Sporting & General Medals, Badges & Awards - Schools

Lot 3357    SESSION 12 (4.30PM WEDNESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER)    Sporting & General Medals, Badges & Awards - Schools (1

Estimate $2,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au

ROBERT DEANS SCHOLAR, struck in bronze (57mm), by W.R.Bock, Wellington, ring suspension either side, inscribed on rim E.E.Crawshaw 1908. Extremely fine and very rare, the first year of the award.

The Deans Scholarship was founded in memory of R.G.Deans, a Senior Monitor of Christchurch Boys' High School and one of the most distinguished leaders in character and athletics. The Scholarship, with which is given a bronze medal and a sum of approximately $2,000, is awarded at the end of his last year to the boy who in the highest degree exhibits the qualities of intellect, athletic ability, leadership and character.

The following courtesy of National Library of New Zealand - Papers Past, from the "Sun", 28 October 1918:

"The death in action, on October 9, is reported of Sergeant-Major E.E.Crawshaw, the well-known Canterbury representative footballer and cricketer. He was 29 years of age and the son of Mr T.B.Crawshaw, of the firm of Aulsebrooks, Ltd. For six years he attended the Christchurch 'Boys' High School, during which period he was prominently associated with all sides of school life. He was senior monitor in 1908, and was the first to win the Deans Memorial Scholarship. For three years he captained the school first fifteen at football and the first eleven at cricket. Whilst still at school he was selected to represent his province at cricket. After leaving school he entered the office of Messrs Godfrey and Tayler and qualified as an accountant. He then was a member of the St Albans Cricket Club, and captained the Old Boys' Rugby first fifteen. He represented his province at football in 1911, 1912 and 1913. Later he removed to Rangiora, where he carried on his profession as an accountant, also acting as secretary to the Northern A. and P. Association, the Sefton Dairy Company, and the Canterbury Dairy Produce Company, and as representative of the Christchurch Press Company. The deceased left New Zealand with the 36th Reinforcement, and while in England participated actively in field sports, acting as captain of the Sling team against Codford. He leaves a widow (a daughter of the late Colonel F.W.Frances, V.D.), and a young child. The flag was flown at half-mast at the Boys' High School to-day as a mark of respect to his memory, whilst at a special parade the "Last Post" was sounded by the School buglers."

53906 Company Sergeant Major Ernest Elgood Crawshaw, 36th Reinforcements, D Company, NZEF, embarked from New Zealand 2 May 1918, Killed in Action, France, 9 October 1918.

The following courtesy Erik Olssen. 'Deans, Robert George', first published in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, vol. 3, 1996. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand:

Robert George Deans was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 19 February 1884, one of nine children of Catherine Edith Park and her husband, John Deans. His paternal grandfather, John Deans, was one of the Deans' brothers who settled in the Canterbury area in 1843; his father owned properties at Riccarton, Homebush and Waimarama. His mother's father, Robert Park, had been chief surveyor for Wellington province.

Robert attended Christchurch Boys' High School from 1897 to 1901. In his last year he was head boy, senior monitor, captain of the First XV and captain of the cadets. After leaving school he worked on the family's Riccarton property and played rugby for the school's old boys' club. In 1903 he first represented Canterbury at rugby. In 1904 and 1905 he played for the South Island, and in the latter year was selected as one of the three-quarters for the New Zealand team to tour Great Britain.

Deans stood six feet tall and weighed 13 stone 4 pounds: a splendid figure of colonial youth. He could run, handle, sidestep and swerve. He was a popular figure among his team-mates, and noted for his generosity towards them; they in turn respected his abstinence from tobacco and alcohol, and his deeply held religious views.

The team - known as the All Blacks - swept triumphant through the British Isles, defeating Scotland, Ireland, and England. Those who had prophesied that ill-disciplined colonials would lose more games than they would win had now to eat their words. Deans had an outstanding tour and scored 16 tries, but his most famous try was disallowed.

In December 1905, before a crowd of 47,000 singing Welshmen, the All Blacks played Wales at Cardiff. By all accounts the Welsh had the better of a fierce game and led 3-0 until the last moments. Then Billy Wallace, picking up the ball on his own side of halfway, 'made a brilliant dodgy run': 'I threw Bob Deans out a long pass which he took perfectly and raced ahead'. As the cover-defence threatened to cut him off at the corner, Deans cut back towards the posts - which would also make the conversion easier - and wrestled his way across the line. The referee, wearing collar and tie and street shoes, was still 30 yards away. The Welsh were there in force and hauled the flying three-quarter back. When the referee arrived he decided not to award the try.

Deans telegraphed his version of the event to the Daily Mail in London, and wrote about it in his occasional column in the Christchurch Press. The English papers endorsed his account; so did a touch judge and several Welsh players. Nobody denied, however, that the Welsh would have been unlucky to lose that day.

Interest in the tour in New Zealand had been intense. Premier Richard Seddon went out of his way to identify himself with its success, and arranged, at public expense, for the team to spend time in America and Canada on the way home. There Deans scored a further four tries.

Deans returned to farming at Homebush after the tour, and continued to play for Canterbury and the All Blacks; he captained Canterbury in 1908. On 30 September 1908 at the age of 24 he died of appendicitis at Homebush. He is commemorated by the Robert Deans Scholarship, awarded annually by his old school to the best all-round boy.