James Carlaw
James Carlaw | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1853 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England |
| Died | (aged 81) Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Waterworks engineer |
| Known for | President of the New Zealand Rugby League |
| Relatives | Arthur Carlaw (nephew) |
James Carlaw was a New Zealand rugby league administrator. He is the namesake of Carlaw Park in Auckland, and was the uncle of international player Arthur Carlaw.
Early years
Carlaw was born near Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1853. His family emigrated to New Zealand when he was nine.[1]
Carlaw worked as a waterworks engineer, spending forty six years with the Auckland City Council.
Administration career
Like his nephew, Carlaw was involved in the formation of the Ponsonby United club in 1908 and on 30 July 1909 he was elected the club's first Chairman.[2]
Carlaw served as the President of the New Zealand Rugby League between 1914 and 1919. As Ponsonby's representative on the Auckland Rugby League board, Carlaw was chairman of the board between 1918 and 1920.[3] While in this position he started the negotiations that resulted in the league's acquisition of a Chinese market garden that was transformed into Carlaw Park.[4] The opening, on 21 June 1921, was the result of three years of negotiations between the committee led by Carlaw and the Auckland Hospital Board who owned the land.[5]
Between 1926 and 1928 Carlaw again served as the President of the New Zealand Rugby League.[6]
In 1928 he was elected Auckland Rugby League President and served in this role until 1935.[2][3]
Death
Carlaw died on 22 May 1935, aged 81, at his residence in Herbert Road, Mount Eden.[7][8]
References
- ^ John Coffey Strike! The Tour That Died of Shame, Scratching Shed Publishing 2012. p.17
- ^ a b Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009. ISBN 978-1-86969-366-4.
- ^ a b Ponsonby United Rugby League Club Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine aucklandleague.co.nz
- ^ Jessup, Peter (29 June 2002). "Carlaw Park chapter closes". nzherald.co.nz. New Zealand: APN Holdings NZ Limited. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ Carlaw Park Archived 2008-12-05 at the Wayback Machine rleague.com
- ^ Coffey, John. Canterbury XIII, Christchurch, 1987.
- ^ "Mr. James Carlaw - Death at 81 Years". Auckland Star. 23 May 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 12 January 2026 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Mr. J. Carlaw's Death - Rugby League Founder". New Zealand Herald. 23 May 1935. p. 13. Retrieved 12 January 2026 – via Papers Past.