Ian has a most amazing c.v. Four Gold Medals, NZ Olympian of the Century, M.B.E., National Surf Life Saving Champion, four times N Z Ironman et many als. Still very trim and fit at 72 Ian gave an outline of his achievements and his beliefs. Quiet spoken but very, very determined Ian has always been fiercely competitive, energetic and ambitious.
When he could not afford to buy a canoe at age eight he built his own, out of corrugated iron. When that sank he worked until he could afford a proper one. He started in surf life saving and succeeded at that, and then turned to kayaking. Going independently to the Moscow Olympics with no official help or sponsorship for political reasons, he was unsuccessful at first but determined to try again. Entering (and mostly winning) every competition he could to develop fitness and technique and able to pay his way because he had ingeniously developed fibreglass paddles to replace the traditional wooden ones and created a successful business, he developed his own training schedule and race plan. Although NZ Sport had forgotten to enter him, now the national champion, in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics an observant Canadian noticed the error and he was duly entered, and won three golds. Ian continued his stellar kayaking career until he retired at forty. He became a very successful coach, starting each day's training at 6.05 a.m. because a precise time like that demanded punctuality. When he retired from coaching he developed Fergie's Kayaks at Kings wharf in Wellington and then moved on to a grander scale. He developed the Water Park, with artificial waves, in Auckland to make kayaking more accessible to everyone and allowed low decile schools to use it for free. He developed 20 metre portable fibreglass swimming pools which could be moved around schools so that students could learn to swim safely. Although not a Rotarian himself he has worked with an Auckland Rotary Club to raise money for child diabetes research. When asked why NZ athletes do so well he answered that it was partly the NZ can do attitude and partly the climate which allows outdoor sporting activities all year round. After listening to Ian we can understand it is also due to outstanding sports people with an attitude like his.