TP: The Life and Times of Sir Terry Mclean

Published by Harper Collins, Auclkand, 2010. 352 pages.

The never before published story of TP Mclean provides a fascinating insight into an influential sports writer whose commentaries formed the opinions of a generation Sir Terry McLean, New Zealand's best-known journalist and sports writer, packed a lot of living into his ninety years. Author of thirty books, mostly on rugby, his life encompassed some of the most cataclysmic events in New Zealand history, from the Great Depression, the Napier earthquake and the Second World War to one of the most divisive social issues of our time - South Africa, the apartheid debate and the way New Zealand rugby became a political football. A warm and generous man, he was also a stinging and trenchant critic - feared by All Blacks, colleagues and competitors - yet loved by readers, who relied on his analysis to provide insight at a time when rugby and sport loomed large. As with many complex and driven people, McLean's public persona concealed secret chapters in both his family and professional life. A spy who faced death at the hands of Hitler's SS, he had a love-hate relationship with his employers, yet mixed easily with the rich and powerful. His liaisons - one in particular - contain surprises, never before published. More than anything, McLean's biography is that of a reporter and writer of integrity, courage and relentless application, whose words greatly influenced New Zealanders. Jock McLean, TP's son, who has made available family archives and previously unpublished material, has been an invaluable contributor to this, his father's story.