Sportsman of the Year

It is a fitting tribute to a great footballer and sportsman that R. A. Jarden should be acclaimed the "Sportsman of the Year." The trophy, awarded as it is by the sports writers of the main New Zealand papers (reputedly the hardest men to please in the world of sport) is of considerable importance.

His sporting prowess is well known. Sports writers throughout New Zealand have scanned their vocabularies for superlatives uncontaminated by advertising to describe Jarden's sporting ability. The other aspect of sport—the aspect used to justify New Zealand's emphasis on this sphere of social activity—the development of true sportsmanship, is not found lacking in Jarden. The manner in which he has borne the garlands heaped on him must be Admired by all sporting enthusiasts.

As Jarden is so much in the public eye his smallest action, is magnified out of all proportion. It is a perverseness of human nature that makes the crowd who have raised the man to the heights of public esteem to seek some fault by which they can tear him down. The fault they try to find is that of the head turned by success. When they do not succeed how often do they create such a fault, Jarden has not escaped this victimisation. But in no case could less truth be found in such an accusation. From people who have known him from schoolboy-footballer to All Black comes the flat denial that this—the greatest of burdens—has broken another great sportsman.

There is nothing left for us to say but to add our congratulations to those of all followers of sport and wish Ron Jarden many more seasons in the sports he has graced in the past year.

—Sports Editor.