Grahame Thorne

{{for|the kidnapped and murdered Australian schoolboy|Murder of Graeme Thorne}}

{{Infobox rugby biography

| name = Grahame Thorne

| honorific_suffix =

| image = Grahame Thorne.jpg

| caption =

| birth_name = Grahame Stuart Thorne

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|02|25|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand

| death_place =

| death_date =

| position = Second five-eighth, centre

| height = {{convert|1.78|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|83|kg|lb|abbr=on}}

| repteam1 = New Zealand

| repyears1 = 1967–70

| repcaps1 = 10

| reppoints1 = 3

| province1 = Auckland

| province2 = Northern Transvaal

| province3 = {{Rut|Natal}}

| provinceyears1 = 1968–70, 74

| provinceapps1 = 23

| provincepoints1 =

| school = Auckland Grammar School

| university = University of Auckland

}}

Grahame Stuart Thorne (born 25 February 1946) is a former All Black rugby player, rugby union commentator, Member of Parliament and municipal councillor and TV cooking show host. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand.

Rugby union

A centre, wing, and second five-eighth, Thorne represented Auckland at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1967 to 1970. He played 39 matches for the All Blacks including 10 internationals. In the early 1970s he lived in South Africa and played for Northern Transvaal and {{Rut|Natal}}.{{cite web| url = http://stats.allblacks.com/asp/Profile.asp?ABID=885 |title = Grahame Thorne | last = Knight | first = Lindsay | publisher = New Zealand Rugby Union | accessdate = 28 October 2014}} In 2014, he featured on a list of the top 100 All Blacks.[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11209611 Top 100 All Blacks: Grahame Thorne] on The New Zealand Herald website, dated 2014-04-23, viewed 2014-12-01

While in Auckland, Thorne initially played for the Auckland University Rugby Club and later for the Pakuranga United Club.

Grahame's sons Bruce and David also played rugby union; Bruce played in South Africa for Transvaal and the Junior Springboks,{{cite news|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/syspages/--headline--.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215121757/http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/syspages/--headline--.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 December 2016|title=All Black Grahame Thorne suffers second family tragedy|first=Jeff|last=Hampton|date=24 December 2009|accessdate=23 September 2017|newspaper=Newshub}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/celebrity/grahame-thorne-i-went-through-hell-but-there-is-hope/|title=New Zealand Woman's Weekly|website=Now To Love|accessdate=23 September 2017|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20141119010442/http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/celebrity/grahame-thorne-i-went-through-hell-but-there-is-hope/|archivedate=19 November 2014|url-status=live}} and David played club rugby in Nelson, New Zealand.

Sports broadcasting career

After his playing career, Thorne worked as a sports commentator for Television New Zealand, often appearing alongside Keith Quinn.

Member of Parliament

{{NZ parlbox|term=43rd|start=1990|end=1993|party=New Zealand National Party|electorate=Onehunga}}

Thorne was the National Party Member of Parliament for Onehunga in the 43rd parliament from the 1990 election to 1993.{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/features/00NZPHomeNews201109051/parliament-and-rugby|title=Features (pre 2016)|website=Parliament.nz|accessdate=23 September 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://innz.natlib.govt.nz/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=117682 |title=Index New Zealand Holdings Information |accessdate=2014-11-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20141119010540/http://innz.natlib.govt.nz/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=117682 |archivedate=19 November 2014 |df=dmy-all }}{{cite web |url=http://innz.natlib.govt.nz/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=184829 |title=Index New Zealand Holdings Information |accessdate=2014-11-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20141119010547/http://innz.natlib.govt.nz/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=184829 |archivedate=19 November 2014 |df=dmy-all }} The seat had been held by Labour since the 1938 election.

Local government

After his parliamentary career Thorne held local government roles as an elected councillor of Onehunga Borough Council, Auckland City Council, Auckland Regional Council, Nelson City Council (2004); was an unsuccessful candidate for Christchurch City Council in 2007 then was an unsuccessful candidate for Queenstown Lakes District Council in 2010.Local government career described in Letter to the editor to Otago Daily Times, September 2010. Thorne described his unsuccessful Christchurch candidacy as due to "not thinking clearly at the time" but that he had generally "given [his] best when elected to public office."

Cooking shows

Thorne has had two cooking shows on New Zealand TV; Thorney's Cooking Canterbury and Thorney's Cooking Central, both produced by his son Gareth.

Personal life

Thorne was adopted at birth in an adoption privately arranged by his grandfather. He described learning of his adoption at age 21 as "a devastating experience."Staff, Bryan. "Interview: Grahame Thorne, MP," Metro, June 1991, pp. 130, 132-34Legat, Nicola. "Good Old Boys," Metro, September 1993, p. 70-78, 80 He has married twice, with one son born to his first (South African) wife and four children to his second (New Zealand) wife.

Thorne's family life was beset by tragedy. His son David had a spinal injury and stroke following a hard rugby tackle in a club rugby game in Nelson in 2006, and underwent long recuperation at Burwood Hospital. The care of his son distracted Thorne from his local government duties and he was criticised for refusing to resign.[http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/entertainment/2778321/Thorne-in-his-stride Thorne in his stride] on Stuff.co.nz website, dated 2009-08-23, viewed 2014-12-01

Thorne's son Bruce died when his four wheel drive vehicle overturned near Bloemfontein in South Africa in December 2009. Thorne struggled with grief and alcohol consumption following the accident.

=Encounters with Police=

In 2015 Thorne reappeared in Queenstown District Court to challenge the validity of an infringement notice he received for overtaking vehicles on the left on a single carriageway. He was ordered to pay a fine and court costs.https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queenstown-lakes/ex-all-black-defends-himself-court