Arthur Ollivier

Arthur Morton Ollivier (23 March 1851 – 21 October 1897) was a successful businessman in Christchurch, New Zealand, a notable cricketer, mountaineer, and chess player.

Ollivier was born in 1851 in Hammersmith, Middlesex, England. He was the eighth son of John and Elizabeth Ollivier (née Morton). The family with 10 children came to New Zealand on the John Taylor; the ship left London on 10 July 1853 and arrived in Lyttelton on 18 October. He received his education at Christ's College from 1862 to 1865; he was pupil number 179.

Cricket

Ollivier was a right-hand batsman. In February 1867, he became a representative cricketer at age 15, when he played for Canterbury against Otago at Hagley Oval; the first cricket game ever that was played on that ground. He was also playing when Canterbury first met Auckland in 1873; the year that the Auckland team was founded.

He played against England in February 1877, and against Australia in January 1878.

Injury forced Ollivier to retire from the game in 1883. He became a trainer, administrator and selector of players. In 1882, Edward Cephas John Stevens and Ollivier initiated the purchase of a parcel of land which became Lancaster Park; this was to overcome the problem of spectators not paying a fee at Hagley Oval. In 1893, he selected the New Zealand team for the match against New South Wales.

Mountaineering

Mueller Hut and the summit of Mount Ollivier

Ollivier was known for his mountaineering exploits. Mount Ollivier is named for him.

Other sports

Ollivier was a noted sports person in rugby and athletics, especially sprinting. He was a successful chess player, was a founding member of the Canterbury Chess Club in 1877, and was dominion champion in 1888/89.

Ollivier was an accountant by profession. His first employment was with D. Macpherson and Co. (which became Matheson's Agency). His next position was with J. T. Ford and Co. He was in partnership with Trevor Grierson before becoming self-employed.

Ollivier was a member of many organisations, and he was often on the committee. He was president of the Old Boys' Association of Christ's College from 1895 until his death. He was deeply involved with the administration of cricket.

Ollivier married Agnes Thomson (born ca 1849), a daughter of the politician William Thomson, on 20 September 1876 at St Mark's Church in Opawa. They had three children:

• Keith Morton Ollivier (2 August 1880 – 12 September 1951)
• Cecil Claude Morton Ollivier (2 July 1878 – 27 July 1935)
• Muriel Morton Ollivier (19 April 1883 – ?)

Ollivier was unwell for several months before his death. He went to Castle Hill in the high country for a change of air, but returned even more ill. He died at the early age of 46 on 21 October 1897 at home in the Christchurch suburb of Opawa. He was buried at Woolston Cemetery. It was Frederick Wilding's proposal that resulted in the Canterbury Cricket Association erecting the gravestone for Ollivier; the inscription reads "Erected by the Cricketers of New Zealand". He was buried on a Saturday (23 October), and out of respect to him, all cricket matches in Canterbury got cancelled on that day.

Mount Ollivier near Aoraki / Mount Cook is named after Arthur Ollivier. In 1939, the 1,933 m (6,342 ft) peak was Edmund Hillary's first major climb. After Hillary's death in 2008, there was a proposal to rename the peak Mount Hillary as a memorial, a suggestion opposed by Arthur Ollivier's family.