Historical records matching Harry Frost
view all
Immediate Family
-
-
Privatechild -
father -
mother
-
sister
-
brother
-
brother -
brother
-
brother
-
brother
-
sister
-
sister
About Harry Frost
Harry Frost was born at Riccarton on 27 February 1869 and began playing rugby at the age of 17. From then on he would hardly have a day when rugby thoughts were not prominent, as he enjoyed a decade-long representative career before offering the game a lifetime of skilled administration.
He was already prominent in Christchurch Club affairs when he made his rep debut in 1890 and by 1893 was active on the Canterbury union. Given his youth and the fact he was cementing a regular representative spot at the time, Frost was already showing a remarkable talent for administration.
He normally played at hooker in the two-fronted scrums of the day and won his All Black call-up in 1896, replacing Auckland rake James Swindley when the latter was unavailable for the Queensland match. On a typically murky Wellington day, the All Blacks didn't play overly well and were thankful to retire with a 9-3 win.
Frost played 39 matches, a relatively large number at the time, for Canterbury up to 1901 and often led the side in the latter stages of his career. He moved to Auckland in 1902, taking a position in the legal section of the South British Insurance Co and settling into the affairs of the Auckland union.
His playing days over, Frost took up the whistle and was soon one of Auckland's better referees, rising to first-class standard in 1906, and he was a key figure in re-establishing the Referees' Association after the 1911 schism which split that body apart. Frost was the Auckland RRA's inaugural president and was made a life member in 1913. He was the College Rifles club's delegate to the union at the time and coached the seniors to their first championship in 1919.
Always one for bright rugby and something of a visionary, Frost was one of the committee which drew up the 'Auckland rules' - designed to counter the attractions of rugby league - during the war. These modifications were so successful that they continued to be used, with dispensation from the NZRFU, until the mid 1920s.
He was a member of the Auckland union management committee between 1915 and 1945, when he finally retired from active administration. He had been chairman from 1920-34, vice-president from 1930 and was finally elected president in 1935. This only came about after a rule change that decreed the president would serve a two-year term - the sitting president, John Arneil, had been in the job for 19 years and some people felt it was time for a change - but the changed law was repealed at the end of Frost's term and he continued on until 1945. Already a life member of the union (elected in 1929), he was granted honorary life presidency, the only person to have received such a tribute.
He had also been active at national level, serving on various NZRFU committees since the early years of the century, and was president of the national body in 1924-25. In 1939 he was the first All Black (and only the third man) to be elected a life member of the NZRFU.
Apart from his high-profile positions, Frost was a tireless worker for junior rugby and donated a shield to the Auckland JMB. Matches were played on Eden Park and, whatever the weather or however small the crowd, an old gentleman would be introduced to the teams before each match. The youngsters didn't really know who he was, but Frost was always there to keep an eye on the players of tomorrow.
As if there wasn't enough to keep him busy in rugby, Frost also worked for cricket, rowing, swimming and athletics. He was one of the towering figures in New Zealand sports administration of his time.
Harry Frost died in Auckland on 6 July 1954.
http://stats.allblacks.com/asp/Profile.asp?ABID=294
- Reference: Famous People Throughout History - SmartCopy: Jun 8 2020, 23:07:03 UTC
view all
Harry Frost's Timeline
| 1869 |
February 27, 1869
|
Riccarton, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
|
|
| 1954 |
July 6, 1954
Age 85
|
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
|
|
| ???? |
Saint Andrew's Churchyard, Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand
|