Cecil Albert Blazey (21 July 1909 – 20 February 1998), generally known as Ces Blazey, was a New Zealand rugby union and athletics administrator. During the controversial 1981 Springbok tour he was the NZRFU chairman and spokesman. He has been described as "one of the most outstanding sports administrators New Zealand has seen" and was "regarded internationally as the leading authority on the laws of the game".

Early life and education

Born 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 ...

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

on 21 July 1909, Blazey was educated at

Christchurch Boys' High School , motto_translation = I Seek Higher Things , type = State school, Day and Boarding school , gender = Boys , song = The School We Magnify , colours = Blue and Black , established = , address = 71 Straven R ...

and

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

. He studied part-time towards a Bachelor of Commerce for two years but did not complete the degree, and played senior rugby in the late 1920s and early 1930s for the university club.

Military service

Blazey joined the Territorial Force in 1927 and was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the New Zealand Permanent Army Service Corps. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he was rejected for overseas service for medical reasons, and instead was initially posted to administrative duties in New Zealand. He was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel in 1942 and the following year was sent to the Pacific as commander, New Zealand Permanent Army Service Corps for the 3rd Division. He returned to New Zealand to a posting in the reserve in 1944 and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division) in 1945. He also received the

Efficiency Decoration The Efficiency Decoration, post-nominal letters TD for recipients serving in the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom or ED for those serving in the Auxiliary Military Forces, was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time officers after twe ...

Sports administration

He was a member of the New Zealand Universities Rugby Council for 34 years from 1936 to 1949, later chairman and life member. He was first elected to the

New Zealand Rugby Football Union New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to t ...

executive in 1957, and became chairman from 1977 until he retired from the board in 1985. He was a delegate to the International Rugby Board from 1964 to 1986 (chairman in 1965, 1972 and 1985), and was on the board's Laws Committee from 1972 to 1985. The decision of the NZRFU to invite a South African team to tour New Zealand in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

attracted international criticism, and Blazey was prominent as the NZRFU spokesman. He had been chairman of the

New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association Athletics New Zealand (ANZ) is the national governing body for athletics in New Zealand. This includes responsibility for Track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking. History The organisation was founded in 1887 as the ...

(NZAAA) from 1966, but stood down in 1981 because of the perceived conflict of interest. He was also a member of the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association from 1956 to 1980. In 1990, Blazey was an inaugural inductee into the

New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the Hall o ...

. He was promoted to

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to sport, especially rugby.

Other activities

Throughout his working life, Blazey was employed by the AMP (insurance) Society. He rose to become New Zealand senior assistant manager, retiring in 1970. He also served on various bodies including the National Heart Foundation and the

New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was a publicly owned company of the New Zealand Government founded in 1962. The Broadcasting Act 1976 then reformed NZBC as the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ). The corporation was ...

programme advisory committee.

Death

Blazey died in Wellington in 1998 and his ashes were buried at

Karori Cemetery Karori Cemetery is New Zealand's second largest cemetery, located in the Wellington suburb of Karori. History Karori Cemetery opened in 1891 to address overcrowding at Bolton Street Cemetery. In 1909, it received New Zealand's first cremato ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blazey, Ces 1909 births 1998 deaths Sportspeople from Hastings, New Zealand People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School University of Canterbury alumni 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand Army officers New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand Rugby Football Union officials New Zealand sports executives and administrators New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Burials at Karori Cemetery