Peter Sedgley Hanan (30 November 1915 – 15 September 2008) was a New Zealand

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

who represented his country at the

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

and

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. The main venue was ...

Early life and family

Born in

Morrinsville Morrinsville is a provincial town in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, with an estimated population of as of The town is located at the northern base of the Pakaroa Range, and on the south-western fringe of the Hauraki Plains. ...

on 30 November 1915, Hanan was the son of Frederick Arthur Hanan, a dentist and later a dairy farmer, and Ida Helen Hanan (née Dewes). His younger brother was

Patrick Hanan Patrick Dewes Hanan (4 January 192726 April 2014) was a New Zealand scholar of Chinese literature who was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard University. A sinologist, he specialised in pre-20th-century vernacular f ...

, and his maternal grandfather was

Albert Dewes Albert Evelyn Dewes (April 1860 – 5 July 1892) was a New Zealand cricketer. He played two first-class matches for Auckland between 1882 and 1884. Dewes worked as a solicitor in Auckland. He died at his home in the Auckland suburb of Pa ...

. Hanan was educated at

Mount Albert Grammar School Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, and trained as an accountant. He married Esma Elaine St George in 1946, and the couple went on to have two children.

Swimming

Hanan began swimming at the public swimming baths in Morrinsville, which opened in 1924, as a child, and later receiving coaching from

Malcolm Champion Malcolm Eadie Champion (10 November 1882 – 26 July 1939) was New Zealand's first Olympic gold medallist, and the first swimmer to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games. He won a gold medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay at the 1912 Sum ...

at the

Tepid Baths The Tepid Baths is a public indoor pool complex in Auckland, New Zealand. The baths opened in 1914 on a site that had previously been occupied by a small drydock and were very well-received by the public, with the new baths attracting 30,000 visi ...

in Auckland. He went on to win five New Zealand national swimming titles: the 100 yards freestyle in 1938 and 1940; and the 220 yards freestyle in three consecutive years from 1938. Hanan represented New Zealand in the men's 110 yards freestyle at both the

1938 British Empire Games The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 ye ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and the

in Auckland. On both occasions he did not progress beyond the heats.

Military service

Enlisting in 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 ...

in 1939, Hanan became a

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

and

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

pilot during

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 commissioned as a

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

in July 1941, promoted to flying officer in July 1942, and

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

in July 1943. He saw active service with

Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...

in Britain and in the Far East, including with

No. 67 Squadron RAF The name No. 67 Squadron has been used by the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force for two quite different units. History World War I During the First World War, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps – formed at Point Cook in Janua ...

in Burma, and was transferred from the active list to the Reserve of Air Force Officers at the end of January 1945.

Later life and death

Following World War II, Hanan purchased his family's dairy farm, and also finished his accountancy studies. His first wife died in 1970, and after marrying nurse Peg Paterson, Hanan returned to live and practise accountancy in Morrinsville. His daughter from his first marriage had

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

, and in 1963 Hanan was the founding president of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

sub-branch of the

IHC IHC may refer to: Medicine * Immunohistochemistry * Intrahepatic cholestasis Science and technology * Indirectly Heated Cathode, a type of hot cathode used in vacuum electronics tubes * Intelligent Home Control, home automation and control s ...

. He was elected as a Morrinsville borough councillor, serving in that role for six years, and was the treasurer of the Morrinsville RSA from 1964. In 2005 he published a history of the organisation titled ''Lest we forget: the history of Morrinsville's RSA from 1916 to 2004''. In the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, Hanan was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to the community. When celebrations were held in 2008 to mark the centenary of the first meeting of the Morrinsville Town Board, Hanan, then aged 92, was recognised as the oldest person born in the town still resident there. Hanan died on 15 September 2008, and he was buried at the Piako Lawn Cemetery, Morrinsville.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanan, Peter 1915 births 2008 deaths People from Morrinsville New Zealand male freestyle swimmers Swimmers at the 1938 British Empire Games Swimmers at the 1950 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand New Zealand World War II pilots Local politicians in New Zealand Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Sportspeople from Waikato 20th-century New Zealand people People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School