Ernest Sutherland

Ernest Sutherland
Sutherland during World War I
Personal information
Born(1894-04-26)26 April 1894
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Died8 July 1936(1936-07-08) (aged 42)
Palmerston North, New Zealand
OccupationPolice officer
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight74 kg (164 lb)[1]
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event(s)Decathlon, shot put, high jump, javelin throw, long jump, pole vault, triple jump
Achievements and titles
National finalsHigh jump champion (1920, 1921)
Javelin throw champion (1921, 1922)
Long jump champion (1920, 1922, 1927, 1928)
Pole vault champion (1929)
Shot put champion (1927)
Triple jump champion (1915, 1920)

Ernest George Sutherland (26 April 1894 – 8 July 1936), also known as Buz Sutherland, was a New Zealand athlete.[2] Well known in his home country, he stayed in South Africa in 1922 after touring with a New Zealand team. He competed for South Africa at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and came fifth in the decathlon. He returned to New Zealand in 1926.[3]

Born in Palmerston North on 26 April 1894, Sutherland was the son of Jessie and William Sutherland.[1][4] In May 1915, he enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, serving overseas for three years and six months as a rifleman in the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 1st Battalion, and seeing active service in North Africa and France.[1][5] He was wounded in action, suffering a severe gunshot wound to his left thigh, at Bir Shola in January 1916 during the Senussi campaign.[1][6]

In all, Sutherland won 12 New Zealand national athletic championship titles across six field disciplines. His only title before leaving to fight in World War I was in the triple jump in 1915, his other 11 titles coming after the war. These were in: the triple jump in 1920; the high jump in 1920 and 1921; the long jump in 1920, 1922, 1927, and 1928; the javelin throw in 1921 and 1922; the shot put in 1927; and finally the pole vault in 1929.[7]

Sutherland was a policeman. He had a fatal fall from his bicycle on 8 July 1936 in Palmerston North when his shoulder strap became entangled with his knee and handlebars. He went head-first over his handlebar and broke his neck.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Sutherland, Ernest George – WW1 23/927 – Army". Archives New Zealand. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Ernest Sutherland". Olympedia. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ernest Sutherland". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Birth search: registration number 1894/3339". Births, deaths & marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Ernest George Sutherland". Online Cenotaph. Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  6. ^ "The roll of honour". Otago Daily Times. No. 16610. 5 February 1916. p. 8. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  7. ^ Hollings, Stephen (October 2019). "National champions 1887–2019" (PDF). Athletics New Zealand. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Death of former well-known athlete". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LXXIII, no. 22466. 9 July 1936. p. 10. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  9. ^ ""An extraordinary case"". The Press. Vol. LXXII, no. 21833. 13 July 1936. p. 14. Retrieved 17 June 2017.