John Arthur Engebretsen (1 March 1892 – 16 October 1956) was a New Zealand lawn bowls player, who won a bronze medal for his country at the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. The main venue was ...

Early life and family

Born on 1 March 1892, Engebretsen was the son of Annie Paulina Engebretsen (née Pedersen) and Otto Engebretsen. He was educated at

Dannevirke High School Dannevirke ( "work of the Danes", a reference to Danevirke; mi, Taniwaka, lit= or ''Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua'', the area where the town is), is a rural service town in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of the North Island, New Zealand. It is the major ...

. On 20 May 1914, Engebretsen married Katherine Jack Nicol.

Teaching career

Engebretsen became a schoolteacher, and in February 1941 he took up the post of headmaster at Mahora School in

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

. He served in that role until retiring in May 1951.

Lawn bowls

Engebretsen won two national lawn bowls championship titles: the men's singles representing the Napier Bowling Club in 1935; and as skip of the Heretaunga Bowling Club combination that won the men's fours in 1945. At the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, he was a member of the New Zealand men's four—alongside teammates

Fred Russell Fred Russell (August 27, 1906 – January 26, 2003) was an American sportswriter from Tennessee who served as sports editor for the ''Nashville Banner'' for 68 years (1930–1998). Beginning in the 1960s he served for nearly three decades as ...

, Noel Jolly and Pete Skoglund—that won the bronze medal.

Later life and death

Engebretsen died on 16 October 1956, and was buried at Hastings Cemetery. He had been predeceased by his wife, Kate, in 1951.

References

External links

Photograph of Engebretsen with the other members of the New Zealand champion four from 1945
1892 births 1956 deaths New Zealand people of Norwegian descent People educated at Dannevirke High School Heads of schools in New Zealand New Zealand male bowls players Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Bowls players at the 1950 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games medallists in lawn bowls Sportspeople from Dannevirke Burials at Hastings Cemetery, New Zealand Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games {{NewZealand-bowls-bio-stub