Lampstand Updates
Y
ou may already know of this death but I had a call from the younger sister of Bill Shirer to tell me that Mack Nicol (1941-1944) had died. I think he would have been in 5A in 1943 and 6B in 1944. He was a good friend of a good friend of mine who married my informant, Judy McNiell (formerly Shirer). The good friend of mine was Peter McNeill (1941-1944) who would have been in the same classes as Mack Nicol and who left school after getting his Higher School Certificate. Notice the difference in the name spellings. Once he was of age, Peter reckoned that McNiell was more correct than McNeill so he adopted it. He was the last born of the McNeills in a firm of engineers called Hamilton McNeill that had their workshop on Aotea Quay on the wharf side opposite the end of the platforms at the railway station. Peter was from a large family of eight; sadly his mother was widowed in the Great Depression years in the early 1930s. Peter was living in Kenthurst, Sydney when he died from a massive heart attack on Christmas Day in 1981. Peter was a public accountant turned farmer (in Warkworth) but hard work on the farm was the start of heart problems for him. When I last saw him, he was Secretary to an education authority in Whangarei. I don’t believe I’ve set eyes on Mack since he finished at College in 1944 (maybe once with his wife some years after). However, I believe that he and his wife and Peter and Judy were good friends and probably saw a bit of each other while both couples lived in the Wellington area. Peter worked for Wilberfoss Harden initially and I saw he and Judy a bit while I was single until about 1952 I would reckon. [Bill was at Med School, Dunedin for six years 1946-1951 and I
Potential All White
T
Born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1924, Brian grew up roaming the rugged seaside hills around the small suburban town of Island Bay. He relished rough-and-tumble play, which he called ‘feverish exploits’, excelled at Soccer, and went on to study at Wellington
I moved to Australia in 1955 and used to make a point of catching up with Peter on my rare visits (too costly in those days) if possible. His farming came to an abrupt end when he had a heart attack (ostensibly from too much hard yakka as we say in Australia). My last sighting of him was in Auckland when he was secretary to the Whangarei Schools Board. Next, he and Judy moved to Kenthurst in Sydney where his married middle daughter and her husband were into horses. Sadly most of the family were together there on a Christmas Day when he had a massive and fatal heart attack. I understand that Bill (who was present there at the time) said there was absolutely nothing that could be done to save him. He would have been aged about 55 at the time. Sadly, we never caught up in Sydney after his move there. Judy McNiell and I are the only ones left (out of a fairly large group well known to each other in WWII times and just after) as Judy keeps reminding me. Aged 83 I hardly need reminding. I was interested to see the shot of the Pipe Band (c. 1946 -1947). I think my brother-in-law can confirm this. He is the piper (aged 14) on the extreme left in front of the last drummer on the extreme left. I think that the band was newly formed about 1944. I was delighted to read the snippet on Arnold Hansson. We haven’t seen each other since 1945 but my contribution in 2001 on the formation of Teachers’ College because it allowed Wednesday afternoons off for sports. Afterward, at Victoria University, he gained an introduction to play theory and began teaching primary school, where he became fascinated by what he called ‘unorganised games’ - physical play unsupervised by adults He completed a BA and MA, and was then awarded the first Education PhD in New Zealand in 1954. He then travelled to the USA on grant from the Fulbright Programme, where he began an academic career with a focus on children's games, adult games, children's play, children's drama, films and narratives, as well as children's gender issues and sibling position. Brian has been the President of The Anthropological Association for the Study of Play and of The American Psychological
6A Lower brought him out of the woodwork, so to speak, and we have been in touch from time to time since. I was also most interested to read the obituary on Craig Burrell. Ivan Cher and I have been in touch with each other for about the last 50 years since he moved to Australia (I moved to Sydney in 1955). Perhaps in the very late 50s or very early 60s, I became aware of the doings of the five medicos that were in 6A in 1945 and Craig Burrell and Colin Fenton from 6A in 1944. As I have mentioned previously, 6AL was created in 1944 but before this happened I was one of six boys who joined the 1943 residue of 6A for about a fortnight and this residue included Craig, Peter Whittle, Colin Fenton and Graeme Joplin all of whom distinguished themselves in later life. However, I had no idea that Craig was so active in the New York Academy of Sciences. I was very pleased to see that you found space for recognition of Eric Hall. It is hard to believe, but I have little recognition of ever seeing him after 1945 when I went off to Canterbury University College, as it was then. The only other contemporaries of mine who are still living who merit detailed obituaries are Peter Whittle, a retired professor at Cambridge University, who was Dux in 1944 and Ivan Cher (retired opthalmic surgeon) who was Dux in 1945. Bob Coleman (another professor at CU) has died, sadly. Another from my year who comes to mind is R.V.J. (Ray) Windsor who, I believe, was a missionary doctor in South East Asia. Also, in passing, I could add that Ian Blow, who you met last year, is a member of my Probus Club and early this year we made him a Life Member of the Club. I am also pleased to report that he seems to be in improved health since you met him. Bob Balchin (1943-1945) rebalc@onthenet.com.au Association, Division 10 (Psychology and the Arts). As a founder of the Children's Folklore Society he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Folklore Society. For his research in toys he has received awards from the BRIO and Lego toy companies of Sweden and Denmark. He has participated in making television programmes on toys and play in Great Britain, Canada, and the US, and has been a consultant for Captain Kangaroo, Nickelodeon, Murdoch Children's Television and the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. His academic life consisted of ten years at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, ten years at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, and 17 years at the University of Pennsylvania. He is now retired and lives in Sarasota, Florida. Brian was recently engaged as resident scholar at the The Strong in Rochester, New York, home to the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play.
THE LAMPSTAND, 2011 • 71
Your Letters
his is a photo of me in my 1946 NZ Universities Jacket, awarded to me for selection in the NZU Football Team. Perhaps I could have been chosen to represent New Zealand at the 2010 World Cup given my original famous status. Of course I would have required certain special conditions given my advanced age – such as being allowed to have a nap every 15 minutes – which would refresh me for a further quarter. At halftime, I could have given a mini Meaning of Play lecture, symbolising my 50 books and 350 written articles, to arouse all the players to a frenzy. Brian Sutton-Smith (1939-1941) Sarasota, Florida
was in Christchurch at CUC 1946-1949 so my contact with Bill was minimal for six years after I left Wellington College]. After Judy and Peter were married they lived in the Shirer weekender at Titahi Bay until Peter decided on going into farming. First he got into training by going into share-farming in the Waikato (like going from the frying pan into the fire I reckon) and after that I think Dr Shirer senior financed them into their own farm in the Warkworth area.