Graham Ellery has been awarded two life memberships in year – one for his sportsmanship in his work, the other for his work for the region’s boxing association.
Graham Ellery, the son of a Geraldine dairy farmer grew up playing rugby and cricket and witnessing boxing tournaments in Temuka, and it was through watching these, which set him on the path to being awarded life membership with the Timaru Boxing Association, he said.
Spending more than 40 years in the meat industry, almost 20 of those as a union representative, and 16 as Smithfield sub-branch president gave him his second life membership.
“I started at the Pareora gut house in 1973, having a few years out of the industry, and returning to Smithfield’s in 1984 in the freezer department where I remained until an enforced retirement in 2021,” he said.
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“The only regret I have on leaving Smithfield is, I never kept a comprehensive dairy. I could have written a very interesting book.”
Ellery took on his role in the meat workers’ union in early 2000 when he was elected as the freezer department delegate, and three years later was elected Smithfield sub-branch president.
He did not seek re-election in 2019.
AIMAN AMERUL MUNER/Stuff
Graham Ellery received a life membership from the New Zealand Meat Workers Unions (NZMWU) in September. He is seen with long-time friends from the union, from left, Stephen Johnston, – Smithfield union secretary, Geoff Direen – Smithfield union president, Graham Ellery, Bill Watt – NZMWU secretary of Canterbury branch, Scott Sunckell – NZMWU organsier and Aaron Spillane – NZMWU organiser.
“I decided to stand as a plant official because of the fact that I believed I had the ability to represent with fairness, members less fortunate to represent themselves,” he said.
“Being raised blue collar and working a lifetime working red collar, I never viewed my upbringing as negative, believing that it gave me diverse abilities around the negotiating table.”
Ellery said his time in the industry was not always smooth sailing, but his ideology of always telling the truth has been worth it.
“Having been suspended on more than one occasion and with a long stint suspended pending investigation, I learned that no company can terminate you for telling the truth,” he said.
“I got into many blues, but my nature was to represent my workmates for the right reasons and never to show the white flag.
“I have made many lifelong friends, working and representing good people in an environment which can only be explained as a very hard industry.”
AIMAN AMERUL MUNER/Stuff
Graham Ellery received a life membership from the Timaru Boxing Association.
Ellery’s fight has not always been around the negotiating table, as he also had an interest for the administration side of the boxing fraternity.
“My initial interest was a teenager when I attended boxing tournaments at the Citizens Hall in Temuka in the days when Temuka experienced a golden era in the boxing code,” he said.
Temuka’s golden era of boxing was under the guidance of the “well-regarded coach, the late Ernie Woods”, he said.
“I witnessed out the back of the old Citizens Hall, the emotions and the fear which portrayed the respect for the opposition, the hours of preparation for competition, all for three times two-minute rounds of combat,” he said.
“The fear being, that once you’re on the canvas you’re on your own. Nobody can help you and if you haven’t prepared and listened to your coach’s instructions, both before or during a bout, then coming second was to become inevitable.”
John Bisset/Stuff
Graham Ellery in 2014 as a tournament official for the South Island Golden Gloves.
As life went on, boxing went further out of Ellery’s sights until he rediscovered his boxing interest in the 1990s when he was doing a sports show with Mike Richards on Radio Caroline where he was asked to do ring announcing at local tournaments.
“And of course from there the rest is history,” he said.
After his reignited involvement he made it onto the association committee and “in no time was elected president”, he said.
Ellery said during his involvement there were many highlights with the running of the national championships in Temuka in 1996 and the New Zealand amateur championships held in Timaru in 2002.
“In 1997 our association hosted an Irish boxing team with fought a New Zealand selection team at the Bay Hall, to celebrate the centennial of Bob Fitzsimmon’s winning the world heavyweight title in America,” Ellery said.
AIMAN AMERUL MUNER/Stuff
Graham Ellery with fellow Timaru Boxing Association life member John Ensor.
There is an expectation from the fringes of society that boxing is to be a part of a system for naughty boys, but this is not the case, Ellery said.
“My job description was to address promptly, any club member involved in bullying at school or fighting in a public place,” he said.
“Boxing is for sportsmanship, fighting is for brainless thugs.”
Ellery was awarded a life membership by the Timaru Boxing Association in February and was officially awarded his life membership award for the New Zealand Meat Workers’ Union on September 12.
“I am proud and honoured and privileged to have been awarded these two lives memberships,” Ellery said.
“I am so humbled… deeply humbled, I can’t put it in simpler words than that.”
