Elva Simpson

Elva Simpson

Personal information
Full name	Elva Violet Simpson (née Tait)
Born	(1936-11-06)6 November 1936
Died	30 November 2009(2009-11-30) (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 Representing  New Zealand Netball World Cup 1963 Eastbourne Tournament

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

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

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

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

1. "Cemeteries search: Simpson, Elva Violet (cremation)". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
2. Ninety-fifth annual report. Netball New Zealand. 2019. p. 34. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
3. "In memory of Elva Simpson". Tributes Online. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
4. "Elva Violet Tait". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
5. Meikle, Hayden (29 December 2009). "Golf: Pearce seeking clear fairways after year in rough". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
6. "N.Z. basketball tourney". The Press. Vol. 89, no. 27130. 28 August 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
7. "Basketball: national women's tournament". The Press. Vol. 90, no. 27440. 28 August 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
8. "Island teams". The Press. Vol. 100, no. 29602. 26 August 1961. p. 13. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
9. "South Island too good for North". The Press. Vol. 100, no. 29603. 28 August 1961. p. 15. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
10. "Elva Simpson". Netball New Zealand. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
11. Holden, Daryl (14 July 2003). "Former Fern revives NZ's first cup bid". Southland Times. p. 22.
12. "New era in women's netball". The Times. 2 August 1963. p. 3.
13. "History". Netball New Zealand. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
14. Carroll, Joanne (10 November 2009). "Golden oldies united after 20 years". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
15. "Cemeteries search: Simpson, Gordon Bingham (ashes burial)". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
16. "Results: NZ Masters Games indoor rowing". RowIT. 3 February 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
17. "Cemeteries search: Simpson, Elva Violet (ashes burial)". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 14 October 2021.