Sir Joseph George Davidson Ward, 3rd Baronet (17 September 1909 – 4 August 1970) was a New Zealand fencer and fencing administrator who represented his country at the

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 ...

. He was active in public life 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 Rive ...

from the 1930s until his death, and served as the

honorary consul A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

for Belgium in that city for 30 years.

Early life and family

Ward was born in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse ...

on 17 September 1909, the son of Cyril Rupert Joseph Ward, later 2nd Baronet, and Elinor Angela Ward (née Davidson). He was the grandson of New Zealand prime minister Sir Joseph Ward, who was created 1st Baronet Ward of Wellington in 1911. He was educated at

Christ's College, Christchurch Christ's College, Canterbury is an independent Anglican secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. Founded in 1850 by Reverend Henry Jacobs in Lyttelton as a school for early settlers, ...

from 1921 to 1926, and went on to study law at

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

, completing a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1933 and a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mo ...

the following year. While at Canterbury, Ward was active in student sports, and was chair of the New Zealand University tournament committee in 1934. On 10 June 1944, Ward married Joan Mary Haden Laffey, and the couple went on to have six children.

Fencing

Ward was a founding member and first vice-captain of the Christchurch Swords Club in 1930; his father, Sir Cyril Ward, was the club's patron. Eight years, later Joseph Ward was closely involved in the formation of the New Zealand Amateur Fencing Association, as the convenor of a conference held in Christchurch in 1938 that led to establishment of the association, and he was elected as the inaugural president. At the inaugural national fencing championships held in Christchurch in October 1938, Ward finished second in the men's

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

, behind the left-handed L.D. Nathan from Auckland. Ward was one of the three selectors of the fencing team that represented New Zealand in fencing at the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, and was named as captain of the

épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contain ...

squad. He competed in both the individual and team épée events. In the individual épée, he progressed to the final pool round, where he won two of his six matches to finish in eighth place. In the team event, New Zealand lost all three of its round robin matches to finish in fourth place; Ward only fenced in the match against Australia, winning two of his three contests in the team's 4–5 loss. Between 1938 and 1954, Ward was a vice-president of the

Fédération Internationale d'Escrime The ''Fédération Internationale d'Escrime'' ( en, International Fencing Federation), commonly known by the acronym FIE, is the international governing body of Olympic fencing. Today, its head office is at the Maison du Sport International i ...

(International Fencing Federation), and he served as a member of the New Zealand Olympic and British Empire Games Association, representing the New Zealand Amateur Fencing Association, from 1938 to 1958.

Professional career

Legal and commercial

In 1934, Ward was admitted as a barrister and solicitor, and in 1938 he was appointed as a notary public. He was a member of the Christchurch Stock Exchange between 1945 and 1966, and an associate of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers from 1938.

Honorary consul

Ward served as the honorary consul for Belgium in Christchurch from 1940 until his death, and from 1959 he was dean of the consular corps in Christchurch. In 1950, he was appointed to the Beigian Order of the Crown, and in 1966 he was awarded the Civic Medal 1st Class by Belgium.

Other activities

Ward was active in many community and public organisations. He served on the council of Canterbury University College (later the University of Canterbury) for 34 years from 1934, including three years as chair between 1948 and 1951. He was a member of the court of directors of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand, and was its president from 1946. Between 1942 and 1962, Ward was the Canterbury provincial commissioner of boy scouts, and he served as president of the Canterbury branch of the Hard of Hearing League from 1946 to 1958. Ward counted philately and

contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions ...

among his recreational pursuits. He served as president of the Federation of New Zealand Philatelic Societies in 1958, and was a member of the management committee of the New Zealand Contract Bridge Association from 1957. From 1938, Ward was president of the Canterbury Travel Club, and was president of the New Zealand Society of Travel Clubs between 1950 and 1951. In 1940, 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 opposing ...

, Ward was attached to the headquarters of the southern military district in Christchurch with the rank of captain. In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.

Death

Ward died in Christchurch on 4 August 1970, and was buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch. Upon his death, he was succeeded as Baronet by his eldest son, Joseph James Laffey Ward, as 4th Baronet.

Arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Joseph 1909 births 1970 deaths Sportspeople from Invercargill People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand stockbrokers Honorary consuls New Zealand philatelists New Zealand contract bridge players Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom New Zealand male foil fencers Fencers at the 1950 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand New Zealand sports executives and administrators Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Burials at Waimairi Cemetery 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Chancellors of the University of Canterbury New Zealand male épée fencers