Born in Dublin, Ireland, on 30 May 1914, Sharpley was the son of Frederick James Sharpley and Sarah Jane Barry.[1][2] The family emigrated to New Zealand in 1924,[3] and settled in Hastings.[2] Sharpley married Winifred Sheila Mary von Dadelszen, great-niece of Edward John von Dadelszen, at Havelock North on 30 December 1940.[4] He married his second wife, Una May Addis, in 1950, and they had two children.
Athletics
In all, Sharpley won nine New Zealand national athletics titles: the 120 yards hurdles and 220 yards hurdles in 1934, 1936, 1939, and 1940; and the 100 yards sprint in 1930.[5] He held the national records for the 120 yards hurdles and 220 yards hurdles, with times of 14.8 seconds and 24.4 seconds, respectively.[6]
At the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, Sharpley finished sixth in the final of the men's 120 yards hurdles.[7] In the men's 100 yards sprint, he finished second in his heat and then last in his semi-final, and did not progress further.[8]
During World War II, Sharpley served with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Anti-Tank Companies (4th reinforcements) in August 1940.[12] At an army sports meeting in Cairo in July 1941, he won the 100 yards sprint and 220 yards hurdles events.[13] Promoted to the rank of lieutenant, he was reported missing in August 1942,[14] and was held as a prisoner of war in Germany.[15] At the end of April 1945 he was reported to have returned to Britain, and held the rank of captain.[16]
Sharpley became a schoolteacher,[18] and he wrote and illustrated publications for Department of Education, including Running, jumping and throwing (1950), and Athletics: a guide book for teachers, coaches and players, which was first published in 1960, and reissued in 1973 and 1978.[19]
In retirement, Sharpley worked with his wife, Una, a noted studio potter, and also developed a home-made pug mill for mixing clay for pottery.[20]
Sharpley died on 6 September 1987, and his ashes were buried at Papakura Cemetery.[1][21][22]
Honorific eponym
Sharpley Place, in the Hamilton suburb of Chartwell, is named in Sharpley's honour.[23]