Interview Series - Warren Cole

“We (Wybo and I) teamed up really by accident as both being new to the club were not selected in any crews for the forthcoming season. Fortunately Cyril Molesworth noticed us on the bank and suggested that we go for a row in a 2+ that nobody was using at the time, helped us rig it and away we went. After a couple of weeks of difficulty we rigged the boat with Wybo as stroke which made us both comfortable and efficient and the rest is history.”

— Warren Cole

How did you start rowing?

I started rowing at Hamilton Boy’s High School in 1956.

What was your 1st crew and who was in it?

My first crew was the school 2nd 4+ at a regatta on the Tamaki Estuary course, placed 2nd of 12 crews.

Who was your 1st coach?

My first coach was Mr. Thomas Thompson the master who introduced Rowing to the school in 1955.

Who at that time was your sporting hero?

My sporting rowing hero of the time was Jim Hill an international from Hamilton Rowing Club who took an interest and was one of the very few who encouraged school rowing in the club at the time.

How did you and Wybo come to team up?

We teamed up really by accident as both being new to the club were not selected in any crews for the forthcoming season. Fortunately Cyril Molesworth noticed us on the bank and suggested that we go for a row in a 2+ that nobody was using at the time, helped us rig it and away we went. After a couple of weeks of difficulty we rigged the boat with Wybo as stroke which made us both comfortable and efficient and the rest is history.

Was there some turning point that made you think “I want to be a champion rower”?

When I joined the Whakatane Club after returning from my OE and being posted from Hamilton my goal was to win a redcoat.

Do you think the standard in the mens pair or the fours has changed since the time you rowed?

In our day we used heavy wooden oars and boats so times are not all that comparable. However there is no doubt in my mind that with the modern technology and training regimes our crews would still be winners also both nationally and internationally.

What about rowing competitions in general –how have they changed since your early days of rowing?

On the NZ scene there have been huge changes and improvements. The introduction of woman’s rowing and the phenomenal growth of schools rowing has made regattas huge events now with up to 2000+ athletes competing. For instance when I rowed in the Maadi Cup regatta,1956/57 it was all over in 4 hours, now it takes 6 days.

I have heard on Tom Reid’s famous training runs you had to stop along the way and wait for the others to catch up and when it came to lifting weights and doing chin-ups you left them all in the dust-is this true or is it an urban myth?

It is an urban myth for sure but a very good story over a few beers. We were all very competitive as individuals and the famous programme gained me the fitness level required to be a winner.

What was your BEST race?

It has to be the 1968 Coxed 4 Olympic final.

What was your WORST race?

Getting second in the 1957 Maadi Cup 8 I think.

What is your favourite event?

The coxless pair followed by the eight.

Which is your favourite rowing venue?

Lake Karapiro.

The “Warren Cole Walkway and Cycleway” is hugely popular and in constant use daily –very aptly named considering it runs alongside the stretch of the river you and your fellow rowers trained on.

I am very proud of the great honour of my name being recognised by the river bank. It was a wonderful gesture by the people of Whakatane to build such a popular and useful public place in my name and I am very grateful.

Who aside from Wybo would you most like to row with?

There is in fact quite a list of great oarsmen that I have had the privilege of rowing and racing with.

Noel Mills, David Molesworth, Dudley Storey, Dick Joyce, Ross Collinge.

What job did you do while rowing?

Sales Engineer for the National Dairy Assn. Milking Equipment Division.

Where do you live now?

Retired, living in Hamilton.

Tell us a bit about your family?

I have 2 children both having lived in Sydney for many years. I have 3 grandchildren also living in Sydney. My eldest grandson Simon has represented Australia as a lightweight and is looking toward selection for Rio.