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Sir Sidney Holland survived the Battle of Messines and was an eight-year post-war PM, but made his name in sport as a player, administrator, manager and ...

In 1952, he timed a visit to Nelson to coincide with a New Zealand-Australia men’s hockey international. B Rogers, one of the New Zealand players, said Holland had” put a wonderful spirit into the team right from the start’’ and had been “more of a father than a manager’. All New Zealand prime ministers like to get one over Australian rivals, and PM-elect Holland had his moment of glory in a 7-0 rout in the sole test in Sydney. Reform lived up to its name, rebranding as the National Party, and Holland was elected leader in 1940. He stepped down as leader due to ill health in 1957,and was knighted soon after. During a world tour of India, New Zealand, Australia and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the Indians won all 48 matches, scoring 508 goals. NZHA secretary Havilah Down proposed a toast, and noted: “Mr Holland had done all he could to win the confidence of the players, and his leadership had been invaluable. In Canterbury’s forward line for a 3-0 home win over Auckland, he delivered the final pass for a goal and came close to scoring twice himself. In February 1917, Holland learnt his brother Percy had died after being gassed on the Western Front where Sid later saw action at the Battle of Messines alongside other hockey personalities. He earned international praise in 1926 after Canterbury’s crack 2-1 defeat before 14,000 fans at Lancaster Park against an Indian Army team featuring the great Dhyan Chand. His mother, Jane, chaired the province’s women’s hockey governing body and Sid’s older brother Percy was a Canterbury men’s representative. He was credited with helping revive interest in interprovincial hockey.