Ray Meining was born in Dunedin in 1917 on the second of April; he was one of three children having a sister and a brother. His father was a butcher owning his own shop in South Dunedin.
V.C. Dedication with Govt Gen. at Queens Gardens.
Ray displays War Medals and NZ Order of Merit.
Ray first begun wrestling in 1934 when a fellow South Dunedin butcher friend of his fathers named Frank Anderson got him started at his wrestling school.
Frank was a good coach who ran the Frank Anderson Wrestling School originally in Melbourne street south Dunedin and then under the grandstand at the Caledonian grounds. There was only two wrestling clubs back then and the second the Baldock Institute now the Todd Group run by my former unarmed combat instructor the late Harry Baldock.
Ray wrestled at a time when there were many good wrestlers and several of the best in the country were in his weight division. He can remember how tough competition was and how it took him two years before he won a bout. There were four wrestlers, Les Small, Neil Thompson, Frank Keach and Frank Baughen; all were champions that kept Ray out of the medals on many occasions.
Ray after a hard bout after war years.
Ted Issacs a wrestling reporter of the time after a bout between Ray and Les Small for an Otago title reported it was one of the finest amateur bouts he had ever seen. Ray wrestled right up until 1948 and took an Otago featherweight title before he finished competing.
In 1940 Ray began his WWII army service for the next four years but that did not stop him from wrestling, in fact he even wrestled while on board the troop transport ship and while serving in the in Syria with the New Zealand division on maneuvers, he competed as part of the New Zealand wrestling and boxing team coming runner up to Whitcombe for the lightweight title and another Dunedin wrestler Archie MacMillan won the middleweight title.
Ray was a Bombardier and served with artillery in the 6th Field Regiment in North Africa against Romel and was the casualty of a bomb blast and ended up in a hospital in Jerusalem before being sent back to New Zealand for three months leave.
Jan 1945, Ray Meining – Sixth NZ Field Regiment Artillery
just returned home after the war.
During battle in North Africa Ray would use the rest and maintenance time between battles to teach the soldiers how to wrestle and once while practicing a Nazi mobile artillery unit began firing at Ray and his wrestling mates.
It was now 1944 and Ray had been away for four years, he was to return after three months R&R but was advised on his return that the war was virtually over and he would not have to go back. So Ray returned to Dunedin where he went to work in his late fathers butcher shop that his brother had kept going while he was at war.
Ray then started his own wrestling school on his return from WWII and named it Kiwi Wrestling, which was located in the central battery here in Dunedin. Kiwi Wrestling club ran for several years and Ray continued to compete right up until 1948.
From 1953 onwards Ray began refereeing and judging and qualified as a referee and judge in 1956 in Masterton. Over his long and respected career as a wrestling official he officiated at many provincial and national championships as well as two Commonwealth Games the later being the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch.
1974 Commonwealth Games
From 1957 Ray become an executive member of the Otago Wrestling Association and held both the secretary and president positions between 1953 and 1973.
Ray is a life member of the Otago, Taieri and New Zealand wrestling associations with over seventy years service. All three official bodies recommended him for a royal honour and in 2000 he was awarded with the New Zealand order of merit for services not only to wrestling but also swimming. Ray is also patron of both the Taieri and Otago wrestling associations.
He has two wonderful daughters Christine and Pauline to his late wife Imelda who passed away in 1997.
Amongst Ray’s many mementos and treasures that he has compiled into a book of his service and achievements is a letter from the deputy Prime minister Dr Michael Cullen to the Prime minister Helen Clark outlining Ray’s service to sport and all the positions he has held and currently holds recommending him for further honours.
Ray will be found at every tournament in Otago where he is respected and his presence is greatly appreciated. He knows and loves wrestling and offers young wrestlers like my daughter Jessica good advice that is well received and appreciated and the wrestlers often have the honour of being presented with their trophies and medals by Ray.
He has a lifetime’s dedication and is an inspiration to all involved in wrestling to follow in his footsteps.
Ray has just overcome throat cancer and the treatment to rid him of the cancer and we all wish him good health and many more attendances at wrestling tournaments.
Perth 1962, 3 NZ reps at British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
