Alan Sayers

New Zealand international rugby league footballer

Alan Sayers

MNZM

Personal information
Full name| Alan John Sayers
Born| (1915-12-06)6 December 1915
Onehunga, New Zealand
Died| 19 August 2017(2017-08-19) (aged 101)
Auckland, New Zealand

Rugby league career

Playing information

| Club

Years  | Team  | Pld | T | G | FG | P
1941 | Richmond Rovers | 21  | 19  | 0  | 0  | 57
Sport
Country| New Zealand
Sport| Athletics
Achievements and titles
National finals| 440 yards champion (1937)
Personal best(s)| 100 yards – 10.1 s
220 yards – 21.4 s
440 yards – 48.8 s
880 yards – 1:57
Long jump – 6.63 m
High jump – 1.70 m[1]

Medal record

Men's athletics
Representing  New Zealand
Commonwealth Games
|  1938 Sydney | 4 x 440 yards Relay

Alan John Sayers MNZM (6 December 1915 – 19 August 2017) was a New Zealand journalist, photographer and athlete who worked for The New Zealand Herald prior to World War II. When the war was over he was invited to join the Auckland Star where he was the first reporter in New Zealand to receive a personal by-line. In 1953 he was an official journalist on the tour of Queen Elizabeth II to the Pacific Islands and New Zealand.

## Early life and family

[edit]

Sayers was born in the Auckland suburb of Royal Oak, the son of Mary and Horace Sayers, a builder.[2][3] He was educated at Royal Oak Primary School and Auckland Grammar School.[1] His son, Greg Sayers, is an Auckland Councillor.

## Sporting career

[edit]

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### Athletics

[edit]

National 440 yards champion

While at Auckland Grammar Sayers competed in the 1934 Melbourne Centenary Inter-Collegiate Games and won a silver medal, becoming the second fastest schoolboy quarter-miler in the British Empire. In 1938, although recovering from a serious car accident, he competed in the British Empire Games in Sydney, winning a bronze medal as part of the men’s 440 yards relay team.

### Rugby

[edit]

Sayers won national 440 yards track title in 1937, represented Waikato in rugby union and played rugby league for one season, during which he scored a total of seven tries in a senior game on Carlaw Park, a record yet to be beaten. He coached track athletes, a number of whom won national titles, broke records and represented their country.

### Yachting

[edit]

Auckland Grammar Trophies

In the world of yachting he was chairman of both the Auckland P-Class and Starling Associations, the largest youth classes in New Zealand. As patron of the Manly Sailing Club, Whangaparaoa, he was partially responsible for the building of a new waterfront clubhouse including the raising of $70,000 towards its construction. He was also patron of the Hibiscus Coast Waterwise Society.

Naval Officer

## Military service

[edit]

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At the beginning of World War II Sayers enlisted in the 9th Heavy Artillery Regiment but was seconded into the Royal New Zealand Navy (special branch), where he served as an intelligence officer reporting on enemy activity in the South Pacific. He was a member of the Kings Empire Veterans and the Silverdale RSA.

## Later life and death

[edit]

In August 2011, at the age of 96, he was entrusted by Sir Fred Allen, the only undefeated All Black coach with 37 games undefeated, to write his biography Fred The Needle which became New Zealand’s best seller during the week beginning 29 August 2011. He also gave the eulogy at Allen's funeral at the age of 96.[citation needed] In 2014, aged 98, Sayers published his second book Deadline, which received wide publicity in the media, including a segment on the Seven Sharp national TV programme and articles in the NZ Listener, The Rodney Times and other publications. He turned 100 in December 2015[4] and died in Auckland on 19 August 2017 at the age of 101.[5]

## Honours and awards

[edit]

In the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours, Sayers was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to sport and journalism.[6]

As chairman of the Hibiscus Coast Action Committee he won a bylaw outlawing life-threatening nets set amongst swimmers in shallow water along the Arkles Bay foreshore, the only bylaw of its kind in New Zealand. His services to the community have been recognised by an Athletics New Zealand Award, a Kiwi Bank Local Heroes Award, an Age Concern Senior Achievers Award and an Auckland City Council Award. On 6 December 2015 Sayers celebrated his 100th birthday, which was acknowledged by the Auckland Council.[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Champion runner on league wing". Auckland Star. 17 May 1941. p. 3. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
2. ^ "Births". The New Zealand Herald. 8 December 1915. p. 1. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
3. ^ Electoral district of Manukau: general roll of persons entitled to vote for Members of Parliament of New Zealand. 1914. p. 143.
4. ^ Staff (30 November 2015). "Arkles Bay identity celebrates 100 years". localmatters.co.nz. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
5. ^ "Alan Sayers death notice". The New Zealand Herald. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
6. ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2003". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2 June 2003. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
7. ^ "Governing Body – Open Minutes" (PDF). Auckland Council. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2016.

* v
* t
* e

1938 New Zealand British Empire Games team

Athletics|

* Theo Allen
* Arnold Anderson
* Pat Boot
* Betty Forbes
* Alan Geddes
* Stan Lay
* Jim Leckie
* Doreen Lumley
* Cecil Matthews
* Mary Mitchell
* Jack Morgan
* Bill Pullar
* Graham Quinn
* Alan Sayers
* Frank Sharpley
* Doris Strachan
* Rona Tong
* Harold Tyrie

Boxing|

* Joseph Collins
* Darcy Heeney
* Kenneth Moran
* Jack Parker
* Hugh Sheridan
* Artie Sutherland
* Ron Withell

Cycling|

* John Brown
* George Giles
* Frank Grose
* Gordon Patrick
* Roy Taylor
* Ronald Triner
* Ron Ulmer

Diving|

* Gwen Rix

Lawn bowls|

* Bill Bremner
* Walter Denison
* Ernie Jury
* Frank Livingstone
* Lance Macey
* Alec Robertson
* Bill Whittaker

Rowing|

* Howard Benge
* Ken Boswell
* George Burns
* John Charters
* Jim Clayton
* Oswald Denison
* James Gould
* Albert Hope
* Gus Jackson
* Les Pithie
* John Rigby
* Bob Smith
* Cyril Stiles
* William Stodart
* Rangi Thompson

Swimming|

* Noel Crump
* Jack Davies
* Winnie Dunn
* Peter Hanan
* Mona Leydon
* Joyce Macdonald
* Len Newell

Wrestling|

* Torsten Anderson
* Jim Dryden
* Joe Genet
* Harcourt Godfrey
* Leo Nolan
* Jerry Podjursky
* Vernon Thomas

Chef de Mission: Horace McCormick

* v
* t
* e

New Zealand national champions in men's 400 m

Note: 440 yards before 1970

440 yards|

* 1888: A.B. Williams
* 1889–1890: Hugh Reeves
* 1891: Billy MacPherson (NSW)
* 1892: P. Wood
* 1893: Norman Gurr
* 1894–1896: W.A. Low
* 1897: A.H. Holder
* 1898: Robert Oliphant
* 1899: William Kingston
* 1900: William Strickland
* 1901: Charles Cuff
* 1902–1903: L.B. Webster
* 1904: W.H. Pollock
* 1905: Gus Widmer (AUS)
* 1906: F.E. Drake
* 1907: L.B. Webster
* 1908: W.F. Trembath
* 1909: J. Wilton
* 1910: W.G. Harding
* 1911: Ron Opie
* 1912: A.W. Dormer
* 1913–1915: J. Wilton
* 1916–1919: not held
* 1920: A.W. Dormer
* 1921: W. Candy
* 1922: Charlie Taylor
* 1923: W. Candy
* 1924: Charlie Taylor
* 1925–1926: W. Kyle
* 1927–1928: J.T. Fleming
* 1929: A.W. Findlay
* 1930: George Golding (AUS)
* 1931: Don Evans
* 1932–1933: Stuart Black
* 1934: Geoff Broadway
* 1935: W.S. Bainbridge
* 1936: Harold Tyrie
* 1937: Alan Sayers
* 1938: M.C. Baker
* 1939–1940: Harold Tyrie
* 1941–1944: not held
* 1945–1947: Doug Harris
* 1948: Jim Grierson
* 1949–1950: Dave Batten
* 1951–1952: Max Golder
* 1953–1955: Don Jowett
* 1956: P. Smith
* 1957: Don Jowett
* 1958–1960: Barry Robinson
* 1961: John Taylor
* 1962: Barry Robinson
* 1963: Warwick Weaver
* 1964: John Taylor
* 1965–1967: Don Mackenzie
* 1968–1969: Graham Atchison

400 metres|

* 1970: Michael Cull
* 1971–1974: Phil Kear
* 1965: Bevan Smith
* 1976: Phil Kear
* 1977: Bevan Smith
* 1978: Warren McCallum
* 1979: Peter Pearless
* 1980: Glen Erkkila
* 1981: Paul Wilson
* 1982: Howard Atkinson
* 1983: John Enright
* 1984–1985: Murray Gutry
* 1986: Paul Cuff
* 1987: Andrew Collins
* 1988–1990: Craig Purdy
* 1991: Grant Gilbert
* 1992: Darren Dale
* 1993: Callum Taylor
* 1994–1996: Nick Cowan
* 1997: Rob Hanna
* 1998–1999: Shaun Farrell
* 2000: Bjorn Jansen
* 2001: Mark Rodgers
* 2002–2005: Tim Hawkes
* 2006–2007: Cory Innes
* 2008: Niko Verekauta (FIJ)
* 2009: Andrew Moore
* 2010: Tim Jones
* 2011–2012: Alex Jordan
* 2013: Andrew Whyte
* 2014: Alex Jordan
* 2015: Tama Toki
* 2016: Andrew Whyte
* 2017: Quin Hartley
* 2018: Alex Haye
* 2019: Oliver Miller
* 2020: Luke Mercieca
* 2021: Hamish Gill
* 2022: John Gerber
* 2023–2024: Lex Revell-Lewis

*[Pld]: Played
*[T]: Tries
*[G]: Goals
*[FG]: Field goals
*[P]: Points
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*[e]: Edit this template