Quentin Donald (13 March 1900 – 27 December 1965) 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 and local politician. He appeared in 23 matches for the New Zealand national side, 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 served on the Featherston County Council for 27 years.

Early life and family

Born in

Featherston Featherston is a surname of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings (and others such as "de Fetherestanhalgh") contribute to the collection o ...

on 13 March 1900, Donald was the son of Alice Donald (née Ford) and her husband, Quentin Donald, a farmer. He was the younger brother of Jim Donald, who also played for the All Blacks. Donald was educated at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...

, where he was a member of the 1st XV rugby team in 1917. Donald became engaged to Hazel Winifred Meikle Davies in July 1924, and the couple married in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

on 16 December 1925. Donald's best man was Rawi Cundy.

Rugby union

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, Donald made his debut for Wairarapa in 1918, the year after he left school, and in that first season he played five matches for the provincial side. The following year he made the first of his two appearances for the North Island in the inter-island fixture. Donald first played for the All Blacks in 1923, in a match against the touring New South Wales team at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, and scored a try in New Zealand's 34–6 victory. He was selected for the 1924–25 tour of Britain, Ireland and France after playing in three trial matches and the 1924 inter-island fixture. On that tour, he played in 22 matches, including four internationals, and scored five tries, and was regarded as one of the outstanding forwards in the team. However, he retired from all rugby after the team, dubbed "The Invincibles" as they went undefeated on tour, returned to New Zealand. In 1927, Donald came out of retirement and once again played for the Wairarapa provincial team, most notably in the

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challeng ...

defence against at

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

that season, which came to be known as the Battle of Solway. Both Donald and Hawke's Bay player

Maurice Brownlie Maurice Joseph Brownlie (10 August 1897 – 21 January 1957) was an international New Zealand rugby union player. A loose forward, Brownlie represented at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, f ...

were sent off after an on-field incident. Donald played his last season for Wairarapa in 1928, having played 47 times for his province, and in 78 first-class games overall. He later served as a Wairarapa selector in 1935.

Politics and community involvement

Donald was first elected to the Featherston County Council in November 1938, filling the vacancy caused by the death of his father who had served on the council for 30 years, including as chairman from 1919 until May 1938. He served as a county councillor until 1965. A farmer, Donald was an active member of the Wairarapa and East Coast Agricultural and Pastoral Society, serving as vice president between 1946 and 1949, and president from 1949 to 1951.

Death

Donald died at Greytown on 27 December 1965, the year after his wife's death, and was buried at Waihenga Cemetery, Martinborough.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donald, Quentin 1900 births 1965 deaths People from Featherston, New Zealand People educated at Wellington College, Wellington New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Wairarapa rugby union players Rugby union hookers New Zealand referees and umpires 20th-century New Zealand farmers Local politicians in New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand politicians Rugby union players from the Wellington Region