Burke honoured as Taranaki great

MARK DWYER

SPORTING GREAT: Peter Burke was last night one of the three inaugural inductees into the Taranaki Sports Hall of Fame.

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New Plymouth's Peter Burke, along with the late Stan Lay and Norman Read, are the inaugural inductees into the Taranaki Sports Hall of Fame.

The three were recognised at last night's Taranaki Daily News Sportsperson of the Year Awards function in New Plymouth.

"It's a very proud moment for me ... I certainly didn't expect it," said Burke, 82, last night.

"I've been thinking about it for the last few days since I found out. I feel very, very proud. There's tons of other guys out there who have done a helluva lot for sport in Taranaki and for them to single me out makes me feel very humble."

Burke said it was 61 years since he arrived in Taranaki in 1948.

"I've been involved in rugby in some form every year, either as a player, a coach, a selector or administrator. When I was playing, I was always very proud to pull on the amber and black jersey ... representing Taranaki at any sport is very, very important," he said.

"I've some wonderful memories and made some wonderful friends. When I think about the time I've been involved in sport, I think how did I fit it all in?"

Burke captained Taranaki during the province's Ranfurly Shield era from 1957 to 1959 and for Taranaki's 3-all draw against the Springboks in 1956. He played 12 games, including three tests, for the All Blacks.

He was a Taranaki selector from 1960 to 1968, an All Blacks selector in 1978 and then coached the All Blacks in 1981 and 1982. He is a life member of both the Taranaki Rugby Football Union and the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Lay, a recipient of the MBE, won gold in the javelin at the 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton, Canada. His record throw stood for 24 years.

In 1938, he claimed silver at the British Empire Games in Sydney. He won 12 New Zealand javelin titles.

Read won gold in the 50km walk at the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956. Ten years later, in the 1966 British Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, he claimed bronze in the 50km walk.

In 1992, he was an international judge at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. In 1994, he was national president of Athletics New Zealand.

The Sports Hall of Fame was the brainchild of Sport Taranaki trustee Mike Brooke and Phil Quinney.

"Mike came up with the idea and the recipients were selected by a panel," Sport Taranaki chief executive Howie Tamati said. "The panel was Mike, Ian Cull, Jen Blyde and myself."

Tamati said the three inductees were selected because of their contribution to sport.

"The degree of international recognition all three received, but just as importantly their contribution to sport in the community. All three are legends in Taranaki," Tamati said.

"We all thought it was time to recognise these people."

- © Fairfax NZ News