He might be the namesake of one of New Zealand’s most famous track athletes, but whenever the name John Walker is mentioned in North Harbour circles he is immediately recognised in his own right as a sportsman of rare prowess. Since arriving on the North Shore in the 1980s lawn bowler John Walker has established himself as a true legend of the game and with the Browns Bay Club over the past decade or more, he has been an integral part of a particularly outstanding Fours team.
Since 1991, in a career which has seen him associated with two strong clubs, Mairangi Bay and Browns Bay, John has won a staggering 30 centre titles, the most recent last weekend when he combined with Rona Turner, wife of Legend Brent Turner, to win a fifth bar to his Gold Star.
Many of these titles have been won with Colin Rogan, and in more recent times, several in a Four alongside not only Colin but Neil Fisher and Brian Wilson.
John first played bowls in Whanganui and came to the game with an excellent background in other sports. He captained the Wanganui, or as it is now known, Whanganui, under 21 representative rugby side and played many seasons for the area’s cricket side at minor representative Hawke Cup level.
In Whanganui he had many associations with that centre’s greatest bowler, Peter Belliss. Though never in the same club, they met on the green on many occasions in opposing teams and soon after Peter won his world singles title in 1984 John employed him at the bank of which he was manager.
John’s natural ability was soon apparent when he took to bowls and in only his second season he partnered another top Whanganui bowler, Ray Park, to the Pairs semi-finals in the national championships in Wellington.
In addition, he played Singles in the Whanganui 1 – 5 year Sevens team; he received the John Flett Trophy as the best player when his team won a NZ Junior Title: and John won 2 Whanganui Open Centre Fours Titles and he was in the Whanganui Senior Representative Team, both while still a Junior.
But let’s be clear – that’s all background.
A bowler is recognised as a Bowls North Harbour Legend first and foremost for his or her achievements while playing in our Centre, or while representing our Centre in some way.
John’s 30 titles set him up to become a Legend.
In the history of our Centre, just one other bowler holds more Bowls North Harbour titles.
And there are many other achievements.
A club sevens title does not count towards a Bowls North Harbour Gold Star and Bar even though it is the initial round of a Bowls New Zealand championship and the winning club team goes on to a national title series. John has been a member of seventeen club teams (one from Mairangi Bay and sixteen from Browns Bay) that have won a Bowls North Harbour Sevens Club title. Five of those teams went on to play in a Bowls NZ finals series and one reached a semi-final.
John was a Bowls North Harbour representative for several seasons – the first time in 1991/ 92 and, as an indication of his playing ability at the time, he was in the tri-centre team selected from Bowls North Harbour, Northland and Far North players to compete against South Australia.
There have also been successes at national level. In 2013 John, Colin Rogan and Neil Fisher were in a Triples team which won the Trusts New Zealand Open at Henderson and a year later in Dunedin, Brian Wilson joined them in winning the National Pathways Fours title.
John is celebrated in bowls for his superb draw bowl accuracy, his acute reading of heads, his unruffled demeanour and for the ease in which he fits into a team pattern and dynamic. Interesting to note that none of his 30 centre titles has been in Singles, which perhaps underlines why he is so valued and respected by his peers: he is a quintessential team player and the epitome of a quiet achiever.