Heart of gold
Two university graduates demonstrate rowing's powerful reach to heart-, and purse-, strings.
Bill Lindqvist has travelled the world in search of gold and was lucky enough to be very successful at finding it.
In the mid-1980s the Otago University trained geologist and his team found a two-million-ounce gold deposit "just sticking out of the ground, can you believe it" in Northern Nevada.
"That was the apex of an enormous geological system that's probably going to produce about 30 million ounces of gold before it's done, if not more," says Bill.
Sir Murray Brennan graduated from Otago University in the mid-1960s. He's one of the most highly-respected cancer specialists in the world - a surgeon, scientist and researcher who's been living in the U.S since the 1970s.
So, when Sir Murray and Bill Lindqvist wanted to give back to the institution that gave them so much in life, it's no coincidence they chose Otago University's rowing programme to help another generation of students on their way as well.
Mila van Rensburg's always wanted to be a doctor. She grew up in Blenheim where her dad's a specialist at Wairau Hospital.
Mila van Rensburg in 3 seat of the Women’s Four racing at the U19 2024 World Rowing Championships.
She's just finishing her first year at Otago, doing health sciences and is the first recipient of the Sir Murray F. Brennan Entrance Rowing scholarship. It's worth $10,000.
It has achieved one of Sir Murray's principal aims, giving rowing scholars the opportunity to compete while they complete their degree at Otago.
"I looked into America pretty seriously," says Mila, who attracted US College interest after rowing at the U19 Worlds last year.
"I visited Duke and Tennessee, I liked it, but I think I kind of knew it wasn't me."
And then Otago University rowing manager Glen Sinclair got in touch about the Brennan scholarship.
"I was tossing up between Auckland and Otago," says Mila. "And then when that came up, I was like, 'It's got to be Otago.'"
"These are remarkable young people," says Sir Murray from his home in New York. "They should be supported."
There's also the Sir Murray F. Brennan Scholarship in Rowing, whose recipients include Olivia Studholme and Hannah Wylie, both out of the St Margaret's College programme.
The Sir Murray F. Brennan Scholarship in Rowing, Get a scholarship | University of Otago
Bill Lindqvist has the Midas touch for finding gold, but before all that, it was inevitable that rowing would find him.
" I lived 50 yards from the sea in Bluff, so a lot of my boyhood was spent mucking around with boats and rafts and fishing and so on. I've always had a love of the sea. And once you're in a skiff and rowing in sync with your mates…it's almost indescribable."
His dad and uncle were proud members of the Awarua Boating Club in Bluff when, in those days, fundraising included raffling off a sack of fresh oysters at regattas.
Bill rowed for three years at Awarua and his high school teacher Perc Verngreen (and future father-in-law) was a rower at North End.
That connection with rowing has never diminished. He and Sir Murray were prime movers in setting up University of Otago Alumni in America Inc, through which their donations are channelled.
Bill and his wife Helen sponsor two Lindqvist/Verngreen rowing scholarships and former Hamilton Boys rower Charlie Moon and Sam Rankin (Burnside High) are the current recipients.
Photo on left: Former student Bill Lindqvist (right) tries to get to Otago University Rowing at least once a year, here with the club's 2025 captain, Henry Clatworthy.
Photo on right: Sir Murray Brennan has been a leading cancer surgeon and researcher for over 50 years.
For both Sir Murray and Bill, rowing was formative - and transformative.
It helped put them in a position to offer that life-changing experience to another generation of alumni.
For them, nothing quite like rowing has the power to push people forward.
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and Maadi Cup-winning coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
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Heart of gold
Two university graduates demonstrate rowing's powerful reach to heart-, and purse-, strings.
Bill Lindqvist has travelled the world in search of gold and was lucky enough to be very successful at finding it.
In the mid-1980s the Otago University trained geologist and his team found a two-million-ounce gold deposit "just sticking out of the ground, can you believe it" in Northern Nevada.
"That was the apex of an enormous geological system that's probably going to produce about 30 million ounces of gold before it's done, if not more," says Bill.
Sir Murray Brennan graduated from Otago University in the mid-1960s. He's one of the most highly-respected cancer specialists in the world - a surgeon, scientist and researcher who's been living in the U.S since the 1970s.
So, when Sir Murray and Bill Lindqvist wanted to give back to the institution that gave them so much in life, it's no coincidence they chose Otago University's rowing programme to help another generation of students on their way as well.
Mila van Rensburg's always wanted to be a doctor. She grew up in Blenheim where her dad's a specialist at Wairau Hospital.
Mila van Rensburg in 3 seat of the Women’s Four racing at the U19 2024 World Rowing Championships.
She's just finishing her first year at Otago, doing health sciences and is the first recipient of the Sir Murray F. Brennan Entrance Rowing scholarship. It's worth $10,000.
It has achieved one of Sir Murray's principal aims, giving rowing scholars the opportunity to compete while they complete their degree at Otago.
"I looked into America pretty seriously," says Mila, who attracted US College interest after rowing at the U19 Worlds last year.
"I visited Duke and Tennessee, I liked it, but I think I kind of knew it wasn't me."
And then Otago University rowing manager Glen Sinclair got in touch about the Brennan scholarship.
"I was tossing up between Auckland and Otago," says Mila. "And then when that came up, I was like, 'It's got to be Otago.'"
"These are remarkable young people," says Sir Murray from his home in New York. "They should be supported."
There's also the Sir Murray F. Brennan Scholarship in Rowing, whose recipients include Olivia Studholme and Hannah Wylie, both out of the St Margaret's College programme.
The Sir Murray F. Brennan Scholarship in Rowing, Get a scholarship | University of Otago
Bill Lindqvist has the Midas touch for finding gold, but before all that, it was inevitable that rowing would find him.
" I lived 50 yards from the sea in Bluff, so a lot of my boyhood was spent mucking around with boats and rafts and fishing and so on. I've always had a love of the sea. And once you're in a skiff and rowing in sync with your mates…it's almost indescribable."
His dad and uncle were proud members of the Awarua Boating Club in Bluff when, in those days, fundraising included raffling off a sack of fresh oysters at regattas.
Bill rowed for three years at Awarua and his high school teacher Perc Verngreen (and future father-in-law) was a rower at North End.
That connection with rowing has never diminished. He and Sir Murray were prime movers in setting up University of Otago Alumni in America Inc, through which their donations are channelled.
Bill and his wife Helen sponsor two Lindqvist/Verngreen rowing scholarships and former Hamilton Boys rower Charlie Moon and Sam Rankin (Burnside High) are the current recipients.
Photo on left: Former student Bill Lindqvist (right) tries to get to Otago University Rowing at least once a year, here with the club's 2025 captain, Henry Clatworthy.
Photo on right: Sir Murray Brennan has been a leading cancer surgeon and researcher for over 50 years.
For both Sir Murray and Bill, rowing was formative - and transformative.
It helped put them in a position to offer that life-changing experience to another generation of alumni.
For them, nothing quite like rowing has the power to push people forward.
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and Maadi Cup-winning coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
