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KNZM, MBE, FRCS, FRCSE, LLD(Hon)
Peter Tapsell was born on 21 January 1930 to a farming family who scraped a living from a small Maketu farm in the Bay of Plenty.
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His father an honourable, hard-working Maori, his mother an ex-school teacher, a non-Maori. His secondary education was in Rotorua, where he lived for 5 years with family friends.
It was never Peter's way to accept only what seemed possible in life but rather to aim for the apparently impossible dream. For him that was to become a Doctor.
It was fortunate that his rugby skills (First XV and Bay of Plenty rep, while still a school boy) and his people skills (Senior Prefect and Regimental Sergeant Major) were noted by the teaching staff of Rotorua Boys' High School. At that time the school's 6th form subjects did not include University Entrance level in physics or chemistry.
Both were offered to Peter, as a single student, by the co-operation of the school's teachers. This gave him the background to study for the Medical Intermediate exams at Otago University, which he passed and gained entry to the medical school at his first attempt.
Peter was a good student, but not an outstanding one. He was, however, an outstanding rugby player and once he had passed the 3rd-year 1st Professional exams he returned to the game with the same ability and enthusiasm he had demonstrated as a high school student. His immediate placement in the University A side was rapidly followed by his selection in the Otago team...