SERIOUSLY ILL

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 454, 23 June 1937, Page 5

SERIOUSLY ILL

FAMOUS ALL BLACK Former Rhodes Scholar Press Association —Copyright. Wellington, June 22. As New Zealand prepares to meet another Springbok invasion, the man who captained the Ail Black side whiqh met South Africa in the first and second Tests in 1921 lies seriously ill at Hanmer. He is G. G. Aitken, New Zealand ■ Rhodes Scholar of 1920, Wellington tnd N»w Zealand, centre three-quar- ! ter, and a member of the famous ' 'flying four" of Scotland, when G. P. i S. MacPherson, lan Smith. A. C. Wal- ; lace and G. G. Aitken made up the I Scottish three-quarter line. ; Aitken was selected as Rhodes I Scholar in 1922, ithe vacancy wijch Ihe was awarded having become I available because the 1920 nominee I had given up his scholarship. He left I New Zealand for Oxford in that year. I after captaining the Victoria Univer i sity College first fifteen, playing in i 1 he Wellington representative team, j captaining flew Zealand Univrt-sity ' against Sydney University in 1920 I and 1921. and leading the All Blacks ■gainst tb| SpringbcAs at Dunedin ) ami at 'Auckland; not play in the third Test at Wellington. He was i also 440yds hurdles champion of the New Zealand University in 1919, and I second that year in the New Zeafend ■ hampionship. . v I At Oxford, where he gained his I blue. Aitken itook a B.A. degree, 'ite 1 ■ ante back to New Zealand in 1925. I However, he returned to England In 1926 and married. During a walking I tour in Germany his wife became ill and died, and last year he returned i to this country with his small soft. ' ARken was in poor health, and 16e ; man who was capped twice for N'ew I Zealand and eight times for Scorfland was forced Ito enter Hanmer j sanatorium because of lung affection.