Educated between Wanganui, Hastings, Wellington and, eventually New Plymouth (Durie Hill School in Wanganui, Parkvale and Central Schools in Hastings, Clyde and Quay Terrace Schools in Wellington, Fitzroy School and New Plymouth Boys' School)

First job: copyholder with the Auckland Sun, 1930

Also worked for The Hastings Bay Tribune, The New Zealand Observer, The Taranaki Daily News, and The Evening Post.

1941-1943 : served as an officer with the Security Intelligence Bureau in Wellington. Resigns his commission in the Security Intelligence Bureau and leaves for overseas with the Infantry Brigade

Left New Zealand between 1 July 1943 and 31 December 1943 with the Infantry Brigade, rank of Private

Served in Italy and Japan with the 22nd Infantry Battalion. He edited and published army newspapers. Of events in Italy he said" The battle they were going into was not pleasant. They knew it too. They knew many of them would not come back. But they just kept marching. Since then I have always placed a sense of duty very highly." To qualify for overseas duties T.P. McLean had to resign his commission in New Zealand and join as a private. With this lower rank he was able to go to Italy. Eventually he attained the rank of Second Lieutenant

He was sports editor at the New Zealand Herald from 1946 following the Second World War. Played rugby in service matches.

As a sports journalist he accompanied many All Black teams on tour and covered visiting sides to New Zealand from the early 1950s

Regarded as one of the country's most prolific and influential sporting journalists

Knighted in 1996 for his contribution to sporting journalism

Annually there are the Sir Terry McLean National Sports Journalism Awards in New Zealand AWMM