Ronald Rutherford Elvidge (2 March 1923 – 30 March 2019) was a New Zealand
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
player. A
second five-eighth and centre, Elvidge represented
Otago
Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...
at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the
All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 198 ...
, from 1946 to 1950. He played 19 matches for the All Blacks, of which seven were as captain, including nine internationals.
He worked as an
obstetrician
Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surg ...
and
gynaecologist
Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined ar ...
. After the death of
Wally Argus
Walter Garland Argus (29 May 1921 – 21 October 2016) was a New Zealand rugby union player who played 10 matches including four tests for the national team. From 16 November 2012 until his death he was the oldest living All Black.
Early life an ...
in 2016, Elvidge became the oldest living All Black.
Elvidge died in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
on 30 March 2019, aged 96.
Since 1946, his secondary school,
John McGlashan College
John McGlashan College is a state integrated boarding and day school for boys, located in the suburb of Maori Hill in Dunedin, New Zealand. The school currently caters for students from years 7 to 13, including 120 boarders and up to 30 interna ...
, have participated in their annual inter-house competition for the Elvidge Cup, named in his honour.
References
1923 births
2019 deaths
Rugby union players from Timaru
People educated at John McGlashan College
University of Otago alumni
New Zealand obstetricians
New Zealand gynaecologists
New Zealand rugby union players
New Zealand international rugby union players
Otago rugby union players
Rugby union centres
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