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Dux's Prizegiving Speech
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Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Tonight isthe climax of my five years at this school.
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Since my first class here in 200 I , I have learnt a huge amount, played sports,
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and played music. I have had forty different teachers, played SIX different sports and been in five
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bands.
THE TARANAI<IAN The same applies for music and other cultural activities. There are bands for all levels and abilities, and the best way I know to learn an · instrument is in a band. There are chess teams and debating teams, and all kinds of other groups here, that you only
Other opportunities available at this school that I can personally recommend are the Spirit of New Zealand , and the Global Young Leaders Conference. If any of you are offered these opportunities, I guarantee that if you take them up, you will not be disappointed. I know I wasn't.
from Maths.
All rny learning here would not have been possible without all forty of the teachers I have had. Thank you to my teachers this year, Mr Page, Mr Brown, Dr Dre, G.W. Mclellan, Magoo and Huge Muscles. I will also make a special thanks to Mr Hannah for pulling rne through English last year. Thank you Mr French-Wright, Mr Bayly, Mr Rowlands and Mr Heaps, for helping rne with any issues I have had. Thanks to my family for supporting me through my thirteen years at school, and thanks for corning tonight. Thanks also to my second family, the hostel, for bringing me up for the last five years. Thank you to the seventh form, for helping rne to reach this honour, especially Matthew and Jeffrey, for the competition for this award. I admit I was having doubts about whether I would be standing here tonight. To the rest of the school. I urge you to take all opportunities offered to you here. There are tonnes of sports teams in this school, for people of all ages and skill levels. When I had a think earlier, I carne up with twenty different sports this school offers, and I am sure there are more. There is no excuse for not having a go at some sport or another.
Adventure Racing
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The 2005 season saw an increase in the number of boys participating and, through generous sponsorship from Thermatech, every team member was equipped with the best available clothing. The teams often competed with girls from NPGHS. There were three major races in the lead up to Hillary Challenge selection:
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when they had the chance, and would give anything to go
Arrow International Series 6 Hour Race Auckland April 2nd Teams: NPBHS Therrnatech: Alex Opie, Hayden Ballantyne, Kim Rawlinson, Mat Snowden Hillary Rejects 2: Dex Newland, Nick Tipling NPBHS Old Boys: Mr lain McGowan, Reeve Barnett, Shannon Barnett, Peter Boyle
back and do. You can also take opportunities to make this school a better place. GENTLY encourage withdrawal kids to change their ways. Pick up rubbish and keep the school looking tidy. If you have ability in a subject, giving tutoring can not only make you some extra pocket money, but it also helps your own learning. It is said that the best way to learn is to teach someone else, and I have found that this is true . Take the opportunity in the next few weeks to gain good marks in your assessments. Some advice for sixth formers: if you think your sixth form marks aren't going to count for anything if you come back next year, you're wrong. If you apply for halls at university, this is judged from your sixth form marks, along with some scholarships. So put effort in, and do as well as you can. I'd like to extend this to all the students in the hall tonight. Good luck with your exams, if you put the work in, it will pay off. Last year's dux Greg Severinson read a poem at the end of speech. The year before Head BoyTe Hira Cooper sang a song. You will be pleased to know I'm not going to do either ofthese things, but, as it is rny last year in the stage band, I have been dobbed in to play a solo. Thank you. Alex Opie
NPBHS Thermatec won the Secondary School Section. ARC 12 Hour Adventure Race Coromandel April 9th Teams: NPBHS Thermatech: Hayden Ballantyne, Jesse Herbert, Alex Opie, Helen Riley Alex Wilmshurst, Nick Brown, Bomdiggities: Mr lain McGowan, Reeve Barnett There is no schools section in this race and this year we entered teams in the Open Men's and Mixed categories. The race started with a beach launch for a sea kayaking leg in very rough seas. Many teams ended up swimming on this leg but both our teams negotiated the multiple beach landings and launches relatively successfully. This leg was followed by a 'coasteering' section which involved several sea swims and a long mountain bike leg in steady rain. Unfortunately, Nick Brown's bike suffered major gear failure and the Bomdiggities were forced to miss nearly all the checkpoints on this leg and head straight for the next transition. This proved a decisive move as the team was able to negotiate the majority of the trek leg before dark and complete a caving section in good time to finish third in the Open Men's 4 Person Teams section. Meanwhile, Thermatech were struggling through thick bush in the dark with the majority of the field and finally arrived wet and hungry at the finish at I 0:30pm. This event is an enormously rewarding experience and is enjoyed by competitors and support crews alike. Special thanks this year again go to John Wilmshurst and Ken and Sue Ballantyne, whose cheese toasties and duct tape really helped to keep the teams moving.
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Arrow International Series 6 Hour Race Wellington March 19th Teams: Alex Opie, Daniel Fleming, Jesse Herbert, NPBHS I : Fergus Porteous NPGHS 2: Emmah Ussher, Helen Riley, Kerri-anne Torckler, Yana Horn NPBHS 3: Dex Newland, Nick Tipling, Tony Foreman, Erwin Hebler 2 Man: Mr lain McGowan, Tim Lepper NPBHS 3 team won the Secondary School Section.
A lot of these opportunities are not available after you leave school, so grasp them with both hands, because you may never get another chance to do some of these things. Ask any adult, and they will tell you about the things they wish they had done
where I learnt just about everything, apart
how to appreciate other people's qualities.
THE TARANAI<IAN
need to ask to find out about.
I have learnt more than just my classwork in my five years. I have learnt about lemonade from Mr Vercoe, about beer kegs from Mr Leath , battleships from Mr Harland, paper boat races from Mr Gledhill, and wet t -shirt competitions from Dr Ariyaratne. Then there was Fourth Form Maths with Mr Dominikovic,
I have also gained other qualities in rny time here. This year I have been a senior hostel prefect, and this has developed rny leadership qualities. From being in many teams and other groups, I have learnt how to get along with people better, and
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