When Kiwi runner John Walker became history’s first sub-3:50 miler [recording 3 minutes 49.4 seconds at Gothenburg, Sweden] on August 12, 1975, a tall, wiry sports journalist was right there with him.
Walker, now Sir John Walker, broke the record of 3:51.0 held by his long-time rival, the great Tanzanian Filbert Bayi.
The man near the finish line was Ivan Agnew, who died in Howick on March 6 aged 80.
Sir John told the Times he was “incredibly sad” to hear that his old mate has passed away.
“He was a talented and gifted writer with a wonderful sense of humour,” Sir John said.
“He was the first to greet me with stopwatch in hand when I broke the mile world record in Gothenburg, Sweden.”
Agnew, in his final column for the Howick and Pakuranga Times on May 18, 2022, wrote: “That race provided the highlight chapter of my second book Kiwis Can Fly.”
“We shared many hours together in those years and I valued his advice and opinion,” Sir John said.
“He had an endearing love and devotion to his wife Jill and his two daughters. My love to them.
“RIP Ivan, you were one of the best.”
Agnew, who won the sports writer of the year award in 1970, wrote two other books, Aim High and The Loner.
But it was in newspapers that he spent his working life beginning in 1960.
It began at the Grey River Argus then Greymouth Evening Star and Christchurch Star before moving to Auckland and the Sunday News where we worked for nine years and became sports editor.
He was the sports director at Radio Hauraki in the early-to-mid ‘80s and sports editor at the Howick and Pakuranga Times from 1985 – 1990, followed by a stint at the Auckland Star and the Sunday Star, plus several years in the ‘90s as the press officer for the Auckland Rugby Union.
He returned to the Times a few years later.
Said daughter Leonie, “In total, including the years when Dad worked as a columnist after his retirement, Dad worked for the H&P Times for 33 years.”
Leonie and sister Donna are proud of their father, who was, they reckon, at times a man of contradictions.
“He was a storyteller, both in person and on the page. He was a wordsmith who could even write the odd poem,” they said.
“But, at the same time he was a typical West Coast, Kiwi bloke – a straight talker with no stomach for nonsense, a guy who loved a cold beer and rugby with an equal passion. Dad enjoyed a good joke and everyone was friends at the bar.
“He loved people and they often opened up to him, told him their stories. I suspect this made him a good journalist. That and a genuine love of sport – he was a true fan and respected the grit and mentality of athletes.
“He didn’t just follow sport, he dissected it, examined every angle and honoured every person who gave their all to the sport. I think that’s why athletes liked him so much.
“For us, he was just Dad. A passionate supporter of our Saturday netball (whether we liked it or not), supportive and proud of all our endeavours, loving grandfather to Quinn and Emmie.
“However, his greatest achievement was marrying Mum [Jill], one of the finest ladies anyone could ever meet (she also worked for several years at the Howick and Pakuranga Times as the distribution manager. It’s a family tradition)!
“Over the last 10 years, Dad proved his mettle with his devotion to Mum over a long illness and was, hands down, the most regular visitor on the dementia ward. This was not an easy task and broke his heart every day.
“Fortunately, West Coasters have hearts of gold, built to last, and his stoicism in the face of both loss and his own illness was an example to us all. We love you Dad. Thank you for everything.”
