WILF MELLOR, a former past president and stalwart of York City Rowing Club for more than 60 years, has died aged 86.

Mellor first joined the club in 1942 but his rowing was interrupted by war service. Returning in 1946, he was elected honorary secretary a year later and was a committee member of the club ever since.

In the secretary’s post for ten years, until the club suffered a disastrous fire, Mellor was part of the committee which took the decision to relocate to West Esplanade – even through the site was subject to restrictions placed by the original North Eastern Railway.

Throughout the negotiations and the construction of the building, Mellor took an active part. At the end of his term, the club recognised his contribution – making him an honorary life member at the age of only 33.

Mellor also served as chairman from 1958 to 1961 and honorary treasurer for three years from 1961 to 1964 and from 1977 until 2001.

He also became the regatta secretary – first as an assistant in 1961 and then taking on the job on his own two years later.

It was a position he held until 1976.

Having also been regatta treasurer during his time as club treasurer, he held on to that role until 2001 and remained president of the regatta until 2009.

He was the divisional representative for Yorkshire & Humberside on the Amateur Rowing Council from 1968 to 1974 and throughout this time a member of the ARA Regattas Committee. In recognition of his services to rowing he was awarded the ARA centenary medal in 1982. In one of his early moves, he persuaded the new national rowing coach, Bob Janousek, to visit York and stay with him and his wife, Marjorie, for a few days. As a result, York members were able to meet him and receive a little coaching. Janousek noticed a couple of young scullers, one of whom, Alan Whitwell, went on to gain an Olympic silver medal.

He had been an officer of the Yorkshire & Humberside Rowing Council, later to become the Yorkshire Rowing Council, since its inception in 1964, serving six years as Secretary, six years as chairman and from 1979 until recently as treasurer.

During the 1960s, there was an annual meeting of provincial rowing clubs which settled the regatta programme outside the Thames region. Mellor represented the Yorkshire & Northern clubs on this until it was wound up on the reorganisation of the ARA. In those days it made the dating of regattas much easier. He was also chairman of the North Eastern Regional Rowing Council in its short life from 1974 to 1979.

His wife of nearly sixty years, Marjorie, died in February. The couple had no children. Away from rowing, he had worked as the controller of Shepherd Design Group.

Although rowing was the main beneficiary of his time, he was also a member of Fulford Parish Council and was the chairman for some time. He represented rowing on the Yorkshire & Humberside Sports Federation and was an instigator and chairman of the York and District Sports Federation. For many years until 1994, Mellor produced almost single-handed the York District Sports Directory.