Peter Tancock

Peter Tancock was an all-round sportsman as a youngster in his native Devon. A keen rugby player, he also enjoyed cycling, cross-country running, orienteering, squash, and sailing. Educated at Exmouth boy´s school before going to Plymouth University, Tancock studied marine engineering.

After joining The Army and becoming a corporal in the 1st Queen´s Dragoon Guards, Tancock took up cross-country skiing and biathlon, and was part of the Great Britain team at the 1966 World Championships for both sports. He also competed in both sports at the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics. Tancock competed in many famous long-distance races including the world´s oldest, the 90km Swedish Vasaloppet. Tancock was later involved in biathlon training and became coach and manager of the British-under-20 biathlon squad.

Tancock was the founder of the Tanco Adventure Training centre in Austria in 1975 before opening a centre at Tauwhare, near Hamilton, after emigrating to New Zealand, where he became a Justice of the Peace (JP).