Arthur Ollivier

Arthur Ollivier in 1895

Arthur Morton Ollivier (23 March 1851 – 21 October 1897) was a successful businessman in Christchurch, New Zealand, a notable cricketer, mountaineer, and chess player.

Early life

Ollivier was born in 1851 in Hammersmith, Middlesex, England.^[1] He was the eighth son of John and Elizabeth Ollivier (née Morton).^[2][3] The family with 10 children came to New Zealand on the John Taylor; the ship left London on 10 July 1853 and arrived in Lyttelton on 18 October.^[4][5] He received his education at Christ's College from 1862 to 1865; he was pupil number 179.^[3][6][7]

Sport

Cricket

Ollivier was a right-hand batsman.^[8] In February 1867, he became a representative cricketer at age 15, when he played for Canterbury against Otago at Hagley Oval; the first cricket game ever that was played on that ground.^[9][10] He was also playing when Canterbury first met Auckland in 1873; the year that the Auckland team was founded.^[3]

He played against England in February 1877,^[11] and against Australia in January 1878.^[12]

Injury forced Ollivier to retire from the game in 1883. He became a trainer, administrator and selector of players.^[3] In 1882, Edward Cephas John Stevens and Ollivier initiated the purchase of a parcel of land which became Lancaster Park; this was to overcome the problem of spectators not paying a fee at Hagley Oval.^[3][13] In 1893, he selected the New Zealand team for the match against New South Wales.^[3]

Mountaineering

Mueller Hut and the summit of Mount Ollivier

Ollivier was known for his mountaineering exploits. Mount Ollivier is named for him.

Other sports

Ollivier was a noted sports person in rugby and athletics, especially sprinting.^[6] He was a successful chess player, was a founding member of the Canterbury Chess Club in 1877, and was dominion champion in 1888/89.^[14][15]

Professional career

Ollivier was an accountant by profession.^[6] His first employment was with D. Macpherson and Co. (which became Matheson's Agency). His next position was with J. T. Ford and Co.^[16] He was in partnership with Trevor Grierson before becoming self-employed.^[17]

Community involvement

Ollivier was a member of many organisations, and he was often on the committee. He was president of the Old Boys' Association of Christ's College from 1895 until his death.^[3][6] He was deeply involved with the administration of cricket.^[18]

Family, death and commemoration

Ollivier married Agnes Thomson (born ca 1849), a daughter of the politician William Thomson, on 20 September 1876 at St Mark's Church in Opawa.^[16] They had three children:^[1][19]

• Keith Morton Ollivier (2 August 1880 – 12 September 1951)
• Cecil Claude Morton Ollivier (2 July 1878 – 27 July 1935)
• Muriel Morton Ollivier (19 April 1883 – ?)

Ollivier was unwell for several months before his death. He went to Castle Hill in the high country for a change of air, but returned even more ill.^[20] He died at the early age of 46 on 21 October 1897 at home in the Christchurch suburb of Opawa. He was buried at Woolston Cemetery.^[3][21] It was Frederick Wilding's proposal that resulted in the Canterbury Cricket Association erecting the gravestone for Ollivier; the inscription reads "Erected by the Cricketers of New Zealand".^[3][22] He was buried on a Saturday (23 October), and out of respect to him, all cricket matches in Canterbury got cancelled on that day.^[22]

Mount Ollivier near Aoraki / Mount Cook is named after Arthur Ollivier.^[23] In 1939, the 1,933 m (6,342 ft) peak was Edmund Hillary's first major climb.^[24] After Hillary's death in 2008, there was a proposal to rename the peak Mount Hillary as a memorial, a suggestion opposed by Arthur Ollivier's family.^[23]

References

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