Background
He was born in Caversham, Dunedin. He was the son of "Old Vic" Cavanagh.
He was born in Caversham, Dunedin. He was the son of "Old Vic" Cavanagh.
Between them, they greatly affected the development of the sport of rugby within New Zealand. Young Vic"s playing career saw him play as hooker for the Southern club in Dunedin, and also a cricketer for Otago Boys" High School. Beyond the sports field he was a prominent newspaperman, having started as a compositor for the Otago Daily Times and risen to be General Manager of its major rival, the Evening Star from 1950.
He oversaw the merger of the two papers and the formation of the new Allied Press company in 1974, becoming the first head of the new company until his retirement in 1976.
In rugby, he played only seven games as wing forward for Otago in 1931 before injury ended his career. In 1934 he followed in his father"s footsteps by becoming coach of Southern’s senior team
The new-look 3-4-1 scrum shape revolutionised forward play, and - with the refinements to what became kn own as "the Southern style" by Young Vic, led to the dominance of Otago in provincial rugby in the years prior to World World War World War II
In sport, Cavanagh represented Otago as a middle-order batsman at cricket, scoring nearly 1,300 runs at an average of 24, and was named as a member of the national squad, though he never made an international appearance. In 1949, Otago provided eleven members of the national side to tour South Africa.