Tribute to Peter Snell at Cooks Gardens

Monday's tribute walk for the late great Sir Peter Snell is raring to go.

The free event takes place at Cooks Gardens on the 58th anniversary of Snell breaking the mile world record, with a time of 3mins 54.4secs.

Snell's achievement made waves all around the world, and immortalised the track forever.

The event is being run by Whanganui District Council, along with Athletics Wanganui and the Whanganui Sports Heritage Trust, with the public encouraged to come down to celebrate.

"It's for people to take a moment and think about getting out of your house and coming down and paying respect to New Zealand's sportsman of the 20th century," Whanganui district councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan said.

The tribute will be a slow walk around the track led by the Whanganui Brass Band.

A minute of silence will succeed the tribute walk.

There will be speeches from Mayor Hamish McDouall and several athletic representatives of past and present.

One of those speaking at Monday's Cooks Gardens event will be former New Zealand middle distance runner and 1972 Olympic medallist Rod Dixon, who was a friend of Snell's.

Dixon speaks glowingly of Snell, saying he was "a very gentle, very kind person".

The two have been in constant contact since Dixon broke Snell's 1500m New Zealand record in 1972.

"When I won the bronze I actually broke Peter's New Zealand record and that was just like 'wow, am I that good? Was I that good to break Peter Snell's record'," Dixon told the Chronicle.

Once he returned from the Olympics and arrived in his hometown of Nelson, he said he received a call from overseas.

"In those days international calling was a big deal, and I wondered who was calling, and it was Peter. He was calling to congratulate me not only for the bronze medal but for the new national record holder for the 1500m. And that was just huge." Dixon's adoration for Snell is clear.

"Peter would ask, 'now why are you looking at me all the time?" And I go, 'You're my hero, I'm allowed to look at you'," as he chuckles away.

Russell Sears of the Whanganui Sports Heritage Trust said Snell's achievement made Cooks Gardens world famous.

"He was a New Zealand athletic legend who always remembered and supported the Whanganui Athletic Club and Cooks Gardens."

Dixon's admiration for Snell has never waned.

"Sometimes we would be having dinner, you know in the last two or three years and he'd say 'You're always looking at me' and I go 'Yes Peter, I can't get over it'."

But there was one characteristic that stuck out to Dixon.

"I know that he didn't like a lot of adulation, he didn't want to be trumpeted. When he came into a room people would stop and Peter wasn't comfortable with that. He didn't feel that he deserved that."

Baker-Hogan said, "It's going to be a great occasion, we would love to see Whanganui get up and walk and come enjoy a very special moment."

She compared Snell's feat to another sporting achievement that occurred in Whanganui more than a century ago.

"It's like as Billy Webb winning the world professional single sculling title. It's one of those very rare special moments in our history."

Whanganui was a "very special place", Dixon said.

"It is very special to a lot of the athletes. Most of those guys I've spoken to at some point and they all reflect on their experience in Whanganui."

• Members of the public taking part in the event are asked to meet at the Cooks St entrance to Cooks Gardens from 6.30pm for a 7pm start. The event will finish about 8pm.

Logan Tutty
Whanganui Chronicle 25/1/20