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Peter McWhannell
McWhannell in 1940
Personal information
Born(1875-03-03)3 March 1875
Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died26 July 1943(1943-07-26) (aged 68)
Wellington, New Zealand
OccupationEngineer
Spouse
Mary Cook McCole Love
( m. 1905)
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
Sport Lawn bowls
ClubHataitai
Medal record
Men's Lawn bowls
Representing   New Zealand
British Empire Games
Silver medal – second place 1930 Hamilton Pairs

Peter McWhannell (3 March 1875 – 26 July 1943) was a New Zealand lawn bowls player who competed for his country at the 1930 British Empire Games, winning a silver medal in the pairs competition.

Early life and family

Born in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1875, [1] McWhannell served his engineering apprenticeship on the Clyde. [2] He emigrated to New Zealand in the early 1900s, initially settling in Dunedin before moving to Wellington. [2] In 1905 he married Mary Cook McCole Love, [3] and the couple went on to have two children. [2]

McWhannell was foreman at Robertson's foundry in Wellington, and subsequently established his own engineering firm of Ross, Jory, and McWhannell. [2]

Lawn bowls

Initially a member of the Newtown Bowling Club, McWhannell moved to the Hataitai Bowling Club when it was established in 1910, and served as that club's president in 1918. [2] He skipped Hataitai teams to five titles at Wellington tournaments, and won numerous club championships. [2] He was the Hataitai singles champion in 1912, 1917, 1920 and 1935; pairs champion in 1916, 1924, 1927 and 1937; and fours champion in 1918, 1929, 1935, 1938 and 1939. [2]

At the 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton, Ontario, he competed in the pairs and fours. [4] He won the silver medal with his partner William Fielding in the pairs event. [5] The foursome of McWhannell, Fielding, Edward Leach, and Harold Frost finished in fifth place in the fours competition. [6] [7]

Not long before his death, McWhannell was elected a life member of the Hataitai Bowling Club. [2]

Death

McWhannell died at his home in the Wellington suburb of Hataitai on 26 July 1943, [2] and his ashes were buried at Karori Cemetery. [8] [9]

References

  1. ^ "U.S., border crossings from Canada to U.S., 1825–1960". Ancestry.com Operations. 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Obituary: Mr. Peter McWhannell". Evening Post. 27 July 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Marriage search, registration number 1905/6946". Births, deaths and marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Percy McWhannell [sic]". New Zealand Olympic Committee. 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Commonwealth Games medallists – bowls". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Bowling team for Canada". Evening Post. 25 June 1930. p. 12. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  7. ^ "Empire Games: keen bowling contest". Auckland Star. 9 October 1930. p. 18. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  8. ^ "Cemeteries search (cremation)". Wellington City Council. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  9. ^ "Cemeteries search (burial)". Wellington City Council. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2017.