The Automotive Parts Accessories Association Inc (APAA) recently announced that its guest speaker for the annual luncheon event on July 20 will be New Zealand’s own voice of rugby, Mr Keith Quinn.
Keith Quinn is the only New Zealander to have commentated the All Blacks winning a World Cup. A record that he says he hopes to see erased this year.
Mr Quinn will take lunch guests on a journey which he has titled “A journey through faces and places”. Mr Quinn has promised to share stories and memories from his vast vault of experience. And he does have some. His first rugby commentary was on radio in 1971 and on television in 1973.
Mr Quinn has written 13 books, mostly on the subject of rugby, including the ‘Encyclopedia of world rugby’ which went to three global editions. In 1997, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours he was made a member of New Zealand order of merit (MNZM) for services to sports journalism.
Then in 2005 he was awarded the International Olympic Committee’s sport and media trophy, to recognize a sports journalist for their contribution towards the promotion of sports and the Olympics in their country.
His interests away from work include hobbies such as collecting books about the Beatles (he has collected approximately 500 of them up to 2011) and he also enjoys the music of Frank Sinatra, Etta James, Ray Charles and Mark Knopfler. Mr Quinn also takes an interest in American politics.
Details of the annual APAA luncheon venue and ticket prices are detailed in the advertisement below.