Iain Gallaway

Gallaway was born in Dunedin, Otago, on 26 December 1922.[1] He attended Christ's College, Christchurch,[2] and the University of Otago. His first job was as a cadet reporter for the Otago Daily Times.[3]

Gallaway served in the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II, patrolling the Atlantic and the North Sea on a D-class cruiser.[4][2] After his stint in the navy, he studied law at the University of New Zealand in Dunedin[5] and worked as a lawyer in the Dunedin firm that is now Gallaway Cook Allan.[6] He went on to become an officer of the Otago Law Society and the New Zealand Law Society.[3]

Gallaway played three first-class cricket matches for Otago between 1946 and 1948 as a right-handed lower-order batsman and wicketkeeper.[1][7] In his first match against Wellington he took six catches.[8] He also acted as an international rugby referee, officiating a Southland match against Australia in 1949, and West Coast against the British Lions the following year.[9]

In a radio commentary career that extended from 1953 to 1992, Gallaway broadcast about 500 rugby matches and numerous cricket matches, mostly from the Carisbrook ground in Dunedin.[10][11] He retired after the 1992 Cricket World Cup, concerned that his declining eyesight would cause him to make incorrect calls.[9] The final match he broadcast was New Zealand's victory over India in the round-robin stage.[8] Gallaway's book Not a Cloud in the Sky: The Autobiography of Iain Gallaway was published five years later in 1997.[12] He was the official patron of the Otago Cricket Association until his death.[3]

Gallaway was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1978 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to rugby and cricket.[13] In the 1986 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for community service,[14] specifically for his work as chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Dunedin over a quarter of a century.[3] He received a Halberg Award for services to sport in 1999.[8][4] Gallaway was awarded life membership of New Zealand Cricket in 2010.[15]

Upon the death of Alan Burgess on 6 January 2021, Gallaway became the oldest living New Zealand first-class cricketer.[16] When Gallaway died, that honour passed to Peter Arnold.[17]

Gallaway was married to his wife, Virginia, until her death. Together, they had four children, Sarah, Annie, Garth, and Alice.[18] Garth has worked as a cricket commentator on Radio Sport and as a lawyer in Christchurch, and is Chair of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand.[19]

Gallaway died on 18 April 2021, at the age of 98.[20]

• Iain Gallaway on air at Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand