Swimming Master Coach Pic Parkhouse passes away

January 26, 1974 was a special day for swimming and a magnificent one for our entire nation. The 10^th British Commonwealth Games was staged in Christchurch – and on that remarkable day New Zealand achieved three medals in one finals session at the QEII Pool.

Gold medal – Mark Treffers, 400m individual medley.
Bronze medal – Susan Hunter, 400m individual medley.
Gold medal – Jaynie Parkhouse, 800m freestyle.

What was more remarkable was that all three swimmers came from the Wharenui Swim Club in Christchurch. All three were coached by Pic Parkhouse.

Almost 43 years after that remarkable day, we salute Vincent Temple (Pic) Parkhouse for a final time after the Master Coach passed away in Tauranga, aged 92.

Pic was a young competitive swimmer in Hamilton, where he was born but he found coaching in unusual fashion. An engineer by trade, Pic agreed to help out at his local Cambridge pool which was having issues with its filtration plant. He not only fixed the problems, but ended coaching and teaching swimming at the pool.

He grew the club to the point where it boasted several nationally ranked swimmers including national freestyle champion Alison McMillan, who still has a club trophy in her name. It was also where Pic introduced his children to swimming.

In 1965 Pic was recruited by the Wharenui club in Christchurch as their head coach where he set about developing a programme that would become one of the most successful in the country. Under Pic’s tutelage, his squad boasted the likes of national champions Alan Kindred, Jaynie Parkhouse (now Jaynie Hudgell), Susan Hunter (now Susan Lewis), Brent Lewis, Lynne Rowe and Mark Treffers among others.

Pic hungered to learn more, becoming a great admirer of Arthur Lydiard and successfully adapting his theories on a strong endurance base to swimming. He also learned from the best including Australian coach Don Talbot and Indiana coach Jim Counsilman when they visited New Zealand. And Pic travelled to swimming conferences in the US to soak up as much knowledge as he could.

His first national appointment was to the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh where Treffers won the only medal. Pic followed by guiding the swim team at the 1972 Olympics in Munich that included what would become his famed Wharenui trio of daughter Jaynie, Hunter and Treffers.

That led to the outstanding campaign on home turf for the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch. As well as that memorable day when a packed QEII Pool cheered home the three medallists, Pic’s triumphant trio from the Wharenui club won six of New Zealand’s seven medals. The other medal was secured by Hawkes Bay swimmer John Coutts who had also spent time under Pic’s direction.

As a result of the Commonwealth Games success, Pic’s exploits became known internationally, leading to an offer to coach in Canada where he spent five years in charge at the North York Aquatic Club and Cambridge Aquatics.

On returning to New Zealand in 1981, Pic and wife Betty settled in Tauranga – they had originally met at Mt Maunganui while both were camping in 1952. He coached and ran a learn-to-swim programme at Greerton where a young Moss Burmester came through that programme.

Pic trained a number of Masters swimmers and competed successfully himself in Masters with the then Durham Light team, and later did some coaching for Clive Power who had moved to Tauranga.

His last international campaign was the 1994 Commonwealth Games and he retired from coaching the following year, although continued swimming most days until recently.

Pic is a Life Member and Master Coach of the Swim Coaches and Teachers Association in New Zealand.

He is survived by Betty, his wife of 64 years, son Paul and daughters Megan and Jaynie, seven grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.