Sir Neil Colquhoun Begg (13 April 1915 – 25 June 1995) was a New Zealand paediatrician, historian and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

er. He played three first-class matches for the

Otago cricket team The Otago cricket team, nicknamed the Volts since the 1997–98 season, are a New Zealand first-class cricket team which first played representative cricket in 1864. The team represents the Otago, Southland and North Otago regions of New Zeala ...

after the beginning of World War II, but he is most noted as a paediatrician and an historian. He served as director of medical services for the

Plunket Society The Royal New Zealand Plunket Trust provides a range of free services aimed at improving the development, health and wellbeing of children under the age of five within New Zealand, where it is commonly known simply as Plunket. Its mission is "t ...

from 1956 to 1977, and, with his brother

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

, wrote four books on the history of

Fiordland Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lake ...

. He chaired the

New Zealand Historic Places Trust Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

between 1978 and 1986.

Early life and family

Born in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

on 13 April 1915, Begg was the younger son of surgeon Charles Mackie Begg and Lillian Helen Lawrance Begg (née Treadwell), and nephew of Robert Campbell Begg. His father served throughout

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, becoming the senior medical officer with the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

, but contracted influenza and pneumonia and died at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boro ...

, London, in February 1919. Begg and his mother and brother, who had travelled to England at the end of the war, then returned to New Zealand. Begg was educated at

John McGlashan College John McGlashan College is a state integrated boarding and day school for boys, located in the suburb of Maori Hill in Dunedin, New Zealand. The school currently caters for students from years 7 to 13, including 120 boarders and up to 30 interna ...

in Dunedin, and then studied medicine at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

, graduating

MB ChB Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

in 1941. A tall man, Begg was an all-round sportsman, and represented the university at cricket, golf and skiing. On 11 April 1942, Begg married Margaret Milne "Margot" MacLean, a librarian, at Dunedin. She was a granddaughter of John Shand, one of the foundation professors of the University of Otago. The couple went on to have four children.

World War II service

In February 1941, Begg was commissioned as a lieutenant in the

New Zealand Medical Corps New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, and posted to the Otago University Medical Company. He went on to serve in the Middle East, Italy and the United Kingdom with the

2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

, rising to the rank of major.

Cricket

A right-arm medium pace bowler and a tail-end batsman, Begg played three first-class matches for

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 ...

in the 1939/40 and 1940/41 seasons. He took five wickets, at an average of 47.60, with best bowling figures of 2 for 43. With the bat, he made a total of 30 runs in four innings including one not out, with a high score of 16 and an average of 10.00. Begg played one match for New Zealand Services, on 12 July 1945, against P.F. Warner's XI at

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England ...

, bowling 11 overs without success and scoring 1 not out with the bat.

Medical career

Between 1946 and 1948, Begg trained in

paediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

in London, Edinburgh and Stockholm, earning a diploma in child health in 1947, and membership of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

and the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

in 1948. Returning to Dunedin the following year, he was appointed as a paediatrician at

Dunedin Public Hospital Dunedin Hospital is the main public hospital in Dunedin, New Zealand. It serves as the major base hospital for the Otago and Southland regions with a potential catchment radius of roughly 300 kilometres, and a population of around 300,000. Oper ...

, Queen Mary Maternity Hospital, and the Karitane-Harris Hospital in

Andersons Bay Andersons Bay (sometimes spelt in the grammatically correct former form Anderson's Bay, and often known locally simply as "Andy Bay") is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located in the southeast of the city's urban area, sou ...

. He was also a lecturer in paediatrics at the

Otago Medical School The Dunedin School of Medicine is the name of the School of Medicine that is based on the Dunedin campus of the University of Otago. All University of Otago medical students who gain entry after the competitive Health Sciences First Year prog ...

from 1949 to 1976. An admirer of Sir

Truby King Sir Frederic Truby King (1 April 1858 – 10 February 1938), generally known as Truby King, was a New Zealand health reformer and Director of Child Welfare. He is best known as the founder of the Plunket Society. Early life King was born in N ...

, Begg served as medical director of the

between 1956 and 1977, and was a leading advocate for preventive medicine. He campaigned for the

fluoridation Water fluoridation is the controlled adjustment of fluoride to a public water supply solely to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water contains fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities; this can occur naturally or by addin ...

of public water supplies, the eradication of hydatids and bovine tuberculosis, and the development of a milk biscuit for protein-deprived children in developing countries. Between 1971 and 1976 he served as the medical advisor to the New Zealand Food Bank, which distributed the biscuits overseas. His parental reference book, ''The New Zealand child and his family'', was published in 1970. Begg gave service to various professional bodies, as president of the Paediatric Society of New Zealand, chair of the council of the New Zealand branch of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headqua ...

from 1964 to 1966, and president of the

New Zealand Medical Association The New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) is an association representing some doctors and medical students in New Zealand. It was officially founded after a meeting in April 1886 at Dunedin Hospital. From 1896 to 1967, the NZMA was considered as ...

in 1974.

Historian

Begg and his brother Charles became experts on the history of Fiordland. Their first book, ''Dusky Bay'', was published in 1966 and won the Hubert Church Memorial Award for prose. This was followed by the publication of ''James Cook and New Zealand'' in 1969, ''Port Preservation'' in 1973, and ''The World of John Boultbee'' in 1979. He served on the council of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust from 1970 to 1978, and as the trust's chair between 1978 and 1986.

Honours

Begg was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1957, the New Zealand Medical Association in 1976, and the Royal College of Physicians in 1977. In the

1972 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1972 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 in supplements to the ''Lo ...

, Begg was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, for services to the community. He was promoted to Knight Commander of the same order, for services to the

and the community, in the

1986 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1986 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countrie ...

Death

Begg died at his home in the Dunedin suburb of

Maori Hill Māori Hill is a residential suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located at the northern end of the ridge which runs in a crescent around the central city's western edge, to the northwest of the city centre, immediately above and w ...

on 25 June 1995. His wife died in Dunedin in 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Begg, Neil 1915 births 1995 deaths Writers from Dunedin New Zealand people of Scottish descent People educated at John McGlashan College University of Otago alumni New Zealand cricketers Otago cricketers New Zealand military personnel of World War II University of Otago faculty New Zealand paediatricians 20th-century New Zealand historians New Zealand conservationists New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh New Zealand maritime historians 20th-century New Zealand medical doctors 20th-century New Zealand male writers Cricketers from Dunedin