Geoffrey Thomas Alley (4 February 1903 – 25 September 1986) 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 it ...

player and librarian. He played three test matches for the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

and was New Zealand's first national librarian.

Early life and family

Born in Amberley, North Canterbury, in 1903, Alley was the fifth child of Clara Maria Alley (née Buckingham) and her husband Frederick James Alley. His siblings included

Rewi Alley Rewi Alley (known in China as 路易•艾黎, Lùyì Àilí, 2 December 1897 – 27 December 1987) was a New Zealand-born writer and political activist. A member of the Chinese Communist Party, he dedicated 60 years of his life to the cause a ...

, the activist and educator who went to China, and

Gwen Somerset Gwendolen Lucy Somerset (née Alley, 16 November 1894 – 31 October 1988) was a New Zealand teacher, adult education director, educationalist and writer. Early life Somerset was born in Springfield, New Zealand in 1895. She was the second ...

, a noted educator. He 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 Ro ...

, and left in 1921 to manage a farm near Lumsden owned by his father. In 1926, Alley began studying at

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 ...

, from where he graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

with first-class honours in 1932. His thesis was entitled ''Experiment in rural adult education''. He was also awarded a Diploma of Social Sciences in 1930. Alley married Euphan Margaret Jamieson in 1930; they had two sons and two daughters.

Rugby union

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

, Alley represented and at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the

, in 1926 and 1928. He played 19 matches for the All Blacks including three tests. Alley wrote a book on the 1930 tour of New Zealand by the British Lions, entitled ''With the British rugby team in New Zealand, 1930''. In the lead-up to the 1960 All Blacks tour of South Africa, Alley was a member of a pressure group, the New Zealand Citizens' All Black Tour Association, that opposed the exclusion of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

players from the team imposed by the South African authorities.

Library career

Alley worked as a travelling WEA (

Workers' Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...

) tutor sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation, before becoming head of the new Country Library Service in 1937, director of the National Library Service in 1945, and New Zealand's first national librarian at the National Library of New Zealand in 1964. He retired at the end of 1967, and was described by National Party MP

Tom Shand Thomas Philip Shand (16 April 1911 – 11 December 1969) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Early life and career Shand was born in 1911 in Ngapara, North Otago. His parents were Gilbert Esme Tressillian Shand and Con ...

as "one of New Zealand's greatest public servants". In 1953, Alley was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. He was elected a Fellow of the New Zealand Library Association in 1955, and in the 1958 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of his service as director of the National Library Service.

Later life and death

Following his retirement, Alley lived on a two-acre farm in

Upper Hutt Upper Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. Geography The Upper Hutt city centre lies approximately 26 km north-e ...

that he purchased in 1946. From 1968 to 1971, he was visiting professor at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

School of Library and Information Science. He died at his farm in 1986.

External links

''Geoffrey Alley, Librarian, his Life and Work'' by W.J. McEldowney (2006)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alley, Geoff 1903 births 1986 deaths People from Amberley, New Zealand People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Southland rugby union players Canterbury rugby union players Rugby union locks New Zealand librarians New Zealand writers New Zealand public servants New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire Rugby union players from Canterbury, New Zealand