Richard William Tonks (born 21 February 1951 in Wanganui

Wanganui

Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....

, Manawatu-Wanganui

Manawatu-Wanganui

Manawatu-Wanganui is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Horizons Regional Council.-Administration:...

) is a former New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 rower

Rowing (sport)

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 who won an Olympic silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics

1972 Summer Olympics

The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

 in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

.

Along with Ross Collinge

Ross Collinge

Ross Hounsell Collinge is a former New Zealand rower who won 2 Olympic medals. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico Collinge won the Gold medal in the coxed four along with Dick Joyce, Dudley Storey, Warren Cole and Simon Dickie...

, Dudley Storey

Dudley Storey

Dudley Leonard Storey is a former New Zealand rower who won 2 Olympic medals. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico Storey won the Gold medal in the coxed four along with Dick Joyce, Ross Collinge, Warren Cole and Simon Dickie...

 and Noel Mills

Noel Mills

Noel Mills was a former New Zealand rower who won an Olympic Silver medal at 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. He teamed with Dick Tonks, Dudley Storey and Ross Collinge to win the Silver medal in the coxless four. He also won a Bronze medal in the eights at the 1978 World Rowing Championships at...

 he won the silver medal in the coxless four. After retiring as a competitive rower Tonks turned to coaching and has been influential in the careers of rowers such as Olympic medallists Philippa Baker

Philippa Baker (rower)

Philippa Baker is a New Zealand rower. Along with Brenda Lawson she finished 4th in the Women's double sculls at the 1992 Summer Olympics- External links :* at sports-reference.com...

, Brenda Lawson

Brenda Lawson

Brenda Lawson is a New Zealand rower. Along with Philippa Baker she finished 4th in the Women's double sculls at the 1992 Summer Olympics.- External links :* at sports-reference.com...

, Rob Waddell

Rob Waddell

Robert "Rob" Norman Waddell, ONZM, is a New Zealand rower, yachtsman and rugby union player. Waddell has one of the highest VO2 max intake levels of any athlete ever tested. He holds the fastest 2000 metre indoor rowing machine time in the world, clocking a time of 5 mins 36.6 secs...

 and Caroline

Caroline Evers-Swindell

Caroline Meyer formerly known as Caroline Evers-Swindell is a former New Zealand rower. She is 179 cm tall and 80kg. She competed in the double sculls with her identical twin sister Georgina Earl...

 and Georgina Evers-Swindell

Georgina Evers-Swindell

Georgina Earl, formerly known as Georgina Evers-Swindell is a former New Zealand rower. She competed in the double sculls with her identical twin sister Caroline Meyer, and is a double Olympic gold medalist, having won at Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008...

. He was the New Zealand rowing coach at both the 1996 Summer Olympics

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

 in Atlanta and the 2004 Summer Olympics

2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

 in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

. He now lives in Karapiro

Lake Karapiro

Lake Karapiro is an artificial reservoir lake on the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand. The lake, near Cambridge and some south-east of the city of Hamilton, was created in 1947 to store water for the Karapiro Power Station, the last of the eight hydroelectric power stations on the...

 next to the site of the 1978 and 2010 World Rowing Championships

World Rowing Championships

The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...

.