Three new names for Taupō''s Wall of Sporting Fame

Christine Turton of Sport Waikato unveils two of the three new additions to Taupō's Sporting Wall of Fame at a ceremony at the AC Baths. Photo / Laurilee McMichael

Bevan Docherty, Lee Stensness, Louisa Wall ... just three of the famous sporting names on Taupō's Sporting Wall of Fame.

Located at Taupō's AC Baths complex, the wall has pictures and brief bios of the Taupō sportspeople who have made a name for themselves on the international sporting stage.

Double Olympic medallist Docherty. Double international (netball/rugby) Louisa Wall. All Black Lee Stensness. Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua. They are there, alongside golfers, pole vaulters, basketballers, triathletes, sailors, skiers, referees and officials.

Now, there are three more names, unveiled last Friday in a short ceremony.

Perhaps the best known locally is Dr Wallie Niederer MNZM, a local equestrian veterinarian who has travelled with New Zealand teams to seven Olympic Games and many World Equestrian Games and transtasman events.

In 2002 Wallie was appointed to the position of Chef de Mission for the New Zealand team at the World Equestrian Games and held the position at the next two Olympic Games. He was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to equine medicine and equestrian sport. He was also the driving force behind the building of Taupō's National Equestrian Centre.

Wallie said he was happy of the honour to be included on wall and appreciated the acknowledgment, although he added that as someone who had been involved in team sports all his life, everything that had happened had been as part of a team.

Olympic equestrian veterinarian Dr Wallie Niederer MNZM with his new portrait in the officials' section of the Taupō Sporting Wall of Fame. Photo / Laurilee McMichael

"It's been a great journey for me over the years and the support we are getting at the National Equestrian Centre is amazing," he said. "There's three different events down there every weekend and we've got Equifest coming up and the Christmas Classic in December so it's really helping put Taupō on the map."

The second addition to the wall was touch player Ora Williams, 21, a former Taupō-nui-a-Tia College student who debuted with the Women's Touch Blacks in 2018 playing a transtasman series against Australia. Ora represented New Zealand at last year's Touch World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, winning a silver medal. She is also a rugby union player who at the end of the 2018 season secured a five-month playing contract in Spain. Ora was not able to be present at the unveiling of her portrait on the wall but her parents Tania and Matiu Williams were there, along with her grandmother Cheryl Callaghan.

The family of Ora Williams were at the unveiling of her portrait on the wall of fame. From left: parents Matiu and Tania Williams, and Ora's grandmother Cheryl Callaghan. photo / Laurilee McMichael

Last but not least was the addition of New Zealand hockey player Shiloh Gloyn, who was schooled at Taupō Intermediate and Taupō-nui-a-Tia College and then played hockey for Midlands before becoming a Black Stick in 2014. Hockey is in her blood, with her grandmother Ethna Hill having played for Manawatū, Rangitikei and as a North Island representative.

Shiloh's international hockey debut was against the United States and she scored the first goal in the Black Sticks' 4-1 gold medal-winning performance against Australia at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018. She played in the Women's Hockey World Cup, before finishing her international hockey career in 2019. She now lives in Auckland, where she is a secondary school teacher.

Christine Turton of Sport Waikato said there were some amazing people already on the Taupō Sporting Wall of Fame but if there were others who should be included, they should let the Taupō Sports Advisory Council know.

"We'd love to have as many Taupō district people up on the wall as possible who have achieved at the highest level in their sport."