No.1: Sid Guppy

If we were to print the sporting record of well known Nelson sportsman, Syd Guppy, we'd have no room on this page for any photographs. Syd has not been a Don Clarke, a Bert Sutcliffe or a Peter Snell, whose names are household words, but we would be extremely surprised to learn of any sportsman Throughout The World whose sporting record, both active and administrative, surpasses or even equals Syd Guppy's. His interests are not limited to one sport, as his record will show, but his greatest loves are soccer, swimming (including surfing and water polo), boxing and cricket.

Syd retired from active participation in soccer in 1960 after playing for 48 years, and settled down to administer a sport which is growing rapidly in popularity. In 1962, 64 and 66 he represented New Zealand at the F.I.F.A. World Congress meetings in Santiago, Tokyo and London; is a member of the New Zealand Football Association Council (9 years) and the Junior Council (11 years) and has held the presidency of the Nelson association since 1959. He is the president-elect of the New Zealand association.

In the swimming world he has won six life-saving awards, he's swum the River Thames in mid-winter and ended his competitive swimming shortly after his 60th birthday. Space alone prevents us recording many other outstanding swimming feats and awards.

Nor is he unknown overseas. M.C.C. cricket teams, professional soccer teams and visiting sportsmen have always found a welcome at the Guppy home and Syd's famous (and we mean famous) billiards room. Among the 2500 names on his visitors' book are Gary Player, Anita Lonsborough and a host of others. At the moment he's senior vice-president of the Nelson Cricket Association and a likely president before long.

This review of his sporting attainments is but a minute part of his record which also embraced wrestling, boxing and weight-lifting.