Johnny Borland

John Haines Borland (9 March 1925 – 21 February 1990) was a New Zealand school teacher, field athlete and athletics official. He represented his country in the high jump at the 1950 British Empire Games, and served as president of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association from 1970 to 1971.

Johnny Borland
Personal information
Full nameJohn Haines Borland
Born(1925-03-09)9 March 1925
Rangiora, New Zealand
Died21 February 1990(1990-02-21) (aged 64)
Dunedin, New Zealand
OccupationSchoolteacher
Spouse(s)
Eva Cynthia Peirson
​
​
(m. 1953; died 1982)​
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportTrack and field
Achievements and titles
National finalsHigh jump champion (1946, 1947, 1950)

Early life and family

Born in Rangiora on 9 March 1925, Borland was the son of Robert William Borland, who was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division) in the 1946 New Year Honours.[1][2] Johnny Borland was educated at Christchurch Boys' High School, and went on to study at Canterbury University College and the University of Otago, where he was awarded a Diploma of Physical Education.[1]

Borland married Eva Cynthia Peirson, a physiotherapist, in 1953, and the couple went on to have three children.[1][3][4]

Athletics

High jump

Borland won three national high jump titles: in 1946, 1947 and 1950.[5] His best winning jump was in 1950, with a height of 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m).[5] He was also the New Zealand universities high jump champion every year from 1945 to 1952 except 1947, and was awarded blues in those years.[1] In 1949, Borland won the Australasian universities high jump championship.[1]

At the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, Borland represented New Zealand in the high jump.[6] He finished in fourth place with a best leap of 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), a New Zealand record, the same height as the silver and bronze medallists and 1 in (2.5 cm) below the winning height.[1][7]

Administration and coaching

Borland was involved in athletics administration. He was a New Zealand selector between 1957 and 1961; manager of the New Zealand athletics team that trevelled to Australia in 1960; and served a one-year term as president of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association in 1970–71.[1][8]

Later life and death

Borland worked as a physical education teacher at Gore High School, and later lived in retirement in Dunedin.[1][9] He died at his home there on 21 February 1990, and his ashes were buried at Andersons Bay Cemetery.[9] He had been predeceased by his wife, Cynthia, in 1982.[10]

References
  1. Petersen, G.C., ed. (1961). Who's Who in New Zealand (7th ed.). Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 76.
  2. "No. 37410". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1945. p. 158.
  3. "Robert Peirson, born 1863, Yorkshire". Genealogy.com. 1 October 1999. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. "New Zealand cemetery records, 1800–2007". Ancestry.com Operations. 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  5. Hollings, Stephen (December 2016). "National champions 1887–2016" (PDF). Athletics New Zealand. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  6. "Johnny Borland". New Zealand Olympic Committee. 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  7. "Athletics high jump – men Auckland 1950". Commonwealth Games Federation. 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  8. 86th Annual report and statement of accounts for the 1972–73 season (PDF). New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association. 1973. p. 2. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  9. "Cemetery details: John Haines Borland". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  10. "Cemetery details: Eva Cynthia Borland". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
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