Alister Scott Abernethy (24 September 1920 – 5 June 2003) was a New Zealand trade unionist, politician and public servant. Over a 39 year period he was an elected member in three different parts of New Zealand.

Biography

Abernethy was born in Balclutha in 1920. He was the eldest of six children and grew up in

Waitahuna Waitahuna is a small rural hamlet in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It is from Lawrence. In the 19th century, the town thrived after the discovery of gold. The Waitahuna Gully Miner's Monument commemorates this discovery and ...

near the town of

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

Central Otago Central Otago is an area located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River ...

. Aged 15 he began working on a dairy farm, milking cows. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Abernethy served in the Otago Rifles Regiment and later served as a ground crew member with the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

. After the war he found work as a paper-ruler and bookbinder at

Whitcombe and Tombs Whitcoulls 2011 Limited, or simply Whitcoulls, is a major New Zealand book, stationery, gift, games and toy retail chain. Formerly known as Whitcombe & Tombs, it has 54 stores nationally. Whitcombe & Tombs was founded in 1888, and Coulls Somerv ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

. In April 1946 he married Nyra Edith Norman with whom he had three daughters and one son. He joined the Printers' Union and became the union's Otago area representative on its national council for nearly a decade. In later life he was awarded life membership of the Printed and Related Trade Union. Through the union he joined the Labour Party and became involved in local politics, becoming a leader in opposition to planned tram fare increases. Aged 30 he was elected to the

Dunedin City Council The Dunedin City Council () is the Local government in New Zealand, local government authority for Dunedin in New Zealand. It is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority elected to represent the people of Dunedin. Since O ...

at the 1950 local elections on a Labour ticket. He served on the council until 1961 when he resigned after moving out of the city. For 8 years (1953-61) he was chairman of the council's works committee. Abernethy was also the chairman the Dunedin Metropolitan Milk Board and was a member of the Dunedin Metropolitan Regional Planning Authority. He moved to

Timaru Timaru (; ) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to peo ...

in 1961 to take up the role of public relations officer for the

South Canterbury South Canterbury is the area of the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand bounded by the Rangitata River in the north and the Waitaki River (the border with the Otago Region) to the south. The Pacific Ocean and ridge of the S ...

area. He became involved in local politics there as well and was an elected member of the South Canterbury Electric Power Board. In 1966 he became a Justice of the Peace and later a marriage celebrant. In 1974 he was appointed as liaison officer to the Minister of Housing. The role was as a personal assistant to the minister,

Bill Fraser William Simpson Fraser (5 June 1908 – 9 September 1987) was a Scottish actor who appeared on stage, screen and television for many years. In 1986 he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for his stage role in the play '' ...

, to assist with his workload. Fraser had previously been a Dunedin City Councillor alongside Abernethy from 1953 to 1956. In 1974 he moved to

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

and served 9 years on the Lower Hutt City Council. He was first elected in

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

but after one term was defeated (alongside all but one Labour candidate) in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

. He was elected for two further terms between 1983 and 1989. In addition he served six years on the

Wellington Regional Council Wellington Regional Council, branded as Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), is the regional council overseeing the Wellington Region of New Zealand's lower North Island. It is responsible for Public transport in the Wellington Region, p ...

and was twice Labour's mayoral candidate in Lower Hutt. At the 1983 local election he was defeated for the mayoralty by long time mayor

John Kennedy-Good Sir John Kennedy-Good (8 August 1915 – 11 July 2005) was a New Zealand politician. He was mayor of Lower Hutt from 1970 to 1986. Biography Early life and career Kennedy-Good was born in 1915 in Goulburn, New South Wales, where his father was ...

and in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

he lost to former councillor

Glen Evans Thomas Glendwr Gardner "Glen" Evans (22 April 1936 – 24 August 2016) was a New Zealand politician. He served as the mayor of Lower Hutt from 1986 to 1995. Biography Early life and family Born in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, on 22 April 1 ...

. He was also a member of the Hutt Valley Energy Board. In the

1988 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1988 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 countries ...

, Abernethy was awarded the

Queen's Service Medal The King's Service Medal (created as the Queen's Service Medal in 1975 and renamed in 2024) is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or app ...

for public services. Even after retiring from the council he remained involved in local matters. In 1997 when Lower Hutt designated a new riverbank park, near the Ewen Bridge, the council wanted to name it after the recently deceased

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

. However Abernethy lobbied to name the park after a deceased former city council member Govind Bhaga Bhula (1933-1989). After a period of public debate the park was officially named Govind Bhula Park by the council in 1998. He was the president of the Lower Hutt Returned Servicemen's Association (RSA) for many years until 1998 when he resigned. In retirement Abernethy was prolific in his writing of many lengthy and entertaining letters to the editor of the ''

Hutt News ''The Hutt News'' is a community newspaper circulated in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. It is one of the earliest and longest running community newspapers in the country. History The paper was established in 1927 by Walter Harold Smith, a retired fa ...

'', a local newspaper. Abernethy died in

Wellington Wellington 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 third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

on 5 June 2003, aged 82. He was survived by his four children, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Personal life

He was interested in home brewing and collecting books and lamps. He was also a classic car enthusiast, in particular ones made by the

Rootes Group The Rootes Group was a British automobile manufacturer and, separately, a major motor distributors and dealers business. From headquarters in the West End of London, the manufacturer was based in the English Midlands, Midlands and the distribu ...

. During the 1970s and 1980s he was a member of the Sunbeam Car Owners Club. His wife died in June 1987.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abernethy, Alister 1920 births 2003 deaths New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand trade unionists New Zealand Labour Party politicians Dunedin City Councillors New Zealand public servants New Zealand justices of the peace Hutt City Councillors Wellington regional councillors Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal Burials at Taitā Lawn Cemetery People from Balclutha, New Zealand