POLICE ATHLETE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 42, 18 January 1938, Page 2

POLICE ATHLETE.

IN EMPIRE GAMES TEAM. WELLINGTON, Jan. 18. Constable H. R. Godfrey, of the Ha r wera Police Force, will leave Wellington on Thursday as New Zealand’s middleweight wrestling representative at the Empire Games to be held at Sydney. Holder of the Dominion amateur middleweight title, Constable Godfrey lias a lengthy list, of championships to his credit. Athletics occupied his attention before wrestling, and in 1926 he represented Manawatu in the country club athletic championships at Palmerston North, running second to R. A. Rose in the mile and three miles races. He joined the Wellington Fire Brigade in Julv of that vear. and through serving with the brigade was introduced to wrestling.

Professional wrestlers used to train at the brigade’s gymnasium and this aroused the interest of several members of the force. In 1930 he had his first success, winning the lhrhtheavyweight division in the Wellington amateur wrestling championships and also a medal presented by the police. He repeated his victory the following year and also was run-ner-up in his weight in the New Zealand championships, losing on points to Mouat, a South Island wrestler. In 1932 he won at Wellington. Entering the heavyweight class in the succeeding years, when he joined the Police Force, Constable Godfrey took the Wellington and Dominion titles at Wellington, in spite of the fact that he turned the scales at list. 61b., and had to face opponents weighing 14st 71b.

In 1935 he regained the Wellington light-heavvweight title, taking it aga : n the following year, when he won the New Zealand championship. Last year the title 1 : "ht-heawweight was changed to middleweight to conform with Olympic standards and provincial contests also were inaugurated. Constable Godfrey -rron the Wellington provincial title and also the New Zealand title