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Arise, Sir Mad Butcher

LeagueNut

First Grade
Messages
6,980
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10650248&pnum=0

Gidday, it's your old knight, the Mad Butcher.

Peter Leitch - New Zealand rugby league's biggest and loudest fan, the working-class boy from Wellington and, more recently, cancer battler - today becomes one of six knights in the Queen's Birthday honours list.

Sir Peter - aka the Mad Butcher - describes the knighthood as striking a blow for the working class.

"I'm not a guy that sits in a 20-storey building and looks down on them. I genuinely think this is a blow for the ordinary man.

"I accept this award for all the little people who have backed me over the years, be it coming into the shop to buy a bit of meat or helping me at charity functions. It's an award for the people, to be fair."

Sir Peter, 66, is joined by All Black coaching great Fred Allen, film genius and Oscar winner Richard Taylor, businessman David Levene and philanthropist Graeme Douglas as knights. Justice John Williams becomes an Additional Knight Companion.

Dame Temuranga Batley-Jackson - better known as June Jackson - is created a dame companion.

Sir Peter - a larger-than-life character noted for punctuating his speech with "mate" and "to be fair" and letting drop the f-word now and then - left school at 15 having battled dyslexia.

As well as learning a trade by working in a butcher's shop, his early jobs included being a telegram delivery boy and a gravedigger.

"When you're a working-class boy from Newtown, a knighthood is pretty special," he said.

He reckons he has missed "just one or two" Warriors games at Mt Smart Stadium since 1995. At least one of those was during a trip to Croatia two years ago with his wife, Janice, to visit her grandfather's home. The trip of a lifetime just happened to coincide with his beloved team's run to the NRL playoffs.

"My phone was going all the time, mate, with texts from people back home and I was getting a few looks on the bus which were not appreciated.

"I thought we were not going to make the playoffs and of course we made the bloody playoffs ... It eventually made the news in Australia, mate: The Warriors are in the playoffs and the Butcher's not there!"

Sir Peter's passion for league is matched perhaps only by his extensive charity work, and officially he is being knighted for his services to business and philanthropy.

Sir Peter - "one of the most remarkable networkers in the country", in the view of former Prime Minister Helen Clark - has helped to raise millions as an ambassador for Allergy NZ, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Diabetes Auckland and Muscular Degeneration NZ.

His most recent effort, a dinner with master NRL coach Wayne Bennett in Auckland on Friday, raised $113,000 for the charities - the latest in his contributions since he began supplying meat packs and player-of-the-day prizes for the Mangere East Hawks Rugby League Club more than 40 years ago.

"I've always felt it important to give something back to the community, mate - always will."

It was as founder of the Mad Butcher chain, started in Mangere more than 40 years ago, that he made his name.

Sir Peter, who sold the chain in 2007 but has stayed on as brand manager, was upbeat yesterday despite revealing he is undergoing treatment for bladder cancer.

When his biopsy was taken in February he was arranging donations for a 22-year-old woman who had advanced melanoma.

"As the iconic New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary said, hopefully I can knock the bastard off and stay living," he said. "Life is very important, my friend ... I hope to be around for a few years yet."

Despite being Vodafone Warrior No 19 - the number has been permanently retired, in his honour - Sir Peter is also a fervent fan of other codes.

"First and foremost I'm a New Zealander, mate, and I love all sports."
Good stuff. :clap:
 

mean

Juniors
Messages
560
Great ambassador for the game, but I'm tired of monarchism. I've got a day off today because the queen had a birthday in April or was it because some king years ago didn't want his parade to get rained on during his birthday in November during winter?
 

shiznit

Coach
Messages
14,796
Well done Sir Butch!!

he deserves this knighthood for not only his work with RL... but his work with charities...

hes a good man...
 

Micistm

Bench
Messages
4,470
Terrific and deserving news that made my day! Top notch. Finally great to see knighthoods going to people that earnt them rather than bought them ;-)

The sci fi nerd in me was stoked to see Wetas Richard Taylor get the Sir gong as well.
 

playdaball

Bench
Messages
3,525
Great ambassador for the game, but I'm tired of monarchism. I've got a day off today because the queen had a birthday in April or was it because some king years ago didn't want his parade to get rained on during his birthday in November during winter?

Go to work then.
 

ozbash

Referee
Messages
26,922
And,,, news today that Leitchy's bladder cancer has been stopped in its tracks.

which is also great news.
 

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