1927. He was double-skulls champion in 1925 and 1926. Years later, he did his best to turn a disused quarry beside Auckland's Lakė Pupuke into an international rowing course but eventually settled "for Lake Karapiro". In 1950, he was named manager of the Empire games rowing camp at Karapiro and four years later he managed the NZ rowing contingent to the Vancouver Empire Games. In 1964 he was appointed manager of the NZ team to the Tokyo Olympics- the team that included Peter Snell, Murray Halberg and John Davies. Privately, Sir William's donations and endowments were impressive. These ranged from financing the rebuilding of St Thomas Church, St Heliers, Auckland, and generous equipment donations to hospitals, endowing the chairs of orthopedics and plastic surgery and a lectureship in ophthalmic studies at Auckland University and helping set up the Laura Fergusson Trust for Disabled persons. In spite of Sir William's extensive business interests, be found time for local-body politics, fishing, breeding horses and financing Lochinver Station on the Napier/Taupo Road which was developed by his son, Ross Snr. In 1979 Sir William broke a five-year-old world fishing record, catching a Black Marlin off Cairns weighing 1,231.5lbs. He never became obsessed with wealth or the intricacies of high finance. He told the Auckland Star in 1970: "Finance was never one of my greatest worries because I knew what I could do and where I was heading ... Big finance is only a matter of common-sense.... Sir William's governance of WA Stevenson & Sons was characterized by grit, hard work, self belief and determination. The years following were marked by expansive growth and diversification, which eventually built Stevenson's into one of New Zealand's major contractors. "What is success? It is the pride of achievement." Sportsman When asked what was the basis of Sir William's staggering success in business and life in general, the answer came simply: "Why – sport of course" The rower Sir William started rowing in the late 1900s- fours, eights and pairs, as all young oarsmen do before specializing in any particular class of rowing. Single sculls drew the Stevenson preference and he became a four time New Zealand Single Sculls Champion, starting in 1922 in Auckland Rowing Club colors. In 1923 at Bluff he became the only New Zealander at that time to win the Single and Double Sculls (with Doug Smith) on the same day. This was repeated