Reunion Will Congratulate Dick Tayler

Reunion Will Congratulate Dick Tayler

January 15, 2014

Dick Tayler’s new year’s honour has come at the right time for this month’s 40th anniversary of the Christchurch Commonwealth Games.

Dick, the winner of the 10,000 metres at the Christchurch Games, became a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year’s Honours.

His recognition by the Queen is only the second honour attributed directly to the 1974 Games with Sir Ron Scott receiving a knighthood as Chairman of the Organising Committee.

The reunion in Christchurch on January 24 - 40 years exactly to the opening of the Games - has been inspired by Bruce Ullrich, one of the organisers of the 1974 event. Bruce is chair of the Christchurch Olympic City Committee which is organising the reunion.

He went on to be Chef de Mission for three New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games teams and is Vice President of the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

Bruce is arranging a moment at the reunion when Dick can hold his gold medal aloft and be congratulated on his honour by all the people attending the event.

“As organisers of the ’74 Games, our fervent wish was to have a 10,000 gold medallist on the opening day of track and field as a catalyst to setting the Games off and Dick duly obliged, destroying a world class field in the process,” Bruce recalls.

In attendance at the reunion will be Games Chairman, Sir Ron Scott, now in his 80s, the British High Commissioner, Vicki Treadell, Christchurch Mayor, Lianne Dalziel, Dick Tayler and Keith Quinn, who described Dick’s famous 10,000 metres victory.

During the evening at the Hornby Working Men’s Club Keith will conduct a Q and A session with Bruce, Sir Ron and Dick Tayler.

Bruce Ullrich sees the reunion as a wonderful opportunity for competitors, organisers, members of the media and the public to gather together and share recollections of “the friendly games.”

“It will be remembered as a superbly run event which started with Dick’s magnificent race at Queen Elizabeth Park and where a host of New Zealanders won medals,” he says.

“It produced a substantial profit for the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association and to the Christchurch City Council.”

Sadly now few of the venues are left as a result of the Christchurch earthquake but the Games will be remembered for the people who took part in those magic 10 days of competition and made us all proud he says.

Tickets for the reunion can be obtained from the Hornby Working Men’s Club, telephone 03-349-9026 or ray@hornbywmc.co.nz.

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