Elva Simpson
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elva Violet Simpson (née Tait) | |||||||||||||
| Born | 6 November 1936 | |||||||||||||
| Died | 30 November 2009 (aged 73) | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||
| Relatives | Mahal Pearce (son-in-law) | |||||||||||||
| Netball career | ||||||||||||||
| Playing position(s): WD, GD | ||||||||||||||
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | ||||||||||||
| 1963 | New Zealand | 5 | ||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
Elva Violet Simpson (née Tait; 6 November 1936 – 30 November 2009) was a New Zealand netball player. She played five international matches for the New Zealand team at the 1963 World Netball Championships, where they finished second to Australia.
Early life and family[edit]
Simpson was born Elva Violet Tait in Dunedin on 6 November 1936.[1][2][3] In 1958, she married pharmacist Gordon Bingham Simpson, and the couple had four children, including a daughter, Sally, who married golfer Mahal Pearce.[3][4][5]
Netball career[edit]
Simpson played representative netball for Otago as a defender from at least 1953.[6] and in 1954 she was named as an emergency in the South Island team for the inter-island match at the conclusion of the New Zealand national netball championships.[7] At the 1961 national championships, Simpson was selected as goal keeper and captain of the South Island team, which defeated the North Island 50–31.[8][9]
Simpson was a member of the New Zealand team at the inaugural World Netball Championships at Eastbourne, England, in 1963, making her debut in the first-round match against Northern Ireland.[10] With two young children at the time, she was one of only two mothers playing in the tournament.[11][12] New Zealand recorded nine wins and one loss, 36–37 against Australia, to finish as runners-up.[13] Simpson played in five of New Zealand's matches at the tournament.[10]
Later life[edit]
Simpson was a member of a team consisting of players from Otago and Southland at the Golden Oldies World Netball Festivals in 1984 in Auckland, and 1988 in Brisbane.[14]
Simpson's husband, Gordon, died in 1999.[15]
At the 2008 New Zealand Masters Games in Dunedin, Simpson won the 500 metres, 1000 metres, and 2000 metres indoor rowing events in the women's 70–74 category.[16] She died in Dunedin on 30 November 2009, and her ashes were buried in Dunedin Southern Cemetery.[1][17]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Cemeteries search: Simpson, Elva Violet (cremation)". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ Ninety-fifth annual report. Netball New Zealand. 2019. p. 34. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ a b "In memory of Elva Simpson". Tributes Online. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Elva Violet Tait". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ Meikle, Hayden (29 December 2009). "Golf: Pearce seeking clear fairways after year in rough". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "N.Z. basketball tourney". The Press. Vol. 89, no. 27130. 28 August 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Basketball: national women's tournament". The Press. Vol. 90, no. 27440. 28 August 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Island teams". The Press. Vol. 100, no. 29602. 26 August 1961. p. 13. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "South Island too good for North". The Press. Vol. 100, no. 29603. 28 August 1961. p. 15. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Elva Simpson". Netball New Zealand. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ Holden, Daryl (14 July 2003). "Former Fern revives NZ's first cup bid". Southland Times. p. 22.
- ^ "New era in women's netball". The Times. 2 August 1963. p. 3.
- ^ "History". Netball New Zealand. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ Carroll, Joanne (10 November 2009). "Golden oldies united after 20 years". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Cemeteries search: Simpson, Gordon Bingham (ashes burial)". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Results: NZ Masters Games indoor rowing". RowIT. 3 February 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Cemeteries search: Simpson, Elva Violet (ashes burial)". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 14 October 2021.