TRIBUTES TO W. F. SIMPSON

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30076, 9 March 1963, Page 9

TRIBUTES TO W. F. SIMPSON

A party of athletes which recently visited Waimate paid tributes at the grave of W. F. Simpson, the great New Zealand and Australian distance runner at the beginning of this century. Born in Kirwee, Simpson was a railway guard stationed at different Mid and South Canterbury centres

during the height of his athletics career. In 1901 he carried all before him in the distance events winning the threemile championship of Australia and New Zealand in 14m in 49sec to break the exitsing record of 15min 27.25ec. He also won the Australian and New Zealand mile title in a time only o.4sec outside the record. At the time of the 1901 Australasian meeting, an Auckland newspaper said that if Simpson had had any real competition he could have .run the mile event about lOsec faster. Simpson, who was described in early newspaper cuttings as a “quiet, modest fellow, broad of back, with a thin, determined face and lithe of limb,” once ran in a road race from Rakaia to Ashburton, then did duty as guard on the evening train to Mount Somers and finished his day by cycling back to Ashburton to attend a function held in his honour.