John Langdon was born 1939. As a child in a pram in Auckland's Albert Park, he was advised by a passing drunk that he would be Prime Minister one day.
Captain of the 1st XV when Winston Peters entered Dargaville High School. In 1958 began an life-long association with the Labour Party, starting with Mabel Howard, and he won $5 for winning the University of New Zealand's Short Play Competition with "Hell Here I Come".
In 1959 he performed in a Royal Ballet production of "Swan Lake", as a huntsman. |
In 1960 he wrote and directed the first and last Christchurch Teachers College Revue "Leave It To The Gods." In Paris in the 1960s he published a monthly magazine "New Zealand Overseas" which sold well in Beijing, Addis Ababa and Des Moines.
John Langdon was also the Paris correspondent for "London's Daily Sketch" and was the South Pacific expert for the Observer Foreign News Service.
Back in New Zealand he was the sub editor of "Eve" magazine and edited knitting patterns and wrote horoscopes. |
In 1969 he established New Zealand's first private English language school and became the first chair of the Federation of Independent English Language Schools of New Zealand (FIELSNZ) and the first vice president (Asia/Pacific) of the International Association of Language Centres (IALC).
In the 1970s he was the chair and campaign manager for the Eden Labour Party. In 1999 he kissed Prime Minister Jenny Shipley.
In 1990 John Langdon was awarded a medal by Queen Elizabeth II "in recognition of services to New Zealand". |
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