A sporting life

Where did you grow up and what was interesting about your childhood?

I grew up in Papanui – very close to where I live now. I’m from a large, close family of four brothers and a sister. We were lucky enough to have a tennis court at home, so from a very early age we played a lot of tennis together.

Sport has played a significant part in my life and continues today. There wasn’t the range of sporting activities back then as there is now, but I was Captain of the First XV Rugby Team and the First XI Cricket team at Christ’s College, where I attended secondary school. I also represented Canterbury University in Senior Rugby – or ‘Varsity Rugby’ as we called it, and Old Collegians Senior Cricket for 16 years.

What do you love about sport and why do you think it’s important?

It’s a great way to meet people and form solid friendships. Cricket in particular is a game where you spend long periods of time together. I learned that you can’t be a good winner at sport, unless you’ve also been a good loser. A person’s character is also very evident when you’re playing sport together.

Tell us about your career and life prior to retirement?

I started a Batchelor of Commerce at University, but never completed it as my brothers’ and I went to work in our father’s native timber business. Our family was heavily involved in the timber industry – we had three sawmills on the West Coast, plus processing plants, and retail outlets in Papanui and Timaru.

I could see the native timber milling industry was coming to an end, so I was very fortunate to be offered a two-year appointment at Christ’s College. Basically, my role was fundraising for the school, and this turned into a nine-year tenure. They say “friend-raising comes before fundraising” and this rang very true. Through sport, I knew a lot of the ‘old boys’ so I could seek them out to support our causes, and they demonstrated wonderful generosity.

One example was the Memorial Dining Hall, an historical building dedicated to former students who died in WWI, which needed significant maintenance. I was able to attract interest from a UK-based old boy who funded the refurbishment of the building.

How do you keep busy in retirement?

Juliet and I are very family orientated. We’ve been married 61 years and two of our grandchildren live in Christchurch. For the past 27 years we’ve seen them almost every Saturday morning since they were two years old. We used to look after them when they were little, and I’d take them to see my mother each week. Now, we still meet them for coffee every Saturday morning.

I still play tennis three times a week, and I’m a Patron of The Valley of Peace Cricket Club. The club is 97 years old, and I mow the grass there once a week.

Along with some other Christ’s College old boys, I also take guided tours through the school, which I love doing. My wife says she reckons I’ve never left the school! And she’s probably right!

What advice would you give to young people?

Always be aware of your responsibilities. These days I think there is unfortunately more emphasis on teaching young people their ‘rights’ rather than their responsibilities.