Open/Close Toolbox
Format: Person
Linked To
Map
no geotags or polygons yet
Copyright
This item is provided for research purposes only and must not be reproduced without the permission of Whangārei Libraries or the copyright holder.
Lofty Blomfield
Also known asMeynell Strathmore Blomfield
Walter BrowningBiographyLofty Blomfield spent most of his childhood in Auckland. As a boy he rode racehorses in training until he grew too big. He played senior rugby for Auckland, Nelson, Murchison, and Gisborne, then took up the sport of wrestling. In 1931, he won New Zealand’s first-ever national wrestling championship before becoming a professional. Blomfield wrestled in hundreds of matches in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Canada, and the United States between 1929 and 1949. He used the name Walter Browning in Australia where he won the Australasian Heavyweight Championship. He achieved the British Empire wrestling title in 1940 and was renowned for his favourite hold, the octopus grip, which he invented and used to great effect.
Lofty served in the New Zealand Army during WW2 and rose to the rank of Sergeant Major.
After he retired from professional wrestling in 1949, Lofty moved to Whangarei and managed the Whangarei Hotel. He was a popular and genial host.
He was a member of the Northland Trotting Club Committee, and he owned racehorses. Lofty was a keen deep-sea angler and coached a junior rugby team.
As a parent of a child with special needs, Lofty committed a significant amount of time and energy to the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Society (IHC), and he was a foundation member of the Northland branch. He was the founder and President of the Blomfield Centre which provided accommodation and support for children and his name lives on in this organisation. His fund-raising efforts for IHC included creating an enormous pile of donated pennies at his hotel.
In 1990, he was inducted into New Zealand’s Hall of Fame for wrestling.
Date of BirthJuly 1908Date of Death29 June 1971Place of DeathWhangareiDate of Burial/Cremation1 July 1971Place of Burial/CremationMaunu Cemetery, WhangareiOccupationPublicanWrestler
Walter BrowningBiographyLofty Blomfield spent most of his childhood in Auckland. As a boy he rode racehorses in training until he grew too big. He played senior rugby for Auckland, Nelson, Murchison, and Gisborne, then took up the sport of wrestling. In 1931, he won New Zealand’s first-ever national wrestling championship before becoming a professional. Blomfield wrestled in hundreds of matches in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Canada, and the United States between 1929 and 1949. He used the name Walter Browning in Australia where he won the Australasian Heavyweight Championship. He achieved the British Empire wrestling title in 1940 and was renowned for his favourite hold, the octopus grip, which he invented and used to great effect.Lofty served in the New Zealand Army during WW2 and rose to the rank of Sergeant Major.
After he retired from professional wrestling in 1949, Lofty moved to Whangarei and managed the Whangarei Hotel. He was a popular and genial host.
He was a member of the Northland Trotting Club Committee, and he owned racehorses. Lofty was a keen deep-sea angler and coached a junior rugby team.
As a parent of a child with special needs, Lofty committed a significant amount of time and energy to the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Society (IHC), and he was a foundation member of the Northland branch. He was the founder and President of the Blomfield Centre which provided accommodation and support for children and his name lives on in this organisation. His fund-raising efforts for IHC included creating an enormous pile of donated pennies at his hotel.
In 1990, he was inducted into New Zealand’s Hall of Fame for wrestling.
Date of BirthJuly 1908Date of Death29 June 1971Place of DeathWhangareiDate of Burial/Cremation1 July 1971Place of Burial/CremationMaunu Cemetery, WhangareiOccupationPublicanWrestlerFrom the book Between Two Mountains by Florence Keene.
Whānau
loading google map....
Lofty Blomfield. Northland Room Digital Collections, accessed 04/08/2026, https://wdc.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/5368
