New Zealand’s impressive record in rowing in the past few years, especially in sculling, is no recent phenomenon.

Scullers such as Mahe Drysdale, Rob Waddell, the Evers-Swindells and Emma Twigg can draw on a lengthy tradition of success.

The world titles each of them won were tame, orthodox affairs compared with that won by one of their predecessors, Dick Arnst. He was one of three New Zealanders who won world professional single sculls titles in the first 20 years of the 20th century when that form of the sport was all the rage.

The world title races were challenges – that is, contenders had to find a wealthy backer (and they generally did) and then challenge the holder, who usually had the final say on where the challenge would take place.

The first New Zealander to win was Billy Webb, of Wanganui, who won the title from an Australian, Charles Towns, on the Parramatta River in Sydney. Wanganui went bonkers at the news and there was even a suggestion at council level to rename the town “Webbanui”. He successfully defended his title on the Whanganui River against another Australian, Dick Tressider, and it’s said that 25,000 lined the river banks to cheer on their man.

Arnst and his brother Jack were successful cyclists but Dick decided to try his hand at sculling since it potentially paid more than riding bikes. He went to Sydney to get instruction from Towns’s brother, George, and apparently fell out of his boat at the first attempt.

But he persisted and after winning a few handicap races, successfully challenged Webb for the world title in 1908. He defended it on Akaroa Harbour in 1910 and again in Sydney in 1911.

Then came his strangest challenge. It was from England’s great hope, Ernest Barry. The venue was the Zambesi River in what was then known as Rhodesia. The stake for the race had been put up by a South African millionaire.

Arnst’s brother Jack and a local hunter preceded the two scullers down the course, shooting crocodiles out of the way. Arnst retained his title (and won 750 pounds) comfortably, but Barry immediately issued a new challenge, this time to be raced on the Thames in London. Arnst was weakened, according to reports, by dysentery he’d contracted on the way to Britain, and Barry took the title, which he retained during the war years.

Arnst regained the title by forfeit when Barry retired after the war but then lost it again, this time to another New Zealander, Darcy Hadfield, on the Whanganui River in 1922.

Hadfield two years before had become the first New Zealand sculler to win an Olympic medal when he was third in the single sculls at the Olympic Games in Antwerp. Hadfield lost the title three months later to an

Australian and that ended New Zealand’s involvement in professional sculling.

Although there have been occasional races over the past 50 years, professional sculling eventually fell victim in the 1930s to the increasing power and influence of the Olympics and the amateur ethic that then ruled.