Peter A. Balding was voted to Life Membership in the Outrigger Canoe Club at the Annual Meeting on February 16, 2015. Peter joined the OCC at the age of 12 in 1946 and has been actively involved in some phase of the Club’s activities ever since. He’s hit every note from athletics to President of the Club twice.
In fact, his reason for joining the Club was to participate in water sports, and in his first year as a member, paddled on the 12 and under canoe paddling crew. He continued to paddle, progressing from one age group to the next, up to Junior 4, many of them winning crews.
Surfing was also another of his favorite pastimes, and Peter represented Outrigger in Australia as a member of the Hawaii Surf Lifesaving Association Team which placed third in the 1956 International Surf Championships. In 1970, he competed in the International Surfing Championships in Peru, and on the local scene, was a Club entrant in the Makaha International Championship. He won the Makule Division multiple times in the Outrigger’s surfing championship. To this day, he is an avid surfer and swimmer, but presently stays mostly in the area fronting the Club.
Then of course, there was volleyball. Peter was a member of one Open and nine Masters volleyball teams which competed in the USVBA Nationals, and was named All-American Honorable Mention in the Masters 35 division in 1974. His Masters 45 team won the National Championship in 1985. Peter also played on many OCC championship mountain ball and tennis teams.
In addition to participating in sports, Peter served as Club Captain from 1968 to 1970, a demanding job that includes overseeing all sports teams sponsored by the Outrigger. His contributions to the Club’s various programs also earned him the prestigious honor of being selected as a member of the Winged “O,” the top honor that can be achieved by an outstanding athlete.
But his activities were not limited to sports. Peter served on various committees, making valuable contributions to each one. His outstanding performance at that level soon earned him a place on the Board of Directors, to which he was elected in 1970. After serving in various capacities, he was selected to the ultimate position of President in 1974 and again in 1989.
Peter felt a special bonding with the Club and the ocean it borders. As a youngster, he pedaled his bike to the Club from his home on Noela Drive. Often when he found it difficult to leave, he called his mother to tell her he was spending the night with a friend. The friend would then call his mother to say he was spending the night with Peter. Instead, the boys spent the night on the beach, climbing under the canvas that covered the upside down canoes. If the moon was full, they went surfing; they were often the last ones out and the first ones in the water at dawn. He remembers his favorite meal at the Club which consisted of a scoop of rice with gravy that cost 15 cents.
Peter’s life has revolved around the Outrigger in so many ways. His first job was in the old Club’s parking lot when it was located at the site of the now former International Marketplace. He relieved Henry Takemasu and helped out during the busy lunch hour. (As a bonus he got a free employee lunch.) He also worked with Sunshine in the evenings when there were special parties.
He met his wife, May, at the Club one summer when he was working as a volunteer life guard and she was selling catamaran tickets. They met in the month of May, were engaged in June, married in December, and have been married since 1957. Their two children, Peter Junior and Gay, also spent their childhood at the Outrigger.
Peter fondly refers to the Outrigger as “his one and only Club” and happily reminiscences about “the good old days” and the special feeling of ohana that existed when the membership was half its present size. He chuckles at memories of people walking through the grounds, dodging volley balls, as they made their way to the dining room, and of volleyballs occasionally crashing into the Snack Shop where Richard and Clara held court. He has vivid memories of his paddling coaches and steersmen, Charlie Martin and Chuck Schroeder.
Unlike many old time members, Peter and his family didn’t resist the move from Waikiki to Diamond Head. He attributes the excellent leadership of Wilford Godbold, Cline Mann and Ward Russell to the relatively smooth transition, and the fact that his children were young enough not to have become established at the old Club. “When we moved,” he said, “they got established here. It was an excellent move.”
Indeed, Peter’s life has revolved around the Outrigger, and he and May still come down about five mornings each week. He continues to render service to the Club, and continues to serve on the Judges of Election Committee. So it is truly an honor for the Club to elect Peter to Life Membership.
Board of Directors
1970 Director
1971 Vice President
1972 Vice President
1973 President
1974 President
1975 Past President
1984 Coordinating Director Buildings & Grounds
1985 Secretary
1986 Secretary
1987 Vice President Activities
1988 Vice President Operations
1989 President
Admissions & Membership
1973 Member
1977 Member
1978 Vice-Chair
1979 Co-Chair
1980 Chair
1981 Member
1982 Chair
1983 Member
Athletic Sponsors Committee
1969 Member
Buildings & Grounds Committee
1964 Member
1965 Chair
1966 Member
1967 Member
1968 Member
1994 Member
1995 Member
1996 Member
Club Captain
1968
1969
1970
Judges of Election
2002 Member
2004 Member
2005 Member
2006 Member
2008 Member
2009 Member
2010 Member
2011 Member
2012 Member
2013 Member
2014 Member
2015 Member
2016 Member
2017 Member
2018 Member
2019 Member
2020 Member
Long Range Planning Committee
1977 Member
1978 Member
1979 Member
1980 Member
1981 Member
1982 Member
1983 Member
1990 Member
Nominating Committee
1973 Member
1977 Member
1980 Member
1981 Member
1985 Member
1991 Member
1995 Member
1997 Member
1998 Member
2003 Member
Tennis Committee
1968 Chair (Men)
Outrigger Foundation Board of Directors
1984 Director
1985 Secretary
Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation Board of Directors
1986 Vice President
1987 Vice President
1988 Director
1989 Director
Winged “O” Committee
1972 Member
1977 Chair
OCC Cribbage Tournament
2019 1st Place with May Balding
ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS
Winged”O”
1970 Awarded
OCC Golf
1991 Club Annual Stroke Play Champion, Men’s Low Net
OCC Mountainball Team
1957 1st Place Surveyor’s League
1960 1st Place, Surveyor’s League
1967 1st Place, Surveyor’s League
1969 1st Place (Tie) Surveyor’s League
1970 2nd Place Surveyor’s League
1971 1st Place Surveyor’s League
1972 1st Place Surveyor’s League
1972 2nd Place City Senior Open League
1975 1st Place Surveyor’s League, Most Valuable Player
1976 1st Place Surveyor’s League
1977 1st Place Surveyor’s League
1978 1st Place Surveyor’s League
1979 1st Place Surveyor’s League
1980 1st Place Surveyor’s League
1981 1st Place Surveyor’s League
1982 1st Place Surveyor’s League
Running
1973 Running Awards 1,000 Miles
1979 Honolulu Marathon 3:47:36
1987 1st Mixed Open Team Hana Relays
Surfing
1956 Represented OCC in Australia as a member of the Hawaii Surf Lifesaving Association Team which finished 3rd in the 1956 International Surf Championships
1970 1st Place Club Senior Surfing Champion
1970 OCC entrant to the International Surfing Championships in Peru
1970 OCC entrant to the Makaha International Surfing Championships
1971 1st Place Club Makule Men Surfing Champion
1972 1st Place Club Masters Men Surfing Champion
1974 2nd Place Club Surfing Championship Makule Men
1976 2nd Place Club Surfing Championship Makule Men 35+
1977 1st Place Club Surfing Championship Makule Men 35+
1978 3rd Place Club Surfing Championship Makule Men 35+
1979 3rd Place Club Surfing Championship Makule Men 35+
OCC Tennis Team
1973 1st Place, Club Men’s Singles Championship
1981 1st Place, Club Mixed Doubles Championships with May Balding
1985 1st Place Club Doubles Championships with Tom Madison
1986 1st Place Hawaii State Jr Vets & Seniors Tournament, Men’s 50 Doubles Champion with Mel Leong
1986 1st Place Kailua Racquet Club, Men’s 50s Doubles Champion with Mel Leong
1988 1st Place Ala Moana Seniors Tournament, Men’s 50 doubles with Mel Leong
Volleyball
OCC USAV National Tournament Team
1971 3rd Place Masters 35
1972 2nd Place, Masters 35
1973 2nd Place Masters 35
1974 3rd Place Masters 35, All-American
1975 2nd Place Masters 35
1976 2nd Place Masters 35
1977 4th Place Masters 35
1980 1st Place Masters 35
1983 3rd Place Masters 45
1984 5th Place Masters 45
1985 1st Place Masters 45
1986 2nd Place Masters 45
1988 2nd Place Masters 45
OCC AAU National Volleyball Tournament Team
1960 7th Place Men’s Open
1972 3rd Place Men Senior
1974 3rd Place Masters
1977 2nd Place Masters
OCC 6-Man Indoor Volleyball Championships
1973 1st Place State A Champions
1975 1st Place State AA Champions, Senior Division
1984 1st Place Haili Volleyball Tournament, Golden Masters
OCC Beach Volleyball Tournaments
1976 1st Place 4-Man Championships
1986 2st Place 4-Man Calcutta