Born at Waikari in North Canterbury, New Zealand, the son of B.L. Blunden, he was educated at Waihi Preparatory School and Christ's College from 1923 to 1926, being in the shooting eight in his last year at College. He graduated MB, ChB Otago, in 1933 gaining a tennis blue and representing the University at Hockey. After resident appointments at home, he came to Britain in 1935 for further training and experience, working in the Emergency Medical Service in London throughout the war. He became FRCS in 1940. In 1946, he returned to New Zealand and was appointed consultant orthopaedic surgeon to the North Canterbury Hospital Board. He was head of the department of orthopaedic surgery at Christchurch Hospital from 1955 until 1974, when he retired, and he was senior limb fitting surgeon to the Christchurch Artificial Limb Centre. He was also orthopaedic surgeon to Burwood Hospital. He was a founder member of the New Zealand Orthopaedic Association in 1950 and its President in 1962-63. He was chairman of the medical staff of the North Canterbury Hospital Board and President of the Canterbury Division of the (then) BMA, in 1963. He attended clinical meetings after retirement until increasing deafness made active participation difficult, after which his youngest daughter, Clare, a theatre sister, kept him informed of new techniques. His leisure pursuits were golf, wood sculpture, photography and gardening. He made a gavel and base that are used at official meetings of the NZOA. He died suddenly on the Christchurch Golf Club's Shirley course, on 29 June 1985, survived by his wife and four daughters.