Grahame Thorne

Last updated

Grahame Thorne
Grahame Thorne.jpg
Birth nameGrahame Stuart Thorne
Date of birth (1946-02-25) 25 February 1946 (age 78)
Place of birth Auckland, New Zealand
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight83 kg (183 lb)
School Auckland Grammar School
University University of Auckland
Rugby union career
Position(s) Second five-eighth, centre
Provincial / State sides
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1968–70, 74 Auckland 23 ()
- Northern Transvaal ()
- Natal ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1967–70 New Zealand 10 (3)

Grahame Stuart Thorne (born 25 February 1946) is a former All Black rugby player, rugby union commentator, Member of Parliament and municipal councillor and TV cooking show host. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand.

Contents

Rugby union

A centre, wing, and second five-eighth, Thorne represented Auckland at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1967 to 1970. He played 39 matches for the All Blacks including 10 internationals. In the early 1970s he lived in South Africa and played for Northern Transvaal and Natal. [1] In 2014, he featured on a list of the top 100 All Blacks. [2] While in Auckland, Thorne initially played for the Auckland University Rugby Club and later for the Pakuranga United Club.

Grahame's sons Bruce and David also played rugby union; Bruce played in South Africa for Transvaal and the Junior Springboks, [3] [4] and David played club rugby in Nelson, New Zealand. [4]

Sports broadcasting career

After his playing career, Thorne worked as a sports commentator for Television New Zealand, often appearing alongside Keith Quinn. [2]

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
YearsTermElectorateParty
1990 1993 43rd Onehunga National

Thorne was the National Party Member of Parliament for Onehunga in the 43rd parliament from the 1990 election to 1993. [5] [6] [7] The seat had been held by Labour since the 1938 election. [8]

Local government

After his parliamentary career Thorne held local government roles as an elected councillor [9] of Onehunga Borough Council, Auckland City Council, Auckland Regional Council, Nelson City Council (2004); was an unsuccessful candidate for Christchurch City Council in 2007 then was an unsuccessful candidate for Queenstown Lakes District Council in 2010. [9] Thorne described his unsuccessful Christchurch candidacy as due to "not thinking clearly at the time" but that he had generally "given [his] best when elected to public office." [9]

Cooking shows

Thorne has had two cooking shows on New Zealand TV; Thorney's Cooking Canterbury and Thorney's Cooking Central, both produced by his son Gareth. [4]

Personal life

Thorne was adopted at birth in an adoption privately arranged by his grandfather. He described learning of his adoption at age 21 as "a devastating experience." [10] [11] He has married twice, with one son born to his first (South African) wife and four children to his second (New Zealand) wife. [4] [8]

Thorne's family life was beset by tragedy. His son David had a spinal injury and stroke following a hard rugby tackle in a club rugby game in Nelson in 2006, [4] and underwent long recuperation at Burwood Hospital. [9] The care of his son distracted Thorne from his local government duties and he was criticised for refusing to resign. [8]

Son Bruce died when his four wheel drive vehicle overturned near Bloemfontein in South Africa in December 2009. [3] [4] Thorne struggled with grief and alcohol consumption following the accident. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 New Zealand general election</span> General election in New Zealand

The 1990 New Zealand general election was held on 27 October to determine the composition of the 43rd New Zealand parliament. The governing Labour Party was defeated, ending its two terms in office. The National Party, led by Jim Bolger, won a landslide victory and formed the new government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Northey</span> New Zealand politician

Richard John Northey is a New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1984 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. He served on the Auckland Council between 2010 and 2013, and is a member of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Tindill</span> New Zealand sportsman

Eric William Thomas Tindill was a New Zealand sportsman. Tindill held a number of unique records: he was the oldest ever Test cricketer at the time of his death, the only person to play Tests for New Zealand in both cricket and rugby union, and the only person ever to play Tests in both sports, referee a rugby union Test, and umpire a cricket Test: a unique "double-double".

The following lists events that happened during 1954 in New Zealand.

The following lists events that happened during 1956 in New Zealand.

The following lists events that happened during 1946 in New Zealand.

The following lists events that happened during 1947 in New Zealand.

The following lists events that happened during 1948 in New Zealand.

The following lists events that happened during 1949 in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George A. Gillett</span> NZ & Australia international rugby league footballer and coach

George Arthur Gillett was a New Zealand multi-code footballer of the early 20th century and a dual-code rugby international. Gillett died in 1956 in Onehunga.

Frank Lewis Rogers was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

The following lists events that happened during 1873 in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Osborne (politician)</span> New Zealand politician

Arthur George Osborne was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Mackrell</span> NZ dual-code international rugby footballer

William Henry Clifton Mackrell was a New Zealand rugby footballer who represented New Zealand in both rugby union and rugby league. He was part of the 1905 The Original All Blacks tour and the professional 1907-1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecil Clinkard</span> New Zealand politician

Cecil Henry Clinkard was a United Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand, and the first mayor of Rotorua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manukau Magpies</span> New Zealand rugby league club, based in Māngere, Auckland

The Manukau Magpies are a rugby league football club based in Māngere, a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand, who compete in the Auckland Rugby League. The club was established in March 1912 after a meeting in Onehunga. That year they fielded a senior team and two junior teams.

The 1927 New Zealand rugby league season was the 20th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JJ Stewart</span>

John Joseph Stewart, generally known as JJ Stewart, was a New Zealand rugby union coach and administrator, and secondary school teacher. His obituary said that in 1973 when he took over as All Blacks coach, he was the right man at the right time for a team that was scarred and in crisis from a home loss to the British Lions in 1971, a controversial British tour in 1972–73 and a cancelled Springbok tour in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of rugby union in New Zealand</span>

Rugby union has a long history in New Zealand. Today, New Zealand holds tier one status with World Rugby.

Walter Garland Argus was a New Zealand rugby union player who played 10 matches including four tests for the national team. From 16 November 2012 until his death he was the oldest living All Black.

References

  1. Knight, Lindsay. "Grahame Thorne". New Zealand Rugby Union. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 Top 100 All Blacks: Grahame Thorne on The New Zealand Herald website, dated 2014-04-23, viewed 2014-12-01
  3. 1 2 Hampton, Jeff (24 December 2009). "All Black Grahame Thorne suffers second family tragedy". Newshub. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "New Zealand Woman's Weekly". Now To Love. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  5. "Features (pre 2016)". Parliament.nz. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  6. "Index New Zealand Holdings Information". Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  7. "Index New Zealand Holdings Information". Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Thorne in his stride on Stuff.co.nz website, dated 2009-08-23, viewed 2014-12-01
  9. 1 2 3 4 Local government career described in Letter to the editor to Otago Daily Times , September 2010.
  10. Staff, Bryan. "Interview: Grahame Thorne, MP," Metro , June 1991, pp. 130, 132-34
  11. Legat, Nicola. "Good Old Boys," Metro, September 1993, p. 70-78, 80
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Onehunga
1990–1993
Succeeded by
Political offices
New constituency Auckland City Councillor for Maungakiekie Ward
1989–1991
Succeeded by
Ken Graham