Lofty Blomfield
Encyclopedia
Meynell Strathmore Blomfield (18 July 1908 – 29 June 1971) was a New Zealand
professional wrestler, known by his ringname Lofty Blomfield, who was arguably the country's most popular wrestler during the 1930s and 40s. He competed primarily for promoter Walter Miller
and the Dominion Wrestling Union
for nearly 20 years where he defended the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
against many of the top stars of the National Wrestling Association
from 1936 until his retirement 1949. He is credited for inventing "The Octopus Clamp", an early version of the Scorpion Deathlock, and is the longest reigning heavyweight champion in the history of professional wrestling in New Zealand
.
In addition to the national title, Blomfield also held the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship
and the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship
. In 1938, he became the first New Zealander to wrestle for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
when he fought then champion Bronko Nagurski
to a time-limit draw. He also had a successful amateur career winning the Auckland and New Zealand heavyweight titles prior to becoming a professional wrestler. Blomfield wrestled 490 matches in New Zealand and an estimated 1,200 matches in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Canada and the United States between 1929 and 1949.
Blomfield became a successful hotel
ier in the years after his retirement, managing the Whangarei Hotel, as well as a noted sportsman
. He was a member of the Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club, a founding member of both the Northland Trotting Club, the Whangarei Powerboat Association, and sponsored countless athletic organisations in Whangarei and Northland, most notably, Whangarei Interhouse rugby. He was also involved in numerous charity fundraisers and organizations, especially those involving mentally handicapped children, and served as president of the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Association
. He later founded the Northland IHC and the Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre in Whangarei, the latter institution being named in his honour.
In 1990, Blomfield was officially inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
. He is the first and only wrestler, amateur or professional, to be an inductee. He was also profiled in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
and featured in a special editorial by the Northern Advocate in 1999. In 2009, Blomfield was named one of the "Top Ten New Zealand Born Wrestlers" by Fight Times Magazine and ranked #1 of the country's top ten favourite wrestlers by the New Zealand Herald.
on 18 July 1908, to newspaper cartoonist John Collis Blomfield and Amy Ellis. His uncle was William Blomfield, the second mayor of Takapuna
, and whom Blomfield Spa is named after. His family moved to Takapuna
and, while still a child, he began working with horses there by visiting stables and doing track work for local trainers. Though Blomfield hoped to be a jockey
, he grew too big and began racing motorbikes in grass track competitions. He left school after only two years of secondary education
and travelled around the country working at various jobs and eventually settled in Waikaremoana where he became a taxi proprietor. He also married Agnes Myra Lawton at Wairoa
on 14 July 1927; the two divorced 10 years later upon which time he married Lily May Balenzuela. He also began playing senior rugby during this time, competing in Auckland, Gisborne, Murchison and Nelson, and was selected to play for Auckland against Waikato in 1929 but he declined to play so he could compete in amateur wrestling
. Returning to Auckland in 1930, he participated in the first national amateur championships hosted by the New Zealand Wrestling Union and won the Auckland and New Zealand heavyweight titles.
posing as a Canadian wrestler under the name Walter Browning. Though Blomfield had mixed success there, he won popularity with fans for his "non-stop aggressive style". He briefly returned to New Zealand in 1934, where he first wrestled under the name Lofty Blomfield, before heading to the United States. Walter Miller, then booking agent for the Dominion Wrestling Union
, was so impressed by Blomfield that he managed to convince Blomfield to return to his native country to compete exclusively for his promotion. Miller was then bringing in major international talent to New Zealand but felt he needed a strong New Zealand-born wrestler as a legitimate challenger to these newcomers.
", was especially popular with fans. During his early career, he was a rival with NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Champion
Earl McCready
. The two wrestled to a time-limit draw during his first year with the promotion. They would have a total of 28 bouts against each other with McCready winning 17, Blomfield 2, eight draws, and one no-contest when the referee was injured. Both men later become close friends during their career. By 1936, he had become the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Champion
. He briefly lost the title to Dean Detton in Auckland on 22 August 1938, but regained the belt five days later. He also defeated another claimant, Pat Fraley, on 10 September and won a championship tournament to become the undisputed champion a month later. He also held the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship
which he lost to Ray Steele
on 10 December 1938.
in a first-ever "champion vs. champion" match. Their match was to be one of the first international title defences to take place in the country and was expected to attract over 40,000 people. In negotiations with NWA promoters Toots Mondt
, Lou Daro and Tony Stecher, Miller agreed to pay Nagurski the largest guarantee ever offered a boxer or wrestler in the Southern Hemisphere. Nagurski cancelled the trip at the last minute, however, and the two met in Vancouver
instead where they fought to a time-limit draw on 17 March 1938. Blomfield was the first New Zealander to challenge for the NWA World title and would wrestle five world champions during his professional career in New Zealand.
, Blomfield enlisted in the New Zealand Army
. He served both at home and abroad in Egypt
reaching the rank of sergeant major
prior to his discharge at the end of the war. His second wife, Lily May Balenzuela, died in 1945 and married a third time to Heather June Ingley on 20 February 1946. Shocker Shaw, New Zealand SAS soldier and founder of the Armed Offenders Squad
, was friend of Blomfield's and often visited him when in Whangarei. Peter Fraser, a one-time Prime Minister of New Zealand
, was also a supporter and several caucus meetings were stopped at 6pm, and resumed at 10am the following morning, so that members could attend wrestling events at the Town Hall when Blomfield was making a title defence.
Blomfield held the national title for well over a decade and retired as champion on 7 June 1949. Throughout his career, Blomfield vigorously defended professional wrestling and denied frequent charges that matches were rigged. In New Zealand alone, he had wrestled 490 matches with 272 wins, 105 losses and 113 draws; his combined amateur and professional bouts between 1929 and 1949 totaled an estimated 1,200 in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Canada and the United States. He remains the longest reigning champion in New Zealand's wrestling history
.
ier and took over the licence of the Whangarei Hotel where he and his wife June were popular hosts in the area for many years. A well-known sportsman, Blomfield was a member of the Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers club and helped form the Northland Trotting Club and the Whangarei Powerboat Association. He also financed a large number of sporting competitions and organizations in Whangarei and Northland such as Whangarei Interhouse rugby.
Blomfield was a lifelong supporter of many charities, especially those dealing with mentally handicapped children (one of his children was born mentally handicapped), and served as president of Intellectually Handicapped Children’s Association
. He later founded the Northland IHC branch and established St. Nicholas Home and Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre. The school was later named in his honour. Among his more memorable fundraising ideas, Blomfield would start building "penny piles" on the counter of the hotel's public bar and any patrons would be obliged to offer spare pennies to the pile. Blomfield actually "camped out" in front of the penny piles to guard them from would-be thieves. These penny piles grew so large in size that when they were finally knocked down, for a small fee, the money gained for the IHC was very substantial.
He and June Blomfield divorced in 1960 but remarried in Auckland on 10 September 1969. Blomfield died in Whangarei on 29 June 1971, at the age of 62. He was survived by his wife, June, and their three children as well as two others from his first marriage.
becoming the first and only wrestler, amateur or professional, to be included. A bronze bust of Lofty Blomfield was donated to the Hall of Fame by the Lofty Blomfield Family Trust. Inscribed are the words "Momentum requieris circumspice" ("If you seek a monument look about you"). Winston McCarthy
, a popular radio commentator, dedicated an entire episode of his "Sportsman of the Week" programme to Blomfield. He was also profiled in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
and featured in a special editorial by the Northern Advocate in 1999.
In September 2006, Blomfield was one of several Whangarei athletes including former All Black Ian Jones, Black Stick
field hockey
player Charlotte Harrison, and triathlete Sam Warriner portrayed in a community theatre
production of "Way to Go" starring 320 students and 14 staff members of Hurupaki School. The play was directed by actress Jan Fisher, best known as Mrs. Doslic from the comedy television series
Outrageous Fortune
. In March 2009, Fight Times Magazine ranked Blomfield #3 of the "Top Ten New Zealand Born Wrestlers". That same month, Chris Rattue named Blomfield the country's #1 favourite wrestler in an article for the New Zealand Herald.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
professional wrestler, known by his ringname Lofty Blomfield, who was arguably the country's most popular wrestler during the 1930s and 40s. He competed primarily for promoter Walter Miller
Walter Miller
Walter Miller may refer to:* Walter B. Miller , American anthropologist* Walter Dale Miller , American politician* Walter Miller , American middleweight wrestling champion* Walter M. Miller, Jr...
and the Dominion Wrestling Union
Dominion Wrestling Union
The Dominion Wrestling Union was the first professional wrestling promotion in New Zealand. It was one of two organisations first active in the Australasian region, along with Australia's Stadium Limited, and served as the country's single major promotion for 30 years until being succeeded by All...
for nearly 20 years where he defended the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
The NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship is the primary singles title in the NWA-affiliated wrestling promotion NWA New Zealand. It is the first heavyweight championship in New Zealand and one of the oldest in the world. It was first won by Gisborne Katene who defeated Frank Findlay in 1919...
against many of the top stars of the National Wrestling Association
National Wrestling Association
The National Wrestling Association was an off-shoot of the National Boxing Association, formed to sanction professional wrestling. This NWA is not the same organization as the National Wrestling Alliance, which was formed in 1948....
from 1936 until his retirement 1949. He is credited for inventing "The Octopus Clamp", an early version of the Scorpion Deathlock, and is the longest reigning heavyweight champion in the history of professional wrestling in New Zealand
Professional wrestling in New Zealand
Professional wrestling in New Zealand has been promoted in the country from the early 1900s. In 1919, Gisborne Katene became the first national heavyweight champion, though the title was not recognized by the National Wrestling Association until 1925, and promoter Walter Miller began running events...
.
In addition to the national title, Blomfield also held the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship
NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship (New Zealand version)
The New Zealand version of the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship defended in the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated Dominion Wrestling Union from 1929 to 1953 and in All Star Pro Wrestling from 1968 to 1990...
and the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship
NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship
The New Zealand version of the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling regional heavyweight championship recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance and competed for by wrestlers in the Australasian region. It was largely defended in New Zealand's Dominion Wrestling...
. In 1938, he became the first New Zealander to wrestle for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
when he fought then champion Bronko Nagurski
Bronko Nagurski
Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski was a Canadian-born American football player. He was also a successful professional wrestler, recognized as a multiple-time world heavyweight champion.-Youth and collegiate career:...
to a time-limit draw. He also had a successful amateur career winning the Auckland and New Zealand heavyweight titles prior to becoming a professional wrestler. Blomfield wrestled 490 matches in New Zealand and an estimated 1,200 matches in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Canada and the United States between 1929 and 1949.
Blomfield became a successful hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
ier in the years after his retirement, managing the Whangarei Hotel, as well as a noted sportsman
Sportsman
Sportsman may refer to:* Sportsperson: someone who enjoys sport* Sportsmanship, conforming to all the rules of game and acting in a fair manner towards the opponent* Gun rights supporter * Sportsman's Association UK gun rights group...
. He was a member of the Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club, a founding member of both the Northland Trotting Club, the Whangarei Powerboat Association, and sponsored countless athletic organisations in Whangarei and Northland, most notably, Whangarei Interhouse rugby. He was also involved in numerous charity fundraisers and organizations, especially those involving mentally handicapped children, and served as president of the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Association
IHC New Zealand
IHC New Zealand is a New Zealand non-governmental organization providing support and care for people of all ages with intellectual disabilities.The acronym stands for "Intellectually Handicapped Children"....
. He later founded the Northland IHC and the Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre in Whangarei, the latter institution being named in his honour.
In 1990, Blomfield was officially inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception representing a wide...
. He is the first and only wrestler, amateur or professional, to be an inductee. He was also profiled in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography contains biographies for over 3,000 New Zealanders. It is available in both English and Maori. All volumes of the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography are available online....
and featured in a special editorial by the Northern Advocate in 1999. In 2009, Blomfield was named one of the "Top Ten New Zealand Born Wrestlers" by Fight Times Magazine and ranked #1 of the country's top ten favourite wrestlers by the New Zealand Herald.
Early life and amateur career
Meynell Strathmore Blomfield was born in Wellington, New ZealandWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
on 18 July 1908, to newspaper cartoonist John Collis Blomfield and Amy Ellis. His uncle was William Blomfield, the second mayor of Takapuna
Takapuna
Takapuna is a central, coastal suburb of North Shore City, located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, at the beginning of a south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitemata Harbour...
, and whom Blomfield Spa is named after. His family moved to Takapuna
Takapuna
Takapuna is a central, coastal suburb of North Shore City, located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, at the beginning of a south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitemata Harbour...
and, while still a child, he began working with horses there by visiting stables and doing track work for local trainers. Though Blomfield hoped to be a jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
, he grew too big and began racing motorbikes in grass track competitions. He left school after only two years of secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
and travelled around the country working at various jobs and eventually settled in Waikaremoana where he became a taxi proprietor. He also married Agnes Myra Lawton at Wairoa
Wairoa
Wairoa is a town in New Zealand's North Island. It is the northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Mahia Peninsula...
on 14 July 1927; the two divorced 10 years later upon which time he married Lily May Balenzuela. He also began playing senior rugby during this time, competing in Auckland, Gisborne, Murchison and Nelson, and was selected to play for Auckland against Waikato in 1929 but he declined to play so he could compete in amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
. Returning to Auckland in 1930, he participated in the first national amateur championships hosted by the New Zealand Wrestling Union and won the Auckland and New Zealand heavyweight titles.
Early career in Australia
Encouraged by his successes in the amateur ranks, and inspired by foreign wrestlers competing overseas, Blomfield decided to become a professional wrestler. He first travelled to Australia, in order to build up his experience, and worked in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
posing as a Canadian wrestler under the name Walter Browning. Though Blomfield had mixed success there, he won popularity with fans for his "non-stop aggressive style". He briefly returned to New Zealand in 1934, where he first wrestled under the name Lofty Blomfield, before heading to the United States. Walter Miller, then booking agent for the Dominion Wrestling Union
Dominion Wrestling Union
The Dominion Wrestling Union was the first professional wrestling promotion in New Zealand. It was one of two organisations first active in the Australasian region, along with Australia's Stadium Limited, and served as the country's single major promotion for 30 years until being succeeded by All...
, was so impressed by Blomfield that he managed to convince Blomfield to return to his native country to compete exclusively for his promotion. Miller was then bringing in major international talent to New Zealand but felt he needed a strong New Zealand-born wrestler as a legitimate challenger to these newcomers.
Arrival in the Dominion Wrestling Union
Blomfield was an instant success with crowds in New Zealand. His popularity was helped by announcer Gordon Hutter's vivid commentaries during radio broadcasts of his matches. His finishing move, "The Octopus ClampSharpshooter (professional wrestling)
The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
", was especially popular with fans. During his early career, he was a rival with NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Champion
NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship (New Zealand version)
The New Zealand version of the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship defended in the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated Dominion Wrestling Union from 1929 to 1953 and in All Star Pro Wrestling from 1968 to 1990...
Earl McCready
Earl McCready
Earl Gray McCready was an amateur wrestler who competed in the U.S. for Oklahoma State University in folkstyle, and as a Canadian freestyle sport wrestler who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics....
. The two wrestled to a time-limit draw during his first year with the promotion. They would have a total of 28 bouts against each other with McCready winning 17, Blomfield 2, eight draws, and one no-contest when the referee was injured. Both men later become close friends during their career. By 1936, he had become the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Champion
NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
The NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship is the primary singles title in the NWA-affiliated wrestling promotion NWA New Zealand. It is the first heavyweight championship in New Zealand and one of the oldest in the world. It was first won by Gisborne Katene who defeated Frank Findlay in 1919...
. He briefly lost the title to Dean Detton in Auckland on 22 August 1938, but regained the belt five days later. He also defeated another claimant, Pat Fraley, on 10 September and won a championship tournament to become the undisputed champion a month later. He also held the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship
NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship
The New Zealand version of the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling regional heavyweight championship recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance and competed for by wrestlers in the Australasian region. It was largely defended in New Zealand's Dominion Wrestling...
which he lost to Ray Steele
Peter Sauer
Peter Sauer , known by the ring name Ray Steele, was an American professional wrestler born and raised in Norka, a German colony in Russia, in 1900 before immigrating to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1906....
on 10 December 1938.
Showdown with Bronko Nagurski
That same year, Blomfield was scheduled to meet NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bronko NagurskiBronko Nagurski
Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski was a Canadian-born American football player. He was also a successful professional wrestler, recognized as a multiple-time world heavyweight champion.-Youth and collegiate career:...
in a first-ever "champion vs. champion" match. Their match was to be one of the first international title defences to take place in the country and was expected to attract over 40,000 people. In negotiations with NWA promoters Toots Mondt
Toots Mondt
Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt was a former wrestling promoter who revolutionized the wrestling industry in the early to mid 1920s and co-promoted the World Wide Wrestling Federation...
, Lou Daro and Tony Stecher, Miller agreed to pay Nagurski the largest guarantee ever offered a boxer or wrestler in the Southern Hemisphere. Nagurski cancelled the trip at the last minute, however, and the two met in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
instead where they fought to a time-limit draw on 17 March 1938. Blomfield was the first New Zealander to challenge for the NWA World title and would wrestle five world champions during his professional career in New Zealand.
Final years as NWA New Zealand Champion
Blomfield feuded with another NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Champion, John Katan, and defeated him for the title in Wellington on 7 August 1940. The following month, he lost the championship back to Katan in Auckland. After New Zealand entered World War IIMilitary history of New Zealand during World War II
thumb|A 1940 poster, signed by Michael Joseph Savage, calling on New Zealanders to support the war effort.New Zealand entered the Second World War by declaring war on Nazi Germany with Britain...
, Blomfield enlisted in the New Zealand Army
New Zealand Army
The New Zealand Army , is the land component of the New Zealand Defence Force and comprises around 4,500 Regular Force personnel, 2,000 Territorial Force personnel and 500 civilians. Formerly the New Zealand Military Forces, the current name was adopted around 1946...
. He served both at home and abroad in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
reaching the rank of sergeant major
Sergeant Major
Sergeants major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. In Commonwealth countries, Sergeants Major are usually appointments held by senior non-commissioned officers or warrant officers...
prior to his discharge at the end of the war. His second wife, Lily May Balenzuela, died in 1945 and married a third time to Heather June Ingley on 20 February 1946. Shocker Shaw, New Zealand SAS soldier and founder of the Armed Offenders Squad
Armed Offenders Squad
The Armed Offenders Squad is a specialist unit of the New Zealand Police designed to "cordon, contain and appeal to" armed and dangerous offenders. As the name explains, they are called upon when conflict with an armed offender has occurred or is considered imminent.The AOS draw upon a varied...
, was friend of Blomfield's and often visited him when in Whangarei. Peter Fraser, a one-time Prime Minister of New Zealand
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
, was also a supporter and several caucus meetings were stopped at 6pm, and resumed at 10am the following morning, so that members could attend wrestling events at the Town Hall when Blomfield was making a title defence.
Blomfield held the national title for well over a decade and retired as champion on 7 June 1949. Throughout his career, Blomfield vigorously defended professional wrestling and denied frequent charges that matches were rigged. In New Zealand alone, he had wrestled 490 matches with 272 wins, 105 losses and 113 draws; his combined amateur and professional bouts between 1929 and 1949 totaled an estimated 1,200 in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Canada and the United States. He remains the longest reigning champion in New Zealand's wrestling history
Professional wrestling in New Zealand
Professional wrestling in New Zealand has been promoted in the country from the early 1900s. In 1919, Gisborne Katene became the first national heavyweight champion, though the title was not recognized by the National Wrestling Association until 1925, and promoter Walter Miller began running events...
.
Later years
After his retirement, Blomfield became a hotelHotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
ier and took over the licence of the Whangarei Hotel where he and his wife June were popular hosts in the area for many years. A well-known sportsman, Blomfield was a member of the Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers club and helped form the Northland Trotting Club and the Whangarei Powerboat Association. He also financed a large number of sporting competitions and organizations in Whangarei and Northland such as Whangarei Interhouse rugby.
Blomfield was a lifelong supporter of many charities, especially those dealing with mentally handicapped children (one of his children was born mentally handicapped), and served as president of Intellectually Handicapped Children’s Association
IHC New Zealand
IHC New Zealand is a New Zealand non-governmental organization providing support and care for people of all ages with intellectual disabilities.The acronym stands for "Intellectually Handicapped Children"....
. He later founded the Northland IHC branch and established St. Nicholas Home and Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre. The school was later named in his honour. Among his more memorable fundraising ideas, Blomfield would start building "penny piles" on the counter of the hotel's public bar and any patrons would be obliged to offer spare pennies to the pile. Blomfield actually "camped out" in front of the penny piles to guard them from would-be thieves. These penny piles grew so large in size that when they were finally knocked down, for a small fee, the money gained for the IHC was very substantial.
He and June Blomfield divorced in 1960 but remarried in Auckland on 10 September 1969. Blomfield died in Whangarei on 29 June 1971, at the age of 62. He was survived by his wife, June, and their three children as well as two others from his first marriage.
Legacy
Nearly thirty years after his death, Blomfield was officially inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of FameNew Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception representing a wide...
becoming the first and only wrestler, amateur or professional, to be included. A bronze bust of Lofty Blomfield was donated to the Hall of Fame by the Lofty Blomfield Family Trust. Inscribed are the words "Momentum requieris circumspice" ("If you seek a monument look about you"). Winston McCarthy
Winston McCarthy
Winston John McCarthy was a Rugby Union radio commentator during the 1940s through to the 1960s who became known as the "Voice of New Zealand Rugby". He is particular remembered for his broadcasts of the NZEF "Kiwis" during World War II and later the All Blacks matches.Born in Wellington he was...
, a popular radio commentator, dedicated an entire episode of his "Sportsman of the Week" programme to Blomfield. He was also profiled in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography contains biographies for over 3,000 New Zealanders. It is available in both English and Maori. All volumes of the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography are available online....
and featured in a special editorial by the Northern Advocate in 1999.
In September 2006, Blomfield was one of several Whangarei athletes including former All Black Ian Jones, Black Stick
Black Sticks Women
The Black Sticks Women are the women's national field hockey team of New Zealand.-Summer Olympics:*1980 – Did not compete*1984 – Sixth place*1988 – Did not compete*1992 – Eighth place*1996 – Did not compete*2000 – Sixth place...
field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
player Charlotte Harrison, and triathlete Sam Warriner portrayed in a community theatre
Community theatre
Community theatre refers to theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community...
production of "Way to Go" starring 320 students and 14 staff members of Hurupaki School. The play was directed by actress Jan Fisher, best known as Mrs. Doslic from the comedy television series
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
Outrageous Fortune
Outrageous Fortune (TV series)
Outrageous Fortune was a New Zealand comedy/drama television series, which was created by James Griffin and Rachel Lang and was produced by South Pacific Pictures...
. In March 2009, Fight Times Magazine ranked Blomfield #3 of the "Top Ten New Zealand Born Wrestlers". That same month, Chris Rattue named Blomfield the country's #1 favourite wrestler in an article for the New Zealand Herald.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- The Octopus Clamp (modified Scorpion DeathlockSharpshooter (professional wrestling)The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
)
- The Octopus Clamp (modified Scorpion Deathlock
Amateur wrestling
- Auckland Provincial Championship (1 time)
- New Zealand Amateur Heavyweight Championship (1 time, first)
Professional wrestling
- Dominion Wrestling UnionDominion Wrestling UnionThe Dominion Wrestling Union was the first professional wrestling promotion in New Zealand. It was one of two organisations first active in the Australasian region, along with Australia's Stadium Limited, and served as the country's single major promotion for 30 years until being succeeded by All...
- NWA New Zealand Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA New Zealand Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship is the primary singles title in the NWA-affiliated wrestling promotion NWA New Zealand. It is the first heavyweight championship in New Zealand and one of the oldest in the world. It was first won by Gisborne Katene who defeated Frank Findlay in 1919...
(1 time) - NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship (New Zealand version)NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship (New Zealand version)The New Zealand version of the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship defended in the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated Dominion Wrestling Union from 1929 to 1953 and in All Star Pro Wrestling from 1968 to 1990...
(1 time) - NWA Australasian Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Australasian Heavyweight ChampionshipThe New Zealand version of the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling regional heavyweight championship recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance and competed for by wrestlers in the Australasian region. It was largely defended in New Zealand's Dominion Wrestling...
(1 time)
- NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
- New Zealand Sports Hall of FameNew Zealand Sports Hall of FameThe New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception representing a wide...
- Class of 1990
Further reading
- Ingram, W. F. Legends in their Lifetimes. Wellington, 1962.
- McMillan, N. A. C. New Zealand Sporting Legends: 27 Pre-War Sporting Heroes. Auckland: Moa Beckett, 1993. ISBN 1869580141
- Taylor, Mark. High flying Kiwis: 100 Heroes of New Zealand Sport. Auckland: RPL Books/Rugby Publishing Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0959788409