Mervyn Wood

Mervyn Wood (1917 to 2006) was an Australian rower from New South Wales who won the single sculls at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London and went on to compete at four Olympic Games. He took silver in the single sculls at Helsinki in 1952, where he carried the Australian flag at the opening ceremony, and bronze in the double sculls at Melbourne in 1956, when he was again flag-bearer at the age of 39. Wood also won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta in 1948 and 1952 and was an eight-time Australian national sculling champion. He rowed for Australia at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1950 to 1958, taking several gold medals and a silver. Outside sport he spent his career in the New South Wales Police Force, rising to Commissioner in 1977 before resigning in 1979.