William Alexander Clydesdale Pullar (19 December 1913 – 1 January 1990) was a New Zealand track and field athlete who represented his country at the 1938 British Empire Games.
.jpg) Pullar in 1937 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Alexander Clydesdale Pullar |
| Born | 19 December 1913 Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Died | 1 January 1990 (aged 76) Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Spouse |
Beryl Joy Kingsland
(m. 1937; died 1986) |
| Sport | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Achievements and titles | |
| National finals | 1 mile champion (1937, 1939, 1940) 3 miles champion (1939) 440 yd hurdles (1934) Cross-country champion (1934) |
Early life and family
editBorn in Invercargill on 19 December 1913, Pullar was the son of William Pullar and Agnes Christina Pullar (née Donovan).[1] He was educated at Otago Boys' High School.[2] On 10 June 1937 he married Beryl Joy Kingsland.[3]
Athletics
editAs well as winning the 1934 New Zealand men's cross-country championship, Pullar won a further five national titles on the track.[4] In 1934, he won the 440 yards hurdles title with a time of 56.4 seconds,[4] equalling the national record at the time.[5] Going on to concentrate on middle-distance events, he won the one-mile national title in 1937, 1939, and 1940, and the three-mile championship in 1939.[4]
At the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, Pullar finished sixth in the men's mile.[6]
From 1946, Pullar was associated with the Hamilton Athletics Club, where he coached athletes including Maurice Marshall and Dutch Holland.[7] The Hamilton City Hawks (an amalgamation of the Hamilton Athletics Club and the Hamilton Harriers Club) awards the W.A.C. Pullar Trophy to the club's top 400 m hurdler.[7]
Military service
editDuring World War II, Pullar served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), in the General Duties Branch and then the Administrative and Special Duties Branch.[8] He was promoted from pilot officer to temporary flying officer in January 1944,[9] and received his wings in a ceremony at Wigram later that month.[10]
Pullar remained in the RNZAF for some time after the war,[11] and was the senior air traffic controller at Rukuhia aerodrome, near Hamilton.[12]
Later life and death
editPullar became a farmer.[13] He died on 1 January 1990, and his body was cremated at Hamilton Park Crematorium.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Birth search: registration number 1914/13971". Births, deaths & marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ "Many high points in Otago Boys' sports". Otago Daily Times. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ "Marriage search: registration number 1937/5549". Births, deaths & marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ a b c Hollings, Stephen (December 2016). "National champions 1887–2016" (PDF). Athletics New Zealand. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ "Reflections in the sporting mirror". Auckland Star. 24 March 1945. p. 16. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Bill Pullar". New Zealand Olympic Committee. 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Trophy history". Hamilton City Hawks. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ "New Zealand, World War II appointments, promotions, transfers and resignations, 1939–1945". Ancestry.com Operations. 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ "New Zealand, World War II appointments, promotions, transfers and resignations, 1939–1945". Ancestry.com Operations. 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ "Wings ceremony at Wigram". the Press. 21 January 1944. p. 6. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ Electoral roll of Raglan: general roll of persons entitled to vote for Members of Parliament of New Zealand. 1949. p. 212.
- ^ Feeney, Mike (July 2016). "World War Two. New Zealand aircraft" (PDF). Kapiti Aeromodellers' Club Update: 14. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ Waipa electoral district: main roll of persons entitled to vote for Members of Parliament of New Zealand. 1963. p. 203.
- ^ "Cemetery search". Hamilton City Council. Retrieved 3 July 2017.