Charles Alfred Purdue (10 June 1874 – 10 October 1941) was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. A loose forward, Purdue represented

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...

at a provincial level. He was a member of the New Zealand national side in 1901 and 1905, appearing in three matches including an international against the touring Australian team at

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

in 1905. Also playing in that match was his brother

Pat Purdue Edward "Pat" Purdue (1878 – 16 July 1939) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A lock, Purdue represented Southland at a provincial level. He played just one match for the New Zealand national side, a test against the touring Australian team ...

, the pair becoming the first brothers to play in the same test for New Zealand. Purdue died in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

on 10 October 1941, and was buried at the city's Eastern Cemetery.

References

1874 births 1941 deaths People from Mataura New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Southland rugby union players Rugby union flankers Burials at Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill Rugby union players from Southland, New Zealand {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1870s-stub