Stuart Keith Spry (1911 – 14 October 1991) was a New Zealand swimmer, conservationist and local politician. On his death '' The Dominion'' described him as "one of the great identities of Wellington city".

Biography

Early life and career

Spry was born in New Zealand in 1911 on either 6 June (death entry) or 6 July (birth entry) to Palmer and Isabel Spry. In his youth Spry was a talented swimmer. He was New Zealand champion at breaststroke and only narrowly missed out on selection for the New Zealand swim team for the

1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...

. His love of swimming, other sports and outdoor activities as a child lasted all of his life. He was active in

Surf Life Saving New Zealand Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) is the national association representing 74 Surf Life Saving Clubs in New Zealand. The organisation's motto is 'In it for Life'. This refers to both the long relationship many members have with the organisatio ...

and was bestowed with a service award in 1953. Spry was a textile importer and women's wear manufacturer by trade. He married Edith (Eda) Beatrice Burney in 1935 with whom he had two sons and two daughters.

Political career

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

Spry was elected to the

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and List of cities in New Zealand#City councils, third-largest city by popul ...

on a Labour Party ticket and held a seat continuously until he retired from the council in 1986. Wellington Mayor Sir

Michael Fowler Sir Edward Michael Coulson Fowler (19 December 1929 – 12 July 2022) was a New Zealand architect and author who served as mayor of Wellington from 1974 to 1983. Early life and family Fowler was born on 19 December 1929 in Marton, the son of ...

later described Spry as an "extremely good" councillor. Spry was a conservationist and spent 15 years as the chairman of the parks and recreation committee. He supported the move by councillor

George Porter George Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, (6 December 1920 – 31 August 2002) was a British chemist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967. Education and early life Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, in the then West ...

to formalise town planning procedure and inserted provisions to incentivize developers to preserve areas for open space so locals can use them for recreation. Spry was affectionately known as "Mr Parks" for his advocacy and was labelled as "...a ' greenie' long before the word was ever coined". After the

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

election he became leader of Labour's council caucus and accordingly he was nominated for the post of Deputy Mayor. Spry was experienced for the role, having been a member of almost every council committee and had been a committee chairman. However he lost the vote to comparatively inexperienced three-year councillor Ian Lawrence. Spry stood for election to the

New Zealand House of Representatives The House of Representatives () is the Unicameral, sole chamber of the New Zealand Parliament. The House passes Law of New Zealand, laws, provides Ministers in the New Zealand Government, ministers to form the Cabinet of New Zealand, Cabinet, ...

for the Labour Party on two occasions. He stood in in both and finishing in second place on both occasions to future Prime Minister

Jack Marshall Sir John Ross Marshall New Zealand Army Orders 1952/405 (5 March 1912 – 30 August 1988) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He entered Parliament in 1946 and was first promoted to Cabinet in 1951. After spending twelve years ...

. In 1960 Spry contested the Labour Party nomination for the seat, but was unsuccessful. In 1969 he unsuccessfully contested the Labour pre-selection for following the retirement of

Arnold Nordmeyer Sir Arnold Henry Nordmeyer (born Heinrich Arnold Nordmeyer, 7 February 1901 – 2 February 1989) was a New Zealand politician and Presbyterian minister. As a member of Parliament (MP) he played a crucial role in the Labour Party, serving fr ...

, however he lost to fellow city councillor

Gerald O'Brien John Gerald O’Brien (2 December 1924 – 13 December 2017), known as Gerald O'Brien, was a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand Labour Party, Labour Party. Early life O'Brien was born in Wellington on 2 December 1924, the son of John T ...

. Spry was also a member of the

Wellington Harbour Board Wellington Harbour Board was the body which formerly managed the shipping and commercial affairs of the port of Wellington in New Zealand. It was constituted in 1880 and was disestablished in 1989. During its 110-year tenure the Harbour Board ...

. He was first elected in 1977 and served four terms until the board was dis-established in 1989. His main achievement on the board was the reclamation of land on the coast. At Spry's insistence much of the area was reserved for recreation and merged to enlarge Marine Park (which is now known as

Frank Kitts Park Frank Kitts Park is a public park situated between Jervois Quay and the Lambton Harbour waterfront in Wellington, New Zealand. It is named after Sir Frank Kitts, New Zealand politician and mayor of Wellington. Background The park was forme ...

). While supporting reclamation in Wellington city, he opposed similar development in

Petone Petone (Māori language, Māori: ''Pito-one'') is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. It stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. Europeans first settled in Petone in Januar ...

as it would have infringed on the "Queen's Chain" (a 20 metre strip of land near the mouth of the Hutt River) which had been reserved in 1840 to allow free access. He also successfully lobbied for

Somes Island Matiu / Somes Island is the largest of three islands in the northern half of Wellington Harbour, New Zealand. The island is 24.9 hectares (62 acres) in area, and lies 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the suburb of Petone and the mouth of the Hut ...

to be repurposed from a quarantine station to a dedicated area for conservation and scientific research. Twice he failed to pass a motion for

Wellington Harbour Wellington Harbour ( ), officially called Wellington Harbour / Port Nicholson, is a large natural harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. The harbour entrance is from Cook Strait. Central Wellington is located on parts of ...

to be declared as a

nuclear free zone A nuclear-free zone is an area in which nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants are banned. The specific ramifications of these depend on the locale in question, but are generally distinct from nuclear-weapon-free zones, in that the latter only b ...

. In 1986 he opposed a plan for the Harbour Board become a public company. Instead the board approved Spry's motion that the board seek legislation giving it commercial autonomy, the ability to enter into port activities such as stevedoring, and the establishment of a single waterside trade union. He was a foundation member of 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 ...

, elected for three terms between 1980 and 1989. He was the deputy chairman of the council and chairman of its operations committee. He had a brief absence from the council in early 1988 when he was hospitalised with a knee operation. He remained in hospital longer than expected due to complications with stitching.

Death and legacy

The Keith Spry Pool in Johnsonville was named after Spry in 1981. Owned and operated by the

, it is an indoor 25 metre heated pool with a diving pool, toddler pool, spa, and sauna: opened in June 1982. Spry was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the 1986 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to local-body and community affairs. Spry died in Wellington on 14 October 1991 survived by his four children. Eda died earlier in the year, on 26 April.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spry, Stuart Keith 1911 births 1991 deaths New Zealand male breaststroke swimmers New Zealand textile industry businesspeople New Zealand conservationists Wellington City Councillors Wellington Harbour Board members Wellington regional councillors New Zealand Labour Party politicians 20th-century New Zealand politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1957 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1963 New Zealand general election 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen