 1945, Colin returned home from war on a hospital ship after he was severely injured. An enemy bomb had exploded near him and shrapnel, pieces of the bomb, had flown into his leg and lower stomach area. He lost a lot of blood and the shrapnel had damaged his muscles and nerves. During his trip home he was told that he would probably never walk again. Colin also enjoyed knitting and on his journey home on the hospital ship, he knitted a soft toy duck for his daughter Dawn.

Despite his severe injuries, Colin was very determined that he would be able to lead an active life. After spending many hours at doctors, and doing exercises to build up his muscles, in 1946, he was finally strong enough to return to sports, where he continued his career as a coxswain of rowing crews. Constant encouragement from his wife helped him to overcome injuries that nearly destroyed his dreams as a coxswain.

Colin actively coxed for the Aramoho Club from 1939 to 1956 including becoming a life member of the Aramoho Club in 1953 and later he became a member of the New Zealand Rowing Council.

Throughout Colin’s career, he achieved at Club, Provincial and International Levels. He attended local, provincial, national and international Championships, usually achieving highly.

Successes included:

NZ Club Championships

1940 1st Champion Eight men rowing team at Wellington
1947 1st Champion Eight men rowing team at Picton
1948 1st Champion Eight men rowing team at Port Chalmers
1949 2nd Champion Eight men rowing team at Karapiro
1950 1st Champion Eight men rowing team at Wanganui
1951 2nd Champion Eight men rowing team at Akaroa
1952 1st Champion Eight men rowing team at Wellington
1956 2nd Champion Eight men rowing team at Wairoa

Provincial Competitions
Colin coxed most Provincial Eight men rowing teams in Wanganui from 1940 until the middle of the 1950’s, except during the war.

International Successes
1948 Won the New South Wales Championship Eights in Sydney, Australia for the Aramoho Rowing Club representing New Zealand.
1950 Won a Gold Medal at the British Empire Games at Karapiro, New Zealand with a Four men rowing team.
1952 Entered the Helsinki Olympic Games as a member of the New Zealand Four men rowing team.
1956 Entered the Melbourne Olympic Games as a member of the New Zealand Four men rowing team.

On December the 24th, 1953, the night of the Tangiwai railway disaster, Colin was awoken by a telephone call. At that time, he was working with the New Zealand Railways and he was asked to organise a rescue team. When telephoning people to get their assistance, he had rather a hard time convincing people that it was not a joke. Nobody could believe something like this would ever happen and let alone on Christmas Eve. However, Colin set to work in dispatching a rescue team and was busy requesting Managers of firms to open up their premises and supply the necessary equipment and provisions to assist the people who had been aboard the train and their rescuers. Christmas Day was not much of a day in 1953 with Colin returning home about three o’clock in the afternoon for a quick meal before returning to work again.

Between 1945 and 1952 Colin had two sons and two more daughters, a total of five children and as those children grew up and married he ended up with 12 grandchildren to whom he was known to as Cogi. Upon conclusion of his rowing career he left the waters of the Wanganui River and in the early sixties he shifted to Paekakariki with his family, to take up a promotion in the New Zealand Railways Head Office. He remained there for two years.

After Paekakariki, he returned to Wanganui, with his wife and two youngest children, the remainder deciding to stay in Wellington. In Wanganui, he became the Chief Administration Officer with the Railways until his retirement in 1978.

In later life, Colin continued with his rowing involvement as an Administrator. He joined the Friendship Force along with his wife Mona. They attended meetings, functions, had couples to stay with them and travelled to various places with the Friendship Force including Australia and the United States of America.

He also collected a number of sporting and record books that were often opened to resolve disagreements, or the occasional bets at the Local Workingmen’s Club.

Colin spent the last two years of his life in the Kowhanui Rest Home in Wanganui before passing away in 1991. Colin had respect for himself and other people and the constant encouragement from his wife helped him to overcome those odds, which nearly destroyed his dreams as a coxswain, a true rowing success.