Peter John Morrissey (18 July 1939 – 24 July 2013) 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, businessman and philanthropist.

Early life

Born in Christchurch in 1939, Morrissey got his first after-school job at the age of nine, working for a local harness-racing trainer. 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 R ...

from 1953 to 1957, and played for the school's 1st XV rugby team, scoring three tries against

Otago Boys' High School , motto_translation = "The ‘right’ learning builds a heart of oak" , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = ; years ago , streetaddress= 2 Arthur Street , region = Dunedin , state = Otago , zipcod ...

in the curtain-raiser to the third test between 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 South Africa in 1956 at Lancaster Park. After he left school, Morrissey first worked as an office boy for Wright Stephenson. In 1959, Morrissey broke 49 seconds for 440 yards and represented Canterbury at the national athletics championships.

Rugby union

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

, Morrissey was selected for Canterbury B in 1959, and went on to represent

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

and

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

at provincial level. He was a member of the New Zealand national side in 1962, playing three test matches against Australia.

Business career and philanthropy

Morrissey was appointed branch manager of A.M. Satterthwaite in Dunedin in 1963, and chief executive of Edmonds Group in Christchurch in about 1969. In 1985 he established Eltec Industrial Electronics with Christchurch electronics engineer Dennis Chapman. The company became Swichtec Power Systems in 1994 and eventually grew to employ over 400 staff. It was sold to British complay BTR plc in 1998. Morrissey retired as Swichtec chief executive at the beginning of 2000. In about 2002, he invested in the Lochlea charolais stud near Lake Ellesmere, south of Christchurch. In 2004, Morrissey appeared on the ''

National Business Review The ''National Business Review'' (or ''NBR'') is a New Zealand online news publication aimed at the business sector. It has journalists based in Auckland and Wellington. History The ''NBR'' was founded in 1970 by then-23 year old publisher Hen ...

'' "rich list", with an estimated worth, mostly in property, of

NZ$ The New Zealand dollar ( mi, tāra o Aotearoa; sign: $, NZ$; code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New Zea ...

30 million. Morrissey was involved with the Hohepa Foundation, which provides accommodation and support to people with intellectual disabilities, as a donor, fundraiser, board member and chairman. One of the trust's residential homes was named "Bev Morrissey House", in honour of Morrissey's wife of 48 years who died in 2007. Morrissey also donated $600,000 for the construction of a 700-seat grandstand at his old school, Christchurch Boys' High. Morrissey died at his home in Christchurch on 24 July 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrissey, John 1939 births 2013 deaths Rugby union players from Christchurch People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School Rugby union wings New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Canterbury rugby union players Otago rugby union players New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand philanthropists 20th-century philanthropists