Philip Ashton Smithells (12 April 1910 – 13 January 1977) was a New Zealand physical educationalist and university professor. He was born in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, England in 1910, the son of the British chemist

Arthur Smithells Arthur Smithells, CMG FRS (24 May 1860 – 24 February 1939) was a British chemist. Early life and education Smithells was born in Bury, Lancashire on 24 May 1860. His father James Smithells was a railway manager. He was educated at the Unive ...

. He received his education at

Bedales School Bedales School is a coeducational boarding and day public school, in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1893 by Amy Garrett Badley and John Haden Badley in reaction to the li ...

and at

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. He became a lecturer in physical education at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

. Smithells along with

Rona Bailey Rona Bailey (née Stephenson; 24 December 1914 – 7 September 2005) was a New Zealand drama and dance practitioner, educationalist and activist. Bailey was influential in emerging contemporary dance and professional theatre in New Zealand. She ...

and wife Olive Smithells founded the New Dance Group in Wellington in 1945. The dance style was described by Marianne Shultz as "modern, political and expressive". He lived in

Wanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest nav ...

during his retirement, where he died on 13 January 1977. He was survived by his second wife, Olive Smithells, his two daughters from his first marriage, and his three sons from his second marriage.

References

1910 births 1977 deaths English emigrants to New Zealand People educated at Bedales School Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Academic staff of the University of Otago {{NewZealand-academic-bio-stub