Reserve named in twins' honour

A local reserve is to be renamed in honour of Hawke's Bay's retired Olympic gold winning rowers, the Evers-Swindell twins.

At their peak, Caroline Meyer and Georgina Earl (nee Evers-Swindell) were the dominant force in the women's double sculls, winning gold at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold at the World Championships in 2002 (Seville), 2003 (Millan) and 2005 (Gifu).

The Clive Ski Reserve, which covers 1ha of land on the bank of the Clive River, will undertake a small redevelopment and will be renamed as the Evers-Swindell Reserve.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said the redevelopment would ensure the area was a "fitting tribute" to the twins.

"During their career, Caroline and Georgina were incredible ambassadors for Hawke's Bay and the terrific results they achieved speak volumes for their skill and dedication to rowing," he said. "The Clive Ski Reserve is an extremely popular venue for water sports and it is also in close proximity to the Hawke's Bay Rowing Club."

The sisters were granted honorary Freedom of the District in 2004 and a promise was made at that time a park or reserve would be named to honour their sporting achievements, Mr Yule said.

Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell retired from rowing after a nail biting gold medal performance at the Beijing Olympics. in 2008. A date has yet to be decided for a ceremony to mark the name change.