First official Olympic team

The New Zealand Olympic team en route to Antwerp in 1920. Hurdler Harry Wilson is holding the flag. Sprinter George Davidson stands behind him, with swimmer Violet Walrond, our first female Olympian, to his left. Rower Darcy Hadfield is to Violet's left and her father and coach, Tui, stands behind her.

The 1920 team is the only one in New Zealand’s history in which every competitor made a final – a feat unlikely to be equalled again.

New Zealand’s 1920 Olympic team at a Melbourne park en route to Antwerp. The team travelled from Auckland to Wellington by train, then sailed on the Manuka to Sydney, where they boarded the liner Euripides. But the ship was held up for six days in Melbourne and also delayed at Durban. They arrived after nine weeks and five days of travelling – only a couple of days before the opening ceremony.

Violet Walrond's Olympic brooch. Made of silver, she wore it on a tie.