Farewell from the President of the Old Collegians

Greetings to all Old Collegians. Firstly, I would like to congratulate on behalf of us all the Principal of the Boys’ School Mr Peter Cassie for being appointed as Chairperson of the Independent Schools of New Zealand (ISNZ). It is a fantastic achievement and highlights just how wellrespected he is in his profession, flying the Saint Kentigern flag for our community!

Earlier this year we hosted several events to celebrate 20 years of girls at the College. Since the first intake we celebrated several events of Year 11 girls at the College in 2003, we have seen eighteen cohorts of daughters of Saint Kentigern graduate. On 25 March, we welcomed back our Old Girls to the College Campus to reconnect with each other through the special bond they share in Saint Kentigern. They enjoyed hearing from the current Head Girl Kaia Ashmore on her experiences, touring the campus, looking through old yearbooks, and finishing with tapas and drinks at Bucks Bistro Buckland’s Beach.

We also recently had our annual Old Collegian hockey match against the 1st XI hockey team. It was an evenly fought contest with the Old Collegians coming out victorious 3-2. What made the game even more special this year, was that the two appointed coaches of the 1st XI in 2023 (Josh Child and Kervin Guttenbeil) are Old Collegians and they played against their team in this annual match. The game was played with tremendous spirit and the ended with the Old Collegians giving some good advice to this year’s 1st XI.

On June 29 we held our 64th Annual General Meeting at Saint Kentigern Boys’ School. Our committee has changed somewhat, with the retirement of Shayne Porter and the restructuring of our Executive Committee. Our Treasurer, Laura Porter, has taken an overseas post, and we wish her all the best on her OE adventures. Dan Quigley takes over as Treasurer. Dan has a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance and Economics. He worked at Westpac for four years before spending six years in London working in financial institutions. He then returned to NZ where he works as an investment and commercial broker at Tasman Property Finance. I have moved to Past President, and I would like to welcome Thomas Steel as our new President and Sharnika Leleni as our Vice President.

It is exciting to have change and new ideas being brought to the association. I know you will all welcome them into their new roles.

I would also like to take the opportunity to call on all Old Collegians who graduated in 1998. This year marks 25 years since you finished College and we would like to make this 25th Reunion the biggest yet! The event will be held later in the year (date to be confirmed) on a Friday where we will combine a tour of the College campus and barbeque with an evening of food and beverages at The Kingslander bar and restaurant. We had over 50 past students attend the events last year and we want to exceed that mark by quite some margin. Please register your interest and contact details with our association (emailed to skoca@saintkentigern.com) so we may communicate final dates and event details.

After so many years of restrictions, it is great to have events like these back in the SKOCA calendar. Other events to look forward to in 2023 include:

• Recent Old Collegian evenings in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin

• Wirihana Cricket Cup between Saint Kentigern Boys’ School Old Boys and current 1st XI

• 25th Anniversary Dinner for Class of 1998 for Saint Kentigern College

• Annual Saint Kentigern College Old Collegian Golf Day at Remuera Golf Course

• Sydney Reunion

Finally, on a personal level, after six years of serving as your President the reins get passed over to some new blood. I wish Thomas, Sharnika and their team all the best. I will still be present as Past President and will very much be involved in our association. It has been a privilege to represent all of you on behalf of the Old Collegians. I have met many of you at different functions and events and have made some very good friendships because of our Saint Kentigern community.

I would like to thank all our committee members for supporting me and for their commitment to making our association grow and improve. My thanks also to Mr Mark Conelly, Dr Kevin Morris, and their teams for their continued support and championing of our association. I would especially like to thank the principals, both present and past, for their work and commitment to SKOCA in integrating our members with their students and campus life.

Our association is an integral part of the Saint Kentigern community. It provides financial support for scholarships and various grants, but more importantly, it provides a connection to the past, and to the start of the Saint Kentigern journey. Where and how we got to today is a direct result of what each and every one of you, and our past alumni, has helped to create. I think that is something to be very proud of. Go well.

Fides Servanda Est.

Mr Hayden Butler SKOCA President