Savidan: Never Say Die

There's been a lot of hero worship following the *yawn* Rugby World Cup.
But look back through New Zealand's sporting history, and you'll find plenty of other sports heroes there. Like in 1930, at the first British Empire Games, Canada (the event later evolved into today's Commonwealth Games).
Eleven countries competed in six events: wrestling, swimming, rowing, boxing, lawn bowls and athletics. NZ sent 22 competitors and won nine medals: three gold, four silver and two bronze. One of those golds, won by 28yr.old Aucklander John William Savidan, was surrounded by controversy.
“Billy” (5ft.5"/165cm, 126lbs/57kg) had been a long-distance runner from 1926. He first won the NZ Cross-Country Championship in 1927 at Christchurch, and the next year he won again at Wanganui against the world record holder, Randolph Rose. Writers of the day regarded Savidan as a good track runner above two miles, but felt it was in cross-country that he was strongest...
At the Games, he was in top form in the six-mile finals (the equivalent of today’s 10,000 metres). Believing he was on his last lap, Billy powered down the home straight and raised his arms in victory as he crossed the line…15,000 watched in horror as he was told the lap official had made a mistake! He had inadvertently turned over two discs instead of one (no digital counters in those days), and there was still one more lap to go! The exhausted Savidan couldn't believe it, but the reality was confirmed by a teammate. Then like a scene from an 'against-all-odds' movie, Billy managed to collect his thoughts, get his jelly-like legs pumping and set off again. From a dead stop to a final 440 sprint must have seemed an impossible task but not only did he do it, he won, collapsing as soon as he crossed the finish line - for the second time. And he set a new Canadian record of 30:49.6 which stood for eight years.
Later when he'd recovered, insult was added to injury as the band played the English anthem Land of Hope and Glory when the kiwi stood on the victory podium to receive his gold medal!
In his other event, the three-mile (equivalent to 5,000m), Bill did not finish - too exhausted from his previous mammoth effort.
Billy Savidan's "...performances stamp him as one of the gamest distance runners NZ has ever bred, and his modest and sterling personality makes him one of the most respected athletes of his day."

Rena: Going...Going...?

It's just a waiting game now.
The stranded container ship Rena is expected to break up - sooner rather than later - in the current rough weather off Tauranga.
Swells of up to 5m have forced salvors to stop work. Crews frantically tried to remove the remaining 358 tonnes of oil, after successfully transferring about 1000 tonnes in a window of good weather over the past week – but the estimates of how fast the oil could be transferred were grossly over-optimistic.

submaRena..!

New damage is evident on Rena, further back from the main crack in the hull. The ship is holding in one piece for now, but creaking and groaning. Salvage teams are preparing for it to break as conditions worsen.
Salvage company Svitzer says if the rear section breaks away, it hopes the powerful tug Go Canopus can tow it to shallower water, which would make things easier if it sinks – the tug is already connected to Rena in anticipation. Svitzer has attached tracking devices to dangerous goods containers and others most likely to fall into the sea (they must have read my blog!). Mind you, I've not heard any reason why the stacks of containers could not have been dragged off the ship by tugs, thus lightening the load somewhat. Sure, the contents may have been ruined - but they'd be insured anyway.
Maritime NZ says in this rough weather, it's too dangerous to have salvors on board. And even though the bigger seas will disperse some of the fresh oil likely to leak from Rena, Tauranga residents can expect a lot more to hit their once-pristine beaches very soon.
Meanwhile the captain and navigational officer have both been charged under section 65 of the Maritime Transport Act 1994 "for operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk". They're back in court today: if found guilty, they face up to 12 months' jail, or fines up to $10K...
Court Update: Rena's captain and second officer have had fresh charges laid against them, of discharging harmful substances from a ship. The latest charge carries a maximum fine of $300K, or two years' jail, and $10K for every day the offending continues. They were remanded on bail without plea until Dec.21.

Of Babes And Fools...

As we count down to the commencement of Japan's 2011/2012 illegal Southern Ocean whale hunting season, I thought you might find this little gem of some interest...
Japan's top government whaling spokesman is Joji Morishita, well-known at International Whaling Commission (IWC) conferences.
His bio says he is "Deputy Director, Far Seas Fisheries Division, Fisheries Agency of Japan. He has held positions within the International Affairs Division, Fisheries Agency of Japan including Deputy Director, Fisheries Supervisor, and Section Chief. He has worked with the IWC, APEC Fisheries WG, CCSBT, NPAFC, NAFO, CCAMLR, IATTC, INPFC, PICES, IOFC and CITES."
His experience includes research on whales, marine mammals, tuna fisheries management, pollock management, highly migratory and straddling stock species, and development of artificial fishing reefs.

With that much experience - even if one doesn't agree with his position on commercial whaling - one would expect comments from him to be intelligent, considered, persuasive.
Not like this then...in 2001 he was interviewed by the BBC, and a question was asked:
Q: "Under what circumstances, if any, would Japan stop whaling?"
A: "When all species of whales are endangered or depleted we will follow the ruling of the IWC and we have to stop whaling."

"When all species of whales

are endangered or depleted,

we will stop whaling."

What more needs to be said? [Here is the entire transcript...]