Sunday, October 16, 2011

Dr Kate Hunter


The Wairarapa Archival Society was delighted to host a visit from Dr Kate Hunter, senior lecturer at Victoria University, who spoke of the importance of small archives in her academic work. Kate's research and writing has focused on aspects of rurality in both Australia and New Zealand, and sends many of her honours and masters students our way.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

A good Kiwi Blake


As we near the business end of the Rugby World Cup, we also see the completion of our Wairarapa All Blacks team.

We chose Ian Harvey as out first lock, but the second locking position was more difficult to choose.  The first Wairarapa All Black was Hart Udy, junior, who technically did not play for Wairarapa as there was no Wairarapa Union in his time.  Playing for the Greytown club side which competed in the Wellington competition in the mid-1880s, he played in eight matches for the national team.  The New Zealand Rugby Annual of 1885 said he was a “powerful forward, always pretty adjacent to the ball.”
In the end we went for Alan ‘Kiwi’ Blake, although he usually played in the loose forwards.  He played 108 games for Wairarapa and was perhaps best known for exploits with the 2NZEF rugby team, better known as the ‘Kiwis’, who excited crowds in Europe and the United Kingdom with their open style of play.  ‘Kiwi’ Blake had 26 games for the New Zealand Maori team (despite not having a drop of Maori blood) and played for New Zealand against Australia.  He was also a Wairarapa selector in the late 1960s.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Powerhouse


As the All Blacks get nearer their goal of winning the Rugby World Cup, we continue to select our own team, composed entirely of those who played for Wairarapa, Bush, or Wairarapa-Bush.

 For the powerhouse of the scrum we have chosen Ian Harvey as one of our locks, a man whose general sporting prowess is revealed by his first representing Wairarapa at full back.  His athleticism could not be doubted, but he was unlucky with illness, and would have played many more than his 18 matches if his health had been better.  He played on the 1924 “Invincibles” tour and was also a national representative in 1926 and 1928.