Colin Scrimgeour
Encyclopedia
Rev. Colin Graham Scrimgeour, known as Uncle Scrim or Scrim (30 January 1903 – 16 January 1987) was a New Zealand
Methodist Minister and Broadcaster.
Born in Wairoa
, Hawkes Bay he entered the Methodist Ministry in 1923 and concentrated on social work
. He was Auckland
Methodist City Missioner for six years. After broadcasting from Radio Station 1ZR run by the firm of Lewis Eady, he established the Friendly Road Broadcasting Station 1ZB in 1933, associated with the Friendly Road church. Aunt Daisy
broadcast on these stations, and they supported the Labour Party
. Shortly before the 1935 election
, on Sunday 24 November an address by Uncle Scrim which was expected to urge listeners to vote Labour was jammed by the Post Office
. The minister in charge of the P&T Department, Adam Hamilton
, was blamed, although he denied responsibility.
Scrim was a close friend of Michael Joseph Savage
and John A. Lee
of the First Labour Government
which came to power in 1935, and was made Controller of the government-run National Commercial Broadcasting Service.
Peter Fraser - an enemy of Scrimgeour - succeeded Savage as Prime Minister after his death in 1940. In the 1943 elections
, Scrimgeour stood against Peter Fraser in Wellington Central
as an Independent
candidate; he did so well that Fraser, hitherto expected to win his seat comfortably, "only sneaked back on a minority vote" (Erik Olssen, John A. Lee
, University of Otago Press, Dunedin, 1977, p. 189).
Scrimgeour was suspended and then sacked in 1943. He moved to Australia
, and worked in radio
and television
there, helping establish the Mercury Theatre
with Peter Finch
. He also worked for a time in (Communist) China
before he retired to New Zealand in 1968.
Colin Scrimgeour was awarded the 1937 Coronation Medal and the Chinese Star of Friendship (NZ Roll of Honour, p. 949).
Mervyn Thompson
wrote a 1976 songplay about the Depression
, Songs to Uncle Scrim.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Methodist Minister and Broadcaster.
Born in Wairoa
Wairoa
Wairoa is a town in New Zealand's North Island. It is the northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Mahia Peninsula...
, Hawkes Bay he entered the Methodist Ministry in 1923 and concentrated on social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
. He was Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
Methodist City Missioner for six years. After broadcasting from Radio Station 1ZR run by the firm of Lewis Eady, he established the Friendly Road Broadcasting Station 1ZB in 1933, associated with the Friendly Road church. Aunt Daisy
Aunt Daisy
Maud Ruby Basham MBE , usually known as Daisy Basham or professionally as Aunt Daisy, was a well-known New Zealand radio broadcaster from 1930 to 1963. She was born in London, England, and her family emigrated to New Plymouth in 1891...
broadcast on these stations, and they supported the Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
. Shortly before the 1935 election
New Zealand general election, 1935
The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 25th term. It resulted in the Labour Party's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage becoming the first Labour Prime Minister...
, on Sunday 24 November an address by Uncle Scrim which was expected to urge listeners to vote Labour was jammed by the Post Office
New Zealand Post Office
The New Zealand Post Office was a New Zealand government department.As a Government Department, the New Zealand Post Office or N.Z.P.O., previously the Post and Telegraph Department or P & T, had as the political head the Postmaster General who was a member of Cabinet, and, when it was a separate...
. The minister in charge of the P&T Department, Adam Hamilton
Adam Hamilton
Adam Hamilton was a New Zealand politician. He was the first leader of the National Party during its early years in Opposition.-Early life:...
, was blamed, although he denied responsibility.
Scrim was a close friend of Michael Joseph Savage
Michael Joseph Savage
Michael Joseph Savage was the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand.- Early life :Born in Tatong, Victoria, Australia, Savage first became involved in politics while working in that state. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1907. There he worked in a variety of jobs, as a miner, flax-cutter and...
and John A. Lee
John A. Lee
John Alfred Alexander Lee DCM was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialists in New Zealand's political history.-Early life:...
of the First Labour Government
First Labour Government of New Zealand
The First Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1935 to 1949. It set the tone of New Zealand's economic and welfare policies until the 1980s, establishing a welfare state, a system of Keynesian economic management, and high levels of state intervention...
which came to power in 1935, and was made Controller of the government-run National Commercial Broadcasting Service.
Peter Fraser - an enemy of Scrimgeour - succeeded Savage as Prime Minister after his death in 1940. In the 1943 elections
New Zealand general election, 1943
The 1943 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 27th term. With the onset of World War II, elections were initially postponed, but it was eventually decided to hold a general election in September 1943, around two years after it...
, Scrimgeour stood against Peter Fraser in Wellington Central
Wellington Central
rightWellington Central is a suburb of New Zealand's capital, Wellington, consisting of the flat, mostly reclaimed land, west of Lambton Harbour and the part of The Terrace immediately above it. It is bounded on the north by the suburb Pipitea and extends as far south as Civic Square...
as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidate; he did so well that Fraser, hitherto expected to win his seat comfortably, "only sneaked back on a minority vote" (Erik Olssen, John A. Lee
John A. Lee
John Alfred Alexander Lee DCM was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialists in New Zealand's political history.-Early life:...
, University of Otago Press, Dunedin, 1977, p. 189).
Scrimgeour was suspended and then sacked in 1943. He moved to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and worked in radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
there, helping establish the Mercury Theatre
Mercury Theatre (Australia)
The Mercury Theatre was an Australian theatre company that was co-founded by Peter Finch and existed from 1946-1954. It was named after the famous Orson Welles theatre company of the same name....
with Peter Finch
Peter Finch
Peter Finch was a British-born Australian actor. He is best remembered for his role as "crazed" television anchorman Howard Beale in the film Network, which earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Actor, his fifth Best Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and a...
. He also worked for a time in (Communist) China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
before he retired to New Zealand in 1968.
Colin Scrimgeour was awarded the 1937 Coronation Medal and the Chinese Star of Friendship (NZ Roll of Honour, p. 949).
Mervyn Thompson
Mervyn Thompson
Mervyn Garfield Thompson was a prominent New Zealand playwright and theatre director. He was one of the founders of Court Theatre in Christchurch, an artistic director of Downstage Theatre in Wellington and Writer in Residence at the University of Canterbury. His theatrical writing championed the...
wrote a 1976 songplay about the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Songs to Uncle Scrim.