St Paul’s Collegiate School Private Bag 3069 Waikato Mail Centre
Hamilton 3240 New Zealand
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From the Headmaster’s pen
Ahuge amount has changed since I last wrote for this publication back in late 2019. Covid-19 in the middle of March changed life as we then knew it, quite significantly. Who would have thought that our country would move from prosperity to recession so quickly; that jobs such as airline pilots, travel agents, restauranteurs, café workers, hotel managers, and tourist operators would join the ranks of vulnerable workers; that by the middle of the year, a huge portion of the workforce had shifted their business operation from the comfort of their home; that terms such as bubbles, social-distancing, alert levels, face masks, unemployment rates, wage subsidies, community transmission would dominate daily conversations?
The past few months have been an extremely anxious time for us as a country and individuals, as we have endured time away from friends and family members, work from home and alter many of the normal patterns that had become integral parts of our lives. Many in our communities have suffered significant economic consequences and continue to experience real financial hardship as a result of the lockdown. Some have seen the viability of businesses they have proudly built up over many years and decades, disappearing before their eyes, helpless to do anything about it, as their future has been determined by things outside of their control. Our thoughts and prayers go out to these individuals and their families.
But it hasn’t been all bad. Covid-19 has given us time out of our incredibly busy lives to reflect. Time to spend quality moments with our families and loved ones. A time, once again, when we became the primary educators of our children. Many of us have reflected during this time about our priorities. For some the workplace will never be the same and working from home has suddenly become a viable option. For others, lockdown has enabled them to become fitter or to fulfill an outstanding personal goal. We have had to do things differently; not use our car as much, use bikes and walk a lot more, shop differently, catch up on a lot of those jobs around the house, play games and involve ourselves in activities we haven’t done for a long time.
Schools and teachers have also learned a lot. Teachers have had to go through a fasttracked programme of professional development on the use of digital techniques for the delivery of learning. Schools have had reinforced to them the importance of one-on-one contact when it comes to student engagement. Those young people who are self-motivated and well-organised have thrived using DLD, but for so many others; those with learning challenges; those who thrive on the benefits of the collaborative experience of the classroom, they have gradually felt less connected the longer distance learning has gone on.
Impressively, St Paul’s students and staff adapted quickly to firstly distance learning delivery (DLD) and the health and safety precautions put into place upon return to school under alert level 2. DLD proved not to be the panacea for future learning as many missed the social interaction of the normal classroom and school day. When the students returned to face-to-face delivery they were impressively cooperative and supportive of the measures put in place proving once again the adaptability and flexibility of youth when posed with change. Covid-19 hasn’t been without its stresses for the school population, with the challenges of learning and being assessed online, but we can be extremely proud of the way our students and staff responded in a fast, seamless manner to what was put before them.
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COVER PHOTO
When back at school after the Covid-19 lockdown, students were required to wear reusable face masks when in their houses, waiting in the lunch line and when in close proximity of their peers. Mark Hamilton Photography
For so many, 2020 will be remembered not so much for the huge changes it imposed, but for the positive and resilient way, we responded to them.
G W LANDER HEADMASTER
Gold for St Paul’s triathlete
A golden weekend for St Paul’s triathlete Oliver Larcombe saw him crowned the under 19 boys’ champion during the New Zealand Schools National Triathlon Championships in February.
At the completion of the 600 metre swim, Oliver was in the leading group of four; during his 15km bike ride, he worked hard and it paid off as soon the leading pack consisted of just Oliver and one other. At the start of the 4km run, Oliver pulled away from his rival to extend his lead by one minute.
Oliver maintained his lead and finished with a gold, well clear of second and third place getters.
Toby Finlayson, Isaac Reay, Ben Haskell and Nikita Coleman represented St Paul’s in the under 16 age group race, where the race distance was shorter with a 300 metre swim, 10km bike and 3km run. All students performed strongly. Toby finished 11th, Ben 20th while Isaac and Nikita both finished 22nd in their respective races.
Later in the day, Nikita, Toby and Oliver combined with Lucy Farrell from Waikato Diocesan School for Girls, to compete in the under 19 mixed team relay.
Each competitor completed a 200 metre swim, 5km bike and 1km run and tagged the next team-mate. Although tired from their efforts in their individual races, the students used their reserves and were rewarded with a silver medal in this event.
Medals:
• U19 Boys’ Individual Gold Medal: Oliver Larcombe
• U19 Mixed Tag Team Relay Silver Medal: Oliver Larcombe, Toby Finlayson, Nikita Coleman
FREDDY WALKER
Jana Stokes ranks high amongst top scholars in the country
Results from the 2019 New Zealand Scholarship examinations confirmed some impressive results for 11 St Paul’s students. There were a total of 26 scholarships received by these students, with two being outstanding endorsements.
Jana Stokes was the school’s top scholar in 2019, with four scholarships overall, including two outstanding. Jana placed in the top 60 students in the country.
This year Jana is studying a conjoint of Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Business majoring in Strategic Management and minoring in Agribusiness at Waikato University.
A summer of toil reaps rewards
Deputy Headmaster Jeremy Coley said for Jana to achieve two outstanding scholarships is exceptionally rare. Only 0.3% of students who sit the exams receive an outstanding endorsement.
Last year’s dux, Simon Han, gained five scholarships, while the school’s 2019 Proxime Accessit and Deputy Head Boy, Henry Mandeno achieved four scholarships. Aaron Taylor and Lucy Simmonds achieved three scholarships, and 2020 Head Boy David Koshy achieved two as a year 12 student.
As part of the Outstanding Scholar Award, Jana received $5,000 per year for up to three years in tertiary study in New Zealand. All Scholarship Award winners received $2000 per year for up to three years of tertiary study.
FREDDY WALKER
A long season of hard work has seen St Paul’s students and staff receive recognition for their efforts at the recent Hamilton Cricket Awards.
In what would usually have been an awards evening to celebrate the season, Shivam Achary (year 13), Harry Trumm (year 11), Campbell Robb (year 13) and Freddy Walker (staff) received the news of their awards via a Facebook reveal. Covid-19 restrictions were the reason behind the switch in format.
St Paul’s teacher-in-charge of cricket Michael Rameka says gaining individual honours shows hard work paying off.
“There is no doubt each of these players worked hard to receive these awards and can be proud of their success. Credit must also go to the coaches we have here at school for the development of these players,” he says.
Shivam Achary’s wicket-taking ability saw him receive both the Kerry Calnon Trophy for best performance by a senior secondary player (years 11-13), and the Boys’ Best Representative Bowler award.
Harry Trumm’s batting prowess gained him the Boys’ Best Representative Batter award.
While the St Paul’s Development XI team received their trophy for winning the Waikato Secondary Schools Division One competition for term one, Campbell Robb took individual spoils. His 11-wicket haul was the highest across the season.
For the men’s team, current staff member and Collegian Freddy Walker’s (Fitchett 2008-2012) all-round game saw him win the WP Bradburn trophy and the N Puna Trophy for most runs and wickets across the season with tallies of 481 runs and 21 wickets.
FREDDY WALKER
Embracing distance learning and living through the lockdown
Exceptional early planning allowed the school to successfully navigate the 7-week national lockdown – a unique time for all.
The national lockdown in 2020 will be firmly etched in the memories of the school’s 740 students. The experience, including ‘attending’ school through distance learning, will stay with them for life.
As things return to normal, St Paul’s can now reflect on this extraordinary time for both the school and the whole country.
When the Covid-19 pandemic first emerged in New Zealand, senior staff quickly mobilised.
This early preparation paid off with the school crafting and delivering a successful distance learning programme when the country went into lockdown in mid-March and the school was forced to close.
It all began when Covid-19 first arrived in New Zealand. A St Paul’s staff member self-isolated for two weeks when it was discovered family had shared a flight with a person who had one of the first cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.
This gave the first indication of the seriousness of the situation, that a national lockdown was possible, and the school must start to plan.
Headmaster Grant Lander front-footed early pandemic conversations. The main priority was to maintain and continue to deliver a high-quality education for students.
The school was fortunate to learn from the experience of a Headmaster (a contact established through a staff member) at an independent school in Hong Kong, which was already in lockdown.
Much was learned from what he shared in a video conference call, attended by senior staff.
“He gave us some really sage advice and an imprint to help us with the realities of the distance learning,” says St Paul’s Deputy Headmaster in charge of academics, Jeremy Coley.
The main advice was to keep the structure as close as possible to the normal school day and to monitor the wellbeing of staff and students.
And it all went remarkably well, despite the unusual circumstances. “Teachers and students really rose to the challenge keeping the school climate, the culture, and the school community flourishing,” says Jeremy.
Staff and students showed a willingness to embrace the distance learning while managing their personal circumstances.
“It gave them a sense of normality, a sense of calm, order and routine which was crucial at the time.”
Director of Digital Learning, Simon Ward, was charged with mapping out how distance learning would work in practice.
For two weeks before the lockdown, he met individually with all teaching staff to coach them on using software, including the Google Meet video conferencing platform, to deliver lessons from home.
“We really wanted to focus on teachers creating engaging lessons, rather than just lecturing, and we did a lot of personal development with staff around this,” says Simon.
He also checked that staff and students had adequate internet connections and resources. To ensure systems were robust and to allow for fine tuning, the school trialled the home learning in two evening sessions.
Another key decision was to have all teachers and students linked through the simple Google calendar platform for students and staff to map out how each day looked, with hour long lessons, via video conference, with scheduled breaks. This gave structure to the day.
With the right tools and training teachers were able to confidently deliver their learning programme, with an excellent level of engagement. Senior staff dropped into these online lessons to check in how it was all going and to offer support where needed.
While most other schools opted to go into an early holiday, the early preparation meant St Paul’s went straight into distance learning as soon as the lockdown kicked in.
This created a positive momentum from the start, which continued for seven weeks, with a break at Easter.
There were challenges on how to replicate the normal school week on an online format. In place of the daily full school Chapel or assembly, Rev Peter Rickman delivered a 15 minute online ‘Soul Food’ session with prayer, a song, and a theme for the day.
Some of the more hands-on subjects like Physical Education and Drama found ways to overcome challenges and deliver lessons online, with one parent commenting “It was fun watching PE on the deck!”
Prefects found ways to connect to the students by putting together video messages of support and issuing challenges via video.
Weekly staff meetings were held on Google Meet, with up to 120 in attendance.
Simon Ward says when he saw all the smiling faces on a huge grid at the first Google Meet staff meeting, he instinctively knew the distance learning was going well and all the preparation – started very early on – was worth it.
As the students returned to school under alert level 2, there were protocols in place around social distancing. Staggered lunch times were introduced, assemblies live streamed to the Houses, temperature checks done, and reusable fabric face masks had to be worn at times when near to others.
The wider school community also stepped up to meet the challenges of the pandemic. Director of Marketing and Development, Michelle Smith, spent three weeks co-ordinating staff and parent volunteers to make 1900 fabric face masks ready for students and staff to wear.
The school received incredible support and feedback from parents about the way the online learning was delivered, how engaging the lessons were and how grateful they were for keeping their teenagers busy. “Great job St Paul’s teachers. Our son was impressed with how well it went and felt that he had a successful day of learning,” said one. This from another: “We would like to offer our appreciation for everything you and your team have done over the last couple of months. It has been a very unusual and interesting time. The distance learning has been fantastic.”
MONICA HOLT
Mary Larsen, Laundry Supervisor, completes sewing 220 fabric masks
Staff and House meetings were conducted via Google Meet
Collegian cricket reunion
Keen Collegian cricketers enjoyed a T20 match and a catch up over a meal at the cricket reunion on 28 February 2020.
Two Collegian cricket teams were joined by a few extra players from St Paul’s Collegiate School third XI to play this year’s first and second XI school cricket teams.
It was a great evening to reconnect and a brilliant result for the first XI Collegian team, proudly beating the school’s first XI with Collegian Aubrey Fish (School 20112015) being the star with the bat.
Although the winning result didn’t go the same way for the Collegian second XI team, they certainly enjoyed playing the school’s second XI team who won their match.
The games were well supported by the St Paul’s community, including parents and Collegians. Thanks to teacher Garth Littlejohn, who coordinated the students, organised the uniforms and even found time to play.
Collegian Petera Hudson (School 19711976) was instrumental in contacting Collegian cricketers and organising their teams.
If you’re a keen cricketer and looking to play for the Collegian team next time, contact collegians@stpauls.school.nz
Loki Cooper (School 2007-2011) Scott Finlayson (School 2009-2013)
Jack Davies (Sargood and Clark 2011-2015)
Collegian 1st XI cricket team
Collegians preparing to play
Collegian 2nd XI cricket team
Callum Donaldson (Hall 1988-1991)
John Robinson (School 1980-1983) Max Johns (Hall 1994-1998)
Jack Davies (Sargood and Clark, 2011-2015) and Scott Finlayson (School 2009-2013)
John Lloyd (Staff 1974-1986) and Collegians Patron, Pat Plant
Petera Hudson (School 1971-1976) and Raymond Bird (Hamilton 1972-1976)
St Paul’s teacher Garth Littlejohn
Retiring teachers leave a lasting legacy
St Paul’s lost a wealth of teaching experience with the retirement in 2019 of Peter Gilbert, Peter Hampton and Craig Morton.
Peter Gilbert
“Disco Pete” taught under six headmasters and had a positive influence on thousands of students in a remarkable 40-years at St Paul’s.
Network recently caught up with the former PE teacher to find out how he’s doing in retirement.
“I’m really enjoying it. We are now living in Cambridge while we develop our retirement home in Whangamata having sold our Tamahere home 24-hours before the lockdown.”
Peter and his wife Gay have been enjoying getting out and about, as well as having the company of extended family during the lockdown.
“We have discovered heaps of walking and biking tracks around us so have been exploring them every day.”
He is looking forward to doing more surfing –a lifelong passion – as well as paddle-boarding, golf and tennis when they move to Whangamata.
Peter was fully involved in all areas of school life – making his mark as a PE head of department, teacher and school manager, as well as in sport, music and pastoral care.
The beautiful thing is you get to see kids out of the classroom, and they get to see you outside the classroom and I just loved that.
A talented guitar player and music lover, he also organised, produced, and ran auditions for the school’s famed Celebration of Music events, originally known as the Musical Extravaganza.
“The beautiful thing is you get to see kids out of the classroom, and they get to see you outside the classroom and I just loved that.”
In the 1990s, he was seconded by the Education Ministry to establish physical education as an academic subject in the national curriculum.
As first XV rugby coach from 1980-1984, a win over Auckland’s King’s College, to lift the school’s status as a rugby playing school, were highlights.
While filling in as a music teacher, he thought learning about the inner workings of the school organ was too boring, so instead, he taught ukulele for the term.
He was the founding Housemaster of Fitchett House in 1999 and held many roles at the school including Assistant Headmaster, a post he held until the end. “I guess the reason I have been here so long is that I have had the opportunity to reinvent myself. All those reinventions along the way have been a lot of fun.”
L Patton, P Gilbert, H Fitchett, A Fitchett, his father J Fitchett
Peter Hampton
While his service may have been short in years, Peter Hampton’s legacy as the driving force behind the school’s acclaimed Agribusiness programme, means his legacy lives on.
“It is the most amazing thing that Grant (Headmaster Grant Lander) and I have ever done in education. It is very exciting that we have now got 100 schools in New Zealand teaching Agribusiness at NCEA Levels 2 and 3.
In 2013, when the school hosted the Young Farmer’s regional finals, a parent commented, ‘why don’t we teach agribusiness as a subject?’
“From there, we decided it would be worth exploring setting up Agribusiness as a New Zealand subject and we were going to drive it from within the sector.” The rest is history.
There are a number of career options in Agribusiness right across the value chain. It is cutting edge, it is real, it is relevant.
He credits a conversation with the late Michael Spaans, former Fonterra director and chair of DairyNZ.
“What he gave me in that one hour would form the basis of what, over the next 5 years, would become the New Zealand curriculum.”
The school surveyed a huge number of parents as well as boards and CEOs and got fantastic support from the agribusiness community.
After countless meetings with politicians, government departments and industry leaders the school “finally succeeded’ in getting a new agribusiness NCEA curriculum in 2015.
It was all funded from the private sector, which made it unusual.
“We pushed the message, that the New Zealand economy needs workers in agribuisness and there are thousands of jobs available in this sector. It is an economic driver.”
Peter, who spent most of his teaching career as a science teacher, is as enthusiastic now about the programme, as he was in the beginning.
“There are a number of career options in Agribusiness right across the value chain. It is cutting edge, it is real, it is relevant.”
Peter and his wife moved to Raglan four years ago where they run an AirBnb. There will be more time for that in retirement, as well as developing his winemaking hobby. He also plans some teaching consultancy work.
Peter receiving the Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Award – Excellence in Leading in 2018 - on behalf of St Paul’s for the school’s agribusiness programme
Peter receiving his ISNZ award for outstanding service in developing a new national agribusiness curriculum
Craig Morton
Many Collegians would have enduring memories of geography field trips with Craig Morton, who also left the school at the end of 2019.
The volcanic landscape at Tongariro offered up the opportunity for quadrant and river studies as part of the geography syllabus. He has counted 20 field trips to the National Park over the years. He always tried to make the trip as fun, rewarding and interesting as possible, especially for those who had ‘stayed loyal to geography right until their final year’.
“The Year 13s used to always write in their course evaluations how much they enjoyed the opportunity to go down there and do some pretty interesting things in the field.”
Like the others, it is technology which he observes as being among the biggest changes he has seen.
There are a huge number of opportunities for students at this school and the key is to embrace those opportunities.
“When I first came to St Paul’s, I think we were still on blackboards, so it was ‘chalk and talk’ and then we had a major progression to the white boards. Things have gone from paper and hard copy to Google Classroom and electronic, which is a massive transformation in education and teaching.”
Craig says the school champions the idea of developing the entire student, “and I think it does that very well.”
“There are a huge number of opportunities for students at this school and the key is to embrace those opportunities.”
The 25 years at St Paul’s have been most enjoyable, Craig says, and he is looking forward to getting ‘off the rollercoaster,’ to enjoy retirement at a slower place.
MONICA HOLT
Lockdown reduces international play
Signing on for six months with Old Glory DC rugby club, based in Washington DC, was a dream come true for Gordon Fullerton (Sargood 2011-2015).
Leaving the farm behind in Te Awamutu and travelling to the United States in December to tackle a professional rugby contract, was part of Gordon’s plan to see the world.
He says the goal was to play rugby, catch up with family in the United States and do some travelling. But Covid-19 put paid to those plans, and Gordon is back on the family farm in Te Awamutu after arriving home in March, just before New Zealand hit Level 4 status. He managed to see through three months of the contract before it was terminated. With just under two weeks’ notice, all the international players flew home.
Heading straight back to the farm, Gordon hit the ground running with an early calving season. Gordon’s parents own Woodcote Holsteins, one of the top producing Holstein Friesian herds in the country.
While he’s happy to be back on the farm, Gordon relished the chance to play for Old Glory DC, a professional rugby union team that is a member of Major League Rugby. The opportunity came after an Old Glory coach and Kiwi put the word out at Gordon’s local Te Awamutu Rugby Club, where Gordon has played a few games.
“It was word of mouth, I suppose,” says Gordon.
Being at a crossroads with his career at the time of the offer meant Gordon was considering his options. With a Diploma in Applied Science and a few years working as part of the genetics team at LIC, Gordon was thinking about his next step. He says he either needed to step up into a more senior role or move on. He chose the latter and took up the opportunity to try professional rugby. Fortunately, having a US passport helped as it was easy for Gordon to relocate.
Whether Gordon has an opportunity to go back to Old Glory DC is unclear as Covid-19 has put the brakes on travel and scuttled many international sporting seasons. But for now, he is more than happy to be back with the cows and having more time to do the thing he loves – farming.
Playing rugby for Old Glory DC in the USA earlier this year
GINNY SEMMENS
Gordon Fullerton has two passions in life; rugby and dairy farming
Kiwi brings German train station back to life
The magnificent restoration of a train station in Germany has been a labour of love for retired Auckland lawyer Peter Macky (School 1966-68).
Peter Macky has a lifelong interest in heritage buildings.
So, when he came across a rundown train station while out cycling with friends in the countryside south of Berlin, he was fascinated.
“There was this building in front of me, and it was just incredible. It was beautifully designed, was decaying with trees growing out of the roof and it was falling into disrepair.
“Clearly it had something to do with the railway, but why was it there? It got my immediate attention and I was fascinated by it.”
The restoration was extremely complex, as it was all heritage, and very fraught.
The building had a ‘for sale’ sign and after some protracted negotiations with the vendor, the Kaiser’s Train Station, or Kaiserbahnhof in Halbe, 50km south of Berlin, was his.
With his Kiwi ‘can-do’ attitude, in a country where he spoke little German, Peter set about getting the right people on the job and renovating the fine 1865 brick building which was once used by the Kaiser and his family as a base for their hunting trips to the surrounding forests.
The ‘do up’ was not without its hitches.
“The restoration was extremely complex, as it was all heritage, and very fraught. But once I found the right people, the right bricklayers, carpenters, painters, decorators, plasterers, landscapers … it was a wonderful process.”
The building was officially opened in August 2019, exactly ten years to the day since he’d first seen it, an opening attended by German dignitaries and New Zealand diplomatic staff, and with over 80 guests who had made the long trip from New Zealand.
Today the building is used as a community resource –for recitals, weddings, performances, and art shows.
“Until the Covid-19 outbreak it was used quite heavily for what it is designed for, receptions. The revenues from those functions help to pay the outgoings.”
Peter says the primary reason he got involved was because of his life-long interest in heritage, architecture and conservation.
“And me and my partner love being in Berlin, and it was a way to say to the German people, ‘thank you for your hospitality’.”
Peter, 67, and his partner Yuri Opeshko run a cycling tour business out of Berlin, Easy Cycling Tours, during the northern summer. They spend the other six months at their home in Herne Bay, Auckland.
The train station renovation is just one aspect of Peter’s CV which is as long, as it is varied. He is a former chairman of the Auckland Warriors Rugby League Club, as well as a long serving chairman of both the Ponsonby Rugby League Club, and Auckland Rugby League.
He is a life member of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, now called Heritage NZ, and former board member of the Auckland Civic Trust which is involved in heritage conservation.
Owning his own publishing company, Peter has authored books including Coolangatta, a Homage – the story of a fine Arts and Crafts house in Remuera Rd, which was demolished.
When in New Zealand he is heavily involved in the Duffy Books for Kids programme, sponsoring 16 schools.
He is a patron of various Arts organisations – the Auckland Writers’ Festival, NZ Ballet Foundation and the Auckland Theatre Company, and lifetime patron of the National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Peter had a 30-year successful career as a lawyer, starting out at Russell McVeigh, specialising in property and company law. He then worked for 15 years at Auckland law firm Johnson Pritchard Fee and Partners, as a solicitor and later partner.
At aged 39, he retired from the law firm to complete a Masters’ degree in law at New York University.
Then came private practice at his own firm in Parnell, Macky Roberton, and another retirement from law at aged 57. Corporation law, leasing and licensing and franchising, were his areas of expertise.
“I loved it, you are independent, you have your own business to run and are providing a service in an area of interest which I enjoyed.”
How he came to Hamilton for schooling in the 1960s is an interesting story. Having three sisters, and a history of family attending boarding schools, his mother interviewed some headmasters, before settling on St Paul’s.
“It was in large part because of Mr Hornsby. My mother had been very impressed with him when they met. It was also because of location. It was closer than Wanganui Collegiate and further than Kings.”
Etched in his memory were some very ‘colourful’ people on the staff.
“There was a Mr Baker who used to start all the races for the athletics. He would come out in a safari outfit and safari hat. Quite hysterical now, like a Monty Python skit. Mr McCullough was a famous music teacher and again he was a marvellous man, a revered man, and one of the icons of the school and its history. There were some wonderful people on the staff.”
Peter says he has had little contact with St Paul’s since leaving, perhaps because he did his final two years closer to home at St Kentigern.
Peter has returned to the school just once, for the funeral of his great uncle John Allen, QC, a Hamilton lawyer, and former St Paul’s board member.
MONICA HOLT
Tristram boatsan icon of the Kiwi summer
The Fink brothers have combined their talents to develop and grow the family business, Tristram Marine.
Kingsley (Hall 2004-2007) and Tristram Fink (Hall 20002004) now run the Hamilton business, founded by their parents Lance and Bronwyn Fink 34 years ago.
The company sells fibreglass pleasure and fishing craft which are a feature of many Kiwi summer holidays.
There are more than 2000 Tristram boats on the water in New Zealand and Australia – proudly designed and built at their Te Rapa base.
“We have a passion for detail as a family and we do practice what we preach in regard to the product we are producing,” says Kingsley, 29, who joined the business as a school leaver.
He, like his father and grandfather before him, started out as a boat builder. Back then, the boats were still being produced with hand-made plugs and moulds, but within two years, Kingsley introduced digital production techniques using CAD design, which radically changed the way things were done.
“Then that led to all of our models being cut out by 5-axis CNC robots using a big block of PET foam. By doing that we are bringing more accuracy into our business, so we are achieving accuracy down to 0.0025 of a millimetre by using robots.”
Tristram Marine has developed 24 different models over 34 years, meeting an increased demand for recreational fishing boats.
We have a passion for detail as a family and we do practice what we preach in regard to the product we are producing.
“We have always targeted the family market as that is how we as a family have enjoyed boating over the years. But there has been a big shift in the industry for fishing and everyone now enjoys this style of boating in New Zealand.”
“Whether you are a newbie or whether you are a pro-angler we can now cater for that market which has been part of the success of the business in the last ten years.”
Kingsley says their owners are typically “hard working Kiwis,” with the biggest market being Auckland and now an increasing demand in the South Island.
Tristram Marine proudly does all retailing direct from its Hamilton headquarters, instead of using a dealer network.
It is really rewarding for the entire family seeing Tristram boats being towed on the road and on the water, mainly where they holiday at Whitianga.
Tristram, 33, worked as an accountant at Deloitte in Hamilton and Auckland, before he too moved into the family business five years ago.
Tristram was born at the time the first boat was built so his parents decided to name the business Tristram Marine.
Tristram project managed a recent expansion of the business and a new service centre with state-of-the-art testing facilities.
“We work really well together, he was my best man three years ago, he’s my best mate and the best business partner I could wish for as we lead the family business,” says Kingsley.
They have a team of 36, many of whom are long-serving employees, and a loyal database of boat owners.
Photos of boat owners enjoying time on the water are proudly displayed in the lunchroom at Tristram Marine’s premises on Udy Place, Te Rapa.
“Our owners want to support a business that understands their purpose. They love knowing that our team are genuine believers in creating quality boats to create quality memories for our owners.”
While Tristram relies on suppliers for windscreens, stainless steel, outboards and trailers they are one of the only boat builders in New Zealand who manufacture all their own upholstery. Tristram Marine produces 60-70 craft in a year.
In 2017, Kingsley completed the CELF (Community and Enterprise Leadership Foundation) course through Waikato University.
“While I was there, I realised that in business and in life you have to focus on purpose. So that was a really big transformation in the business to focus heavily on purpose.”
As part of that process he introduced the slogan ‘create quality memories, create quality Tristrams’.
“And that is why we turn up to Tristram Marine each day.”
Kingsley refuses to use the word ‘staff,’ preferring to go with ‘team members and team leaders.’
It was this transformation and growth of the business that earnt Kingsley the Westpac Waikato Business Awards Emerging Leader Award late last year.
The judges said Kingsley’s understanding of strategy, client engagement and satisfaction, sales channels, marketing and manufacturing showed a level of expertise normally found in an experienced business leader.
The brothers both live in Hamilton’s northern suburbs.
Kingsley is married to Emma and they have two children, Zara, 2 and Harvey, 7 months.
Tristram is married to Tania and they have Harrison, 3, and Parker, 1. The brothers enjoy spending time at a holiday home their family have recently built in Whitianga and of course, out on the water.
A new game fishing boat by Tristram Marine is set to be released this winter, with 14 already presold.
MONICA HOLT
Lance, Tristram, Kingsley & Bronwyn Fink
Careers Expo showcases a range of vocations
Every two years, Collegians and friends of St Paul’s are invited from a variety of sectors to take part in the Careers Expo, sharing their industry knowledge with senior students.
Designed to give students an insight into a wide variety of professions, the Careers Expo is not only a showcase of prospective vocations but also highlights the collective talents of our extended St Paul’s community.
Coordinated by St Paul’s Careers Advisor, Paul Wilson and Academic Executive Trish Ure, the aim is to include a range of Collegians and parents to present their working history and what it took to get them there.
Three different sessions operate throughout an afternoon and students were required to select a speaker from each session, according to their preference.
“It’s a unique way to run a careers expo as our Collegians are involved in providing students with advice but they can also talk about their overall career journey,” says Paul.
A key aspect of the presentations is that many of the speakers have changed careers during their working life and therefore, they can demonstrate to students that a career can evolve over time.
Paul says the expo aims to show that education is one part of the learning process but other skills such as communication, commitment, attitude and passion are the cornerstones of success.
GINNY SEMMENS
Chemical engineer, technical assistant operations, Tatua, James Hunt (Hall 2009-2013)
Farm consultant, Richard Snell (Sargood 1997-2001)
Cyber security expert, David Johnston (Hamilton 1999-2000)
Investment banking, Rob Mandeno (Williams 1984-1988)
Waikato Chiefs Marketing Manager, Matt McIvor (Hall 2000-2004)
Film documentary editor, Warwick Meade (Hall 1990-1994)
Building company director, Richard Hull (Sargood 1987-1991)
Entrepreneur, ECE owner, Ray Everest (Sargood 1999-2000)
Marketing and Communications Manager, Waitomo Group, Greta Shirley (Harington 1992-1993)
St Paul’s Deputy Head Girl, Chloe Davis said she really enjoyed the session with Chiefs Marketing Manager, Matt McIvor.
“One message, in particular, stood out which was not to burn your bridges but rather to maintain connections with people because you never know when you might need them in the future”, she said.
Vet industry expert, Sheree Smith, nee Elliott (Harington 1999-2000) with students
Radio media, Sam Hewat (School 2006-2010) with teachers Mike Groom and Andrew Gibbs
Electrician and business director, Mike Barr (Hall 1988-1991) with teacher Kelvin Hogg
IT Partners Director and WACT Board Chair, Andrew Johnson
Livestock industry director, Ollie Carruthers (Williams 1987-1991)
University science scholar, Emma Walker (Harington 2012-2014)
Chief Operating Officer, Waitomo Group, Simon Parham (Hamilton 1989-1993) with Sargood Housemaster, Guy Johnstone (Sargood 1990-1994)
Zipline adventures director, James Fitzgerald (Sargood 1993-1997)
St Paul’s marketing advisor, Freddy Walker (Fitchett 2008-2012) and school friend, now lawyer Carl Brandt (Hall 2009-2012)
Business owner, stainless welding industry, Boyd Carruthers (Williams 1989-1993)
Digital Content Strategist, Max Johns (Hall 1994-1998)
Waikato Chiefs Marketing Manager, Matt McIvor (Hall 2000-2004) with students
Snippets
Nick Woolfield
Despite the ravages of Covid-19 affecting every corner of the globe, Nick Woolfield (Sargood 1968-1972) and wife, Fay Woolfield continue to make a huge contribution to the health of children born with cerebral palsy in central Asia. Since 2013, Dr Woolfield has worked in the area with some of the most complex neurological problems seen in a paediatric population. Now, with limitations on travel due to Covid-19, the work undertaken by Dr Woolfield has become even more challenging. However, together with Fay, Dr Woolfield has continued with his education programme about the effects of jaundice in babies. He also runs clinics and helps to source medical equipment. Dr Woolfield has also been involved in making phototherapy lamps to supply, due to the dire shortage of essential medical resources.
Cameron Cole (Hall 2001-2005) was recently named as a mountain biking ambassador for Victoria Recreation in Wellington following a professional career in the sport spanning more than 10 years.
The ambassador role involves working as a mentor to develop and improve students’ sporting and academic achievement.
“I guess I am someone they can relate to as a mountain biker doing the same sport as them and also having recently been through Victoria University business school”, he says.
Co-owner of track building company, TrailPro, Cam builds mountain biking tracks and trails in the lower North Island. This has included working with some schools in the region, building pump tracks using the TrailPro design.
Te Aro Moxon
Te Aro Moxon (Hall and School 1998-2002) has been accepted into the Oxford University Master of Science, majoring in Global Health Science and Epidemiology. This is a one-year degree and Te Aro will be living at the Green Templeton College but will be studying in the Nuffield Department of Population health at Oxford University. Te Aro is currently working at Waikato Hospital as the Community Paediatric Fellow, having qualified as a paediatrician. He will relocate to the United Kingdom with his wife in September, if the current limitations on travel allow.
Angus Williams
Angus Williams (Sargood 2001) signed with Scotland’s Watsonians team this year to play in their Super6 franchise.
Marriages
Collegian Richard Bracefield (Sargood 2002-2005) married Julie Ota on Waiheke Island on 5 January 2020. The couple met in Tokyo, where Julie grew up. Julie attended Oxford Brookes University in London, is half Swiss/Japanese and speaks three languages. Richard says he is still working on his second language! He currently works as an in-house legal counsel for the Kirin Group, a major food and beverages brand owner headquartered in Japan.
Cam’s ultimate goal is to make an impact on the national mountain bike trail network. He sees the TrailPro business as a way in which he can contribute to this dream.
“In my pursuit of excellence I am always looking for ways to build the best trails in order to enhance the end user’s experience. This is what pulls people into the sport and sets it apart from other sports. It’s like being on a flowing roller coaster that you are in control of and this is the main driving force behind that”, says Cam.
Racing BMX as a child led to Cam’s passion for mountain biking. The first thing he did when he arrived at St Paul’s was to sign up to the mountain biking team with coach, Mr Phillip Graveson.
Cam says Mr Graveson was also his graphics teacher and he credits the design skills he learnt while at school contributing towards his ability to create effective track designs.
“Planning is so critical to the project’s success”.
Cam is proud of the work he is doing to help others.
“Both mountain biking and education have had a large impact on who I am now as a professional in my field and as a person, so it’s awesome for me to be able to spend time with younger people who have similar interests to me. Maybe I can inspire them to be influenced by education and mountain biking in a similar way”.
Photos courtesy of Cameron Mackenzie
Cameron Cole
Andrew Bryant and Dr Mike Gill
Foundation student Andrew Bryant (School and Hall 1959-1965) hosted special guest Dr Mike Gill at St Paul’s in October, 2019. Dr Gill addressed the school assembly and spoke of his many mountaineering expeditions where he often climbed alongside his close friend, Sir Edmund Hillary. Dr Gill was joined by a number of friends of St Paul’s including Collegians Patrons Pat and Diana Plant, former chief executive of DV Bryant Trust, Lindsay Cumberpatch, and Archbishop Sir David Moxon.
Holly Ho Collegian Holly Ho (Harington and Fitchett 20112014) graduated in December, 2019 from Griffith University, in South East Queensland Australia with a Masters of Dentistry. Holly was honoured to be awarded the following at the conclusion of her degree; the Australian and New Zealand society of paediatric dentistry award for highest mark in paediatric dentistry over the course of the degree, the Australian society of orthodontists Queensland branch prize award for highest mark in orthodontics over the course of the degree and the Head of School Commendation for Academic Excellence.
Condolences
We like to keep in touch and encourage you to keep us up-to-date with any change to your email or postal address. Please send any updates to collegians@stpauls.school.nz
Our thoughts are with the families of our St Paul’s community who have lost a loved one recently.
Please contact us if you hear of the death of a Collegian, or if you have family members who are unwell (so our Reverend can offer prayers). Email collegians@stpauls. school.nz or phone +64 7 957 8805.
Stuart Pedersen (School 1974-1978) was a keen yachtsman who died doing what he loved, in a tragic sailing accident near Cape Brett. Stuart was a keen participant at Collegian events in Tauranga.
Neville Sinton, husband of pioneering Tihoi cook, Shirley Sinton passed away in May, 2020. Many will recall Shirley was one of the three original cooks at Tihoi Venture School and worked there for over 20 years. Shirley was cook alongside Ngaire Albert and Lesley Hawkins from 1979.
Miwa Chapman, daughter of Collegian Paul Chapman (Hall 1977-1981) passed away in February, 2020. Miwa was studying at university and tragically passed in sudden circumstances following a health complication.
Peter Hill, former St Paul’s maths teacher passed away in April, 2020. Mr Hill was Williams Housemaster from 1970-1975, coach of the first XI Cricket team in 1976 and taught maths from 1967-1977.
Hockey and Football pavilion
OPENING EVENT
A festival of hockey and football
FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2020, 4PM-10PM
St Paul’s festival of hockey and football, which was planned to take place before lockdown, will now go ahead on Friday 18 September. The festival involves our Collegians playing in a special hockey and football tournament against the school 1st XI hockey and football teams.
We invite those Collegians, past parents and friends of St Paul’s who have been instrumental in the development of hockey and football at the school to attend this opening.
Please register your interest to attend to collegians@stpauls.school.nz
and
RSVP to collegians@stpauls.school.nz by 11 September Gather on the hockey turf at 4pm | Hockey and Football games commence at 4.30pm
Collegian connections 2020
With Covid-19 scuttling many events and functions, and a total nationwide lockdown, Collegians looked for new ways to connect in 2020.
Many Collegians have been in touch with St Paul’s recently to find old classmates. Having the time to chat over lockdown meant some, like the class of ’83, got together for a collective video call from home.
Other Collegians, like Rod Carr (Williams 1972-1976) and Ross Cooper (School 1965-1969) connected with the school by sending in video messages of support. These were played during virtual online assemblies with students during lockdown.
If you’re looking to find Collegians and friends from your time at St Paul’s, email collegians@stpauls.school.nz
Mastering the art of speaking
Learning to present like a pro was the basis of a two-part student workshop led by Collegian Simon Franks (Clark 1978-1982) in February and March this year.
Simon is an experienced broadcaster, voice-over artist and public speaker. He offered the workshops to St Paul’s year 12 and 13 students to teach them about effective presentation skills.
Head boy, and workshop participant David Koshy said the workshops were good value. He says Simon has a passion for his work and made it easy for the group to listen to his ideas, giving them new ideas for presenting.
Simon believes giving students the opportunity to master the art of public speaking will help give them a head start in the business world.
“The ability to convey your message to a group succinctly, to engage an audience for the duration and to break the mould by presenting slides in the context of ‘modern business’ will give you an edge no matter what vocation you choose,” he said.
Simon took a break from the first workshop to address a Headmaster’s assembly, where he talked to the full school about his time at St Paul’s and his pathway since leaving school. With over 35 years’ experience in the broadcasting sector, and a willingness to share his knowledge with the school community, it was a privilege to host Simon earlier this year.
Collegians from the class of ’83 held a lockdown style reunion on Zoom recently. From L-R (top to bottom): Zahi Khouri, Glen Davies, Thomas Laurent, Stuart Almao, Craig Thorrold, Steve Morris, Mike Robb, Graham Harsant, Howard Norton, Stuart Sharman, Gerry van der Waal
A summer of swimming success
St Paul’s swimmers have been setting the waters ablaze in competitions and breaking records.
Earlier this year sibling duo Ben and Laura Littlejohn competed as part of the Waikato Regional Development team in the Queensland State Championships.
Ben’s standout performance came in the 17 years’ butterfly, winning the gold medal. He also achieved three personal bests in the 50m and 100m freestyle and the 100m backstroke.
Swimming in an exceptionally strong age group, Laura achieved bronze in the 15 years’ 50m freestyle, setting a new Waikato age group and Open Women’s record time. She also made finals in the 100m freestyle, 100m fly and 200m freestyle, setting two further Waikato age group records.
In January, four St Paul’s students competed in the New Zealand Open Water Championships held on Lake Taupo. Swimmers competed in the New Zealand Championship 2.5km and 5km or the Epic Series 1km, 2.5km and 5km swims. Boston Tordoff and Samuel Peoples achieved top 10 placings in their age categories of the NZ Championship events.
Ben Haskell finished 24th in both the NZ 2.5km and 5km championship events (15-17 years). Charlize Tordoff competed as part of the non-championship Epic Series of races, finishing first, second and third in the 15-19 years age group across the distances.
FREDDY WALKER
Young piper’s podium performance
Seumas Eade (Year 10) competed online in the World Piping and Drumming Championships during the Covid-19 lockdown. His expectation was to gain experience; however he achieved much more by being awarded an astounding third overall.
The competition was held on 1 May, where competitors had to video their entries and send them to a world-class judging panel. Seumas spent half an hour everyday practising to prepare his pieces to perfection.
“I got into piping because of my parents. They are both in the Hamilton Caledonian Society pipe band. My dad is the leader of the development band and mum is the leader of the #1 band,” he says.
The competition was made a family affair when his father placed first overall, and Seumas has the natural ambition to follow in his parents’ footsteps. Seumas shows no signs of slowing down, with goals to reach the highest standard possible, though he is starting with small steps.
“My first goal is to get to the top of C grade,” he says.
St Paul’s Director of Music, Mr Timothy Carpenter, says Seumas’ result is exciting for the future of pipes at the school.
FREDDY WALKER
Cambodia creates lifelong memories
Students and staff from St Paul’s made their way to Cambodia in December 2019, to assist the ongoing service delivered to children in the slums by the charity, Flame Cambodia.
Flame is an organisation delivering education to the children in the slums, giving them hope of a brighter future. This was the fourth-year St Paul’s has made this trip.
When they arrived in Phnom Penh, the group of 24 senior students and four staff, had their first exposure into the classrooms at the Sen Sok Education Centre. Here they were involved in teaching young children maths, English, computing, dancing and music.
The group, led by Reverend Peter Rickman said they met so many children and young people who were incredibly happy, despite their extreme and desperate poverty, living in shacks and makeshift shelters.
“The joy of these children and the young people we interacted with and grew to know and love, was centred in the value placed on the education they were receiving,” says Revd Rickman.
The group were able to meet Sok Sou, the man who transports the St Paul’s sponsored mobile library, the book tuk tuk around the area. Sok Sou drives into poorer areas of Phnom Penh with the St Paul’s book tuk tuk, teaching children who can’t get to a Flame education centre.
Kaley Caulfield, year 13, reflected on her time in the slum classrooms in Cambodia as being most remarkable.
“For us as students to be able to give them hope and show them there is a way out of the poverty and there are people who care about them, was one of the most significant experiences of the trip. Cambodians truly are the most resilient and loving people you may ever meet,” says Kaley.
FREDDY WALKER
A marathon effort for charity
Students take out Waikato Speech Competition
After weeks in Covid-19 lockdown, stronger bonds were formed as members of St Paul’s boarding community spent their first weekend together running, chanting and pushing trailers as each house competed against each other to raise money for the charity Flame Cambodia.
Sarah Wikaira, Gretel Muir, Diya Kurien, David Koshy and Ethan Bidois competed in this year’s Waikato regional race relations speech competition and three of them took out the top three positions. Sarah Wikaira won the competition, while Gretel Muir placed second and Diya Kurien placed third.
The goal of this year’s event was to raise $16,000 to keep the book tuk tuk in operation in Cambodia through Flame. The book tuk tuk drives into the slums of Phnom Penh to deliver education to children who would other-wise never receive any.
Through the school’s partnership with Flame, St Paul’s students and staff travel to Phnom Penh each year to service the community alongside Flame upon the completion of the school year.
While speeches are traditionally delivered in front of a live audience, this year’s competition had competitors presenting via Zoom due to NZ’s Covid-19 lockdown. The different format presented new challenges for the speakers, but still ran smoothly thanks to extra preparation time for speakers.
“It was very difficult not seeing a live audience. I am used to reacting from audience feedback but delivering my speech online felt like I was talking to myself. We were able to have lots of runthroughs to practice that we wouldn’t usually get, so this made it easier,” says Sarah.
Open to years 11-13 students, the top speaker from each regional competition went through to the national semi-finals vying for a place in the national final. Speeches must be between 8-10 minutes long and are scored according to the toastmaster’s marking criteria.
“Each of the students’ speeches was unique and compelling. I have no doubt we will see some of them as future leaders or initiators on a national platform in some capacity in the future,” says Mrs Lewis, teacher in charge.
Sarah competed at the national semi-finals in May and while she didn’t place, she says the experience is one she will remember fondly.
FREDDY WALKER
The annual St Paul’s Charity Relay was held on school grounds during the day of 23 May for the first time this year, which is historically held late afternoon and into the evening. Boarding students and staff dug deep to keep the relay going.
St Paul’s Reverend Peter Rickman was delighted with the sense of community.
“Weary bodies just kept going with all of the camaraderie. It was great to see people come together for Flame Cambodia and the book tuk tuk,” he says.
Mrs Lilley was awarded best staff runner as she ran the furthest with 42km, and the best student award was given to Riley Wills (Year 11, Sargood) for his overall efforts throughout the day and running a marathon. Eleven students completed a marathon, while over 50 students completed a half-marathon.
Boarders raised more than $17,000 from this event.
FREDDY WALKER
St Paul’s FOUNDATION
School responds to financial fallout from Covid-19
Providing meaningful support for those facing the greatest need is the purpose behind St Paul’s emergency student fund, the largest hardship initiative in the school’s history.
Created in response to the financial impacts of Covid-19, with the fallout now affecting many St Paul’s families, the concept was proposed in March by the Collegians Committee.
“By deciding their 2020 annual subscription fees could be put towards a hardship fund, the Collegians Committee demonstrated their total commitment towards the future wellbeing of our current St Paul’s families,” says Headmaster Grant Lander.
It quickly transpired the School and St Paul’s Foundation were keen to contribute towards the fund and the school community has also rallied around to support the initiative.
“Although the overall criteria for the hardship fund is still being decided, our hope is that we can grow this fund so we are in the best possible position to meet the needs of those affected families,” Grant says.
For further details, or to make a contribution, please contact Andrea; a.harper@stpauls.school.nz
Anticipation builds for Learning Hub
Post-internet library expert Kevin Hennah has a passion for keeping libraries relevant. Earlier this year he brought his wealth of knowledge to St Paul’s when he met with Andrew Constable (Librarian and Boarding Administrator) and Judy Clarke (Assistant Librarian) to discuss the outfit of the new Learning Hub.
Kevin believes libraries should be the community’s shared living room. Drawing on extensive experience in design Kevin provided big-picture planning advice and detailed recommendations on how to make books the colour of the room.
While the ultimate vision for St Paul’s Learning Hub fits with Kevin’s recommendations, due to the current economic climate, the building will be completed in stages. Phase one, to close in the structure, will be completed by late October 2020. This will ensure the structural integrity of the building remains intact before phase two completes this anticipated project.
University graduates
Congratulations to St Paul’s Collegians who have recently had a tertiary qualification conferred. Please note not all tertiary institutions provide us with results; we include what is provided to us.
University of Otago
Eleisha Campbell Bachelor of Science
University of Waikato
Samuel Armstrong Bachelor of Social Sciences
Daniel Austin Bachelor of Management Studies
Ormsby Barrett
Isabel Hulme Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Business Analysis & Graduate Diploma in Marketing
Marc Bradford Bachelor of Social Sciences
Oliver Clausen Bachelor of Environmental Planning
Roxanne Dow Bachelor of Environmental Planning
Claudia Egan
Bachelor of Management Studies
Jeffery Fuller Bachelor of Environmental Planning
Dylan Groom
Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance
Simon Morbey Bachelor of Physiotherapy
Vladimir Ilic Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Software Engineering
Zoe Lapwood Bachelor of Arts
Ashleigh Murray Bachelor of Science (Technology)
Brielle O’Connor Bachelor of Management Studies
Andre Ofsoski Bachelor of Science
Natasha Peiris Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Mechanical Engineering
Daniel Scanlon Graduate Diploma of Teaching in Secondary
Michael Taylor Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies
A complimentary E VENI NG connecting the WOMEN of St Paul’s
OIN GUEST SPEAKER LISA O’NEILL
Straight talking mother of four, Lisa is the queen bee of multitasking.
She believes in less housework, more moisturiser and bigger knickers!
Well-known speaker, author and mentor Lisa is passionate about helping you live a magniÿcent life.
OLLEGIANS, PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF ST PAUL’S
Bring your best gal pal and join us for, BUBBLES AFTER 5
Thursday 12 November 6-8pm, St Paul's Dining room
Complimentary tickets available from stpauls.school.nz/tickets (Tickets are required, numbers limited)
For queries contact Andrea on a.harper@stpauls.school.nz
