Sir Henry Rodolph Wigley (2 February 1913 – 15 September 1980) was a pilot, entrepreneur, and pioneer of the New Zealand tourism industry. Wigley was born at Fairlie in 1913. In the 1930s, Wigley entered the family firm, the Mount Cook Tourist Company of New Zealand which his father

Rodolph Wigley Rodolph Lysaght Wigley (21 October 1881 – 27 April 1946), known as "Wigs" to his friends, was a New Zealand businessman from Fairlie in South Canterbury, and pioneer of the New Zealand tourism industry. He founded the Mount Cook Group of touris ...

had founded, but he had begun pilot training while in his teens, and 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 ...

joined the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

, first as a flying instructor, then as a fighter pilot in the Pacific - leaving with the rank of

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

Wigley had been captain of the New Zealand ski team in 1936–37, and after the war led his company in establishing new ski-fields and facilities at

Coronet Peak Coronet Peak is a commercial skifield in Queenstown, New Zealand located seven kilometres west of Arrowtown, on the southern slopes of the 1,649-metre peak which shares its name. A popular ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere, Coronet Peak offe ...

and

Lake Ohau A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. In the early 1950s, Wigley also encouraged the company to involve itself in the

aerial topdressing Aerial topdressing is the aerial application of fertilisers over farmland using agricultural aircraft. It was developed in New Zealand in the 1940s and rapidly adopted elsewhere in the 1950s. Origins Previous aerial applications The first k ...

businesses, and on 22 September 1955 he successfully landed on the snowfield of the

Tasman Glacier Haupapa / Tasman Glacier is the largest glacier in New Zealand, and one of several large glaciers which flow south and east towards the Mackenzie Basin from the Southern Alps in New Zealand's South Island. Geography At in length, Tasman Glacie ...

with an Auster Aiglet aircraft fitted with retractable wooden skis of his own design. After that flight, which was reputed to be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere, ski-plane trips to Tasman Glacier became a key part of the Mt Cook tourism. On 11 January 1946, Wigley was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Miliatary Division), in recognition of conspicuous service in operations against the Japanese. In the 1969 Queen's Birthday Honours, Wigley was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Civil Division), for services to the tourist industry. His appointment was elevated to

Knight Commander Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...

in the

1976 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1976 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1976 to celebra ...

, for services to the tourist, travel and aviation industries. Wigley died of a heart attack on a golf course in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

on 15 September 1980.

References

External links

Teara.govt.nz

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wigley, Harry 1913 births 1980 deaths 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand World War II pilots People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch People educated at Timaru Boys' High School New Zealand male skiers New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire People from Fairlie, New Zealand Businesspeople awarded knighthoods Moorhouse–Rhodes family

See also

References

External links