2008 WCOBA Lampstand

The

L MPSTAND THE ANNUAL MAGAZINE OF THE WELLINGTON COLLEGE OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION Number 18 • August, 2008

Wellington College Old Boys’ Association PO Box 16073, Wellington, New Zealand Telephone: (04) 802 2537 • Facsimile: (04) 802 2542 Email: oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz • www.wellington-college.school.nz

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WELCOME

Wellington College in colourful glory, taken in 1958 by Keith Fleming (1956-1958)

FIRTH HOUSE REUNION Friday 30 April - Sunday 2 May, 2010 Details on Page 8

Wellington College Old Boys’ Association Stephanie Kane, WCOBA Executive Officer PO Box 16073, Wellington Telephone: (04) 802 2537 Facsimile: (04) 802 2542 Email: oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz Web: www.wellington-college.school.nz

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JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

o

ur WCOBA Facebook group is now 1000 strong.

We are looking to connect as many Old Boys as possible through our Facebook Group. So if you’re on Facebook and not a member of the Old Boys group then you need to be! It only takes a couple of seconds. Just login to Facebook and search for “Wellington College Old Boys”, click on “Join Group” and that’s it – nice and simple.

If you’re already a member of the group, then help us grow by inviting other old boys on your network.

WITH THANKS Special thanks to Paddianne Neely, our Archivist for her extensive efforts in providing material for the Lampstand and to Gil Roper (19591961) who proof-read the Lampstand. Thank you also to staff and Old Boys for sending in news that helps form the Lampstand each year.

100 PAGES! Our biggest ever issue!

OF INTEREST TO OLD BOYS EDITOR’S NOTE

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ingle colour on the inside pages have unfortunately been necessary to keep the costs of the Lampstand as reasonable as possible. The Association relies on Donations and Life Membership subscriptions to continue to produce and mail the Lampstand – please sign up and contribute your share if you are not already a Life Member.

• BACK COPIES: If you would like past issues of the Lampstand, please contact the WCOBA Executive Officer to order a copies. Alternatively, you can download Lampstands from 2002 to 2007 by going to: www.wellington-college.school.nz and entering the Communities/Old Boys Section and click on the year. You will need Adobe Acrobat and the link for this free download is also included.

• LOST OLD BOYS It has become quite apparent that there are a number of our former students for whom we no longer have contact details. They’re our Lost Boys!

People are constantly on the move and often forget to tell us that their contact details have changed. We receive on average, around 500 returned Lampstands per year - that adds up to quite a bit of wasted money and 500 disappointed Old Boys.

Please help us to keep our database up-to-date so that you can receive the Lampstand plus news of upcoming WCOBA and College events, especially the reunions for Old Boys taking place in 2009.

If you are still in contact with former Wellington College friends and family but discover they are not receiving the Lampstand, it is because we no longer have their address details. If they would like to receive the Lampstand and be updated on forthcoming events and reunions, please ask them to contact us at oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz or write or telephone the WCOBA office to update their details.

Email us to win a case of fine wine

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n these strongly internet-based times it appears only a small percentage (1800) of Wellington College Old Boys have provided us with their email address.

As a first step, we are asking Old Boys to provide us with your email address and thus act on the chance to win a case of fine wine and increase our ability to communicate with you both promptly and economically.

With increasing competition for people’s attention and time, targeted communications is king. Along with all similar member-based organisations, WCOBA has a challenging task reaching out to ensure that members

are kept efficiently and fully informed on the programme of activities and WCOBA news.

Over recent years, the mantra for the WCOBA has been ‘reconnection’ - of members with one another and with the College itself. Behind this philosophy there has also been a growing appreciation of the many different constituencies that make up our membership. We have 30,000 Old Boys on our database, with a third now deceased, a third for whom we have no contact details and the final third for whom we do. Our membership ranges from teenagers to those in their 90s and events must cater for different needs and expectations.

The growing range of activities puts an increasing demand on the Association’s ability to communicate. As one step in this process, our goal is to increase significantly the number of email addresses of members.

While this approach does not signal the end of posted communication with members, it will enable us to make greater use of both email and the new College website, which is currently being updated to form a vital link in our communications.

Take 30 seconds NOW to send WCOBA an email and be in the draw to WIN a case of wine ... and you don’t even need to leave your desk

We’re chasing new email addresses.

Please send us yours today.

AND if you’ve got some news for the Lampstand pages; ...we’d like to hear that too!

WCOBA PO Box 16073 Wellington oldboys@wellingtoncollege.school.nz THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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WCOBA PRESIDENT’S 2007-08 REPORT

Greetings from the President

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have pleasure in presenting the Annual Report of the Wellington College Old Boys’ Association for the 2007-08 year.

• LAMPSTAND PUBLICATION At a record size of 60 pages, 10,000 copies of the Association’s magazine were issued in September, 2007 to Old Boys in New Zealand and overseas. It continues to be of the highest quality and the wide range of its contents covering current and historical events of Old Boys and of the College, together with photos, are always very well received.

Many Old Boys respond by providing further material and updated personal details for each year’s publication and database.

Stephanie Kane, the Association’s Executive Officer does a superb job as Editor of the Lampstand.

• WELLINGTON COLLEGE ACHIEVEMENTS As in recent years, Wellington College has once again performed with great distinction in the NZ Scholarship Awards. In 2007, our students gained 84 Scholarships, 15 of which were at the Outstanding level. This places Wellington College in the very top echelon of schools in New Zealand and is just reward for the dedication and effort of Headmaster Roger Moses, his staff and students.

Sporting and cultural achievements continue to be exceptional with 50 Wellington College boys representing New Zealand in their chosen sporting and cultural activities during 2007.

• RULE CHANGES At a Special General Meeting of our Association held on 26 March, 2008, it was resolved that the Association’s Rules be changed concerning tenure of office for the President and Executive Committee Members. Previously, constraints on the period of office had been imposed but are now able to be relaxed, subject to a 75% approval at each Annual General Meeting.

Also changed was the Association’s financial balance date from 30 June to 31 December.

This means that our most recent financial statements will be for the 18 months ended 31 December 2007. We will then revert to 12-month periods thereafter.

The reason for the change is to be compliant with the new Charities Act which requires financial statements to be approved at an Annual General Meeting within six months of balance date and it has suited us in the past to hold AGMs in late May each year to coincide with the annual home matches with either St Patrick’s Town or Silverstream.

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• DEVELOPMENT OFFICE As mentioned last year, the purpose of the Development Office is to raise funds on behalf of the College Foundation, with funding to go towards the College’s strategic building plans and a College Endowment Fund.

Priority building projects will be the relocation and refurbishment of the College’s Archives and a new Assembly Hall in the style of our magnificent old Memorial Hall to accommodate the entire school.

The target for the building plans is $10 million and that for the Endowment Fund $5 million.

Income from the Endowment Fund is to provide ongoing financial support to the College for a wide range of teaching, learning, cultural and sporting needs. In addition, an Annual Giving Appeal has also been established.

As also mentioned last year, the Development Office is overseen by a Development Committee which is a sub-committee of the College’s Board of Trustees. Matthew Beattie, a WCOBA Executive Committee Member is the Chairman of this committee.

Development Director Graeme Steven and our Executive Officer Stephanie Kane work together in the Development Office towards achieving its objectives. Stephanie is also the College’s Events and Communications Manager.

Headmaster Roger Moses and Graeme have been hosting numerous lunches and dinners during the past year with small groups of Old Boys, parents and friends of the College and to date have secured just over $900,000 in pledges, $49,000 towards the Annual Giving Appeal, and Bequests valued at $70,000.

Prospects for several very significant pledges in the near future are good.

It is intended that the Development Office becomes self-funding in about a year. In the meantime the Old Boys’ Association and the Foundation are meeting its operating and fundraising costs on an equal basis.

• SPECIAL EVENTS In keeping with our rich history and heritage, it is most appropriate that special events are held to celebrate famous and distinguished Old Boys.

On Founder’s Day, 17 October 2007, in the College Assembly Hall, Wyn Beasley delivered a wonderful address which he had prepared in honour of General Sir Bernard Freyberg entitled Images of Freyberg.

Wyn, an eminent surgeon, historian and author of The Light Accepted – The History of

Wellington College, was also Chairman of the Wellington College Board of Governors for eight years, prior to it becoming the Board of Trustees.

Bob Slade (195 4-1958) Copies of Wyn’s address are available from the WCOBA Office.

On 25 October, 2007 we were treated to an Orchestral Concert in the Brierley Theatre at the College that was the highest standard given by two Old Boy musicians of international class in conjunction with the College’s Orchestra. Miles Golding (Violin) and Chris Beckett (Piano), both returning to the College for their ‘40 Years On Reunion’ held late October 2007, kindly offered to perform in a benefit concert for the College’s Music Department.

On 18 April, 2008 a very moving ANZAC Service was held in College Hall attended a by a good number of older Old Boys and a very fine address was given by Old Boy, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Guiney.

• QUADRANGULAR TOURNAMENT This very historic and traditional rugby tournament was held at the College on 23-25 July 2007 – the weather being outstanding. Wellington College created history, defeating a strong Nelson College team 18-10 in the final to win a record fifth straight Quadrangular Tournament. It is the first time a school has won for five successive years in this 81-year-old competition. The scene was most picturesque with large numbers of Old Boys from all four Colleges attending.

His Excellency, Governor General Anand Satyanand was also present.

Headmaster Roger Moses and his staff are to be congratulated for the smooth running of the tournament and its attendant social functions.

• REUNIONS ‘40 Years On’ Reunions are now well established and the Class of 1967 held theirs with great success last October. ‘50 Years On’ Reunions are also becoming established, the first being the Class of 1957, held to coincide with the 2007 Quadrangular in Wellington, also with great success. Following on, my own Class of 1958 held a wonderful ‘50 Years On’ Reunion in March 2008. There have also been one-off reunions attended by various sports teams and form classes. I wish to give special thanks to Stephanie Kane for her organising talents and hard work concerning all reunions and gatherings.

• OLD BOYS’ FUNCTIONS Our Wellington Function

WCOBA PRESIDENT’S 2007-08 REPORT last November was well attended and Headmaster Roger Moses spoke about current and future activities at the College.

Also held in Wellington on 24 July 2007, was a Quadrangular Tournament Dinner for former 1st XV members, other players and supporters. The dinner which was organised by our Association in conjunction with the College’s Rugby Club was very successful with Andy Dalton being an excellent guest speaker.

room under Firth Hall, suitably refurbished for the purpose. Present indications are that the room will become vacant for refurbishing to start in early 2009. In recent years, Old Boys have been donating to an Archives Building Refurbishment Fund which presently totals just over $18,000. My thanks go to those who have donated to the fund so far. We also give our grateful thanks to our Archivist Paddianne Neely for her continuing loyalty.

During the past year, Roger Moses, Graeme Steven and I have attended our functions in Tauranga, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Havelock North. Roger and Graeme have also attended our functions in Auckland and Christchurch. Everywhere we go we find Old Boys are very proud of Wellington College and enthusiastic about our Association. My personal thanks go to Roger and Graeme for their strong support and to Stephanie Kane for her tireless energy and skill in coordinating our social activities.

ASSISTANCE TO THE COLLEGE In addition to assisting with the operating costs of the Development Office in conjunction with the Foundation, our Association continues to offer financial support to the College with a subsidy towards the Annual Prize Giving, and donations for various other activities. As WCOBA President, I attend College Foundation Trustee meetings by invitation and am in a good position to assist coordination between our Association, the Foundation and the Development Office.

ARCHIVES As mentioned last year, it is intended that our Archives will be permanently located in the

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE I extend my appreciation to the Executive Committee for their strong support during

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the year. Also I could not have performed my role as President without the loyal support of our dedicated and talented Executive Officer, Stephanie Kane.

CONCLUSION I believe we are experiencing important times in the history of Wellington College and our Association gives its full support.

We can all be very proud of our College, our Headmaster Roger Moses and his staff.

Old Boys are always welcome to contact Stephanie to arrange a tour of the College and to attend Assemblies or look at holding a reunion.

Old Boys are reminded that our Association has its own website www.wellingtoncollege.school.nz (Communities/Old Boys) containing current Old Boys’ information and the last six issues of the Lampstand.

Best wishes to you all.

BOB SLADE, PRESIDENT PO Box 13-551, Johnsonville,Wellington T: (04) 477 0027 • E: bob@slade.co.nz

PURPOSE OF THE WCOBA

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The Wellington College Old Boys’ Association was founded to: • Further the interests of Wellington College and its past and present members and to keep former students in touch with each other and with the school.

• Maintain a register of names of all who have passed through the College since 1867 and endeavour to record the addresses of all those alive.

• Arrange reunions and other functions for Old Boys.

• Support current students at the College where needed.

The Lampstand is edited, designed and produced by Stephanie Kane.

These aims are met by the Association undertaking the following tasks: • Production of The Lampstand each year, covering activities of Old Boys and other relevant information.

• Maintenance of a computerised database giving details of all Old Boys of the College including teaching staff. This includes addresses where known. The Executive Officer will release addresses to bona fide Old Boys but will not allow any access for commercial purposes.

• Provision of financial support for College activities including sporting and cultural activities, sponsorship and academic prizes as well as supporting the Archives.

• Organisation or assistance with various reunions or other social functions either at the College, nationwide or internationally for Old Boys which the Association wishes to encourage and extend.

• Administration of charitable funds managed by the Association for current and past students including assistance with fundraising appeals.

he Lampstand is a Registered Newsletter of the Wellington College Old Boys’ Association.

Correspondence can be sent to: Stephanie Kane, WCOBA Executive Officer, PO Box 16073, Wellington.

Please support the Lampstand by joining the WCOBA today. Your support assists in producing and mailing the Lampstand, funding Old Boys’ activities and events, as well as funding College awards, buildings, activities and maintaining the Archives.

Financial support for the Lampstand is also most welcome from Old Boys.

Donations will assist in the printing and mailing of this annual magazine.

Life Membership...............$150.00 (Includes a Certificate of Life Membership) If you have misplaced your Life Membership Certificate and would like another, please contact us and a new one will be mailed to you. Details are on the enclosed feedback form.

The WCOBA is situated at the Wellington College Development Office and is run by the Association’s Executive Officer throughout the year. Communication can be made by telephone, post mail, email or facsimile.

WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU DO?

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ver wondered what your old classmates are up to? Ever thought they may be interested in what you do?

This newsletter belongs to you, Old Boys of Wellington College. We need your help to make these pages more interesting and informative. Write a few lines to fill us in on what you have been doing since leaving school, or what you are about to do, a recent achievement, a momentous event or any other item of interest. We also welcome more in-depth articles. You may also have news on other Old Boys, family, friends and staff associated with the College. We look forward to hearing from you.

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WCOBA EXECUTIVE, STAFF and CONTACTS WCOBA EXECUTIVE • 2008-2009 POSITION

NAME

YEARS

CONTACT

PRESIDENT

Bob Slade

1954-1958

bob@slade.co.nz • Tel: 04 477 0027

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Ross Macdonald

1952-1956

Fax: 04 232 5494

TREASURER

Robin Cathcart

1949-1953

robin.cathcart@xtra.co.nz

SECRETARY

Stephanie Kane

-

s.kane@wellington-college.school.nz

CENTENNIAL TRUST CHAIR

Matthew Beattie

1970-1972

matthew.beattie@insteplimited.com

MEMBERS

Robert Anderson

1969-1973

r.anderson@wellington-college.school.n

Ian de Terte

1975-1980

ian.deterte@paradise.net.nz

Brendan Jarvis

1998-2001

eyelinks@paradise.net.nz

Roger Moses

-

Dallas Paotonu

r.moses@wellington-college.school.nz

1985-1989

Dallas.Paotonu@acc.co.nz

Matthew Reweti-Gould

1986-1990

Matthew.Reweti-Gould@vuw.ac.nz

Guy Randall

1999-2003

guy@ideasshop.co.nz

Ernie Rosenthal

1957-1960

e.rosenthal@wellington-college.school.nz

Scott Tingey

1974-1978

zl2tpd@gmail.com

WCOBA CONTACTS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE GLOBE LOCATION

NAME

YEARS

EMAIL

TELEPHONE

AUCKLAND

Mike Ward

1968-1971

wcobauckland@gmail.com

(09) 416 8113 or (027) 275 0911

WAIKATO

Alain Harper

1956-1960

apralain@wave.co.nz

(07) 848 4091 Fax: (07) 838 0082

BAY OF PLENTY

John Sherring

1942-1946

ejsherring@xtra.co.nz

(07) 576 5354

HAWKES BAY

Merv Ewing

1954-1958

Dave Halliday

1962-1966

dash-hb@slingshot.co.nz

(06) 844 7590

MANAWATU

Robert Bruce

1954-1958

rabruce@inspire.net.nz

(06) 329 7858

HOROWHENUA

Des Patching

1943-1946

thepatchings@xtra.co.nz

(06) 368 7282

NELSON

Brian Hurst

1964-1966

hurstbchallenge.nel@xtra.co.nz

(03) 548 4456

MARLBOROUGH

John Wedde

1961-1965

johnwedde@xtra.co.nz

(027) 484 3729

CANTERBURY

John Veale

1960-1964

john.h.veale@xtra.co.nz

(03) 351 5510

Peter Morrison

1970-1975

morrisonh@xtra.co.nz

(03) 377 7905 or (027) 434 0568

OTAGO

Darryl Tong

1981-1985

darryl.tong@stonebow.otago.ac.nz

(03) 479 6530

AUSTRALIA (NSW)

Ron Jeffs

1955-1958

ronjeffs@bigpond.net.au

(02) 9977 4420

AUSTRALIA (VIC)

Peter Osvath

1966-1970

peter.osvath@csiro.au

(03) 9545 2594 or (+610) 439 343 483 (M)

1971-1974

martin_conway1410@yahoo.co.uk

(0) 20 8392 2566

UNITED KINGDOM Martin Conway

(06) 877 8371

IN ORDER TO ARRANGE MORE EVENTS IN YOUR AREA, WE REQUIRE THE SERVICES OF OLD BOYS TO BE THE FIRST POINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE WCOBA OFFICE AND FOR FELLOW OLD BOYS IN YOUR AREA. IN PARTICULAR WAIRARAPA, QUEENSLAND/EUROPE/ASIA/ CANADA. WE ARE ONLY TOO HAPPY TO ARRANGE AN EVENT FOR FELLOW OLD BOYS IF YOU CAN ASSIST AS THE LOCAL CONTACT. WELLINGTON COLLEGE COMMUNITY

Roger Moses

Headmaster & WCOBA Patron r.moses@wellingtoncollege.school.nz Tel: (04) 802 2520

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Stephanie Kane

WCOBA Executive Officer Wellington College Events & Communications Manager s.kane@wellington-college. school.nz Tel: (04) 802 2537

Paddianne Neely

College Archivist oldboys@wellingtoncollege.school.nz Tel: (04) 802 2520 [W] or (04) 386 2072 [H]

Graeme Steven

Development Director g.steven@wellingtoncollege.school.nz Tel: (04) 802 7698

Margie Turner

Development Officer m.turner@wellingtoncollege.school.nz Tel: (04) 802 7698

WCOBA 2008 AGM

Membership has its privileges

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he 2008 Annual General Meeting, held on 30 May 2008 was well attended by around 45 Old Boys and current Executive Members. On an unusually wet Wednesday, the meeting began with a welcome first by Robert Anderson (Old Boy and current Deputy Headmaster) followed by Headmaster Roger Moses.

President Bob Slade then got the formal proceedings underway with a review of the Association’s events and activities over the past year (which is recorded in his report on page 4 and 5). Matters of business included the changes made to the constitution and the financial reports for the association and trusts.

The election of officers concluded the meeting (the 2008/09 Executive is recorded on page 6). Bob was particularly delighted to welcome five new members to the Executive; Robin Cathcart as Treasurer and Brendan Jarvis, Dallas Paotonu, Guy Randall and Scott Tingey – the latter bringing a younger and most welcome contribution to the Executive Committee.

It was a pleasure to have around ten from the Class of 1965 in attendance – something I believe they are hoping to make as a regular occurrence.

Once the meeting concluded, lunch was served ahead of the Traditional Fixture against St Patrick’s (Town) with a good win to Wellington College both in the Rugby and Football. With the inclement weather outside, it was certainly an Old Boy privilege to sit inside the pavilion and enjoy the refreshments, camaraderie and sport, while the current students tolerated the weather on the Terraces.

For the record, the 1st XV won 20-7 and the 1st XI won 2-0. Next year is the 125th Match against St Patrick’s (Town) at Town. Plans are underway for a celebration dinner with the two teams from the 100th match.

2009 AGM We do advertise the AGM in the Dominion Post a few weeks prior to the meeting, however if you would like an email or written reminder, please contact the WCOBA Office.

The AGM usually takes place in on the last Wednesday in May in conjunction with the Traditional against either St Patrick’s (Town) or (Silverstream).

We expect the 2009 AGM to take place on Wednesday 27 May when we play Silverstream at home.

CONSTITUTION and FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Copies are available either online or by post. Again, please contact the WCOBA Office.

President Bob Slade with Paul Martin (1965)

At the conclusion of the AGM, guests enjoy lunch before the fixtures get underway

(L-R): Brendan Jarvis (Executive Member), Stephanie Kane, Bob Slade (President) and Graeme Steven

Maurice Andrews (left) and Bob Pope (right) concentrate on the two fixtures

Old Boys and current staff members; Gil Roper (left) and Bruce Tie (right)

Class of 65 members in attendance included John Wedde (left) and Pete Rodger (right)

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FORTHCOMING REUNIONS & EVENTS

FIRTH HOUSE REUNION Friday 30 April - Sunday 2 May, 2010 to acknowledge the Closing of Firth House 30 years ago

REUNION DETAILS WILL BE ISSUED IN 2009, HOWEVER THOSE WISHING TO MAKE TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION ARRANGEMENTS MAY WISH TO CONSIDER THOSE OPTIONS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. THE WEEKEND FORMALITIES WILL BEGIN ON THE MORNING OF FRIDAY 30 APRIL, WITH THE TRADITIONAL ASSEMBLY AND EVENTS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TO SUNDAY 2 MAY.

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he foundation stone of the future Firth House was laid on 25 June, 1923 by the Governor General Lord Jellicoe.

On 1 December, 1924 Firth House was officially opened by the ‘dear old boss himself’ JP Firth - with Mrs Firth at his side opening the door and declaring the building open.

By the mid-1970s surface cracks were beginning to appear and boarding numbers were dwindling. The Board of the time sought measures to keep it economically viable and full – even at one stage considering mixed accommodation.

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By 1980 it was recognised that it would be after all, necessary to close the House unless a subsidy on its operations could be obtained. With the government unable to assist financially to cover operating losses and further seismic upgrading of the building, the Board’s intentions to close Firth House were realised. The Firth House era came to its end in 1980, with a reunion to mark its closure in November of that year for past boarders.

Over 1700 boys experienced a significant part of their upbringing at Wellington College. Not all stories and legends from

the House were favourable we might add, but those who boarded became family to each other and will always be members of a renowned establishment.

Scab Alley may have become a thing of the past - but at each 40 and 50 Years On Reunion, the ‘alley’ is always recalled as a place of fear to the ‘Day Boys’. Reunion attendees: both boarders and day boys on the whole, always have something pleasant to say about this 54-year-old memorable establishment.

FORTHCOMING REUNIONS & EVENTS

How to Calculate Your ‘Cohort Leaving Year’ at Wellington College

F

ill in the years you were actually at Wellington College and then the blanks to get your COHORT YEARS (ie the five years from 3rd form to 7th form or Upper Sixth), irrespective of when you may have started or left Wellington College.

The year in which you actually were, or would have been in the 7th Form is your COHORT LEAVING YEAR. This is the Year from which your anniversary of leaving school is calculated, by adding 10, 20, 40 etc years. Your cohort leaving year may not be the actual year you left Wellington College, but captures all those fellow students who you were at school with, irrespective of how many years you were at College, or the years you actually started or left.

Those who stay on for a further year (Year 14) can attend their actual cohort reunion AND the following cohort reunion as well. There are no ‘enforced’ rules but guide should assist you in your calculations.

Example (as shown in table): I joined Wellington College in the 4th form in 1966 and left at the end of the 6th form in 1968.

1.

Fill in 4th Form = 1966, 5th Form = 1967 and and 6th

Form = 1968 2.

Fill in the remaining COHORT YEARS you would have been

at College ie 1969 is your COHORT YEAR. 3rd Form Year 9

4th Form Year 10

5th Form Year 11

6th Form Year 12

7th Form Upper 6th Year 13 This is Your Cohort Year

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

MY COHORT LEAVING YEAR

10 YEARS ON REUNION

20 YEARS ON REUNION

30 YEARS ON REUNION

40 YEARS ON REUNION

50 YEARS ON REUNION

60 YEARS ON REUNION

70 YEARS ON REUNION

1969

1979

1989

1999

2009

2019

2029

2039

40 YEARS ON REUNION CLASS OF 1968

20 YEARS ON REUNION CLASS OF 1989

50 YEARS ON REUNION CLASS OF 1959

60 YEARS PLUS REUNION

Started Before 1948

40 YEARS ON REUNION CLASS OF 1969

OCTOBER 17 - 18, 2008 Registrations taking place NOW

MARCH 13 - 14, 2009 Registration Form to be issued September, 2008

MARCH 27 - 28, 2009 Registration Form to be issued September, 2008

MAY 15-16, 2009 Registration Form to be issued November, 2008

OCTOBER 16 - 17, 2009 Registration Form to be issued early 2009

ARMED SERVICES REUNION COMMEMORATION

16 May, 2009

An Invitation To Former AND Current Serving Members of the Armed Forces.

Are you (or your father, grandfather, brother, uncle, neighbour or friend) an Old Boy of Wellington College and a former or current serving member of the NZ or other armed services?

Did you serve in WWII or other subsequent conflicts or peacekeeping missions? You are invited to attend Wellington College’s Armed Services Reunion Commemoration on Friday, 9 May 2009.

To register your interest and receive more information in the future, please contact Stephanie Kane, Executive Officer, WCOBA Tel: (04) 802 2537 • Fax: (04) 802 2542 • Email: oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz Event Includes: College Tour, Commemorative Assembly and Dinner

WCOBA WELLINGTON DRINKS Friday, 14 November 2008 Firth Hall, Wellington College from 5.00pm over a few drinks Catch up with fellow Old Boys and complimentary food platters. $20.00 per person.

RSVP Essential for catering purposes.

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THE ARCHIVES Paddianne Neely • Archivist • Email: oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz • Tel: [W] (04) 802 2520 or [H] (04) 386 2072

M

“...a goodly heritage, proud traditions, treasured memories”.

eeting up with Old Boys during May and June 2008 was an exciting time for the Neelys. Don and I attended the test match, New Zealand versus England at the home of cricket, Lord's. The weather was freezing but the company and hospitality in the ECB and MCC boxes was outstanding.

True to form, where there is a test match, Sir Ron Brierley (1951-1954) will be there, and he was! Because rain cancelled play on the third day, we watched the final of the FA Cup, Cardiff City versus Portsmouth from the MCC President's box - an unusual experience at a cricket test match.

The curator of the Lord's Cricket Museum, Adam Chadwick, took us on a tour of this great facility and the MCC Members’ Stand.

Ideas for the Wellington College Archives and Museum were uppermost in my mind as we viewed the stunning material and displays.

We travelled each day to Lord's from Windsor Castle where our host WCOB, the Rev Michael Boag, (1974-1977), Succentor and Dean’s Vicar of St. George’s Chapel, made us welcome. We lodged in the tower of King Henry VIII’s Gate, alongside the apartments of the Military Knights of Windsor with a perfect view of the St George’s Chapel. I had visited Windsor Castle in 1956 to watch the Ceremony of the Order of the Garter from the tower garden as a guest of another WCOB, Lord Bernard Freyberg of Wellington and Munstead, in his capacity as deputy constable and the Lieutenant Governor of Windsor Castle.

at their home called New House in Hartham Park, Corsham, Wiltshire. A feature of the house was a beautiful garden created by Elizabeth.

In 1940, 109 children sailed from Liverpool to New Zealand as evacuees from war-torn English cities. David, along with his sister and two younger brothers were aboard the SS Rangitata that sheered off round Iceland when two other ships in the convoy were torpedoed.

Fortunately the children of those ships were saved.

Over the next few years, the Stewart family made a home for the Salkeld children in Wellington.

It transpired that Mr R.P.Stewart (18951897) was a WCOB and had won the Turnbull Scholarship in 1897.

He was at Wellington College when a young master joined the staff straight from university. That master was ‘Tibby” Brodie (1897-1945) and he was still teaching when David Salkeld was a student there.

What is a Stické Barn?

One day, we asked David about a large barn, about 100 metres from his property in the

Played with a tennis racket and a softer tennis ball, the social set at country house estates regarded the game as providing recreation rather than competitive sport. It was a game played by people of average ball skills unlike tennis and could be played in all weathers.

As Michael's guests, we wandered freely. He took us on an extended tour of the Chapel and saw us admitted to the castle to view the magnificent rooms and treasures. We were also fortunate to be taken through the archives.

On another day, Michael drove us to see Frogmore, the Royal Farms and the Royal Household Cricket Club where WCOB, Sir Ron Brierley played cricket, (see the photo in the Old Boys’ Cricket Pavilion, Wellington College). A special honour was to visit Windsor Great Park and see through the Queen’s Chapel, where Michael had preached the previous Sunday to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and 60 parishioners.

The next few days were spent with David Salkeld (1940-1944) and his wife Elizabeth, 10

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Stické tennis was devised by the military in the late 19th century. Many of the first courts were built on Army grounds, as it was quicker and cheaper to use wood than masonry. By playing it in a barn, the officers could play it in India and other foreign climes where the heat was a problem.

On returning to England, wealthy officers built Stické Barns on their estates and there were soon 30 throughout the United Kingdom.

field next door. David said it is a Stické (pronounced sticky) Barn, where they play Stické Tennis.

Royalty in England and France played the first racquet games in the 16th and 17th centuries. The game was called Royal Tennis and the best-known player was King Henry VIII (1509-47).

The Stické Barn alongside the Salkelds’ at Hatham Park was built in 1905 by the owner, who later became Baron Islington, and was New Zealand’s Governor General from 191012. He was a frequent visitor at Wellington College and there is a photograph in the Archives showing him playing cricket against the College XI. The barn in Hartham Park is only one of two left where Stické Tennis is still played.

A stopover in Sydney to see family on the last

THE ARCHIVES leg of our trip in June resulted in an evening with friends watching the All Blacks against Ireland. Tom Heron (1981-1982), now living in Sydney as an IT consultant was part of the group present. Tom's grandfather was Mr HA Heron, Headmaster 1951-1963.

On my return to Wellington, I discovered that Alec Wong (1969-1973) had been appointed Bursar for Scots College, another college I work at. WCOB’s are everywhere!

Unpacking the hundreds of boxes at the Broomhedge Street Archives has been a slow job and there is much to be done.

Fortunately the spacious area allows the archival material to be spread out during reboxing and rehousing.

Numbers of visitors are the lowest since the Archives was established 18 years ago. This sadly is due mainly to the distant location and lack of parking. Despite this, donations of material continued to pour in even more quickly than can be processed.

A unique record: Harvey Rees-Thomas sorted and delivered 24 Eastlight folders of all his papers acquired during his term as Headmaster (1980-1997).

A letter from Douglas Mudgway (1936-1940), author of William H. Pickering: America's Deep Space Pioneer, states “I have much pleasure in returning the enclosed book, Heat the Principles of Thermodynamics, to the school on behalf of the William H. Pickering Trust”. It retains his signature at the front of the book and is dated 1927.

Douglas goes on to say “were he with us, I am a sure (WHP) would apologise for the rather lengthy delay in returning the book”.

81 years overdue is never too late! Thank you Douglas for your continued support.

Two of the most comprehensive collections of photographs has been donated by Keith Fleming, (1957-1958) and Johnny Tucker (1964-1968). During Keith’s time at the College; he amassed 162 images of classroom activities, staff, pupils, Firth House, swimming sports, buildings etc. This collection was used at the display for the 1958 reunion, held earlier this year and proved to be of great interest. I am particularly pleased to be able to credit Keith with some images used in the Wellingtonian years ago, then without the knowledge of the photographer. Thank you Keith. Johnny’s collection includes a number of photos from Firth Hall and the Assembly Hall - the 1968 cohort being the last 7th Form to have Assembly in the old Memorial Hall.

Photographs donated by the following have further enhanced the visual history of Wellington College. Nick Hill, Milton Mexted, John Phillipps, Peter Bourne, Tom Martindale, Ian McLean, Miles Golding, John Quirk, Nicki and Mike Kitchen, Ian Hollings, Brian Findlay and Antonios Karantze to name a few. Keep sending images in please, as it’s only a short time before we celebrate 150 years.

Left-handed all-rounder, James Franklin (1994-1998) has been out of international cricket for the last 15 months, due to a patella tendon operation. He has returned to New Zealand cricket to take part in the month long Emerging Players tour of Australia. Old Boys wish him well on his comeback at fully making the Champions Trophy tournament in September 2008.

Former Board member, Anna Cottrell, interviewed at length Miss Violet Dunn, benefactor to Wellington College. The tapes and transcripts have now been added to the Tom Paul (1931-1935) collection.

papers. For these we are indebted to; Tim Kerr, Peter Hindle, Ian Stewart, Malcolm Brown, Paul Collier, Sir Ron Brierley and John Riseborough.

The Auckland Branch of ARANZ organised the School Archives Conference at Baradine College in 2008. This annual event, now in its 18th year, has been a lifeline for hundreds of individuals, introducing the setting up, management and care of archives to numerous North Island schools.

It is a valuable and worthwhile event on the March/April calendar. I am pleased to have been involved in each of these conferences.

Bee Dawson has also kindly donated many discs, photographs and transcripts of WCOB’s who took part in the RNZAF during World War II. These form a valuable asset for our history department and research. Our thanks to the Air Force Museum for allowing Bee to pass these on to us.

Another valuable research item was the book, By Such Deeds, Honours and Awards in the RNZAF 1923-1999, by Group Capt. C.M. Hansen OBE, RNZAF (Ret). This fine publication was donated by Stuart McIntyre (1945-1948).

Many other publications by, or about WCOB’s, are welcome gifts to our collection and come from Stuart Slater, Peter Bourne, Mark Pirie, Jim Hollings, Keith Quinn and Douglas Mudgway.

Other Old Boys heeded my request for ephemera and we received army cadet socks, school textbooks, invitations, programmes, certificates, book prizes, Firth House crockery, school projects and historical

Old Boys of Wellesley College and later Wellington College, will be saddened to hear that Flynne (the school dog) died after eleven years at the school. He was purchased as a puppy for Simon Owen (son of Principal Warren Owen and art teacher wife, Eve). The Owens lived upstairs in Days Bay House prior to the remodelling of the school. With the Owens working at Wellesley and the boys (Simon and Jeremy) attending as students, Flynne attended school every day.

The boys and staff were patient and tolerant of the errant puppy stealing food, making a mess here and there and generally causing a bit of mayhem and excitement. From day one, Flynne was a gentle soul and over the years he had plenty of rough and tumble from the boys and not once did he growl or hurt any of them.

Thank you for all your contributions over the last 12 months. Special thanks to Roger Moses, Stephanie Kane and Old Boy helper, Ted Clayton, for your constant support. I appreciate all that you have done for the Archives.

CAN YOU HELP?

Are you an Old Boy or former staff member of Wellington College? Do you have any relatives or know friends who are? If so, you may be able to help the Archives obtain some of the following: Memoirs

Please send your stories

Photographs

College Life; Students, Staff, Old Boys, Trophies, Prizes

Uniforms

Caps, Ties, Blazers, Boaters

Sports Gear

Jerseys, Caps, Boots

Medals

Dux, Badges, Awards, War Medals

Book Prizes

Academic Awards

Art Work

Paintings, Sketches

Books

By Old Boy Authors

Music

Recordings by Old Boys

Reports

Academic, Certificates

Papers

Governing Boards, Headmasters, Parents’ Association

Correspondence

Letters to and from Staff, Students and Old Boys

Please contact Paddianne W Neely • Wellington College Archivist Tel: 04 802 2520 (W) • 04 386 2072 (H) THE LAMPSTAND 2008

11

REUNIONS • 1958

FIFTY YEARS ON FOR CLASS OF 1958

Back: Fourth: Third: Second: Front: Absent:

Alan Gordon, Bill Barker, Peter Mahon, Duncan Morrison, Tom Dean, Phil Savage, Barry Coupland, Rod Forsyth Bob Slade, Wally O’Donnell, John Penlington, Rob Bruce, Ted Stewart, David Gregg, Ian Stewart, Don Grocott Bruce Heather, Tony Knight, Dave Thompson, Ross Ellison, Graham Cassells, Dene Bergman, Robt Mann Rodney Callender, Don Rolls, Don Johnston, Bob Braithwaite, John Wilson, Ian Trotman, John Welsh, Stewart Mawson, Malcolm Brown Peter Jarvis, Graham Bell, Arthur Young, John Rhodes, Roger Moses (Headmaster), Brian Smythe, Des Grant, Ian Garrett, Roger Blackburn, Lindsay McIsaac Gary Kenny, Merv Ewing, John Macfarlane, Paul Neal, Ross Gebbie, Trevor a’Court, Warwick Greenwood

T

he second occasion of the Fifty Years On Reunion took place at the College at the end of March 2008 with 48 of the 1958 cohort in attendance plus partners, flying in from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia plus of course those who reside in New Zealand.

The model reunion format of Assembly began the proceedings, with 1958 Head Prefect Brian Smythe giving an address to the Class of 1958 and current students and staff. Brian together with former Delta Dance Band members Dave Thompson, Robbie Bruce and Noel Evans then played a three-piece set, much to the delight of fellow classmates and bemusement to the current students.

Following a morning tea in Firth Hall, the traditional tour of the College took place with many impressed with the current facilities available for the present generation of students, but still lamenting the flattening of much of the old school from fifty years ago.

With the photo of the Class

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of 1958 being taken and recorded for posterity, the Friday Evening Welcome Party reverberated with many a “whatever happened to…” as well as many a tale of goings on at the College and life since leaving fifty years ago.

An extensive display of photos from 1958 were on show, coordinated by Archivist Paddianne Neely, with many of the photos supplied by Keith Fleming.

Headmaster Roger Moses gave a warm

welcome to everyone and was responded to by WCOBA President Bob Slade (who was able to attend the reunion in his own right as a student of the 1958 cohort).

The formal dinner on the Saturday evening was a lively occasion interspersed with music from the Deltas. Deputy Principal Robert Anderson (himself an Old Boy) gave the Toast to the Class of 1958 in the Headmaster’s absence and Bob Slade replied with a Toast to the College. Roger was actually at his own reunion at Auckland Grammar School.

Robbie Bruce makes to the toast to the College at the Formal Dinner in Firth Hall

Robert spoke with great warmth about the College and the contribution made by so many Old Boys over the 140 years of establishment, recalling events in particular of 1958. Robbie Bruce responded with thanks and a toast to Absent Friends.

Anecdotal accounts were also given by several others who recalled both students and masters of the time.

It was another late evening, as to be expected with the decade reunions and it was early the following morning that we bade farewell to members of 1958.

REUNIONS • 1958

HEAD PREFECT’S ADDRESS TO ASSEMBLY

H

eadmaster Roger Moses, Staff and pupils of Wellington College, Class of 1958, Ladies and Gentlemen –

Greetings and good morning to you all – especially the mature section at the front.

My privilege and challenge is to address this Assembly on behalf of those who graduated in 1958 and who are gathered this weekend to celebrate and ‘chew the old fat’.

50 years on, change is obvious, yet I can sense that much that is traditional and solid about this institution still exists. Wellington College was, is, and one is confident always will be, a significant and important element in the secondary education landscape of this city and New Zealand.

1954, our third form year, was less than a decade after the end of the most tragic and traumatic series of events of the 20th century – WW1, WW2, and the Great Depression in between. Yet as a country we were confident and focussed on rebuilding our shattered economy and social structure.

All things seemed possible. Affluence was growing on the sheeps’ back. We had won the test series against the 1950 British Lions, and the Springboks were due to tour in 1956. The words “Treaty of Waitangi” and “Apartheid” were not yet in our vocabulary.

Hillary had just conquered Everest, and the second Elizabethan Era had commenced with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth the Second. Then, the Tangiwai rail disaster in Christmas 1953 coincided with the start of the Royal tour of NZ – which saw us first grieving, and then wildly celebrating our English heritage as a young nation.

The curriculum and general culture of Wellington College were essentially British.

Masters wore gowns and had Etonian Boys’ Champion nicknames such as Horsey, Flash, Chook, Inkey, Foxy, Mousey, Dumbo, Baldy, Rhubarb, Q, Fish, etc – terms of endearment rather than derision. Some played up to their nickname - eg Horsey Bradley, who invited his class to enter “fresh fields and pastures new”. Especially revered was Jimmy Cuddie who came out of retirement in 1954 to hold us spellbound with mathematics, and who insisted on the correct pronunciation of the Queen’s English. Our Masters were indeed imposing and dedicated, and mostly commanded respect, as we were keen to be educated.

Corporal punishment was sparingly administered – but one master developed the strap into an art form with a chilling array of offensive weapons cut out from conveyor belts hung in full view on the wall behind his desk. At least there was a choice, and no-one died. Prefects had power to dish out after-school detentions [Room 13], but had no straps or canes.

The whole school assembled every morning in the Memorial Hall and sang a hymn to the strains of the school orchestra. During our first period the image of the stained glass window would still be etched on our eyeballs. At morning break we raced outside to grab as many half pints of milk as we could swallow.

At lunchtime we could buy pies,soft drinks, cream donuts and buzz bars off the ice at the tuckshop, or head down the drive for greasies at Pete’s Fish and Grills; we played touch rugby with tennis balls on the tennis courts and tippeny runs at cricket on the stoney hockey field; some tinkered with the van de Graf machines and test tubes in the labs; fives and 20-a-side basketball were played in the quad.

Under the enthusiastic guidance of Leslie “Q” Quartermain we raised enough money in 1955 to purchase 1½ huskies for an Antarctic expedition.

The biggest change, apart from new buildings in place of the old West School and the main classroom block and gymnasium, is clearly in technology. Our science and maths masters, who used chalk, blackboards, string and dusters, would boggle at computers and video screens, and the amazing windows of knowledge opened up by Google and Wikipedia. However teachers of English and languages would rejoice at the legibility of assignments generated in Microsoft Word. We used nib pens and inkwells, and ballpoint pens were initially outlawed. The whole learning process has been hugely accelerated, and I daresay improved.

We wore shorts and long socks – as pupils still do today, except the Seniors. Our gear was carried in small hard “suitcases” later replaced by the more sophisticated leather zip satchels. The wearing of caps was compulsory; some of us felt ultra-smart in gabardine raincoats in winter.

As well as trains and buses, our transport included Trams – from Thordon, Wadestown, Karori, Brooklyn, Seatoun, Miramar and Island Bay. The morning Johnsonville trains [some of the original units are still going] were full of College kids by Ngaio station, because we in the northern suburbs opted for Wellington College rather than Onslow.

1955 was the last year of double decker trams. On the top deck the overhead electric wires dropped dangerously close above our heads – but we had the opportunity if the tram was held up at James Smiths corner, where Manners St and Cuba St intersected, to send the pole up Cuba while the tram continued down Manners – much to the annoyance of the surly and manic driver known as “The Major” who bore a striking resemblance to Spike Milligan of the Goon Show. He had to tape up the broken pole while we looked innocent. On the journey

home we sprinted up Adelaide Road to catch the first trams.

These would get us to Wellington station in time for the train that was full of college girls.

Brian Smythe, He Social activity ad Prefect was polite and organised. In the 4th and 5th forms, we attended ballroom dancing classes in Willis St studios – and waltzed, foxtrotted and quickstepped our way around the school dances and sports club hops. Quite suddenly, in 1956, this strictly ballroom culture was turned on its head by a new and exhilarating beat – Rock and Roll – Elvis Presley and Bill Haley and the Comets exploded on the cinema screens and in the record shops, and college Balls and Socials were revolutionised. We were excited and headmasters/mistresses were nervous. “Supper extras” including Presley covers performed by upstart bands like the Deltas were sternly monitored from the stage – but we exulted in an extraordinary new-found sense of freedom. Some older commentators were convinced this liberal behaviour represented the final chapter in the decline of the British Empire.

We were passionate about our sports – rugby, cricket and athletics predominated, and we had some outstanding tennis players. Facilities were relatively basic and equipment was ageing – but we competed well against St Patrick’s (Town), Rongotai College, Hutt Valley High School, and the emerging new secondary schools further up the Hutt Valley. However, St Patrick’s (Silverstream) remained our annual rugby nemesis.

Theatre was in low profile until English master Richard Campion fired up enthusiasm from 1958 with live productions of Shakespeare. Dance and Ballet were looked at sideways even though the College boasted Alexander Grant and the brothers Westmoreland – who later had distinguished international careers. It is pleasing to note today the rising profile of cultural achievements at the College alongside the traditional reverence for sporting excellence.

School Cadets was integral to the College in our time. The College battalion comprised the whole school – divided into army, navy and airforce units, and a splendid Pipe Band. Many of the staff with military experience acted as Officers. Uniforms were worn during Barracks week and at intervals through the year. Few of us questioned this, as we learned and accepted the hierarchies, structures, disciplines and skills that were important in the armed forces during this THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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REUNIONS • 1958 era of the Cold War and the Iron Curtain, and when national security remained an issue.

Two incidents stand out - Dexter Dunlop fired a live bullet across the parade ground from a .303 rifle and was expelled; Dave [Bruno] Lawrence, later a fine pop musician and actor, vanished into the hillside pines to smoke the dreaded cigarettes with the signals corp.

Nontheless, we were conscious of the serious nature of Cadets and of the many Wellington College lives sacrificed in the two world wars.

The names enshrined on the Assembly Hall marble tablets were a constant reminder to

T

us that “there but for fortune ...”. The current tours by Y13 boys of the war zones of Gallipoli, Normandy, France and Belgium have given those young men insights and understandings not available to us in our time.

The memory of our days at Wellington College is indelible. Our experience here set us on the path to responsible adulthood.

For most of us there was a bond of enduring mutual respect and friendship, and recognition of the attitudes and ethics that make up a healthy society.

Headmaster Roger Moses is a strong and respected advocate for the basics of good education, opposed to current trends towards a less stringent and rigorous curriculum. I believe Wellington College is in safe hands.

The College motto: Lumen accipe et imperti continues to resonate brightly. In our time here we were enlightened; I have no doubt that when you leave, you too will have been enlightened.

The Delta Dance Band

he Delta Dance Band, formed at Khandallah School in the early 1950’s consisted of Brian Smythe on piano, Dave Thompson on clarinet and Robbie Bruce on drums. They made their debut at the Khandallah Town Hall as 14-year-olds, decked out in fluorescent lime green socks and orange bow ties. It was a church bible class dance and their first gig paid 30 shillings. Fifty years on, it was wonderful to have them reunite for the 50 Years On Reunion.

Picking up where they left off, the Delta Band with Dave, Brian, Robbie and Noel performed three items in the Class of 1958 Assembly and were warmly appreciated by the current staff and students in attendance.

The following evening, the quartet played throughout the dinner to rapturous applause, bringing back many memories from 50 years ago.

In the 1950’s, the band became very popular and played regularly at dances each week until their careers took them in separate directions – law, pharmacy and veterinary science.

Initially the band played rhythm and blues with a bit of Benny Goodman and Dave Brubeck thrown in. But by 1956 they had entered the rock ‘n roll era as Bill Haley, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley came onto the scene. They added an Elvis impersonator, Trevor (Ramon) a’Court who was extremely good and the popularity of the band increased rapidly. Brian had the ability to listen to the latest tunes and play them by ear almost immediately.

(L-R): Robbie Bruce, Noel Evans, Bruno Lawrence, Dave Thompson, Brian Smythe

Fellow Wellington College students Noel Evans and David (Bruno) Lawrence were two contemporaries who occasionally played with the Deltas and who progressed into the music profession.

Another student, the late Johnny Patience also had a profound effect on the group.

The Deltas appeared in the Bruno Lawrence Story - the Roger Booth (195862) biography of the music and film career of Dave Bruno Lawrence. In fact Bruno made his first public appearance at the Khandallah Scout Hall when the Delta invited him onto the stage and he accompanied Dave Thompson in a rendition of Woody Herman’s Golden Wedding.

(L-R): Brian Smythe - piano, Noel Evans - bass, Dave Thompson - clarinet, Robbie Bruce - drums

CLASS OF 1959 REUNION • FRIDAY 27 & SATURDAY 29 MARCH, 2009 •WELLINGTON COLLEGE 14

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REUNIONS • 1958

Headmaster Roger Moses takes the tour around the College. Currently up at the Art Department (previously the old study prefabs). Listening intently are Dene Bergman, Bob Slade and John Penlington

Bob Slade, Barry Coupland

Dave Thompson, Don Johnston, Rodney Callendar

Back: Arthur Young, Duncan Morrison, Brian Smythe Front: Tom Dean, Robt Mann, John Rhodes, Roger Blackburn, Bill Barker, Don Rolls

Wally O’Donnell, Graham Cassells, Robbie Bruce, Barry Coupland

John Welsh, Ted Stewart, Merv Ewing

Rodney Callendar, Rod Forsyth, Phil Savage

Bill Barker, Duncan Morrison, Ross Ellison

Rod Forsyth, Bruce Heather, Trevor a’Court, Tom Dean

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15

REUNIONS • 1967

FORTY YEARS ON FOR CLASS OF 1967

Back: Fourth: Third: Second:

Front:

Absent:

Hamish Macgregor, Jeff Hunt, Tony Letica, Tom Mark, John Rutherford, Jim Ferguson, David Naulls, Murray McGuire, Miles Golding, Harold Williams, Chris Beckett Jack Bree, Peter Wilkin, Selwyn Wardle, John Gifford, Graeme Lindsay, Harry Wade, Paddy Battersby, Max Snowball, Derek Tyler, Lloyd East, Ian Small Rob Josephson, Ralph Pascoe, Selwyn Wong, Niall Watson, Brian Girdlestone, Steve Waller, Mel Birch, Tony Instone, Nick Hill, Tim Kinder, Chris Buck, Tim Haiselden Norrey Von Sturmer, David Baussmann, Pryor Rowland, Paul Collier, Nick Taylor, Chas Taylor, Keith Hislop, Barry Struthers, Ian Cope, Claude Dewsnapp, Russell Freeman, Dennis Wiley Malcolm King, Bill Atkin, Beith Atkinson, Andy Tie, Evan Voyce, Geoff Kirkham, Roger Moses (Headmaster), John Craig (Master), Steve Adams, Dartrey Lamb, Tim Castle, Rick Holmes, Wayne Carleton Richard Allan, Ian Boyd, Darryl Courtney-O’Connor, John Drake, Paul Oldfield, Ian Payton, Ian Voice, David Woodbridge

I

t was again our pleasure to host our fourth successive 40 Years On Reunion – this time for the cohort of 1967 in October 2007. This significant group of Old Boys were in their final year at the College during the Centennial celebrations of 1967 and to have around 70 of them, plus partners from around New Zealand, and from Australia, United Kingdom, United States and France return to their old school was an honour and of course, another lively occasion.

On a typical sunny Wellington Friday, our Old Boys gathered in Firth Hall for registration and then attended their Assembly. Following a warm welcome from Headmaster Roger Moses, 1967 Head Prefect Geoff Kirkham gave the reading and then Dux of 1967, Bill Atkin addressed the assembly on his cohort’s behalf.

A tour of the College followed and our guests were treated to a trip down memory lane. However forty years on, much of the school has changed in appearance with the demolition of many of the buildings from their time. It was an interesting observation to watch these Old Boys fathom out where buildings and the like once were as they got their bearings.

With socks pulled up and shirts tucked in, the Old Boys gathered again that evening the cohort had their obligatory class photo 16

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taken before meeting in Firth Hall for their Cocktail Party – a first permissible visit for many ‘Day Boys’ to Firth Hall.

One of the cohort was Nick Hill, son of Headmaster of the time; Seddon Hill who had passed away in September. Tributes to Seddon were conveyed to Nick and his family on Seddon’s time at the College and his leadership.

It was a great evening to catch up with old friends and staff members and our guests quickly set about finding out what everyone had been up to. It was wonderful to see that there were many amazing and varied achievements over the past forty years.

However it didn’t take long for conversation to turn to some rather tall tales from their time at Wellington College. No doubt one or two establishments in Courtenay Place also benefited from these tales later that evening.

Saturday evening began with a brief welcome and recital by the College’s Chorale (a top male secondary school choir in the country).

Beginning with some of their own pieces, the Chorale concluded their performance with assistance from the guests giving a fine rendition of Jerusalem and Forty Years On. Master of Ceremonies Tim Castle welcomed his cohort and partners to the dinner

and regaled the audience throughout the evening with many a story and anecdote.

Darryl Courtney-O’Connor made a toast to the College with Headmaster Roger Moses responding. Evan Voyce gave the response and then a toast to Firth House. Following dinner, further toasts were made to absent friends by Andy Tie and Beith Atkinson.

The formal toasts concluded with a toast to past staff from Rick Holmes and it was a pleasure to have former masters, Bruce Cockburn, John (JD) Craig, Alexander (Yogi) Yule and Bruce (Hoss) Farland in attendance.

Then informal contributions were made by a number throughout the rest of the evening.

In the wee small hours, our guests departed, taking with them many rekindled memories of their College and acquaintances, and well assured that their old school is in good hands with a fine heart.

On a personal note, I wish to extend my thanks to the 1967 Wellington Committee; Beith Atkinson, Tim Castle, Dartrey Lamb, Rick Holmes and Andy Tie. Dartrey in particular did a magnificent job in tracking down a vast number of Old Boys with whom we had lost contact. Thank you also to Graeme Lindsay who took scores of photos that we were then able to share with all those who attended.

Stephanie Kane, WCOBA Executive Officer

REUNIONS • 1967

ADDRESS TO ASSEMBLY BY THE DUX OF 1967

R

ecently a student asked me “What was it like in the ‘80s”? As this came out of the blue, I gulped for a moment. It is hard to recall what last week was like, let alone the 1980s. I answered him by going back to the ‘70s and showing how, in my view, things that were bubbling away then affected the ‘80s and helped explain how different things are today.

Of course I should have gone back further because 40 years ago the ‘60s represented a time of real ferment. Old Boys here today probably were unwittingly sowing the seeds of considerable change. The world in 2007 is very different from 1967, yet some things also have eerie echoes.

Let’s begin on a less serious note - music. I recall that when we were in the 3rd form (as it was known) the Beatles had just hit the charts. My form teacher was horrified at the Beatles’ long hair, in fact hardly longer than the Headmaster’s. The form teacher was Baldy Smyth, which probably explains his hostility to the Beatles. They sang songs such as A Hard Day’s Night, the double meaning of which few of us would have appreciated. Lennon and McCartney coined the lines Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64? Fittingly released, this was discovered thanks to Google. I hasten to add that the Old Boys here are not yet 64 – well I hope none have aged that much in the last 40 years.

The Beatles represented a radical new phase in popular music. It coincided with simmering changes in society and politics.

It was the height of the Cold War but more especially the Vietnam war. I recall debates about this in the grounds during lunchtime.

At that stage I tended to believe what we were told about the domino theory - that China was heading our way fast – and only realised the futility of it all a little later on.

The lessons have not been learnt in Iraq today. US President Johnson, LBJ, visited to shore up NZ government support and the school lined the road into Government House. I wonder what would happen today if George Bush visited.

While on this militaristic note, I remember with some horror hitting Barracks Week when I first arrived at College – numbing and mindless marching around the lower field being yelled at to stand to attention, stand at ease. By the 5th Form it was being phased out and - we could choose civil defence instead - code for playing cards.

Vietnam led to protests and a questioning of the established order. Social change and changes in values have been massive over the last 40 years, in many respects for the better. There was still emphasis in the ‘60s on formal rules of conduct, but now we are more concerned about quality. One example of change in family life, unmarried couples were said to “live in sin”, whereas today “de facto relationships” are an established part of the law. In the ‘60s, how many notches you got on your belt for being caned was a badge of honour. This year, some of us helped to see the legislation passed banning parents from using corporal punishment on their children – the misnamed ‘anti-smacking Bill’.

We now recognise child abuse and domestic violence as major social problems – in the ‘60s a husband was legally entitled to rape his wife. Not any more.

Various movements that have had a big impact in the last 40 years are the women’s movement, the Maori renaissance –other lunchtime debates about such things as homosexual law reform come to mind.

Human rights are now entrenched in our law in a way barely contemplated in the ‘60s.

There have been massive technological

and scientific changes – eg I went to a launch at Parliament on Wednesday of a publication called Genes Society and the Future – genes as in genetic. The revolution in Bill Atkin, Dux of 1967 the way we can create children and analyse the human genome was pure science fiction in the ‘60s.

But let me finish this trot (in honour of Horse Bradley, a master of the day) through the last 40 years, with another less serious matter where little has changed. I found a folder from my last year at College. The master had written “well written, but paragraphing needs attention. You have two only”. When it comes to law students in their 3rd or 4th years, we still have issues of this kind. I frequently correct the scattergun use of commas and apostrophes, and take marks off.

On behalf of the Old Boys here today, we should acknowledge Mr Hill, the Headmaster of our day, who died recently and one of whose sons is among the Old Boys today.

The College was in a good pair of hands.

After the concert last night and the 1st XI’s win against Karori on Monday (a team that my son (Matthew), an Old Boy should have captained had he not injured his finger on Saturday) the College is obviously still in good heart and in fine hands.

Again, on behalf of the Old Boys, we wish all you current students, especially those leaving in 2007, great success. Thank you for the welcome and the hospitality!

Kia ora.

The Bear Trio return for Duo

T A trio consisting of M.Golding (violin), M. Jackson (cello) and C. Beckett (piano) played at Victoria University on August 1st, competing against nine other ensembles.

These had been chosen from about 70 ensembles throughout New Zealand in the finals of the New Zealand Chamber Music Federation’s first annual competition for post-primary schools. The trio had previously won the Wellington district finals. The visiting Vienna Octet, judging the contest, placed the trio first in the national finals. It is noteworthy for Wellington College to be represented by the winning trio for the first competition of this kind to be held in New Zealand.

The Wellingtonian, 1965

wo of the guests of the 1967 Reunion flew in from England and France for their reunion.

Christopher Beckett (piano) from France and Miles Golding (violin) from England, were two members of The Bear Trio who won the inaugural NZ Chamber of Music Secondary Schools’ Competition in 1965. Both went on to study, live, play and record overseas with some of the world’s top orchestras and chamber music groups. Miles and Chris performed a Benefit Concert with the College’s Orchestra and also played at their own reunion.

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REUNIONS • 1967

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The tour of the College; up behind where Firth House used to be, on the top field.

Long gone are the swimming baths and rifle range

The tour of the College includes a visit to the Gary Girvan Library. The Library features a senior study room, AV room and plenty of reading space

Lloyd East, Russell Freeman, Peter Wilkin, Steve Waller, Tim Castle, Tom Mark

Roger Moses with Geoff Kirkham (centre) and Bill Atkin (right) at Assembly

Geoff Kirkham, Ian Cope

Graham Lindsay, Steve Adams, Norrey Von Sturmer

Brian Girdlestone, Miles Golding, Bill Atkin

Graham Lindsay, Peter Speedy, Selwyn Wardle

Rob Josephson, Harold Williams, David Baussmann

Jim Ferguson, Beith Atkinson, Steve Waller

Pryor Rowland, Malcolm King, Selwyn Wong

Nick Taylor, Rick Holmes, Bruce Cockburn

Chris Buck, Murray McGuire

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

REUNIONS • 1967

Dartrey Lamb (in front), Tony Letica, Keith Hislop

Brian Girdlestone, John Gifford

Sandy Yule, Bruce Farland

Chris Beckett, John Rutherford

Richard Allan, Max Snowball

Peter Speedy, Steve Waller, Tony Letica

Dennis Wiley, Evan Voyce, John Drake

Claude Dewsnapp, Nick Hill, Andy Tie

Tim Castle, Andy Tie, Jack Bree

Tim Kinder, Diane Waller, Steve Waller, Wayne Carleton

You can’t have a Reunion without the Firth House Haka being reinacted

CLASS OF 1968 REUNION • FRIDAY 16 & SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER, 2008 •WELLINGTON COLLEGE THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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REUNIONS

TWENTY YEARS ON FOR CLASS OF 1988

T

he Wellington College 20 Years On Reunion for the Class of 1988 was held from 15 - 16 February, 2008.

On the Friday, a number of Old Boys assembled in Firth Hall for afternoon tea prior to a walk around the school with the current Headmaster, Roger Moses who showed us changes to the school over the last 20 years. There was a welcoming board on arrival, along with a number of photos from our 1988 year, including all the first team photos for Rugby, Cricket, Soccer and Hockey. The Old Boys took some pleasure in pointing out the subtle changes from these original photos, including the addition of grey hairs on some and the complete absence of hair on others!

Andrew Dome, (O

rganiser)

At around 2.00pm, Roger Moses arrived and formerly welcomed the Old Boys back to the School.

Gary Girvan was also there, a nice surprise given he was our Deputy Head for all five years of our time at College. (Fraser Gray let Gary know how he used to follow him around so he could inhale the fumes from the renowned Girvan cigars!)

Roger took great delight in showing the Old Boys the changes to the school, of which there have been many. The old Sports Centre for one was merely a shell 20 years ago and much of the time was spent dodging the holes in the floor, as was the case when playing sports there. The Squash Courts have gone and it is now the centre for International students. Also, many more buildings have sprung up to accommodate the much larger school role.

It was nice to see that both Gary Girvan (Library) and Harvey Rees-Thomas (Science Block) now have buildings named after them.

Later that night, the Old Boys headed to Soi Café and Bar at Evans Bay Parade for Old Boys only drinks.

There was a much larger turnout of Old Boys for this occasion (around 50 of us) given it was after work. As many of us had not seen each other for 20 years, it was a great time to catch up for a few quiet beers, which as the night progressed turned into a few more.

It was good to see everyone is such good form - many Old Boys had hardly changed at all - not sure if we will be able to say the same thing at our 40 Years On Reunion. Many of us headed into town around midnight and continued to rekindle friendships into the wee hours. Needless to say there were probably a few sore heads the next day.

Saturday evening saw the more formal Black Tie event at Brierley Theatre. A wonderful three-course meal was provided by Elaine Harris and her superb team at Fine Cuisine, including some current students I noticed. We didn't get roped into that sort of help when we were at school but they didn't seem to mind serving the "old fellas". Partners were invited to this event and it was great to see and hear so many stories of achievements both work and familywise over the last 20 years. Around 65-70 Old Boys and partners attended this event.

After dinner, many of us managed to throw our arms and legs around wildly (more commonly known as dancing) to the assembled podcast of ‘80s music. Men at Work and Ah Ha have probably never been played so much in recent history!

At around 1.00am, the festivities ended and most of us headed downtown to the local Wellington establishments to continue to relive stories of our youth! Again a late but great night was had by all.

On a personal level it was great to see so many friends from 20 years ago back in one place. I am sure many Old Boys will keep in contact a little more regularly now, I certainly have caught up with others following this event.

Special thanks to Roger Moses, Stephanie Kane, Elaine Harris and George Hamilton for their help on making this School Reunion happen. As for the 40th Year Reunion, I am open to offers from anyone that wants to help!

I would also like to thank all the Old Boys who travelled such long distances to attend this event. These include Phil Levack (Dundee, Scotland), Jonny Ots (London), Lewis Prebble (Derby, England), Cris Stephen (New York), David McGuigan (U.A.E), Cadell Bradnock (Sydney), David McEwen (Sydney), Fraser Gray (Sydney) and Nick Moen (Melbourne) plus all the other Old Boys who travelled within New Zealand. Without you guys, the Reunion would not have been such a success, so thanks again!

Around two years ago when Andrew called into the College, he mooted the idea of such a reunion and went on to track down as many of the Class of 1988 as he could find around the world, cajoling fellow class mates to attend.

I am sure that those who attended the 20 Years On Reunion will agree that Andrew did a fantastic job with the logistics of arranging the reunion from the other side of the world and it was a testament to Andrew’s enthusiasm and perseverance that so many were able to attend.

I hope the enthusiasm for future 20 Years On Reunions continue and thus we are in the midst of planning a Reunion for the Class of 1989.

Stephanie Kane, WCOBA Executive Officer

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REUNIONS

Headmaster, Roger Moses (far right) with Gary Girvan to his left on the tour of Wellington College

Andrew Dome, Mario Juran, Glenn Wilkinson, Aaron Tait-Jones, Fraser Guy

Fraser Gray, Mark Clare, Grant Christie, Andrew Dome, Ross Stevenson, David Melling

Cadell Bradnock, Nick Moen

Lewis Prebble, Mark Clare, Ross Mowat, Mario Juran

Kelsey Walker, Rhys Williams, Mark Clare

Andrew Dome, Mariana Bertani, Aaron Tait-Jones

Greer Upson, Shoruban Pasupati, Kelsey Walker, Ross Stevenson

Niki Cathie, Andrew Cathie, Nick Moen, Chris Nicholls

CLASS OF 1989 REUNION • FRIDAY 13 & SATURDAY 14 MARCH, 2009 •WELLINGTON COLLEGE THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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REUNIONS

TEN YEARS ON FOR CLASS OF 1998

T

he task of writing an article that represents the full interests of the class of 1998 is no easy one. However more concerning still is the thought that nearly ten years has passed since we all marched out through the Dufferin Street gates in uniform for the last time. At our leavers’ dinner that year the prospect of our ten year reunion seemed so far away, and yet now it seems that ten years on is too soon a reunion for us to manage!

Because 1998 is such recent history I still have very strong memories of that year. My overriding memory of our year group is that – as a group – we achieved a lot more at the top end of the College than perhaps even we thought was possible. The year groups immediately preceding ours were perhaps thought to be more gifted than ours, and to contain more “big names” than ours (as funny as that concept seems now). However in the end, the class of 1998 delivered a vintage year in the history of Wellington College.

Not only did we produce good academic results, we also succeeded in all the other key areas of College life – community, sport and culture.

Notably, 1998 was the first year of the Wellington College World Vision Runathon around the Basin Reserve. That event was the culmination of two months of typical, seat of the pants organisation by a small set of our year group, ably administered by Mr Dave Ashby. The success of the Runathon resulted in a sponsored aid worker trip overseas for Nick Balasoglou, and raised over $11,000 for World Vision – an enormous total by the College’s standards at the time.

Of course that total has been consistently eclipsed over time as the Runathon has become an entrenched major event on the College’s calendar, regularly raising in excess of $60,000 for World Vision.

The sporting year started unsuccessfully with a memorably controversial and narrow defeat in the McEvedy Shield.

However things picked up quickly: Justin Purdie led an undefeated Wellington College rugby tour to South Africa early in the year, and at home led the 1st XV into the Top 4 of the national secondary schools’ competition, a feat that was matched by Tim Brown’s football 1st XI. Theren Williams’ hockey 1st XI and James Franklin’s cricket 1st XI had excellent years too year too, winning their respective Wellington secondary schools competitions. Of course the real stars of the year were national champion Underwater Hockey team, led by Alex Whitney and Mathew Douthett, and national secondary school champion triathlete Zac Young. And while Duncan Unsworth’s unbeaten 2A rugby team rightfully deserves a mention, there can be no doubt that the hearts and minds of the College’s sporting community were won by Mr Bruce Farland’s 2B team – a slick outfit made up entirely of seventh formers, which made it to the 2A grade semi-finals.

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In cultural activities, 1998 also proved to be a top year led ably by prominent 7th formers across all areas including music, debating and drama. However if there was one cultural activity in 1998 that really captured the essence of the class of 1998, it was undoubtedly the senior drama production of Shake It Up Shakespeare. Seat of the pants organisation was really just the tip of the iceberg for this production which survived cast dismissals and departures, doublebooked theatres and significant rebranding to perform for four sold-out nights in the Brierley Theatre and ultimately win the Senior Cultural Group of the year award.

The production involved the broadest range of people imaginable from our year group, was enthusiastically led by Tom Murdoch, and simultaneously represented the start and finish of many amateur acting careers!

When I look back on the activities I was personally involved in during 1998, I must confess this is the one that I am still the most proud of.

Given the year that we had, many of us left College in 1998 with high confidence for the future, and indeed many of our class have continued to achieve highly since leaving.

We have produced our fair share of professional athletes, many of whom have gone on to international honours, including James Franklin (cricket), Tim Brown (football), Justin Purdie (rugby), Matt Prentice (tennis) and Sione Faumuina (league).

Professionally we have also produced our fair share of doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, finance professionals and property traders. But beyond those fields we have also produced many entrepreneurs like restauranteur Nadi Bresolin, politicians like our Board of Trustees representative Richard Townley, academics like Keith Bolland and achievers in the music, film and

the arts like Bryan Visala and Willie Moore.

We’ve even produced school teachers… one of our class, Ben Lau, has actually returned Chris Lendrum, He ad Prefect to Wellington College where he is currently teaching in the highly successful Music Department.

In many ways I have been uniquely placed to see how the College continues to function and succeed over the past few years, as my partner has recently served as a teacher in the English Department. It certainly led to some bizarre moments (attending Ms Marg Adeane’s birthday party in my old school uniform certainly qualifies as one!), but I have also seen that the quality of the College’s staff – both in ability and character – remains as high as ever. And even though many of the stalwarts that we were familiar with have departed, there are still plenty of legendary teachers from our time who continue to serve the College and its students.

If you pay a visit today, you’re guaranteed a warm, vice-like handshake from Mr Marty Vaughan as well as encountering plenty of other friendly faces.

Wellington College remains a high achieving school in all ways, continuing to give to its current students what it gave us: a private school level education at a public school cost. Like many of us now, I am based overseas, but before I left Nick Baker and I had the opportunity to serve on both the College’s Development Committee and the Old Boys’ Association. We saw first hand the financial challenges that face the College today, with expanding operational costs and limits on the government funding available to meet these costs. I urge you all to read the Lampstand articles relating to the College’s Development Office and its fund-raising initiatives, as its success is critical to the future of our school.

Naturally most of us are not in a position to donate to the College right now, but if you do consider that Wellington College gave you a lot then please think about ways that you may be able to help – either now or in the future.

I look forward to seeing many of you again soon, whenever that reunion does eventually take place.

The inaugural World Vison Runathon in 1998 - the first lap around the Basin Reserve was led by Old Boy and Governor General of the time, Sir Michael Hardie Boys, Headmaster Roger Moses and Head Prefect Chris Lendrum

CLASS OF 1999 COHORT Where are you?

What have you been up to?

Email us at oldboys@ wellington-college.school.nz or contact your Head Prefect, Ben Revell.

REUNIONS • 2006 CLASS OF 2007 REUNION Friday, 13 February 2009 from 5.30pm at Wellington College.

Have we got your email addresss so details can be advised?

Please keep in touch.

ONE YEAR ON FOR CLASS OF 2006

W

e were delighted to welcome back around 60 Old Boys from the Class of 2006 for the inaugural One Year On Reunion, which took place on a wonderful summer afternoon on 8 February. The boys first attended an Assembly, led by the Headmaster and ‘controlled’ by 2006 Head Prefect Jono Anderson and Deputy, Charles Gallagher. The Headmaster bought the boys up-to-date on news from the College in the past year, before inviting them to join him for a BBQ in front of the Cricket Pavilion. It was an excellent social occasion for these recent Old Boys to catch up with staff and fellow students before they headed back to their tertiary studies and employment.

Jono Anderson, He

ad Prefect

The Reunion for the Class of 2007 will start later in order to accommodate those students working.

(L-R): Andrew Crowley, Roger Moses, Matthew Heard, Callum Barrett, Jack Newberry

(L-R): Dylan Johnson, Andrew Luxton, Flynn Salter, Charles Gallagher

(L-R): James Sorenson, Chris Griffin, Minto Fung, Alastair Watchman, Dimindu Sunderapuna

(L-R): Sean Conway, Sam Green, Chris Jupp, Alex Cartmell-Gollan, Pirimi McDougall-Moore

(L-R): Miles Calder, Peter Ranger, Patrick Durant, Chris Graham, Ben Clayton

(L-R): Vinnie Wylie, Michael Graham, Ben Johnson

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FROM THE HEADMASTER

Cos, I've been everywhere man, I've been everywhere man I've crossed the desert bare man, I've breathed the mountain air man Of travel I've had my share man, I've been everywhere ...

I've been to Auckland, Hamilton, Taurannga, Havelock North, Wellington, Christchurch, Melbourne, Sydney, Toronto, New York, London, Germany - I’ve been everywhere, man . . .

Roger Moses, Headmaster music Geoff Mack, words Geoff Mack and John Grenell (1966)

W

hat a rare privilege it is for me to be the Headmaster of this great school and to have the opportunity to meet with so many proud Old Boys, not just within New Zealand but also abroad. I have just returned from a conference of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition in Toronto, but following that I attended Old Boys’ functions in New York and London, hosted by Rick King (1964) and Martyn Conway (1975) respectively.

Credit must be given to the tremendous leadership of both Bob Slade, our President, and Stephanie Kane, our Executive Officer, who have both done so much to revitalise branches throughout New Zealand and beyond. Our ‘40 Years On’ reunions are proving immensely popular and provide a wonderful forum for the renewal of old friendships. Derek Golding (1964), with whom I spent a delightful evening recently in London, described the ’64 Reunion (for which he returned from the UK) as one of the highlights of his life. Others have expressed similar sentiments. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting Old Boys and making new friends at reunions held in the last twelve months in Auckland, Palmerston North, Tauranga, Hamilton, Christchurch, Havelock North and, of course, Wellington itself.

Many Old Boys have responded with great enthusiasm to our plan to rebuild the Memorial Hall, albeit bigger and adapted for the modern world. It is imperative that we can have a forum where the whole school can meet together and celebrate our many current successes as well as hold our traditional events such as the ANZAC Service.

After thirteen years at the helm, I am keener than ever to perpetuate the values for which Wellington College has always stood firm – a striving for academic excellence, a rigorous and wide-ranging extracurricular programme, and the creation of a sense of civic responsibility. It has been a good twelve months. Our 1st XV won Quadrangular Tournament for a record fifth time in a row. Our NZ Scholarship results once again placed us in the top three schools in the country and our Head Prefect from 2007, Alex Ross (incidentally the great-grandson of former Headmaster W A Armour) has been awarded the highly prestigious Douglas Myers Scholarship which takes him to Caius College, Cambridge, for three years. We continue to turn away over two hundred applicants a year which is always a source of great sadness to me, particularly when some of those students are the sons of loyal Old Boys. I keep hoping that politicians of all persuasions will come to see the value of those close family links that have been so long a feature of the great state schools of New Zealand.

I am delighted that the Development Office, ably led by Graeme Steven, has become firmly established at the forefront of our fundraising as we seek to take Wellington College on to even greater heights. In meeting with so many of you I am reminded time and again of the relevance of our school motto, ‘Lumen Accipe et Imperti’ – ‘Receive the light and pass it on’. That, more than anything else, remains my core duty. I hope you all enjoy reading another fantastic publication put together so comprehensively by Stephanie.

Warm regards, and I look forward to catching up with many of you in the near future.

Roger Moses 24

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BRANCH GATHERINGS

WHAT’S THE BUZZ IN WELLINGTON?

T

he annual Wellington WCOBA Drinks took place on Friday, 9 November and was well attended by Old Boys from all eras.

It was a pleasure to welcome former Headmaster, Harvey Rees-Thomas, who was

warmly greeted by a number of ‘boys’ from his time at the College.

Headmaster Roger Moses and WCOBA President, Bob Slade both addressed the guests with news on the College and the Association. It was then down to some

serious catch-ups and reminiscing, while enjoying the food and beverages. (For $20.00pp, it is a very economical event to attend) and accordingly, Old Boys in the Wellington area most welcome to attend the 2008 Function on Friday, 14 November in Firth Hall.

Garth England, Paul Keeling, Don Adams

Stephen Sherring, Matthew Reweti-Gould, Ernie Rosenthal

Fred Brooker, John Hunt, Barry Tingey

Robert Anderson, William Sommerville

Matthew Sutherland, Peter Conway

Mike Brodie and Chris Tarpley

Roger Moses, Paddianne Neely, Harvey Rees-Thomas

Roger Booth, Harvey Rees-Thomas, David Allan

Jamie Crump, Roger Booth

James Thurston, Peter Barrett, Harvey Rees-Thomas, Steve Guiney

Guests take time out from socialising to hear from Roger Moses and Bob Slade

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BRANCH GATHERINGS

MIXING IT UP IN MANAWATU

F

ollowing its revival in 2006, the branch held a further very successful dinner and evening on 21 November 2007 at the RSA Clubrooms in Palmerston North. Forty three Old Boys and former staff attended with apologies from 25 others including Alfred Gillies (193135). Roger Moses, Headmaster and Graeme Steven, Development Director attended on behalf of the school together with Bob Slade, President of the Old Boys’ Association.

Numbers enjoying the occasion were a healthy increase from the thirty attending in 2006. However, with ten days to go before the event it appeared that the tally could slip below that of the previous year. Accordingly, the telephones swung into action manned

by Barry Jobson (1953-57) of Kapiti, Frank Blewitt (1948-51) and Lindsay Mackay (1953-57) of Levin plus myself operating in and around the Manawatu and Rangitikei.

The personal telephone contact plus email

worked remarkably well to nudge a good muster of Old Boys out on the balmy late spring evening. Much credit is due to Stephanie Kane (WCOBA Executive Officer) for providing her superb database of Old Boys in the region and Mike O’Connor (Master and House Master 1960-62) for arranging the event in the RSA Clubrooms and collecting the necessary $30.00 per capita to cover the cost of the most palatable three course dinner plus the superior plonk.

To reinforce the spirit of Lumen accipe et imperti, an antique oil lamp was lit before the dinner by the very spry Ken Blake (193638) of Levin who was the most venerable Old Boy present. Old Boys then stood in remembrance of recently deceased members of the Manawatu, Horowhenua and Wanganui districts as recorded in The Lampstand 2007.

Jeremy Cooper (1958-62) recited the Firth House grace before the dinner. Champion miler Bob Slade (1954-58) and indefatigable

FORTY YEAR ON... DID YOU KNOW THIS?

F

orty Years On is a song written by Edward Ernest Bowen and John Farmer in 1872 and is about life at school and is meant to give pupils now an idea of what it will be like in forty years when they return to their old school, and to remind old boys about school life. It is the main school song of Harrow School, and is sung when Old Boys of the school return to hear the songs being sung by current pupils, or an occasion within houses for singing the same songs at the end of each term), followed by Auld Lang Syne and the British National Anthem (God Save The Queen). Traditionally, verse three is sung by Old Harrovians in attendance at School Songs. The Churchill verse is only sung once a year at a special Churchill Songs.

The penultimate Follow Up! in each chorus is sung unaccompanied by the School XII, which is made up of the best singers in the top year.

Other uses Forty Years On is the school song of Napier Boys' High School. The tramp of the twentytwo men line is altered and instead is the tramp of the thirty true men - in reference to Rugby Union which is the national sport. The same is also true for Wellington College in Wellington. Hamilton Boys’ High School has also used it with the thirty true men since the 1950s. Nelson College sings the first verse (and chorus - with the reference to the thirty true men) at Senior Prize-giving.

It is also sung at Melbourne High School’s Graduation Night. Only the first and last verses (excluding the Winston Churchill verse) are sung. Rather than the tramp of the twenty-two men, MHS replaces the line with the tramp of the thirty-six men in reference to Australian rules football being the dominant football code in Victoria.

In the UK, Forty Years On is the school song

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of Netherthorpe School Colyton Grammar School, Woodford County High School in Essex, Beverley Grammar School in East Yorkshire, Bolton School, Manchester Grammar School, High Storrs Grammar School, Sheffield, the now defunct Salford Grammar School and Harrow School's affiliated school, The John Lyon School.

president of the Old Boys’ Association gave a lucid review of the Association’s activities.

A brief AGM then followed.

Collis Blake (1944-48) then proposed the toast to the College, relating many anecdotes about the masters of the school, his time in Firth House and the many friendships and memories made. Headmaster Roger Moses responded on behalf of the school and brought us up to date with contemporary life at the College in scholarship, sport and cultural activities. A lengthy discussion followed. Roger’s commitment, passion and leadership of Wellington College were most apparent and valued greatly.

The evening concluded with the singing of Forty Years On following which the light on the oil lamp was extinguished by Mark Lindsay (1998-02) the youngest Old Boy present.

Lumen accipe et imperti Rob Bruce 1954 –58 • rabruce@inspire.net.nz

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

In the USA, it is sung at the Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (excluding the Winston Churchill verse) at the commencement ceremony.

In Kenya it is sung on Founders' Day at Starehe Boys' Centre and School.

In South Africa, it is sung at Pretoria Boys High School at all School Valedictions and assemblies at which Old Boys are present, with certain minor adaptions. 22 good men is substituted by 30 good men. It is sung in Forty Years On, a play by Alan Bennett. It also sung at Westville Boys’ High School, Durban, when the matrics have their last assembly and ring the bell before departing the school.

At Vajiravudh College in Thailand, which is a boarding school built by King Rama VI (King Vajiravudh) in 1911, the tramp of twenty two men became The Might of Thirty Best Men in reference to the school's supremacy in Rugby. There are also lyrics in Thai which is sung each year before the King of Thailand at the Graduation Ceremony.

In Hong Kong, the melody is used by Queen's College as its school song, with its lyrics written by Headmaster Mr William Kay (1920). The school song of Heep Yunn School is also adapted from this song. But its lyrics are in Chinese, rather than English which Queen's College uses.

Source: www.wikipedia.org

Following a recent conference in Canada, Headmaster Roger Moses was invited to join a dinner for our New York Old Boys, organised by Rick King.

Pictured above from left are: Cris Stephens (1984-1988), Roger Moses, Rick King (19601964) and Lewis Bollard (2000-2004).

BRANCH GATHERINGS

LINKING UP IN LONDON

W

Martin Conway (1971-74) was on his very low calorie diet so did not partake in the dinner but was seen enjoying his carbonated mineral water‌sort of.

COB UK hosted College Headmaster Roger Moses to dinner at Suze in Mayfair on 10 July 2008.

Over the three days earlier in the week, Roger was interviewing for potential Maths and Science teachers who may wish to go to Wellington on a work permit, so a friendly chat and dinner with 15 Old Boys gave him time to relax.

was a teacher at the school until earlier this year was also in attendance.

Our oldest Old Boy on the night was David Salkeld (1940-44) who will celebrate his 80th birthday in November 2008. He was accompanied by his wife Elizabeth, while our youngest Old Boy was Chris Lendrum (1994-98). Chris’s partner Luci Shaw who

The Old Boys dined on NZ lamb, venison and mussels, Australian ostrich, sea bream, summer berry terrine with feijoa vodka, and the old favourite, pavlova. New Zealand Savignon Blanc and Pinot Noir were consumed with relish. Branch Chairman

The WCOBA extends our sincere thanks to Martin for coordinating the event in London. Please contact Martin on martin_conway1410@yahoo.co.uk if you would like to attend the next get-together - we will try and steer clear of the summer holiday time.

(L-R): David Salkeld (1940-44), Peter Williams (195963), Elizabeth Salkeld, Miles Golding (1963-67)

(L-R): Iain Curtain (1984-88), Mark Allingham (198185), Carl Kibblewhite (1982-86)

(L-R): Paul Wedde (1993-97), David Salkeld (194044), Derek Golding (1960-64), Roger Moses

Roger updated us on the recent successes and highlights at the College and invited us to consider donating to the new Memorial Hall fund. When built, the hall will accommodate the whole school at Assemblies. Roger also championed the Endowment Fund intended to assist, retain and reward excellent teachers, and support students in financial need.

Other Old Boys in attendance were Mark Allingham (1981-85), Ian Curtain (198488), John Brennan (1983-87), Mike Burns (1964-68), Derek Golding (1960-64), Miles Golding (1963-67), Carl Kibblewhite (198286), Ian Small (1963-67), Paul Wedde (199397), Adrian Risman (1971-75) and Peter Williams (1959-63).

(L-R): Derek Golding, Mike Burns, Luci Shaw, Mark Allingham, Chris Lendrum, Carl Kibblewhite, John Brennan, Peter Williams, Martin Conway (in front), Iain Curtain, Adrian Risman, Ian Small, Roger Moses, Paul Wedde, Miles Golding, Elizabeth Salkeld and David Salkeld.

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BRANCH GATHERINGS

G’DAY MATE Old Boys meet up in Melbourne and Sydney

I

Headmaster had been present. For many of the Old Boys who had lived most of their adult lives in Australia, this was the first Wellington College Old Boys’ event they had attended.

n late May this year, 65 Melbourne and Sydney Old Boys including wives and partners joined Headmaster Roger Moses and Development Director Graeme Steven at two Old Boys’ Dinners. An equal number of Old Boys sent apologies that they were unable to attend, mainly due to overseas travel and existing work commitments.

The Melbourne dinner was held at the historic Melbourne Club on 22 May, the gathering of 25 Melbourne Old Boys and wives was believed to be the first held in the city, at which a

Two night’s later, 45 Sydney Old Boys, wives and partners met at the historic former Catholic Seminary overlooking Manly Beach. This wonderful building, now the campus of the International College of Management, was kindly provided for the dinner by Old Boy Darryl Courtney-O’Connor (1962-1967). See page 43 for more information about Darryl.

NORTHERN EXPOSURE

Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Havelock North

I

n late 2007 Headmaster Roger Moses, WCOBA President Bob Slade, and Development Director Graeme Steven dined with Old Boys at functions in Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Havelock North.

In Tauranga, we were delighted to be joined

by Joyce Drayton, one of the first woman teachers at the College, who taught during the Second World War. Old Boys travelled from Taupo and Turangi to attend the lunch.

Our thanks to John Sherring (1942-1946) for helping to organise the event.

Some 25 Old Boys attended a very pleasant cocktail function in Hamilton at the home of Old Boy Peter Vautier (1945-1949) and his wife Nola.

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More than 40 Old Boys attended a dinner held at the RSA in Palmerston North. A feature of the evening was the lighting and subsequent extinguishing of an oil lamp by the eldest and youngest Old Boy in attendance. Our thanks to Rob Bruce (195458) for helping to organise the get-together.

Again, more than 40 Old Boys attended lunch at the Havelock North Community Centre. Old Boys attended from around the Hawkes Bay, with former master Frank Crist as a special guest. Our thanks to Dave Halliday (1962-66) for helping to organise the get-together.

Around 60 Auckland Old Boys joined Headmaster Roger Moses, Head Boy Alex Ross and Development Director Graeme

Steven at the Richmond Yacht Club in early October for the annual Auckland Old Boys’ Dinner and AGM. The Branch kindly presented the College with a Scholarship for a student to sail on the Spirit of Adventure. Our thanks to Mike Ward (1968-1971) for organising the get together.

Details for forthcoming events around New Zealand will be advised shortly to those residing in the areas where events are to be held. If you live out of a particular province but would like to be advised, please complete the enclosed feedback form and we will be in touch.

ANZAC SERVICE 2008

It was an honour to welcome a number of many past and current serving Old Boys and distinguished guests to Wellington College’s 2008 ANZAC Assembly.

P

rior to the Assembly, current students, past and current serving Old Boys and a number of other special guests, gathered for lunch in Firth Hall, hosted by the Headmaster.

One of our special guests and Old Boy was Lieutenant Colonel Steve Guiney (1983-87), who gave the ANZAC address in the Assembly. In his final year at the College, Steve was a Prefect, Chairman of the School Council and Captain of the 1st XV. The 1987 team he led was the first to win Quadrangular in 15 years.

led him to volunteer for the First World War in October 1915.

He was 31.

Four months after enlisting he married his sweetheart, Rhoda Bristow. Eleven months later, in January 1917, he sailed for England as a Second Lieutenant with the NZ Rifle Brigade, 21st Reinforcements.

Three months later, Rhoda Howden gave birth to their son Peter, named after his father, who is with us today. By this time Peter was writing daily to Rhoda.

Steve’s outstanding 20-year military career has included service with the SAS in Kuwait and Afghanistan, East Timor, and the Solomon Islands. In 2001 he was awarded the Chief of Army’s Commendation for leading a rescue mission into Indonesia to assist a group of UN personnel.

Steve has a Masters Degree from the University of Canberra, and holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He is currently Inspector General of the Army, with the prospect of being appointed as Commander of the SAS, in the future.

We also gave a very warm welcome to members of the Howden family: Peter, Sylvia, Celia, John, Jeremy and Y13 student Arthur Roberts. We joined them in commemorating Peter’s father (also named Peter), Celia and Jeremy’s grandfather, and Arthur’s great grandfather.

Peter Howden senior, an Old Boy of this College, died tragically during World War I, in October 1917 in the Battle of Passchendaele.

His name is engraved on the memorial brass plaque at the back of College Hall, along with the names of 221 fellow Wellington College Old Boys who died in that War. Peter was born in 1884. He grew up in Karori and attended Wellington College from 1897 to 1900. Two brothers followed him a few years later. Although Wellington College was still young, it was a significant time in our school’s history. By 1897 the school roll had reached 297, including 75 boarders, making it the largest school in NZ. Peter’s Headmaster was the great JP Firth. Firth’s vision was to build the College into a great public school, in the English model. He was intent on turning out students of ‘character’ - boys with self discipline, toughness and determination (much as we aim to do today).

Our special guests enjoyed the annual ANZAC Lunch in Firth Hall prior to Assembly

Peter Howden’s formative years at Wellington College were shaped by an environment of patriotic fervour for the Empire, and military training. Cadets were a well established part of College life. The cadets trained several times a week, regularly parading down Lambton Quay to provide the official Honour Guard at openings of Parliament.

Shooting was an established activity – a three page report on ‘Shooting’ appeared in the Wellingtonian in December 1897.

The Boer War began while Peter was at College. Thousands of New Zealanders volunteered to fight the Boer settlers in what is now South Africa. Benburn Park in Karori, not far from Peter’s home, was the site of an army camp. The death of three Old Boys in South Africa was reported in the Wellingtonian of 1900. Those names appear on a memorial plaque at the rear of the College Hall.

Peter left Wellington College in mid-1900 – his leaver’s gift of a book to the library was recorded in the Wellingtonian later that year. He joined a prominent merchant firm for whom he worked until his sense of duty

New Zealand soldiers, now three years into the war, had already experienced the horrors of Gallipoli and the Western Front - the brutal trench warfare, poison gas attacks, the cold and mud, and the lice and rats in the trenches.

But due to strict censorship, little was reported or known in New Zealand about the true horrors of the Great War. Photographs and paintings were not permitted to show dead bodies. A far different situation from today, when war is beamed directly into our homes by television and the internet.

Shipload after shipload of soldiers sailed from NZ to fight for the Mother Country, in the ‘war to end all wars’. More than 18,000 were never to return.

In the northern spring and summer of 1917, the Allied forces sought to break the stalemate in Belgium and France, with a series of major attacks on German trench positions. It was as reinforcements, to replace the thousands of casualties suffered, that Peter Howden and his men finally arrived in France in mid-1917.

Arthur Roberts movingly read excerpts from a letter his great grandfather wrote to his wife Rhoda, Arthur’s great grandmother; from France, in early July 1917. The letter was to be opened in the event he did not return.

He wrote: I may as well confess my hope that I shall live through this war and that you shall not have to read this letter at all. At the same time we must look things fairly in the face and consider the chances of my coming through.

Arthur Roberts (left) with his Grandfather Peter Howden (Junior) stand in front of the College’s Memorial Window

He wrote down his thoughts on how to best raise their baby son, my grandfather: Teach him to be a man and a gentleman, and if he is, he will be unselfish, considerate, moderate, and fair in thought and speech, and not a gentleman in THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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ANZAC SERVICE 2008 appearance only. There is a tremendous difference between the two.

It was our privilege to be able to share these sad memories with Peter’s family.

Lieutenant Colonel Steve Guiney, gave the main ANZAC address to the Assembly.

In late September he wrote to his wife: At last, after all these months and years of waiting, the orders have come …and in the morning we are to take the road enroute to the real ‘business’. I really feel quite calm and quite confident that I shall come through safe and sound and I think I am looking forward to it with a great deal of interest.

Peter Howden was one of 222 Wellington College Boys who lost their lives in World War I. Many more fought and were wounded.

I

Three days later, the Battle of Passchendaele began. The New Zealand Division took part in two great attacks. The first, on 4 October 1917 was a stunning success, although costly in terms of casualties. Peter Howden was not involved in the first attack, being held in reserve some two miles back from the front. They were under constant attack from enemy artillery. In preparation for the second attack, Peter and his men were ordered to the trenches at the front: He continues: I can’t really describe this stage of the trip – it seems more like a nightmare than anything I can think of. It was pitch dark and raining … the place was simply a morass, practically every inch of it ploughed up by shellfire, and full of porridgy mud.

The second attack on 12 October should never have gone ahead. In one two-hour period on that day, 1,190 New Zealanders were killed – more killed and maimed in a few short hours than in any other battle, before or since. Thousands of Allied troops were senselessly ordered out of their trenches to go ‘over the top’ into a sea of mud. German machine guns mowed them down.

A New Zealand Sergeant at Passchendaele wrote of the second attack: Black Friday, 12 October. …. Our boys and the Aussies got cut to pieces ... far worse than the Somme I believe.

Peter survived the carnage on 12 October and the following few days. But at some point during the 15th, his position was shelled with poison, and Peter was badly gassed. At 8pm that night he sent a report to Headquarters: Not able to carry on. Can you arrange to relieve me.

With us at the Assembly, were many who have served their country, including Peter’s son, Peter. He was captured in Greece in World War II, and spent four years in a prisoner of war camp.

The Assembly was dedicated to the memory of Peter Howden, and to all of the Old Boys and other men and women who lost their lives in the service of their country.

And, lest we forget, we remember also their families and loved ones, who lost husbands, fiancés, fathers, sons, brothers, friends.

Peter Howden’s name is recorded for history on the brass plaque at the rear of the hall.

That plaque, and those commemorating Old Boys who lost their lives in the Second World War and the Boer War, formerly hung in the old Memorial Hall, along with the magnificent Memorial Window, granite tablets and honours boards you see around you today.

The original Memorial Hall was built through the generosity of Old Boys, to commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War of 1914 to 1918.

At its opening in 1928, JP Firth, by then retired and greatly aged, appeared a broken man. 222 of his students, whom he thought of as his own sons, had been killed, with hundreds more maimed and injured.

Today we pledge: ‘we will not forget’ the sacrifices made by Peter Howden, and his fellow Old Boys, in the service of our country, so many years ago.

These were the last entries in Peter Howden’s notebook. He stuck to his section until ordered down to the casualty dressing station. He was already blind from the effects of the poison gas. Two days later a friend visiting him in hospital reported that his eyes were sealed and it was apparent he had had a rough time. His only concern, that his beloved Rhoda be told he was safe.

On his second visit, two days later, the friend wrote to Peter’s wife that he was: Wonderfully improved, his eyes were open so that he could see, and there was radiance about his countenance which was only fully explained when he told me he had received a long cable from you.

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Joe and Mike Paul, stand up. Thomas was at the earlier assembly. Every one look at them... Chests out boys, shoulders back, stand tall, it’s your granddads I’m talking about. Be proud.

Poppy Ken Paul served in the Pacific and Grandad Frank Lynch in Europe. Each for five years. Including training, they missed the first half of the 1940s. Ken came home in November 1945 from Fiji, and Frank came home the same year after being released from a POW camp in East Germany.

I picked these boys because I know a little of their family history, but I suspect it is a similar story for a lot of us here today. I hope you know of your family history.

All of you, can you imagine being away at war for five years, or your dads being away for that long. That is your whole time at Wellington College, more for some. So from Y9-13, you had no dad – he was away fighting. I find that staggering. And your grandmothers and families, keeping their faith, that their beloved husbands and sons would be home some time, safe and sound.

Ponder this too. Joe Paul ‘my boy’, in one year you will be old enough to be that man deploying!

What is ANZAC day about? We gather at the chosen hour, to reflect on the many sacrifices made by our fellow ANZACs, 93 years ago. We, the benefactors of the ANZAC spirit gather to honour this day, not only in our home countries, but in many far flung places around the globe.

We remember the 2,721 New Zealanders and the 8709 Australians who died at Gallipoli.

We remember also the many hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen who gave their lives or were wounded in earlier and later campaigns. Also the civilians who died as a result of these campaigns: South Africa, the Western Front, the Somme, Passchendale. The Second World War: the Battle for Greece, Crete, El Alamein, Monte Cassino. Korea. Malaya. Borneo. Vietnam.

Bosnia. East Timor. Afghanistan and more recently Iraq.

At 1:30 the next afternoon he had still … not left his post, reporting: Situation normal.

Peter died three days later on 21 October 1917. He is buried in a war cemetery in Flanders.

too, wish to personalise my address, by connecting current students with world wars. There are three brothers at this College, two are here in the assembly today, who are like most of us, their grandfathers served in WW II.

Let us not forget as well, the innumerable allies and Turks who also died on that rugged coast line. All told, ANZAC Cove saw the death of over 100,000 combatants on both sides, and over a quarter million wounded.

Indeed we should spare a thought for the victims of all wars.

Old Boy, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Guiney, giving the ANZAC address to the Assembly

There is a memorial at ANZAC Cove inscribed with the words of Ataturk, who was the founder of the Turkish Republic in 1923, and the commander of the Turkish Forces that

ANZAC SERVICE 2008 faced the ANZACs in 1915. He wrote: Those heroes that shed their blood And lost their lives.

You are now lying in soil of a friendly country Therefore rest in peace.

There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets, to us where they lie side by side.

Here in this country of ours, You, the mothers, Who sent their sons from far away countries, Wipe away your tears; Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.

After having lost their lives on this land They have become our sons as well.

Reconciliation between former enemies has reoccurred numerous times since Gallipoli, and it is perhaps one of the more admirable traits of the human race.

However, it was the terrible adversity of those awful months spent clinging to the Turkish coastline that unwittingly forged the nucleus of our national identity.

Today is not about glorifying war, or romanticising the numerous devastating conflicts that have ended the lives of so many New Zealanders and Australians.

To paraphrase General Sherman, he said: There are boys here that glorify war, let me tell you, War is Hell!

Today is about honouring those that served – their determination, their courage, and their commitment. Today it is proper to remember their triumphs and their tragedies.

It is also proper to spare a thought for the ANZACs of today, serving in numerous theatres, bringing pride and international admiration to our small country’s endeavours to nation building, peacekeeping and combat. Over 1100 of us were deployed from the Army alone last year. That may not sound much, but let me tell you it is a significant chunk of our standing Army.

Much of our Defence Force’s achievements overseas go unseen and unsung. So today, I ask the wider community to reflect on us, your professional military, for we are for you, and of you.

Ponder just why we, your military, remain successful and have our skills respected and widely admired amongst our allies. I venture it is because of the indelible mark left on our psyche by our ANZAC forebears, and their timeless characteristics of humour, courage, commitment and mateship.

Because you know ‘we’ kiwis, and I know there are boys here from other countries, but you are being immersed in our way of living – I hope. We Kiwis we do all right, we are not

Steve Guiney (right) on deployment in Afghanistan

large in number, but we make a difference everywhere we go. You might hear this a lot, but you might not understand it or believe it. As one really has to experience it to truly understand how good we are. How good you are.

Let me give you a small insight into this.

In my experience, the greatest weapons we have at our disposal when dealing with Allies, enemies, and each other, are not what you might expect. They are not greater technological advances, greater destruction, greater precision, greater protection – no they are more simple than that.

New Zealanders have a special ability to deploy and use our secrete weapon: commonsense and common courtesy. And the interesting thing is, you will find that these attributes are actually not so common at all.

And the places they can get you, I tell you!

Whether it is persuading your boss, deescalating a situation, or planning a raid - they are gold. Another tid-bit – smile. It’s amazing how far a smile can get you in a tight spot. Try these things out on your mum, try them on your teachers, see what happens, you might be surprised. I digress…..

So why do we do it, why am I in the Army?

I say ‘war is hell’, yet here I stand in a uniform!!!!

Unfortunately boys, we don’t yet live in a perfect world – many people still live in a world of danger and uncertainty, impoverished, oppressed, without basic human rights. Some countries, including ours, are strong enough to stand up and declare that they will protect the weak and dispossessed.

And I think we should stand up, we should help out. Would we not help a neighbour in the street? I hope so. I want to try and make a difference and of course the ultimate goal, to stop the next generation disappearing off-shore for five years or more, in another horrific global war.

But let me tell you another thing. After a short ‘tour’ in a hot sand location – and for the record that was not a beach. I remember vividly thinking - ‘Shizzer’, or words to that effect. I am never going to do that again, I have had enough. And I had. That was until the next set of orders came in. And all the boys put ‘their hands up’ again and said – ‘count me in’. I thought ‘heck, I can’t let these ‘knuckle-heads’ go out on their own – they might hurt themselves’. But worse than that, they might think ill of me if I don’t go. And I could not have that, not from these amazing young New Zealanders - I loved them too much. I loved them too much to let them go without me, and I loved them too much to have them think ill of me.

Napoleon said ‘an Army marches on its stomach’ of course this is true, but I will add, an Army marches forward ‘on peer pressure’.

As does the everyday ‘work place’. Being in the Army makes me feel good. It makes me proud to be a Kiwi.

I don’t think many people know that most of our foreign friendships are built on the back of New Zealand ‘taking post’ in the international arena. I have travelled far and wide, and the good will felt towards our country through the actions of our veterans in places like France, Belgium, Singapore, Korea, Malaysia and the US are well beyond the geographical importance of our small islands.

And you know what the best part is? Coming home – there is nothing quite as nice as the fresh air one smells and tastes when stepping onto Aotearoa from a trip abroad.

Our place was worth preserving last century, and it is worth preserving now.

So here we are together today, and next week, along with hundreds of thousands of others in cities and towns throughout the nations, and at Gallipoli itself.

We gather here to honour those that served – the determination, courage and commitment of those great men and women.

We are here to acknowledge the spirit and sacrifice of those who contributed so much in shaping the identity of our nations. And to remind ourselves that we value who we are, and the freedoms we possess, …for freedom only survives as long as people are willing to defend it.

Boys, on this day, on ANZAC day, spare a though for your grandparents, the older generation who gave us this freedom, and died, because our country told them too.

Imagine it, think about it, and be thankful.

That is all I ask, and that is all I have to say.

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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ANZAC SERVICE 2008

John Mills, Paul Keesing, Tom Aitken, Steve Guiney

Don Stewart, John Riseborough, Bob Slade, Len Vincent

Tribute ‘08

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ellington College had the honour of being invited to participate in Tribute ‘08, a tribute to the Vietnam Veterans that took place over Queen’s Birthday weekend in Wellington.

Derryl Barnes, Jasmine and Douglas Howey

On Friday, the Kapa Haka was involved in the powhiri to the Vietnam Veterans and their families. This commenced with a three man wero, karanga and the combined Haka of Ngati Poneke, Wellington College, Wellington Girls’ College, Rongotai College and Wellington East Girls’ College.

On the Saturday, the Chorale sang in the Legislative Council Chamber at Parliament as part of the poignant Whakanoa ceremony for the next of kin of those servicemen and women who did not return. They performed the hymn I Vow to Thee my Country and the Welsh anthem Suo Gan. During these, families placed photos in the Gallery of their loved ones who did not return from Vietnam.

Peter Hindle, Bob Slade and Don Stewart

Paul Keesing, Morrie Deterte, Murray Henderson, Len Vincent

Jubilee Parade and Barracks Photographs 32

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The Chorale also had a large role to play in the Sunday morning ceremony where they sang four items inside the Carillion.

This service was broadcast outside to more than 5000 people who had come to pay their respects along with the Veterans.

The Chorale then moved to the Basin Reserve where they sang the national anthem. A strong group of Wellington College students followed their performance with a stirring rendition of the school haka. The ceremony concluded while Nick Purdie and Ben Allnatt (both Y13) with Head of Music, Miss Katie Macfarlane sang the Requiem for a Soldier after flags had been lowered in public remembrance of those who died in action.

The students’ performance was exceptional and for them to be part of this notable event was a moving, demanding and emotive experience for them all. This was a significant moment in our nation’s history, which required the highest level of performance. All Wellington College students involved from the Chorale, to the Kapa Haka and the wider school certainly delivered this.

• The NZHistory website has a page on the Wellington College Memorial Window: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/ photo/wellington-college-memorial-window • A letter from an old boy writing from the Somme (shortly before he was killed): http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/alexmccoll-somme-letter • Comments on the effect of WWI on Wellington College (222 deaths; 150 were on the Western Front); the College is used as an example by this Ministry of Culture and Heritage website: http:// www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/wellington-college

YOUR LETTERS

News from Old Boys around the Globe, Putting Us Right, Some Good Natured Deception, Seeking Old Boys, Seeking information and some of the letters that have come into our Office in the past year.

WCOBA PO Box 16073, Wellington email: oldboys@ wellingtoncollege.school.nz

Old Boy and All Black Found in France

David Tierney, Sydney • 1945-1949 • dtierney@ihug.com.au

A

ttached is a photograph of the grave of Ernest Henry Dodd (1896-1897) who attended Wellington College at the end of the 19th century. He went on to become one of the earliest Old Boys to represent New Zealand at rugby. Also attached is a press cutting from the Christchurch Press in the matter of his death. His grave is in a cemetery attached to the local church in a small town called Metz-en-Coutour near Cambrai in Northern France. His son Clifford Reid Dodd (1919-1920) and four grandchildren; Brian Dodd (1947-1951), Peter Edward Tierney (1943-1947), David George Tierney (1945-1949) and Trevor Ernest Tierney (19511953) also attended Wellington College.

Ernest Henry Dodd’s gravestone reads54336 Lance Sergeant E H DODD NZ RIFLE BRIGADE • 11th September 1918

Trophy Travels Far and Wide

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am writing to you from Daylesford, Victoria. Recently we found an old metal cup/trophy in the hedge in our garden.

It has an inscription that reads “CP Bayer, Junior Diving, Wellington College, June 1913”. We have no idea who it belonged to and wondered if you had any leads as to its owner or descendents. It may well have been Wellington College in the UK. Could you check your records and see if indeed there was a CP Bayer enrolled at the college in 1913? We would be happy to send it over to you for the school to add to your collection if that is the case.

It is with much regret that the trophy is not one that was awarded to one of our Old Boys. I expect it is Wellington College, Berkshire as Diving here in June 1913, would have been in the midst of winter, whereas in England, the weather would have been more appropriate. Would you like me to follow up with our Brother School for you? (Stephanie Kane, Editor).

Thanks for your message. When I sent your message I also sent one to WC in Berkshire and they have responded. It appears Mr Bayer was indeed a student there, starting in 1911. I sent the cup back to the College yesterday and they seem very happy to receive it. It is an interesting story and of course I would love to know how the cup ended up here in Daylesford, country Victoria, Australia after all that time. Chris Potter from OW is looking into Mr Bayer to see if he has any information on him.

English Walking Tour

Singing 40 Years On Gabor Osvath, Virginia, USA 1965-1969 gosvath@cville.net

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hank you for your kindness in forwarding me the words to 40 Years On...they bring back some wonderful memories of a time when life seemed so much simpler. I suspect that none of us singing so lustily almost four decades ago realised that these moving lyrics would actually ever apply to us! We were golden warriors then, invincible and unconcerned with anything 40 minutes away (unless it was lunch), let alone 40 years on!

My other truly remarkable memory was of the annual ANZAC service in the "old" assembly hall graced by the magnificent stained glass window. At the appropriate time, from somewhere far off, on the marble staircase usually reserved for use by the teaching staff, drifted the haunting first notes of the Reveille, played by a lone bugler...

Please let Ted Clayton have my above email address. I would be delighted to catch up with him on his global peregrinations.

Hopefully Gabor can personally sing 40 Years On at his Reunion in October, 2009.

Wilf Simenauer, Wellington 1944-1945 simenauer@actrix.co.nz

H

aving recently visited England to see my newly born first grandchild, Tara, a daughter, I was invited by my Kiwi tramping friends (from our Gourmet Tramping Club - all of six members!), to join them on the "Alternative Coast-to-Coast Walk", from Arnside in the West - just below the Lake District, to Saltburn-by-the-Sea, just north of Whitby, - which we did in nine days - a distance of 184km.

During our visit I attained my 79th birthday, which I celebrated by having the best fish and chips on the planet - Haddock, at Whitby.

In November, our self-indulgent Gourmet Tramping Club 'did' the Tongoriro Crossing, starting at Mangatepopo. I survived - just!

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YOUR LETTERS As I went to school at Waitaki Boys' High School (1940), OBHS (1943, 1945-6 inc) and Wellington College - (at Firth House, 1944, and one term in 1945), I felt that I could not realistically join three Old Boys' Associations. Hence I am not a member of the WCOBA. However I have kept in touch with former old boys, and was honoured, on one occasion, of presenting the music prize at the annual prize-giving ceremony at Wellington College. The reason for my jumping from school to school, was my coming to Wellington (for four terms), to have cello lessons - then unavailable in Dunedin, my home town.

Fancy a Motorcycling or Skiing Holiday in Europe...?

Derek Golding, England 1960-1964 derek@seahawk.co.uk

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have a passion for speed and indulge in motorbikes and skiing. Europe is well endowed with Alps, Pyrenees and other mountains which lend themselves to biking in the summer and skiing in the winter. So, I would like to offer my services and assist any Old Boys who are thinking of coming to the UK and who may fancy a biking or skiing holiday. The cost of bike hire here is relatively expensive, as it is in NZ as I have experienced.

I deal with the BMW dealer in Dorchester.

BMW produce a comprehensive range of bikes for all tastes and performance. This dealer, who has become a personal friend over the years, would be happy to negotiate with any visiting OB an agreed purchase and buy-back deal for a new or second hand bike, based on timescale, mileage and condition.

BMW bikes’ residual values here have always been good, and a two-year Europe-wide BMW warranty and emergency assistance back-up is very good. Means a second hand bike could be bought and sold back before the warranty expires, so the actual cost of ownership will not include mechanical repairs or breakdown recovery within the first two years. So, any OB bikers thinking of coming over to spend a reasonable amount of time here should find this idea far more expedient than hiring, if for more than a month or so.

Because of a declining Alpine snowfall and increasing temperatures meaning that the only sensible ski resorts are at the higher levels, and they can vary from one to the other and from one winter to another, it is not any more very sensible to book far in advance. I prefer a wait and see approach. Last minute bookings are easily done. I have an excellent travel agent, and if any OB’s intend to make UK winter visits and hope to ski in Europe, it may be better to make the skiing arrangements here, once the comparative snow conditions are known. Again, I shall be happy to assist with more information and any necessary introductions.

Both bike dealer and travel agent win national recognition for their excellence. If I can introduce kindred spirits to the sort

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of fun that I have had biking and skiing in Europe, having lived here for many years, it would be a pleasure to do so.

Gina Lollobrigida at Wellington College Robt Mann, Auckland 1954-1958

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his poster was on the wall near the door of a VIth Form Room in the West School (near the stationery shop). One lunchtime in 1957 or 1958, I saw headmaster HA Heron stride in without notice, featuring his usual frosty face, and with a contemptuous air rip the picture down.

in the 100th game (3-3 draw), which I played in. In 2009, the 125th Game will be played and it would be a great opportunity to get not only the Wellington College 1st XV together again, but the St Patrick’s (Town) 1st XV. There is a picture of both teams together, taken at the back of the College Hall which you will be able to see if you look back in the 1984 Wellingtonian.

I understand that you are the person to contact to get things like this to happen. I'm not too sure what to do next, I was hoping you could start the ball rolling.

John Wilson, Wellington 1954-1958 hugo@actrix.co.nz

Peter and fellow 1st XV Members of the 1984 team will be pleased to know that we are in ‘talks’ with St Patrick’s (Town) who agree this is an excellent idea and thus plans are underway. Town will be the 2009 hosts of this Traditional Fixture with the date to be confirmed. So, fellow team-mates, dig out those boots (perhaps for a re-match) and prepare yourself for the 125th Traditional.

t is interesting that this image, which today would be widely rated as nearer to demure than rorty, a half-century ago was too lascivious for display in our school.

Bryan Pearson, Hawkes Bay 1950-1954 bryan@pearson.org.nz

Old Swimming Baths Photo Available to Old Boys

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The recent class reunion had several pictures of the ‘new’ swimming baths that were built in our time at college, from Keith Fleming’s mavellous collection! I had a look at some old copies of The Wellingtonian, and found a photo of the ‘old’ baths in the Jubilee edition of 1934 which I can send to anyone who wants a copy. The file size is 1.19 Mb, so rather large to send unsolicited. But it shows the baths in use for the swimming sports, with an audience on the bank above the baths.

Inkwell Response

I

really enjoyed the Lampstand and its great to catch up on a number Old Boys.

I have a porcelain inkwell which I am very happy to donate; I will wait to hear from you in case you are inundated.

(Archivist, Paddianne Neely would certainly appreciate your donation).

Seeking Fellow Evacuees Angus MacLeod, Auckland 1940-1942 amacleod@xtra.co.nz

I

was a war-time evacuee from Scotland and arrived at the school in September 1940 and was placed in the 4A class. Also with me were two other evacuees’ Andrew and Spencer Forbes. The three of us attended the College and at the end of the war, we were returned to Scotland.

125th Anniversary of the 1st XV Traditional with St Patrick’s (Town) Peter Jackson, Auckland 1981-1985 pjhome@xtra.co.nz

I

attended Wellington College from 19811985, my father, also Peter Jackson (19551957) gave me the latest Lampstand.

While reading through the magazine, it got me thinking about my years at Wellington College and how great it would be to catch up with some friends from school.

In 1984, the 1st XV played St Patrick’s (Town)

I came back to settle here in 1958 and retired as a Minister of the Church over 16 years ago. I wonder whether the College as an address for Andrew or Spencer. I lost touch with them and would be most interested to catch up with again. I realise this may not be possible under the privacy act but it would be most helpful even to know if they are still alive.

Please contact the WCOBA Office if you can help trace the Forbes.

It’s Never Too Late to Become a Life Member Alan Gawith, Nelson 1929-1931

T

hank you very much for sending me the copy of the Lampstand. I’ve glanced through it – it looks most interesting. I

YOUR LETTERS Remembering Ernie Ormrod

had no idea that the WCOBA had become such a well organised entity. Having moved on to Wairarapa High School and Nelson College, I elected to join the latter Old Boys’ Association.

The plans for the new hall are exciting. At last the College is to have the appearance it deserves. Enclosed is my contribution. At half-past 91, there is not much point in a Life Membership and I will not be able to attend functions.

I wish the College and the Association all the best for the future. In my school days, it had the best teachers.

Reunion Highs and Lows Charles Taylor, Canterbury 1963-1967

F

irst of all I must convey my most sincere thanks to you and the staff and boys of Wellington College, who worked so hard to make the Class of 1967 Reunion such a wonderful and memorable event. I really had no idea that this sort of event could be such a moving experience – especially the coming together of the Firth House family; and from so far away in many cases.

Furthermore, I must highlight how ‘blownaway’ I was, by the Wellington College Chorale. We had nothing like this in our day, and certainly no music teachers up to such a task! Those lads with their heavenly voices, skilfully sculptured by their wonderful music teacher, brought a tear to more than one eye in Firth Hall on Saturday night. Please let me know when their CD is released as I would certainly love to buy a copy.

On a sad note, it is my unpleasant duty to inform the WCOBA of the passing away of yet another Old Boy. In the small hours of Sunday 27 October, 2008 as we were living up the final part of our reunion celebrations, my cousin Michael Eaton of Taradale finally lost his struggle with cancer. Mike had been suffering more than any one person should have to, for a number of years and when the cancer made its second assault on him, he just couldn’t continue and let go. His release was merciful.

Mike was only at Wellington College and Firth House for one year, his final high school year, but he thoroughly enjoyed his time there. The year was 1968, which would have involved him in the Class of 1968 Reunion.

Just before I attended my Class of 1967 reunion, Mike sent me a message asking me to convey his regards to the College and asking me to report back on Monday. Sadly,

by Monday it was too late.

Mike was a lovely man who had a love of life and a nature on a level that all too few people enjoy today and he will be sadly missed by his loved ones and friends.

Lance Edwards, New Plymouth 1936-1937

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nclosed is a clipping from the Taranaki Daily News of 28/11/07 re Ernie Ormrod. Ernie was a Wellington College Old Boy. I was talking to him some time around 1992 when I was living in New Plymouth and he had to do what I had to do and ask permission from Tibby Brodie to play soccer for the Boys’ Institute. I found that it wasn’t too daunting a task. In my case it was for 1936 and 1937. Ernie was 83 and I am 84.

I came across my yellow ribbon with black printing the other day. It read ‘Wellington Secondary Schools’ Soccer 1937’.

We travelled to Wanganui for a Tournament.

I was billeted in a hotel with a view of Wanganui from the first floor. I can’t remember how we got on. I do remember the Bumper Boats in an above-ground pond off the main street.

Remembering Inky Dighton Geoff Streeter, Bay of Plenty 1939-43

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thought that it would be appropriate for me to bring to your attention, a few thoughts concerning a former master at Wellington College in the 1930s and who seems to have been forgotten.

‘Inky’ Dighton did not usually teach to the ‘Modern Forms’ as I remember it, but he occasionally filled in for absent Masters. He was well known for a rather nasally delivery and his ability to fill chalk boards with almost unreadable writing about 1½ inches high.

He had served with the NZ Forces in WWI, notably at Passchendaele and the horror of that engagement which was always fresh in his memory, would be regaled to the class at the slightest provocation with teaching put aside.

‘Inky’ was a good teacher and as I remember it, was still on the staff in 1943, and I think he had taught my brother about 1933. Keep up the good work.

JL Dighton was appointed as a full assistant master in 1922. He served the College until his retirement in 1958, then reverting to his earlier reliever status, he carried on until 1967 (including a period in 1965 as acting Headmaster). Inky died in 1982.

The Lampstand is always with our Compliments Earlier this year, I received a letter from an Old Boy to advise me of his change of address. Imagine my shock as only a week before I received his letter, I had read the death notice of this Old Boy (same full name, same age and same residence). I wrote to the Old Boy expressing my surprise in hearing from him and admitting that perhaps not everything you read in the newspaper is accurate. I asked our Old Boy to enlighten me on his relationship to the deceased for my own curiosity. I received the following [identification has been removed obvious reasons]:

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las Stephanie, the naughty younger brother has been unmasked telling porkies. My wife is telling me with great relish I have been hoisted on my own petard.

I told nasty lies to avoid what I am going to have to do now.

My brother, the aforementioned ******, five years my elder, attended Wellington College in the 1940's and I, ******, attended 1946-50. As Newtown School boys we were in some rarity but my school teacher mother wanted the best for her boys even to the extent of knitting out of black wool, my first Wellington College rugby jersey. That was quite a hot and heavy cross to bear on the rugby field especially when wet and muddy.

To cut to the chase, my brother went to the family farm and I after a brief spot of fame to achieve the 1st XV, I went and worked on various farms etc.

Early in this period, the College started raising money for some purpose and, as ex school members, ****** and I went halves in a lifetime magazine subscription. It was agreed ****** would receive it as he had a permanent address, and would pass it on to me, something he rarely did over the years.

When he died late last year, his widow handed me a handful of non sent on magazines, and so I determined to get my share in the future. My reasoning was that we had joint ownership of a lifetime subscription and I had yet to pass on. With the approval of his wife and eldest son, I thought a simple change of address would ensure "my" magazine would reach me the rest of my days, unimpinged by an elder brother, and in fact ****** has changed addresses to who knows where - maybe to a warmer climate.

My wife and family are getting a great deal of mileage out of my misdemeanour and I hope you are not going to hand me over to the authorities (think of my poor grandchildren without their Pop).

My health is not robust and I should imagine, if you did decide to let me use up my bit of the subscription, it would be for less than fifty years.

Yours in Lumen accipe et imperti (the naughty younger brother)

Hello from Quensland (I) David Cope, Queensland 1960-1963 dcope@amqld.com.au

H

ello from an Old Boy in Australia. I left NZ in 1967 and travelled with two fellow Old Boys Terry Dimes and Alan Johnson to Australia. We circumnavigated Australia stopping along the way to work on the then new Mt Tom Price Iron Ore Mine in West Australia. Arriving back in Sydney we parted company. I remained in Australia having met my wife of now 39 years in Cairns. We eventually moved to Brisbane from Sydney in 1973 and have enjoyed a wonderful life together. We raised three children who after travelling the world now live close to us and are all married.

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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YOUR LETTERS We now own a Development and a Property Consulting business and operate throughout the eastern states of Australia. I would like to contact Old Boys of my years and would mention that my brother Ian Cope has recently attended the 40 Years On Reunion this year.

a fabulous environment for learning that he has directed. Perhaps I should go back and start again.

Who was Stanley Hutchen?

Robt Mann, Auckland 1954-1958 robtm@xtra.co.nz

Hello from Quensland (II) Martin Kerr, Queensland 1954-1959

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’m a reluctant Old Boy who attended Wellington College (Firth House) 1954-59. I visited the school for the first time in many years on 21 May. I was suitably impressed at the work the Old Boys have done. I live in Ravenshoe, North Queensland, before in Victoria, Sydney, and PNG. I have a book in the school archives called New Guinea Patrol (1973).

Old Boy and Headmaster meet up in China Peter Vautier, Waikato 1945-49

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ost notes are written by enthusiastic Old Boys and I have only recently joined these ranks. My school life was not noted for any great involvement as shown by early performance. My athletic ability was identified by only one formal result - 576th in the Cross-Country Run (compulsory) and scholastic effort summed up by “Lispy Griffin” in the 6th form French report “This boy shows no desire to learn and no desire to improve.” A somewhat greater effort in the final year gave me the Edward Espy Martin Prize in Mathematics, runner up in the first NZ College’s Chess Championship and a Special Engineering Bursary which covered the financial demands of a Civil Engineering degree at Canterbury University.

Sporting interest developed to provincial level in cricket and hockey while golf, white water canoeing, tennis and bowls have been part of increasing age.

Engineering evolved from Structural Design and Construction (The Nelson Trafalgar Park Rugby Grandstand was my first effort and is still in place) through a spell of lecturing and on to Project Management. A particular technical interest was in Corrosion which led to the award of the Sir David Henry Travelling Scholarship and which in turn stimulated an interest in travel and not only to Engineering Conferences but in travel for its own sake in the Third World.

The engineering effort was sufficiently rewarding to retire in my mid-fifties and for the past twenty years I have enjoyed the flexibility of peripheral interests such as Chairman ofWaikato Institute of Technology, Hamilton Gardens Board, Building Research Association of New Zealand and sundry sporting and educational bodies apart from a significant time spent travelling.

This takes me back to the start of these notes as it was earlier this year while on a so called “Prominent Persons Tour” at the invitation of the Chinese Government that I met Roger Moses and was invited to revisit the old school after nearly 60 years. What

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’d be grateful if some history-oriented Wellington Collegian could tell me anything about the Stanley Hutchen in whose name was endowed the prize for sixth form chemistry (which I’ve just come across in unpacking books at my new home - awarded to me in 1957 - collected stories of K Mansfield, doubtless intended to broaden a narrow scientist). I know nothing of Hutchen.

In 1930, WA Armour (Headmaster) received a letter from Brandon Watt & Hislop - Barristers and Solicitors to say that the late Mr James Hutchen left a legacy of £200 to the Trustees of Wellington College upon the following trust - “Upon trust to invest the same and apply the interest arising therefrom to either one or two annual prizes at the direction of the Headamster for the time being of the College to be given to the boy or boys most proficient in science - the conditions of examination for such prizes are to be prescribed by the Headmaster for the time being of the College and such prize or prizes are to be known as the Stanley Hutchen Science Prize or Prizes in memory of my late son Stanley Hutchen.

Subsequent to the above letter, we received further correspondence from Robt on the Hutchen Prize and other minor prizes.

It occurs to me that a series for the Lampstand could possibly be compiled on the origins of various prizes at the College.

I’ve advocated writing up some account of less-famous masters such as Limpy Smith; loosely analogous would be histories of minor prizes. I should declare my interest - minor was the only sort I won at Coll. (In ‘58 only the Dux, Mick Hattaway, won a UNZ entrance scholarship.)

My 1957 award (signed by HA Heron) is the Stanley Hutchen Prize for sixth form Chemistry. Belatedly I set out to discover who Hutchen was.

Our Archivist Paddianne Neely has found letters from lawyers acting in 1930 for the estate of James Hutchen to convey his £200 bequest in memory of his son Stanley to - wait for it - Wellington Boys’ College. That such a furphy could have been uttered by a law firm whose half-dozen partners included Guy Richardson Powles is surprising. That the money was duly paid though the specified institution did not exist is evidence that the law is not always an ass.

The Hutchen bequest endowed “prize or prizes” for “the boy or boys most proficient in science”. Evidently £200 had, a quartercentury later, enabled more than one annual book prize.

My prize at the end of my first year in the discipline which I was eventually to study full-time for a dozen years was collected stories of K Mansfield, doubtless intended to broaden a narrow scientist. I make bold to dissent from the fashion of admiring Mansfield’s short stories; indeed the few I read put me off, so that I have yet to read most of them. I had higher marks in ‘school cert’ (an exam I had direly over-rated) for languages, especially English, than my 86% in science; but I couldn’t see a life’s work in these Arts disciplines, whereas I was sure I would not see near the end of chemistry in a whole career; but I hold on to my discernment in my beloved English language.

Anyhow, what other minor prizes can we learn about? There were some exotic names on speech prizes...

Lacking in Latin

Christopher Hill, Lower Hutt 1957-1961 phoebus@xtra.co.nz

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read with interest (in the last edition of The Lampstand) of the planned building of a new Memorial Hall for the College.

The artist’s sketch was impressive. However I hope that when it is built, they get the inscription right. It should read NON OMNIS MORIAR. In the sketch the 's' of omnis is missing. Are people not taught Latin these days? Inky Dighton, were he still with us, would be horrified and would let his displeasure be known in no uncertain terms, as he was wont to do. I imaging that several hundred other former Latin scholars of the College have already pointed this out to you.

If this is the case, my apologies.

Thank you to Chris and others who wrote to us pointing out the error. The Architect’s drawings have now been changed to the correct spelling.

NON OMNIS

MORIAR

Remembering Seddon Hill Barry Hogan, Waikato 1944-1948 b.hogan@cIear.net.nz

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t was indeed with some sorrow that I learned through The Lampstand September 2007 of the passing of an old friend and colleague, Seddon Hill.

Seddon and I were fellow members of staff at Mt Roskill Grammar School from 1959 to 1962, a period in the rich development of

YOUR LETTERS that new school. It was a staff of highly skilled teachers, many of whom would become principals in their own right and leaders in education in this nation in the decades that were to come.

Seddon was one of them, a gifted teacher- it was said of him that he squeezed many through School Certificate English who would otherwise have failed. He was a wonderful communicator and enthusiast, and as such we would work together in the production of college musicals. He would do the drama, while I tackled the music.

It was with some surprise that I received a phone call from him in 1962 after I had left to take up a position in another South Auckland school. We had to return to his home in Papatoetoe for a meal, over which he confided in me that he had been short listed for the position of Headmaster of Wellington College. As I was the only Old Boy he knew and as I was always bragging to him about wonders and glories of my school days, he decided he wanted to quiz me for as much info as he could before his interview “next Monday morning “!

I learned later of his success. How he found out the shortness of the “short list “. When he thanked them at the end of his interview, for short listing him and suggesting, in his usual humble way, that they now move on to the other candidates, Jimmy Cuddie, then chairman of the Board, said there would be no others! He was to be driven around Oriental Bay by a nonvoting Board member, while they deliberated on whether he was to be ‘it” or they would have to re-advertise!

He always spoke of the experience of going that day through the old building and seeing the photos of the great” Heads” of the past like J.P. Firth and the challenge of filling their boots.

It was great to catch up with him at National Principal Conferences when I became a principal back in NZ from 1975 onwards, and to hear first hand of the College’s progress and to know it was being led so well.

I was unable to get to the College’s centenary in 1965 but I learned from my brother Murray Hogan (1938-1940 ) that Seddon stole the show at the dinner when, as part of his speech, he read from “highlights” from J.P. Firth’s punishment book. That was Seddon, raconteur, humorist, of military bearing, educator, humble friend.

Twins remembered at Service Phillipa Mulligan

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couple of years ago I contacted you to hook up my father-in-law Keith Mulligan (1934-1936) with the Old Boys’ Association.He didn’t take an active part but loved to receive the Collegian and year book from the College. Keith died peacefully last month.

He wrote a book on his experiences in the Pacific during the war. It’s now out of print but if the College’s Library or Archives don’t have a copy I would be happy to part with one of ours (I think we have just two) if the library would like it. It’s titled Kittyhawks and Coconuts.

I’m sure Keith would be proud to know the College had a copy if he hasn’t sent one to you himself.

We also took the opportunity to farewell Keith’s twin Trevor (1933-1936) at Keith’s funeral as was Keith’s wish. A pilot officer in the RAF, Robert Trevor Mulligan was lost over the North Sea on his way back from a bombing raid in 1940/1 and his body never recovered or a funeral held. He stayed longer at Wellington College than Keith did and was a moderately successful student and athlete. Amongst Keith’s memorabilia is Trevor’s featherweight boxing medal from the 1930’s which is currently in the hands of Keith’s eldest son in Palmerston North where in a couple of generations it may well be lost/overlooked. Would the College like this sort of memorabilia back? I would be happy to ask for it and any College related pieces of interest from the family on the College’s behalf if it were welcome and of value to the Archives.

three months at large, travelling south, finally making contact with British forces.

After some months on furlough in NZ, Bob returned to active service with the 22nd Battalion as a company commander and was promoted to the rank of major: (he was one of a few escaped prisoners to return to active service.) After VE Day, Bob was selected to join the POW Repatriation Unit in England.

After some months with this unit and some more on Rehabilitation leave he returned to NZ and was demobbed in September 1946.

Bob’s WWII was ‘first in, last out.’ He is aged 92 and lives in Sawtell, NSW.

Can anyone identify the date of this photo?

Ken Ward, Wellington 1952-1955 twoward@paradise.net.nz he attached picture is from a postcard that came into my possession. It seems to pre-date the illustration in the centenary book of a sports day due to the central tower of the old East School still being there.

Thought you might be interested. Any idea of dates?

T

Ready for an 80 Years On Reunion Bob Wood, NSW 1928-1930

4A of 1941 Update David Salkeld, England 1940-1944 deliza789@btinternet.com

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hank you for the kind invitation to dine with Mr Moses on 19 May.

I regret that I am unable to attend especially as I have happy memories of the Headmaster’s last visit several years ago.

I have not attended either the Forty or the Fifty Years on Reunions but if you are planning an 80 Years On in a couple of years I would be a likely starter as a 1930 leaver, now aged 94 in August.

I am somewhat of an endangered species as not many ‘First Echelon’ New Zealanders from WWII exist. I enclose some following words about this. I enjoyed the company in a POW Camp of ‘Tiny’ Armour, whose father was the Headmaster in my day.

I hope the occasion is a happy one, especially for Mr Moses, to whom my best wishes with salutations to the assembled Old Boys.

Major RM (Bob) Wood joined the ‘Special Force’ in September 1939 and entered Trentham Camp. The unit became the 19th Infantry Battalion with which he went to Egypt in January 1940. He was commissioned in 1941 and saw action in the desert campaigns, until his capture at Ruweisat Ridge in July 1942. He spent about a year in Italian prisoner of war camps.

Together with another 19th Battalion man, Capt Hugh Flower, Bob escaped and spent

I

now have a brief summary of 4A 1941 which I hope will be of interest to all the readers.

Page 23 in Lampstand last year - News of 4A 1941 - began with myself meeting Hugh Morton in Brisbane; but his widow sadly said Hugh died in June 2008. Happily Max Moore from Auckland reports that David Exley, George Gair, Peter Gilchrist, Peter Josephson, Bill Moody, and Max too: remain in good health, or as well as can be expected. So are the two Joans, widows of Otway Josling and Rodney Wilson. But Bill Hume, Keith McGill, and Cedric Power seemed under par; and John Morey died in New Plymouth in July.

When Ray Harrison heard of Hugh’s death he tried but failed to phone Leicester Franks, and wrote to Alan Crowther. Earlier, John Craig and Peter Macdonald saw in a Wellington paper and wrote to the widow in Queensland.

Elizabeth and I will meet Roger Moses in London; Peter Whittle planned to come too, and although he had to decline he will meet me soon.

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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YOUR LETTERS

Hijinks in Firth House

Tim Kerr, Canterbury • 1962-1966 • tim.kerr@xtra.co.nz

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have found some snapshots taken in and from the 4th Form dormitory of Firth House in 1963. The photos were taken during the day - and during a weekend. From memory, we were not supposed to be in the dorms during daylight hours...

As for the blanket tossing, the person being tossed was not usually a volunteer. The tossing was probably being conducted by a bunch of 5th formers - who would have picked upon "turd formers" and 4th formers to toss.

I cannot remember all the participants in the posed photograph in the dormitory. Of the group, from L to R back row there were: Skinner, Kerr, Carey, Rhodes? front row: Josephson and I cannot remember the name of the last person. We didn’t have “first names” in the 4th form. The solo posed photo was Phil Carey.

The exercise book I found amongst my parents' possessions. It records a trip we had in our sixth form year during our May school holidays.

(Probably 1967). I cannot remember the names of the geography teachers who took us on the tour - they were bloody staunch guys though. We gave them a pretty hard time. We embarked for Lyttelton, visited Arthurs Pass (buses were not allowed to cross the pass on the primitive unsealed road back in those days...) then off to the West Coast via Lewis Pass and through the forestry, hop and tobacco lands of Motueka returning to Wellington via the Marlborough Sounds.

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It was quite a trip! We learned how to get served in the West Coast bars (by knocking on the back door I discovered!). Met a bunch of surprisingly curious and willing girls in Greymouth who hailed from a school in the Hawkes Bay. Although the girls were from a co-ed school, the few boys travelling with them were the leftover swots who had not left school in the 5th form to go farming. The girls found us boys-only guys a lot more interesting!

One of the teachers - after carefully counting us before the bus set off - failed to count his own seven or eight-year-old son who was travelling with us. The bus had to turn back and pick the poor kid up!

We learned some pretty useful stuff I guess; beer contains NZ-grown hops, local tobacco was not as good as some of the imported stuff, you can get served in a bar under 21 providing you don't all enter the place at once, the West Coast had populous, smoke-filled bars after 6 o’clock.

We must have learned some Geography too - for I passed a Geography paper at university after leaving school.

I think my sixth form was called 6B5 - a mixed class of SC and UE failures. I had failed my SC. (To explain more concisely, the class consisted of some who had passed SC on their second attempt and those who had failed their UE and were repeating the year.)

REFLECTIVE WORDS FROM STAFF MEMBERS With a number decade Reunions taking place for various cohorts in attendance, we also extend an invitation to staff at the time to attend (for those whom we have contact details for). For varying circumstances, some are not able to attend so we have asked them to convey their memories by word to share with our Old Boys and readers. It’s been a pleasure for us to read the following letters and as such share them with you. It’s good to know not everyone was a ‘little horror’ to their Masters.

Ernie Barrington 1964-1967

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hope that the reunion at Wellington College gives a chance for a lot of the 1967 cohort to reconnect and to reminisce about their time at the College in the 1960's - especially those who live in distant places.

My association with the intake of 1963 came in the form of 4SHB (science), but I also have good memories of my 1964 3SHC (science), and 3SHA (maths) as well as a couple of 6th form classes in Geography and Biology and an Upper 6th biology.

Partly because they were my form class, 4SHB Science (1964), stood out - bright, articulate, often cheeky - cane him sir!! - and with a lot of 'bush lawyers'!

I had been warned that they were likely to be hard to handle and it was true. The reunion list that I was sent recently reveals that some of the 4SHB class will be at the reunion -and I send my greetings to them.

Although it is almost 40 years ago, I remember you all as though it was yesterday!

A truly memorable class and a wonderful experience.

It was my privilege and good luck to choose Wellington College as my first teaching job (1964-67) and I retain warm and vivid memories of all my classes there.

Fresh out of University and Training College, I thought I was going to the College to teach, but I soon found out that it was the other way around - I was there to learn! My teachers were the students of Wellington College and my colleagues.

I think every teacher remembers their first year of teaching very well, because you realise that in your first year, you have only a limited knowledge of your subject material and even less about how to interact with a class of adolescents.

Being a first year teacher, my classes were a bit noisy and to make matters worse I was right next door to the experienced ‘Inky’ Dighton, whose classes were a model of good behaviour. He used to drop into my room from time to time and usually he would say: well, well, young Barrington, how are you managing? Any problems just let me know.

Two doors down in the opposite direction was ‘Foxy’ Sutton, and his classes were a model of decorum and not to mention great scholarship.

Although it is not part of the 1963 cohort I must briefly mention my 3shA maths class of 1964. Maths was not one of my subjects but the College was desperately short of maths teachers, so the principal, Seddon Hill talked me into it. Almost anyone can teach maths at 3rd form level he said. Yeah, right!

Graham Thomas gave me some coaching and that helped, but I also had a very bright Chinese student in the class (Steve Chong), and when I was stuck with a problem I would take a walk around the room and peep over his shoulder, and he invariably had it sorted out and I was then able help those having difficulties! Unfortunately he got top of the class in the mid year exams and was promoted to 3A! I was on my own again!

taking up a higher position up north. I have thoroughly perused the list of pupils of this period, and recognised many characters for a most interesting variety of reasons.

I also have to mention Upper 5 (2) of 1965 (or could be 1966). They were fantastic fun - but mostly NOT interested in school at all.

I should also mention Firth House as well, which was a truly amazing experience to be part of. I think the House added a lot of colour and character to the College.

I also clearly remember the cadet week at the start of each school year, and subsequent Wednesday morning training sessions throughout the year when you all turned up in your beloved ‘sandpaper suits’.

I was indeed proud to become C.O. of the two College A.T.C. Squadrons for a while and was very aware of the smartness, respect and enthusiasm shown.

I said that I had the good luck to choose Wellington College as a first job, and that was partly because l happened to start in 1964 with three other first year teachers, Graham Thomas, Peter Walls and Gary Girvan, all of whom went on to become fine teachers.

Because we were all of same age and in the same boat as it were, we gave each other support and talked about strategies etc. This was a great help.

I have fond memories coaching the Soccer 1st XI which returned one year with the cup from NPBHS. Likewise I recall the weekly hike up to the top soccer field on Mt Victoria for practice sessions.

I soon discovered I had acquired the nickname ‘Soapy’, apparently because at that time Sharland and Co. were advertising a dish-washing solution known as Bliss Detergent. Luckily I did not collect the ‘Detergent’ part. However, the recent antismacking law has since outlawed all previous corrective measures.

Some of the more experienced teachers were good value as well - and I particularly remember Ray Michael being a fund of good ideas - and his enthusiasm for the students was inspirational as well. Ted Clayton, Bernie Bliss, Ian Henderson, Rex Lane and Max Donnellan had all been around the block a bit, so their advice was useful too.

I have taken much pride in following the careers of many of you men in a wide variety of fields, but I am thankful I retired from the teaching profession before NCEA arrived.

The older teachers were generally friendly but some of them were in a bit of a 'time warp' and I think that they thought that the place had 'gone to the dogs' a bit. I can still see and hear the rattling of the Dominion newspapers at lunch time in the staff room by some of the older masters at the annoyance caused by some of us loudly playing cards at the end of the staff room. I think we were playing ‘500’.

Over the years I have received correspondence from some of you fellows expressing warm reminiscences, and I treasure my many class and football photos.

Finally I should say that I was fortunate to be at the College just after Seddon Hill had been appointed Principal in 1963. Seddon was sensible and approachable with a warm personality and a good sense of humour.

He was especially supportive of his young teachers. It doesn't surprise me that he lived a long life through to his 90th year.

Ernie is contactable at: efb102@yahoo.com

Kenneth Bliss 1954-1969

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must say I felt very honoured to be invited to your 50 Years On Reunion.

Circumstances, however, prevent my meeting you all in person so I shall convey this epistle as requested.

As most of you remember I was a physics and mathematics master from 1954 - 69 before

I have maintained my interest in Wellington College activities, receiving all your Association Newsletters.

Last year I was privileged to attend the Reunion Dinner of the Auckland Branch of the WCOBA. There I was made very welcome and met many of your contemporaries and had an interesting chat with your present Headmaster Roger Moses.

I remember the school visits by the Old Boy rocket scientist William Pickering, also when our Old Boy Governor-General neighbour Bernard Freyberg came to inspect our cadets.

I left Wellington College just as the main building was about to be demolished in 1969.

I wonder if my beloved Room K upstairs in the old West School still exists.

I still value the Prefect’s Badge which the Prefects presented to me as a token of goodwill between myself and my class pupils on the day I left Wellington College.

I have always enjoyed perfect health and am still hale and hearty.

I trust your reunion is a roaring success, and I am sorry I am unable to attend in person.

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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REFLECTIVE WORDS FROM STAFF MEMBERS Ian Henderson 1948-1958

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t is with considerable regret that I am unable to be present with you at your reunion. This is a result of the ravages of old age. I am now 85, I have had a stroke and a mild heart attack which has left me very tired, unstable on my feet, very short of breath, and partially blind in my left eye. All of which deprives me of my major pleasure - driving.

During my time at Wellington College I served under four headmasters. Mr Hogben, Mr Heron (Alec) the temporary Mr Dighton, (Inky) and Mr Hill. The best of the bunch as far as I was concerned was the temporary headmaster Inky.

In my time at the school (1948-1968), I have few recollections, except some intriguing incidents, which I will recall to you now. Mr Hogben, was quite short in stature. He was the only man I have ever known to have two thick rubber platforms under each heel of his shoes, most people only ever wore one. In staff meeting he would announce new prefects and sometime later he would remark he had appointed the Head Prefect, but we were not to say a word about it.

Then he would say Mr so and so, at exactly 10.15am you are to tell ‘Smith’ to report down to the Office. This way he will come past my Office and I will belay him, and let him know that he is Head Prefect.

From this point on, the Headmaster would be met by the new prefect every morning to inspect Mr Hogben’s gown which he would hold above his shoulders while the prefects’ job was to straighten the gown out. He would then bustle in to the assembly hall shoulders held high so much for a short man.

One morning, a young American lady walked along the Basin Reserve, she was on her way to the Governor General’s residence, where the job of a nanny had been advertised.

When she arrived at the twin gates, the military presence at the Governor’s residence made her feel Wellington College entrance was the tradesman’s entrance, so she took the tradesman entrance. Half way up the road, she met Alec Heron, who pointed out to her that he was looking for a secretary, which she forthwith accepted. She was Pat Paterson. Her mother was Scottish, and father New Zealander, and Pat was in New Zealand discovering her New Zealand heritage.

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Completely covered with white blossom and standing about three metres tall in front of the west school.

As we all know Wellington is known for its horrendous gale force winds. On this occasion, I awoke in the middle of the night to a fan light in the house, beating like a drum. I got up and wedged it open with the newspaper. Next morning we found huge branches of trees had snapped off and we were quite unaware of the storm that was taking place. We set of in the car for work, I dropped Eileen at Kirks and proceeded to the College. As I went to park the car, I drove slowly around the Armoury to be confronted by some four staff members violently waving their arms indicating I should go back out of the road. As I started to do this, a brand new car owned by one of the staff members, appeared from around the corner, where the driver was peering through his steering wheel. Apparently a sheet of roofing iron had been blown off the Armoury and crashed on to the brand new car’s roof. I left my car, by the Armoury and walked to the staffroom, where I became conscious of slate squares being blown of the Assembly Hall roof, and coming down so fiercely that they disappeared completely into the ground. The Headmaster held a very quick meeting, saying that he would announce over the radio, that any boy who had not made it to school yet, should stay at home. But those who were already there would not be released from school until the storm had abated.

We were all very friendly with the groundsman Reg Howard, and his Fergie tractor. One afternoon he raced backwards and forward on the lower ground near the bank mowing the lawn. That night it poured with rain. In the area he had been driving over a hole appeared, washed out by a leaking storm water pipe. It would be three metres across and two metres deep.

In about 1958, the Americans were hot on radio, about a hunk of iron, just a hunk of iron better known as the Sputnik. So I took several of my lads up to the Observatory. We watched until all the stars were moving. Finally the Sputnik came in to our view and we watched the Sputnik go across the night sky.

At a later stage, Lyndon B Johnson (President of America), came to visit and went up to the Governor General’s residence, to Government house. Wellington College military Battalion Cadets company lined the road for this occasion.

On of the annual sports days, held on the lower ground, we were surprised to find one of our boys was truly exceptional at throwing the cricket ball, it landed right outside the school grounds. We were all truly amazed at the boys strength and it was discovered that this boy, who had come from Samoa was in fact 21-years-old. His younger brother had won a scholarship to attend Wellington College, but as tradition held in the Islands, such honour could not bestowed on anyone other than the eldest child, if he had not gained a scholarship. So the family duly sent their eldest son who was 21-years-old - definitely our oldest fourth former of all times.

One morning in the staff meeting, Alec Heron asked the staff if they had seen Fujiama, which turned out to be a small tree.

In the days of Peter Fraser, the film Around the World in 80 Days was launched. To help with the advertising of this film, the

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countries which were visited in the film were to put on a distinctive meal to represent that country. In his wisdom, he chose for New Zealand the huhu grub. Behind the school, on the bank there used to be two very large pine trees which had been blown down. The boys proceeded to pull them apart and eat the grubs.

I wish you all fond memories as you reminisce at the College. I wish I could be there with you also. Have a wonderful reunion, and I want you all to know that I have always loved my memories of the fond times I had at Wellington College.

Sincerely Hendy Sadly, Ian Henderson passed away peacefully in June this year. His wife Eileen has written to us on behalf of the family and mentions that Ian had extremely fond memories of the College and often related many stories to his son and daughter on his time at the College. Ian is survived by his wife, his son Kim and daughter Lea and four grandchildren.

Dave Trevena 1954-1960

I

t is very kind of class members to invite me to the class reunion. I am unable to attend - my thoughts and best wishes to you.

I taught at Wellington College from Term Three, 1954 to end of 1960. Some of my interests, apart from teaching English and French included coaching 4th grade rugby, army cadet officer, in charge of the library for several years, in charge of projection room and the projectionists. I have class photos from 1954 to 1958, and of projectionists.

Also, unfairly perhaps, the mark books for the classes I taught, showing progress through the year - this does help bring back names from the list you sent.

These were happy and productive years.

In Blenheim I am actively engaged with the running of the Blenheim Riverside Railway, doing rosters and some financial work.

Wellington College staff members I am still in touch with are Don Ramage and Don Welch.

I was also a student of Wellington College from late 1937 to end of 1940, with some vivid memories of those days.

If other Masters would like to contribute their memories to the 2009 Lampstand, please write or email the WCOBA Office with your story.

Unfortunately we do not hold many contact addresses for past staff so it has been difficult for us to keep in touch. If you are aware of former staff living near you, and not on our mailing list, please let us know. Old Boys who attend reunions in particular, always enjoy meeting their former teachers and I am sure it goes both ways.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Auspicious Lunch for Honoured Guests The College was proud to host Professor Bernard Spolsky (1944-1948) at both an Assembly and Lunch in May, 2008. Professor Spolsky was in New Zealand (from Jerusleum) as he was to receive an Honorary Doctorate from Victoria University later that day.

Following a brief address given in Assembly to current students and staff, Professor Spolsky and our esteemed guests of 6A 1948 together with their wives, took a tour around the College and concluded with a lunch in the Cricket Pavilion.

Below is a profile of each guest in attendance.

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1979, he was a Council member rofessor Bernard Spolsky of the New Zealand Law Society. lives in Jerusalem where Sir Michael was a member of he is a retired Professor of the Legal Aid Board from 1974 Linguistics and a prolific to 1980 and Chairman from author of books on that topic.

1978 to 1980.

Bernard Spolsky was born in New Zealand in 1932 and As a young man, Sir Michael educated at Wellington College, was active in youth leadership Victoria University College of in the Methodist and Anglican the University of New Zealand, Churches and the Boys’ Brigade. and the University of Montreal.

He has also been involved in He taught at high schools in a range of other community New Zealand, Australia and activities. For a number of years, England. He taught English he was a member of the Public for two years at the Hebrew and Social Affairs Committee of University of Jerusalem, and (L-R): Dr Tom Farrar, Professor Bernard Spolsky, Sir Michael Hardie Boys, the Anglican Church, a member completed military service Dr Arch Matheson, Mr Wally Simmers of the Management Committee in the Israel Defence Forces. and the Trust Board of Samuel He was assistant professor of subsequent growth of immersion schooling Education at McGill University (1962-4), and in kohanga reo, kura kaupapa Maori, etc, and Marsden Collegiate School and a member assistant professor of Linguistics at Indiana has conducted project for the Department of the executive of the predecessor to the University (1964-8). of Education on Maori bilingual schools and Independent Schools Association. From the role of the Samoan language in New 1978 to 1980, he was a Council member of the Automobile Association, Wellington.

At the University of New Mexico from Zealand education.

1968-1980, he was Professor of Linguistics, Sir Michael and Lady Hardie Boys share Elementary Education and Anthropology and students of the Class of 6A, 1948 common interests in the arts and the for six years Dean of the Graduate School.

6A of 1948 had only 12 in the class of which outdoors. Lady Hardie Boys is an artist He was appointed Professor of English at nine survive. 6A might have been the most member of the New Zealand Academy of Bar-Ilan University in 1980, serving as Dean exceptional class ever at Wellington College Fine Arts and of Society of Watercolour New of the Faculty of Humanities from 1992-4 and perhaps all of New Zealand’s Colleges Zealand. and Chair of the Department of English and high schools. The class of 12 generated a from 1995-6. On retirement in 2000, he was Governor General and Judge, a Headmaster, Sir Michael was knighted (GCMG) in 1995, appointed Professor Emeritus. a Chairman of the NZ General Practitioners received the first GNZM awarded in 1996, Association, an American oil company and is a Knight of the Order of St John.

At Indiana University, he was director of the executive, five University Professors, one He was sworn in as New Zealand’s 17th English as a Foreign Language Program and NZ Scientific Research Institute Director, Governor-General on 21 March 1996. His associate chair of the Research Centre for and ten Doctorate degrees, one Knight of term of office came to an end on 21 March the Language Sciences. At the University of the realm, a Companion of the NZ Order of 2001, and at that time he was awarded the New Mexico, he directed the Navajo Reading Merit, and a bank manager and Computer Queen’s Service Order for Public Services.

Study. At Bar-Ilan University, he founded systems expert. In 1948 NZ awarded only 20 Dr Doug Wright, Hamilton: MSC Hons and directed the Language Policy Research University Scholarships of which 6A won 3. in Chemistry, PhD [Biochemistry], and Centre.

Sir Michael Hardie Boys, Wellington: After DSc [Otago University]. Biochemist in the He has been a Senior Associate at the attending Wellington College, where he Department of Agriculture and the DSIR; National Foreign Language Centre and was a school prefect, he went on to Victoria Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, Canterbury Senior Research Scientist at the Centre for University College, and gained a BA and an University; the Advanced Study of Language, both at LLB degree. In December 1997, the University the University of Maryland. He was Editor- conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Flight Lieutenant, Royal New Zealand Air in-Chief of the international academic Laws, honoris causa. He has been a Visiting Force in the NZ Defence Science Corps; journal Language Policy, published now by Fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge, and Springer Science from 2002 until 2007, and in 1995 was elected an Honorary Fellow of Director of the Meat Industry Research Institute of NZ: Consultant for the United is Publications Director of Asian TEFL and that College.

Nations' International Atomic Energy editor-in-chief of its journal.

Sir Michael has had a distinguished career Agency in India, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Sudan, He is currently writing a book on language in law. He practised in Wellington for many Indonesia and Sri Lanka; Chairman of NZ's management. years, before being appointed a Judge of the National Science Strategy Committee for the High Court in 1980. In 1989, he was appointed control of possums and bovine tuberculosis; Bernard Spolsky has also had a major to the Court of Appeal and became a Privy Chairman of the Australian Cooperative influence on language education in New Counsellor in the same year. In 1994, he was Research Centre's research committee on Zealand over the past 30 or more years. elected an Honorary Bencher of Gray’s Inn, conservation and control of marsupials, He has taken a keen interest in the Maori London. He was a Council member of the Member of Environment Waikato's Pest language revival movement and related Wellington District Law Society from 1973 to Management Committee. developments: the bilingual schools and 1979 and President in 1979. From 1976 to THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS Companion of the NZ Order of Merit for services to science, Companion of the Royal Society of NZ, Honorary Fellow of the NZ Institute of Chemistry; Silver medal of the RSNZ for services to science; Justice of the Peace.

Represented NZ in masters' tennis in the Australasian Masters tennis championships, Represented Otago, Canterbury, Wellington, Manawatu, and Waikato at both tennis and table tennis. Awarded University Blues in tennis and table tennis.

Dr Tom Farrar, Wellington: Partner Island Bay Medical Centre for 35 years. Member Medical Council of NZ. President Royal NZ College of General Practitioners.

President Wellington Division NZ Medical Association. Official Representative for NZ at World General Practitioner Conferences in Switzerland and Hong Kong. President Rotary Club of Wellington South and Paul Harris Fellow.

Dr Arch Matheson, Dunedin: Studied science at Victoria University College. Senior scholarship 1952. MSc (Hons in Chemistry) 1953. Research in Physical Chemistry at

Headmaster Roger Moses hosted a luncheon in the Cricket Pavilion for our special guests from the Class of 6A, 1948

Canterbury University College and University of Otago PhD 1957.

Research Fellow University of New England, NSW. Lectured in Chemistry at Victoria University 1958-69, and at Otago University 1969-91. Appointed Associate Professor 197191. Research in Physical Chemistry of Ionic Solutions. Fellow N.Z. Institute of Chemistry.

Churchwarden, St Matthew's Anglican

Church, Dunedin for a number of years.

Mr Wally Simmers, Wellington: Even though Wally was not in 6A, it was wonderful to have him join us as the Head Prefect of 1948.

Wally, an engineer is yet to retire and is cuurently consulting for one of New Zealand’s Crown Companies.

Art Patron and Lawyer Honoured in Alumni Awards

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eing honoured by Victoria University at their 2007 Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner in October 2007, saw Dr Robin Congreve (1958-1961) visit Wellington College for the morning as our special guest.

Dr Congreve spoke to the Assembly about his days at Wellington College and as a Boarder and continued with an overview of his career and love of the Arts. He also presented two Cultural Blues to Michael Trigg (Drama) and Louis Baker (Music) and an academic award to 2007 Dux Rafe Hampson.

Robin and his wife Erika enjoyed a luncheon with the Headmaster, then departed for their Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner at the Wellington Town Hall.

Robin is a highly regarded lawyer and a significant advocate and patron of contemporary New Zealand art. He has been a senior lecturer in law, a partner at Russell McVeagh specialising in tax and commercial law, and has served on the boards of numerous private and public companies.

After receiving an LLM with first-class honours, Robin was awarded a postgraduate

scholarship to Oxford University, completing his Doctorate at the University of London.

Returning to New Zealand, he taught legal systems, equity and taxation at Victoria for two years from 1974.

Robin maintains a large number of business interests, with activities ranging from property development and finance to biotechnology, while continuing to advise clients on tax law.

His passion for the arts is evident in his 20year formal association with the Auckland Art Gallery, and together with his wife Erika he is a member of the Museum of Modern Art and Tate Modern International Councils.

He is also a founding benefactor of Victoria University's Adam Art Gallery.

Robin and his wife Erika have made substantial donations over the years to arts and cultural facilities, including sponsoring the Congreve Foyer of the Adam Gallery at Victoria University and establishing the prestigious Walters Prize for contemporary art. Along with fellow arts patron Jenny Gibbs, Robin and Erika launched the Walters Prize for contemporary art in Auckland last year, with the initial prize money of $50,000 going to Yvonne Todd.

(L-R): Dr Robin Congreve, Michael Trigg, Louis Baker, Rafe Hampson 42

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Robin has also helped establish an Institute for Philanthropy at University College in London, which is in its second year of operation. The Institute's aims are "to devise and promote techniques and methods that will encourage and enhance a thriving charitable sector in the United Kingdom".

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Giving back to Wellington College The Scholarship is open to all Wellington College Year 13 students and covers two years of tuition at ICMS and is worth NZ$50,000.

At the end of that two-year period, students can finish with an associated degree or can complete a final year for their BBA. Past recipients of the Courtney-O’Connor scholarship include; 2008 - Dean Millar 2007 - George Hitchcock 2006 - Deon Baker The International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) In 1996 Touraust Corporation opened the International College of Management, Sydney; situated in the heritage listed St. Patricks estate in the seaside suburb of

Manly. What started with a cohort of 65 hospitality and tourism students has grown to over 1000 students from 65 countries studying across six disciplines: • Property Services Management • Event Management • Retail Services Management • International Tourism • Hospitality Management • Sports Management All undergraduate students undertake nine-months paid industry training in internationally reputable company to give students a hands on, practical experience.

This is a fundamental part of an ICMS education

S

ince his days at Wellington College (1962-1967) Old Boy Darryl CourtneyO’Connor, has spent the last 20 years making his mark on the New Zealand and Australian tourism industry. Establishing Touraust Corporation in 1986, Touraust has seen the creation of a major locally owned hotel chain, in excess of 80 hotels throughout New Zealand and Australia, more than $400 million worth of investment in tourism related projects and the creation of a private tourism industry property trust.

In recent years, Touraust has employees more than 1000 people with an annual turnover of more than $80 million and in 2007 was ranked as a Top 500 Australian company.

Recently completing the Owners President Graduate Program at Harvard University; Darryl has always places a great deal of attention on continued training and education and credits Wellington College for this foundation in education:

(L-R): Deon Baker, Darryl Courtney-O’Connor, George Hitchcock

Wellington College offered me a broad education and life skill set from both the boarding house as well as the day school.

At the time I felt I was with a bunch of boys who were encouraged to achieve. It was achievement-focused. This focus enabled me to be where I am today.

The Courtney-O’Connor Scholarship I took so much away from Wellington College, and to have the opportunity to give back is important to me. It is also essential to recognise that bricks and mortar are not as important as development of people. This Scholarship has been designed with this in mind.

The International College of Management, Sydney; situated in the heritage listed St Patricks estate

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

William Pickering - America’s Deep Space Pioneer Old Boy Douglas Mudgway (1936-40) has just launched his book on his old friend, colleague and Old Boy, Dr William Pickering (1923-27). The following has been taken from the book jacket:

O

n the first day of February 1958, three men held aloft a model of Explorer 1, America’s first Earth satellite, for the press photographers. That image of William Pickering, Wernher von Braun, and James Van Allen became an icon for America’s response to the Sputnik challenge.

Von Braun and Van Mien were well known, but who was William Pickering?

From humble beginnings in a remote country town in New Zealand, Pickering came to California in 1928 and quickly established himself as an outstanding student at the then-new California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

At Caltech, William Pickering worked under the famous physicist Robert Millikan on cosmic-ray experiments, at that time a relatively new field of physics. In 1944, when Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was developing rocket propul­ sion systems for the U.S. Army, Pickering joined the workforce as a technical manager. He quickly established himself as an outstanding leader, and ten years later, Caltech named him Director of JPL. And then, suddenly, the world changed. In October 1957, the Sputnik satellite startled the world with its spec­tacular demonstration of Soviet supremacy in space.

Pickering led an intense JPL effort that joined with the von Braun and Van Mien teams to answer the Soviet chal­lenge. Eighty-three days later, on 31 January 1958, America’s first satellite roared into Earth orbit.

A few months after that, Pickering’s decision to affili­ate JPL with the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration set the basis for his subsequent career and the future of NASA’s ambitious program for the exploration of the solar system.

In the early days of the space program, failure followed failure as Pickering and his JPL team slowly ascended the “learning curve.” Eventually, however, NASA and JPL resolve paid off. First the Moon, then Venus, and then Mars yielded their scientific mysteries to JPL spacecraft of ever increasing sophistication.

Within its first decade, JPL-built spacecraft sent back the first close-up photographs of the lunar surface, while others journeyed far beyond the Moon to examine Venus and return the first close-up views of the surface of Mars.

Later, even more complex space missions made successful soft-landings on the Moon and on Mars.

Pickering’s sudden death in March 2004 at the age of 93 was widely reported in the U.S. and overseas. As one NASA official eulogised him, “His pioneering work formed the foundation upon which the current program for exploring our solar system was built.”

On this, the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Space Age, it is proper to remind ourselves of the ordinary people who met the extraordinary challenge to make it happen.

About the Author

D

ouglas Mudgway went to the United States in 1962 to work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, following a 15-year career in the field of guided missiles research and testing in Australia. At JPL, he was involved in the development and operation of the Deep Space Network from its infancy in the early 1960s until its maturity in the early 1990s. He retired from JPL in 1991.

Douglas left Wellington College in 1940 and was a mathematics and physics graduate of the University of New Zealand. He now enjoys life writing and resides in the wine country of Northern California.

Pictured with Headmaster Roger Moses, Dr William and Mrs Pickering were special visitors to a full school assembly held in the Renouf Sports Centre in March, 2002. Dr Pickering, aged 91, spoke standing up, without notes, to the school for well over 40 minutes, before undertaking a tour of his old College.

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

LSE Professor awarded Leontief Prize for 2008

P

rofessor Robert Wade (1957-1961), professor of political economy and development at the London School of Economics (LSE), has been jointly awarded the 2008 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.

The prize, awarded by Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment Institute, is in honour of Wassily Leontief, Nobel Prize winner in economics, for his work on the structure of economies and its effects on growth and inequality.

Professor Wade said: Studying economics in remote New Zealand in the 1960s, I was intrigued by Leontief’s approach, much more interesting than the dreary microeconomic textbooks. I am delighted (not to mention surprised, since I later switched to a PhD in anthropology rather than economics) to have my writings recognised by a prize named in his honour.

Professor Wade shares the award with José Antonio Ocampo, the celebrated Latin American economist now at Columbia University and formerly deputy secretarygeneral of the UN. GDAE co-director Neva Goodwin said: José Antonio Ocampo and Robert Wade are

to rethinking development policy and the international policy framework.

Earlier winners of the Leontief Prize include J K Galbraith, Amartya Sen, Sam Bowles, Robert Frank, Paul Streeten, Juliet Schor, Herman Daly, Richard Nelson and Dani Rodrik. among the most creative economic thinkers, combining rigorous analysis with empirically grounded research. Each of them is laying critical pieces of the groundwork that are needed for solving global problems in ways that will genuinely improve the lives of the world’s poor majority.

Professor Wade has made seminal contributions to several fields of study. His book Governing the Market, on the state's role in East Asian development, won the American Political Science Association’s prize for Best Book in Political Economy.

His Village Republics: economic conditions for collective action in South India, showed that the tragedy of the commons does not always hold true and that collective action can be an alternative to privatisation and state control in the management of common property resources. More recently he has emerged as a leading critic of the view that globalisation reduces global inequality and global poverty, and a leading contributor

The award ceremony will take place November 17 at Tufts University and will feature lectures by the prize winners on the topic, Beyond the Washington Consensus: new visions for trade and development.

Robert is Professor of political economy at the London School of Economics, and fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg (Institute for Advanced Study), Berlin, 2000/01. He attended Wellington College, and holds a BA from Otago University, a BA (Hons) in economics from Victoria University, and a DPhil from Sussex University. He has taught at the universities of Wellington (Victoria), California at San Diego, Sussex, Princeton, MIT, Brown, and LSE; has been a staff economist at the World Bank and at the Office of Technology Assessment (US Congress); and has held fellowships at the Russell Sage Foundation (New York) and at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton).

Scholarship winner running to the top

A

lexander Ross (2005-2007) will leave the University of Otago Business School to study in England. Alex isn't quite sure what his dream job is, but he reckons it will involve being in a boardroom and making big decisions.

The 18-year-old's vision of being a top executive has had a big boost, with him being named named as the 2008 Doug Myers Scholarship recipient.

The honour, worth about $150,000, will enable Alex to study economics and maths at Cambridge University for three years from September this year. It is the eighth time the scholarship has been awarded.

Multi-millionaire businessman Doug Myers, who went to the top British university in the late 1950s and early 1960s, said Alexs's ambition showed he had "stretched horizons".

While Alex's academic prowess - which gained four NZ scholarships in last year's exam round - was important, his attitude was too. He's got the brains to be an academic but he wants to get involved in life, in whatever capacity, Mr Myers said of the former Wellington College student.

The intelligence was right up there - he's a sportsman, he was the Head Prefect of one of the top schools in New Zealand.

than two days as a Year 12 student in a fundraising ‘Runathon’. [The World Vision 40Hour Runathon].

He admitted at being a bit sore afterwards, but said the last lap gave a taste of victory. One of my main things is that I'm very determined and focused. I don't like failure.

I know that if I really concentrate on something I can do a better job than what I would otherwise and I don't want to let myself down.

His personal run raised $1004 for charity.

Myers Scholarship selection committee chair John Taylor said that seven of 45 applicants were shortlisted. The shortlist had one more name than usual because of the high calibre of candidates.

Alex was an extremely popular student at the College both with students and staff. He epitomised the role of Head Prefect, carrying out his duties almost 24/7 and involved himself in all facets of the College.

His academic excellence in 2007 saw him achieve four NZ Scholarships (two of them oustanding). He was awarded the JP Firth Scholarship, a Turnbull Scholarship and was 1st = in Class of Y13 Physics and 1st in Y13 Economics.

Aside from academia, Alex was in the Senior A Tennis Team, Senior A Waterpolo Team, and Goalie and Captain of the 1st XI Hockey Team.

Alex is also the great-grandson of Headmaster WA Armour.

Alex showed his determination in running the equivalent of three marathons in less THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

North and South Magazine New Zealander of the Year Awards

2007 Young Achiever • Buxton Popoali’i *

H

is coach rates him as the most talented school rugby player in the country and pundits are tipping big things ahead for the humble 18year-old, despite injuries and sickness that have frustrated his progress.

season for Northern United.

Buxton, who had heart valve replacement surgery in 2006, has scored five tries from just seven matches this season, though he bows down to Norths teammate Sinoti To'omaga, the flying wing having crossed 12 times to also stake a claim for Lions selection.

When Buxton Popoali’i * (2003-2007) arrived at Wellington College in 2003 everyone could see he was a rugby star in the making. With his speed, step and skill, he immediately made it into the school’s U15 team, despite being two years younger than his teammates, and was also set to quickly rise to the 1st XV.

It's all about teamwork, we try and do things together as a winger-fullback combination, Buxton said. It's different playing club rugby, there's a lot bigger boys than at college. It's awesome playing next to guys that have already been there for three or four years and I learn a lot off them.

However, the following year Buxton was hit with rheumatic fever, which led to serious complications, ruling him out of all rugby for two years. In 2006 and desperate to get back on the field, he underwent six hours of surgery to replace a faulty heart valve.

Buxton admits his natural flair can get him into trouble. Sometimes it [sidestep] works, sometimes I have to hold it back a bit, he says.

After pestering his specialist daily for clearance to play again, Buxton returned to rugby just three months after his operation, scoring a superb try ten minutes into his first match.

In 2007, Buxton was the outstanding NZSS rugby player, topping national scoring statistics with 280 points, including 22 tries, from 20 games.

He was selected for the Wellington U18 team, the Hurricanes’ Secondary Schools’ squad and the NZ Secondary Schools’ team.

Wellington College coach Nathan Frew says Buxton was desperately frustrated by his illness and enforced break but believes the 18-year-old fullback is the most talented school rugby player in the country.

I feel lucky to have seen some of the things he’s done on the rugby field. All his peers look up to him. I’ve dealt with a lot of players who are termed superstars and lots of them want everything done for them. Buxton’s not like that - he’s always the first one to step up and do the hard work and training. Anyone who’s ever dealt with Buxton has got nothing but positive things to say about him.

Buxton says that off the field, frustrations haven’t ended.

Unfortunately a knee injury ruled him out of the NZ Secondary Schools’ tour to Australia.

It was gutting as. That was my aim for the year - representing New Zealand is something big. But injuries happen and it’s something I need to learn - no one’s that perfect.

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Having just finished his last year at College, Buxton is hoping for a career in rugby and already pundits are tipping huge success for him. A lot of people are saying a lot of things but I’m not really a big-headed guy, so I like to keep humble.

Since leaving Wellington College at the end of 2007, Buxton is now playing for the Porirua-based Norths’ Team. He is also a member of the Wellington Rugby Academy and is part of the 32-man squad in training for the Wellington Lions. Buxton’s prowness on the field continues as the following excerpt from the Dominion Post reports;

The 18-year-old fullback with the Benji Marshall-style sidestep was the star of last year's dominant Wellington College 1st XV and his attacking style has continued to turn heads in his debut premier club rugby

I'm still working on making decisions at the right times. I like to try and run it from my own tryline and 22 but I need to learn to get out of my red zone, be a bit more cautious and kick sometimes.

Buxton's potential is widely known. He's a member of the Wellington Rugby Academy, trains with the Lions' Air New Zealand Cup squad and scored a try in his first match for a senior Wellington XV, albeit in a one-sided romp over Wairarapa Bush.

I'm hoping to play Air New Zealand Cup, and hopefully it goes well from there, he said.

Even though injury prevented Buxton from touring with the NZ Schools’ Team, fellow 1st XV team-mate, and Number 8 TJ Ioane (2003-2007) [pictured right], was part of the successful tour of Australia.

TJ, named as the College’s Rugby Player of the Year, was an integral part of the 1st XV for the past three years. In 2007, he became an unstoppable force in Wellington Secondary Schools’ rugby.

His play was characterised by his high work rate, bollocking runs, stout defence and good sportsmanship.

Watch out for more to come from these two young committed players, in the not too distant future. * Buxton Popoali’i was known as Buxton Leutulava while at Wellington College.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

North and South Magazine New Zealander of the Year Awards

2007 Arts & Entertainment • Flight of the Conchords

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he comedy duo were a hit in the UK and US before locals cottoned on.

2007 was the year New Zealanders finally got Flight of the Conchords. Not only did they get to see them on their TV screens and hear them on radio, there was almost universal celebration of their droll and deadpan home-grown humour. Just a pity much of the rest of the world got them first.

Unwanted by television in NZ, Jemaine Clement and Old Boy Bret McKenzie (19901994) [pictured left], followed up their award-winning BBC radio series with a prime-time TV comedy series for American cable giant HBO.

For the first time ever, Emmy organisers unveiled a list of the top 10 comedies and dramas competing to be nominated for Emmy awards. Traditionally, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences does not reveal its shortlist of the 20 shows under consideration for best drama and best comedy series nominations, which this year will be announced on 17 July.

the five nominees for each category.

The top 10 shortlists were determined by votes from the entire television academy, and now go to ‘blue ribbon’ panels of academy members who will judge the contenders.

Results from the academy voting and the panel voting are then averaged to determine

Bret and Jemaine are currently in America working on the second season of Flight of the Conchords.

The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on 21 September, and will also include awards for TV actors, actresses, mini-series, made-for-TV movies and a host of other honours. Time magazine named it one of the Top 10 New TV Series of 2007, ranking it at #2.

Reproduced from North & South, January 2008 issue

The struggles of the Kiwi music duo in American streets drew more than a million viewers to an episode in the United States that received rave reviews at home when the series screened on Prime.

Back in Wellington for the summer, Jemaine said the reaction from New Zealanders had been much greater and more positive than they’d expected.

And Jemaine says the series’ success has led to lots of other offers, including movie roles, but they just wanted a break back home over summer.

While Bret has been touring with the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, Jemaine is writing a vampire movie script with Taika Waititi (director of Eagle vs Shark, which Jemaine starred in this year) and doing more claymation short films with Guy Capper.

With the series’ DVD now available along with T-shirts, a collection of websites devoted to them, and having recently been named Wellingtonians of the Year, demands on their time have increased greatly, Jemaine says. But we make ourselves quite hard to find. Except when we’re on the street. If people can’t get our phone numbers they can just wait on the street and we’ll pass eventually.

The Flight of the Conchords duo won New Zealand’s first Grammy in 24 years, picking up the best comedy album Grammy for The Distant Future. The first post-Grammy concert for Flight of the Conchords was a freebie show at a small Wellington video store called Aro Video.

The comedy show has also been included in a shortlist of the top 10 comedy shows vying for television's highest honours at the Emmy Awards. Flight of the Conchords is included in the shortlist for best comedy show.

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Property is the lure to Bucharest

B

lake Horsley (1997-2001) was always interested in Commercial property but it wasn’t until his last year studying commerce at Otago University that he decided to make a career out of it. In 2004 after an interview with Colliers International back in Wellington, he began as an executive assistant and shortly became a full sales broker.

He learnt the ropes quickly and in his third year at only 23-years-old became the Manager of Colliers Wellington’s Metro (fringe CBD) Sales and Leasing Team, the youngest Manager for Colliers International worldwide. “Colliers Wellington has some of New Zealand’s most experienced and successful commercial real estate agents who I was lucky to work with and learn from. Commercial property is unlike many graduate jobs. At a young age your clients are already highly successful people across various industries and it is invaluable being able to observe their skill sets.”

In 2007, as an investment sales broker Blake’s career with Colliers International was about to take a very different direction.

At a tri-annual Colliers University training event in Budapest, Hungary, Blake achieved the highest ever mark in the University’s 16-year history and as a result received job offers in the USA, Canada, Poland, Hungary and Romania.

After considering the offers and another trip to Eastern Europe, Blake accepted a new role with Colliers International in Bucharest, Romania and became the first non-Romanian in an office of 100 in March this year, where he specialises in Investment Sales over 20 million Euros.

It may sound surprising but Bucharest has been our top performing office in the world for the last two years, I have the opportunity to learn from some of the top brokers in the world and there are certainly benefits coming from a developed, English speaking market. One broker in the office earned over US$6 million in 2007, with several more surpassing US$2million.

The language barrier is not so critical for his job as it is in everyday life. English is generally the accepted language of international property outside South America. My clients are largely from the UK, Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Greece, Turkey and Israel and all speak English - although some struggle to understand my Kiwi accent! In the office, while most of his colleagues speak English, all emails and communication are in Romanian so Blake has been learning the language three times a week for the past few months.

Despite difficulties with the language and relocation issues with bank accounts, residency, drivers licence, company 48

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registration and possibly more to come, he says there have been very few moments when he has doubted his decision. I certainly did my research before making the decision to move to Romania. I am living in a communist apartment with my partner and we’re in a great location for travel.

revolution in 1989, the eastern Europe nation has been trying to unburden itself of its communist past by joining the west and embracing capitalism. In recent years, Romania’s economy has been marching ahead, fuelled by capital flowing in from western Europe.

In comparison to Wellington, Bucharest has eight times the population with only 2/5ths of the office space and a rapidly growing upper class. If you like your cars, then a trip to Bucharest might be worthwhile, as there are nine US$1m McLaren-Mercedes in Bucharest alone and a 22-year-old who drives a US$2.2m Bugatti Veryon. Car parking is a major issue however, with 1.5million cars in the city and only 300,000 parking spaces Bucharest’s infrastructure threatens to seriously restrain its booming property industry.

With a base tax rate of 2.5% to 100,000 Euros, Blake plans to stay in Bucharest for circa five years.

After WWII, Romania experienced decades of oppression under the brutal communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu. But when he was executed following the democratic

Apart from the traffic, Bucharest is a safe but expensive - place to live.

It’s hard to say when. I intend to move back to New Zealand one day but at the moment this emerging market which is considered six years behind it’s neighbours is a great opportunity for me. I am very lucky that I genuinely love what I do, property is obviously a job but also a passion and can be rewarding at a young age if you put the effort in.

Blake.Horsley@colliers.ro

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Business Hall of Fame Honour

H

e retired far too young - he still had another five years in him. What greater compliment could there be from colleagues and your own board? Hugh Perrett (1952-1956), former managing director of Foodstuffs NZ, the giant supermarket cooperative which runs the New World and PAK'nSAVE chains, still attracts such accolades after stepping down in 2001. Hugh was recently recognised at the Fairfax Media NZ Business Hall of Fame Awards ceremony in Auckland along with seven othe laureates.

the Fly Buys loyalty scheme. Hugh was also responsible for the development of Gilmours into New Zealand's leading cash-and-carry wholesaling operation. And of course there is the launch of PAK'nSAVE, which Hugh proudly sees as his greatest legacy in terms of impact on the country: "The leader must provide clarity of purpose and vision. " In addition to his Foodstuffs work, Hugh was

a non-executive director of New Zealand Dairy Foods from 2001 to 2005 and is a nonexecutive director of Goodman Fielder.

His pro bono work includes non-executive directorships with Business Mentors NZ, the Christian Healthcare Trust and AUT Enterprises. He was also an invited lecturer at the University of Auckland's Ice House.

When Hugh joined Foodstuffs in 1977, starting out as general manager of the Auckland region, the business was facing serious problems. We really were the rear runner if you like in the supermarket business.

I wouldn't say we were in danger of going under or anything like that, but certainly we weren't making the grade, he says. It was then Hugh revealed himself to be an almost textbook model of a transformational leader.

Big Hairy Audacious Goal, the BHAG, is a management buzzword coined in the 1990s, but before the phrase was developed, Hugh exemplified what it means. Under Hugh's guidance Foodstuffs' national turnover grew from $1.1 billion to $4.8 billion while its national share of supermarket business rose from 12 per cent to 55 per cent, and the national share of wholesale grocery business to more than 60 per cent. Today, Foodstuffs is New Zealand's second-largest business and is recognised as a world-class model for independent grocers and wholesalers.

Among Hugh's highlights are the development of Foodstuffs' private label ranges such as Pam's, Budget and Fresh Express, which grew to contribute more than $400 million to retail group turnover.

Another great milestone was the introduction of beer and wine to supermarkets, in the face of initial opposition from the breweries.

He worked closely with Shell New Zealand chief executive Charles Harrison to introduce

I

MC at the Awards Ceremony and Old Boy, John Campbell (1977-1981), Shea Fraser (Y13 Business Studies Student) and Hugh Perrett (Business Hall of Fame recipient)

Medicine runs in the blood

n the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours, Professor Richard Beasley (1969-1973) was awarded with a CNZM for services to medical research, in particular asthma.

Richard is based in Wellington where he is the director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ).

He won the 2004 World Lung Health Award and has published or overseen several hundred peer-reviewed research papers. He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom and a Consultant Physician at Wellington Hospital.

He holds the degrees of Doctor of Medicine [DM] from Southampton, and Doctor of Science [DSc] from Otago University, and

was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London in 2005.

His older brother, Professor Spencer Beasley (19661970) is also no stranger to medicine. Spencer is the Clinical Professor of Paediatrics and Surgery, Christchurch School of Medicine. He was formerly a Consultant Paediatric Surgeon/ Paediatric Urologist at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, and Senior Lecturer, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne before being appointed to Christchurch Hospital in 1996. He has a special interest in oesophageal atresia and the embryogenesis of congenital malformations. He has written or edited six

textbooks. In 2002, Spencer was awarded the John Mitchell Crouch Fellowship, the premier research award of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and in 2007 he was elected to the Council of the College. He is president of the New Zealand Society of Paediatric Surgeons, on the editorial board of several international journals, and has been senior examiner in paediatric surgery of the RACS. Richard and Spencer are the sons of Wyn Beasley, a retired orthopaedic surgeon and author of The Light Accepted – 125 Years of Wellington College, a former Chairman of the Board of Governors and more recently, the inaugural Freyberg Memorial Lecturer (as featured on page 78).

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Going beyond the call of duty

T

here aren’t a lot of things that I’ll willingly get out of bed at 4.00am for.

However, on Wednesday, 28 May I did just that - in order to catch the redeye flight to Wellington - returning to Wellington College for the first time since leaving in 2001. What was the purpose of my trip? To join the WCOBA Executive.

Every year the WCOBA holds its annual general meeting (AGM) in the Cricket Pavilion, coinciding with the traditional rugby and football matches against St Patricks.

It’s open to all Old Boys and for those of you not familiar with the fascinating world of the WCOBA AGM, its purpose is to pass the minutes from the previous AGM, adopt the President’s report, approve the financial statements and elect the Executive.

ensuring that the College’s history is preserved, reunions are held and our students, teachers and facilities don’t miss out because government funding is lacking.

My main focus is generation-y Old Boys, in particular those in the Auckland region.

The objective is simple – to encourage more of us to become actively involved with the association in one way or another.

This year’s meeting went without issue.

I made it onto the Executive, passing the secret handshake and college history bingo with flying colours. You’ll also be pleased – but probably not surprised – to learn that we thrashed St Patricks (Town) in both the football and the rugby.

Thankfully we live in the age of social media which makes reaching people far less of a challenge than in the days before Facebook.

Also working in my favour is the initiative taken by another Old Boy, Chris Chang.

Chris has set up a group on Facebook for Wellington College Old Boys. Currently the group has over 1000 members and growing.

I highly recommend you create a Facebook account (if you don’t have one) and join this group – just search for Wellington College and click “Join Group” when you find it.

Now, in seriousness, I’ve joined the WCOBA Executive because I want to contribute to the ongoing success of Wellington College.

The role that the WCOBA plays is critical in

Aside from the joining the Executive, I’ve had an interesting year. In February I moved from Wellington to take up the position of General Manager of Chrometoaster’s (I

know, crazy name) Auckland office. Chrometoaster is a new media company and we specialise in digital strategy, interactive design and website development. Pink polos aside, I’m really enjoying the challenge of growing a new business in the Auckland region.

I’ve also just launched a blog – Playing to Win – on the new Fairfax website – Business Day. I keep things interesting, blogging regularly about business, the digital economy and my quest to make it in the big smoke. Join the discussion at www.businessday.co.nz/ blog/playingtowin .

If you’d like to email me you can reach me on brendan.jarvis@chrometoaster.com or if you’re on Twitter www.twitter.com/ brendanjarvis.

The WCOBA Executive are delighted to have Brendan Jarvis (1998-2001) join its committee. We certainly welcome Brendan’s enthusiasm to get younger Old Boys reconnected to the College through his Facebook initiative and what will hopefully be the start of ‘younger get-togethers’ for Old Boys in Auckland.

Devilish work and funky too

F

or Web entrepreneur Andrew Mayfield (1992-1997), the devil is not only in the detail, it is the detail. Six years after starting his company Spikefin, Andrew still likes the little Lucifers that were his first idea of how to put the "funk" into online franchise business systems.

Wellington-born fast-food company Hell Pizza had embraced the Internet and was starting to wish it had not, with a clunky website requiring staff to translate online orders to fax to send out to stores. "It was more trouble than it was worth," Andrew says.

With a bit of online knowhow, a one-man Spikefin transformed the Hell site into an e-commerce portal that had 10 per cent of orders going through the site on day one, and now inner-city stores are doing up to a third of their business online. "Some pizza chains in the United States do 20 per cent on Superbowl night, otherwise it's about three per cent," Andrew says.

The website has little devils running around that people can throw around with their mouse, an element of "funk" that Wholly Bagels was about to get for its own website.

You have to have the funk in terms of getting word of mouth going. The silly little devils are memorable whether you love them or hate them. He says.

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Building an integrated system times designed specifically for food franchise operations, Spikefin is starting to make some ground with its core product, picking up Wholly Bagels as a client as well as emerging food franchises in New Zealand overseas.

Still not quite sure what to call it, Andrew says the finished product is all about "usability" so everyone from accountants to staff to customers can log on and use the system with minimal training. Your customers don’t want to be trained and you

don’t want to train your staff. Wholly Bagels’ training involves standing a newcomer at a terminal and firing orders at them, Andrew says. They soon have to figure it out.

With 11 staff and 25 projects on the go, Spikefin is slowly moving overseas on the back of Hell's expansion into Britain and Australia.

Growing in New Zealand is hard. We need to go international, he says.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Fishing tales from Townsville

G

utting sharks for scientific research is all in a day’s work for Olivier Bittar (1996-2000), who is an observer coordinator for Fishing and Fisheries Research Centre at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia.

marketed. The fins however are still valuable to Asian markets for shark fin soup and medicinal remedies.

He is one of thousands of New Zealanders who have crossed the ditch to work in Australia, but few probably end up collecting and analysing catch data on fishing vessels as part of research that will be used, among other things, to assist with decisions on fisheries management.

The research team Olivier is part of, that is currently concentrating on gill net fisheries, the inshore species, and they collect data on the age, size and maturity of different fish.

Fishing stories aside, he has had some unexpected catches to contend with. I was out on a fishing vessel off the coast north of Townsville, Olivier recalls. That morning the fisherman set a net about 20 metres offshore in about three metres of water. There were little kids playing on the beach not too far away. As we were pulling it in, we noticed there was a big sag in the net, quite a few floats were under the water, and we thought it could have snagged on a rock. They found the sag was a 4.5 metre great hammerhead shark. Unfortunately it was dead when we got to it and the aim was certainly not to catch a shark that big. Sharks of that size don’t tend to get caught because the mesh size of the net is too small but larger hammerheads can get tangled up quite easily due to the shape of the ‘hammer’. We dragged it up on the beach and I noticed its belly was very swollen. I usually cut all the sharks open to see how mature they are and to take samples. This one had 40 pups in it.

Its stomach was empty too, so maybe it was looking for food. People think that because they don’t see them the sharks aren’t there but in fact they usually are. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to attack people.

He says sharks make up a large part of some of the fishermen’s catch and are consequently a large part of their income, the meat being used widely in the fish-and chip business. But fishermen generally do not want large sharks. Once past about two metres long the concentration of mercury in the flesh is apparently too great for it to be

He also trains other students and workers who come on board. The data gives them an idea of catch per unit effort, species composition, size and age frequency distributions and other valuable information. As part of his ongoing OE, Olivier did an honours degree at the University of Queensland following a BSc at Victoria University.

His research for the BSc (Hons) was part of a larger project, studying management of recreational line fisheries in Queensland.

His degree finished, he looked for work in the area of fisheries science/management.

It was difficult to find work straight away, as is so often the case straight after graduating in sciences, and competition is strong in marine biology. I worked in a government call centre for a while, then with a marine tourism company taking guided snorkelling tours on the Great Barrier Reef.

Networking with people he had presented his research to during his studies, worked out for him and he landed his current role, which he has held for 14 months. I am learning so much in this job, he says. The practical experience makes four years of study much more relevant, although the academic work taught me valuable research, analytical and mathematical skills.

The role involves a lot of travelling, by car and boat, so far over 80 days at sea, and working in with fishermen who he says can be quite an eccentric, colourful, bunch of characters, full of stories, and also apprehensive at times about what the research may mean for their livelihood. I talk on the phone and set up face-to-face meetings with the fishermen.

They understand I’m not there to make their lives harder or better. I’m just

recording what’s there. We try to be as transparent as possible. The data sheets are what count. A lot of the industry understands that management decisions based on good science are likely to be sounder.

On board can be a bit of a juggling act, getting the data he needs to record and staying out of the fishermen’s way so they can do their job. It’s their boat and you’ve got to be tactful, but the project’s been more successful than my boss and I anticipated.

We’ve done many more observer surveys than we thought, although there’s still plenty more to come. Working along the Queensland coast near the Great Barrier Reef has definite recreational advantages for a guy whose diving experiences in The Aldermen Islands, on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, inspired him to study marine biology.

The scenery is great. Our range stretches right up and down the Queensland coastline so we are talking a length of 2000-odd km.

That covers the Great Barrier Reef world heritage area.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the hot spots for divers and he has done a fair bit of diving there. A highlight was a five-day trip to the outer edge of the reef, including the Yongala shipwreck, one of the top dive spots in the world. It was in winter and while we were out on the reef there were a lot of whales migrating up from Antarctic waters. We had minke whales swimming around the boat on many occasions and the chance to get in the water with them, as close as five metres away, and take photos. You hear stories of people swimming with whales but actually doing it is a breathtaking experience.

His plans for the future are likely to include a PhD in the area of fisheries management.

To get anywhere you need to do further research, and the practical work has been invaluable. There are also opportunities to expand into different branches such as environmental risk management or other fisheries-related work.

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Small office but perfectly formed mean even Australia is not a comparable benchmark for New Zealand organisations to look to for guidance, he says. Everyone has to rewrite their own guidelines.

We have a light-touch approach to regulatory framework for financial services. There are actually some minimum standards across the globe, and we couldn't pretend we were just an isolated island in the Pacific.

Money can flow anywhere now, so from some level we needed to raise the bar."

Whatever the end product is, it needs to fit the local market, he says.

H

ugh Stevens (1984-1988) has always been more interested in the big picture.

This makes it all the more surprising that he is now head of one of the smallest offices for the securities services arm of giant global bank BNP Paribas.

The Wellington College Old Boy and Canterbury University alumnus returned to New Zealand after six years in London, where he turned an earnest engineering degree into a glowing career in international banking.

Picking up the top role at the New Zealand office for BNP Paribas Securities Services at the tender age of 37 was a plum score, as the company was the only global securities services provider with a New Zealand office, he says.

But the remote 45-person office, in a global business employing more than 160,000 people, is more relevant than most people think in the changing climate of financial services in New Zealand.

The French-run bank allows for local differences in managing its offices and that model gives its New Zealand operations a better take on the shifting parameters in the local financial services industry.

It is a local global model; it is natural for them to be comfortable with different regulatory regimes. They are not scared of autonomy, Hugh says.

As the oldest foreign bank in Australia, at 126 years, BNP Paribas had been downunder for some time, but the experience meant nothing if it did not have the flexibility to move with the times locally.

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We have to be pragmatic, we are tiny. We can't afford an FSA [British industry regulator Financial Services Authority] or something like that.

We need a principles-led regulatory regime, rather than a scripted model.

It's too expensive and we would blow the industry out of the water.

Managed funds in New Zealand are tiny and, as they grow with KiwiSaver and increased diversity in financial products, there will be more pressure to upgrade the regulatory framework. And that means more business for BNP Paribas Securities Services, Hugh says.

master's course in business administration, courtesy of a scholarship from his employer JPMorgan Chase, and remembers the formidable calibre of his classmates, brimming with brains, nous and drive.

Seventy-six nationalities were represented, and 20 flew in weekly from as far as Perth to attend classes.

Hugh recalls marathon assignment efforts, speeches from the likes of Bill Clinton and Sir Richard Branson – and becoming a father for the first time in the midst of final exams.

He says one message stood out in the two years of juggling his studies and his job as a vice-president in JPMorgan Chase's securities services. Our lecturers told us to get used to being average.

After studying rocks in Antarctica, flying into Indonesian mines as an engineer amid violent rioting, and bracing the New Zealand arm of BNP Paribas for a new era of financial services practice, he is glad to be home.

Since arriving back in New Zealand in 2006 he and his wife have had a second child. The family has a house with a backyard in Karori, Wellington, and also a bach made of mud and straw in Golden Bay. The New Zealand environment, whose scale is sometimes disconcerting to his peers coming from internationally powerful positions, has its own charm and advantages, he says.

There is natural growth in our business from those changes in regulation, but that depends how fast they change it. [At the moment it is] the regulatory regime that is the handbrake.

At a recent community trusts conference in Shantytown, Greymouth, being able to sit in a room with the entire network of executives, advisers, back office operators and support companies was exciting.

Though now looking to drive change and capitalise on that, Hugh has seen cuttingedge finance change into something completely different.

It was pretty inspiring. You could not get that in any other market. It was very New Zealand, it was the full end-to-end process in one room.

Starting a second OE with his wife-tobe, he found himself part of a team of analysts involved in the expansion of the collateralised debt obligations, or CDO, market into Europe. We built huge business supporting the institutions setting these things up.

Working with the entire spectrum of agencies and stakeholders in the evolution of the financial services sector is a unique aspect of down-under. That level of collaboration across the industry I have not seen before.

Eight years later, he admits the CDO market, one aspect of the global debt crisis, is now looked on somewhat differently in some cases. He recalls seeing warning signs as more and more people started picking up on the latest financial vehicle. There were definitely organisations that knew what they were doing and companies that didn't.

The original [CDO] technology was extended beyond where it should have been.

But Hugh Stevens is likely to call a spade a spade, or a dodgy bet exactly that. It is an outlook reinforced by two years of hard labour at London Business School.

He studied for the school's prestigious

Destination Dubai

A

ndrew Abernethy (1983-1987) resigned as a partner from Bell Gully and joined the partnership at Norton Rose, an international law firm. Andrew will be working in the Dubai office of Norton Rose.

Andrew graduated from Victoria University with LLB (Hons) in 1993 and, prior to being a partner at Bell Gully in its Wellington office, worked for six years as a US-qualified attorney at Shearman & Sterling in New York.

Andrew also has a Masters in Law from the University of Chicago.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Ahead of the game

M

ichael Heron (1980-1984), Head Prefect, 1984 1st XV and 1st XI Captain 1984, left Wellington College for Victoria University where he completed a LLB (Hons) and BCA. Upon graduation Michael worked in Wellington, then completed a Masters in Law at Cambridge University with 1st class honours.

After working for an English law firm in London and Japan, Michael returned to New Zealand in 1995. He worked for and was a partner in the Auckland Crown Solicitor's firm until 2007, then moved into partnership at national law firm Russell McVeagh as a commercial litigator. He specialises in commercial litigation, and is panel counsel for the Serious Fraud Office, the Crown and the Auckland District Law Society.

He is a keen sports follower and participant.

Michael is currently a Board member of Drug Free Sport NZ and South Auckland Health Foundation. He recently completed (with Don Tricker of Sparc) a review of the All Blacks RWC 2007 campaign and acted for the English RFU on their recent tour of New Zealand.

Michael is married to Catherine, with three children: Lucy (7 and a netball fan), Anna (5 and a soccer player) and Ben (3 and into everything).

Michael lives in Auckland but also loves Wellington.

Michael is the grandson of Headmaster HA Heron.

Sky Tower’s designer the architect of his own success

A

year after joining the outcry against the Government-backed proposal for an Auckland waterfront stadium, Gordon Moller (1954-1955) has been made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to architecture in the 2008 New Year’s Honours.

Let's stop these crazy ideas of wrecking the waterfront, Gordon said at the time of the stoush, preferring a ‘legacy’ design for a 2011 Rugby World Cup stadium at Eden Park.

His view carried much weight. The designer of the Sky Tower and a leading player in redevelopment of Viaduct Harbour, Gordon was a member of the Auckland Urban Design Panel, which assesses the suitability of major building plans.

Originally from Wellington, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of literature

by Victoria University in 2006, where he designed the School of Architecture building and was a member of the design consortium for the Wellington Civic Centre.

The Auckland buildings he regards as standouts in his 40-year career are the SkyCity casino and entertainment complex and the SkyCity Grand Hotel and Convention Centre. His controversial 328m high Sky Tower, now 10 years old, annually draws 700,000 visitors to its observation decks.

A new Moller design, the Elliott Tower, which is proposed for an Albert StVictoria St West corner, is almost as tall and has sparked appeals to the Environment Court.

Gordon's residential designs have also been acclaimed and he helped in the ‘healthy homes’ project to redesign state rental homes.

He has received about 50 awards from the Institute of Architects and other industry groups, including the institute's 2006 gold medal, the top individual prize.

Living close to Earth

J

ohn Millen (1951-1955) has always lived ‘close to the earth’. Born in Hokitika, New Zealand, he spent early years on family picnics in the "bush", where his dad would start a fire to brew up a billy for tea - a habit John still maintains. While attending engineering school in his early twenties, he spent many weekends and holidays ‘tramping’ and mountaineering with his mates, and organised an expedition to survey a portion of Antarctica.

On his arrival in Canada in the early 1960s, he worked with the government's departments of Fisheries & Oceans, and later Environment, from the east coast (Halifax) to the west (Vancouver), and places in between (Ottawa, Winnipeg). His work included improving fisheries habitat, and reviewing proposed projects to limit their environmental impact. John married and started a family, with whom he continued his outdoor pursuits, including camping, canoeing, sailing and skiing. With help from

his family, he designed and built an isolated island cabin, using primarily beachcombed materials.

Since the early 1990s, remarried and retired from paid work, John has been actively involved in Denman Island community affairs.

He has contributed much time and expertise to the Denman Conservancy Association, which has succeeded in acquiring substantial portions of the island for conservation and sustainable forestry. John and Donna enjoy weaving and travelling together, and

merged the two by volunteering with a mission in Mongolia to help locals develop sustainable employment through weaving.

They are kept young by the company of their children and grandchildren, going on beach walks and picking raspberries. John continues to enjoy the outdoors, hiking the West Coast Trail numerous times and the Stein Valley traverse, among other trips. Together at home, John and Donna's rainwater collection system, productive garden, and locally-obtained firewood make them admirably self-sufficient.

John's life and work demonstrate a longterm interest in the planet and humans' effects on it. He is realistic about our impact on the environment, but optimistic that proper management can ensure that we live within our environmental means. Most importantly, he willingly contributes his time and efforts to this vital objective, so that succeeding generations will be able to appreciate the environment in which we live.

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The Art of McMake-Overs

A

fter years spent living interstate and overseas, Dean Jones (1983-1987), the designer credited with turning round fast-food chain McDonald’s flagging fortunes in Europe, says he is yet to find a city to beat Adelaide’s lifestyle. Dean and his wife Alice Sangster, both interior designers, traded Paris for Adelaide nearly two years ago in search of better balance between work and family.

For Dean, a commercial designer, the reality check came when it dawned on him that he caught planes to work as frequently as others took buses and that colleagues were spending weeks at a time away from their families.

With a young daughter Hannah and plans for another child, Dean and Alice decided to return to Adelaide where they had met as students at the University of SA. I don't miss the (Paris) lifestyle but I miss the little shops. The individual businesses, Dean says. What's lovely about Paris is you don’t shop at shopping centres, you have a local butcher and baker and you know them by name. Given his preference for individuality in design, it is surprising to find he has spent most of his career working with major brands such as Westfield and McDonald’s.

Dean works with the theory that it is easier to promote change from within. With Westfield it was an opportunity to move to Sydney and earn some money and then McDonald’s asked me to work for them he says. Basically I was giving them a lot of grief about not doing a good design… eventually they said Stop hassling us, please come and help us.

One of his greatest challenges was teaching the chain that Imperfect can be a good thing.

Dean’s design influence can be seen in McDonalds new McCafe's; natural materials have been used to get away from the plastic reputation often associated with fast food and there is an emphasis on comfort.

With leisure time at a premium and coffee now such an important part of people’s day, the aim was to capture a greater share of the market, making the restaurants relevant to more than just young families.

Based on the success of the Australian model, Dean moved to Paris as a design and business director for McDonald’s Europe, a demanding role that involved providing brand direction to outlets in 43 countries, hence the constant travelling. His views were sought on everything from architecture and furniture to the drive-in side and landscaping. Despite language barriers and learning about local restrictions such as how snow impacts in exterior designs.

Dean’s ideas were popular and effective.

McDonald’s was being lauded by financial and architectural magazines alike for its ability to respond to a changing market.

The company asked Dean to work his magic 54

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in the United States too – on about 12,000 restaurants – but he declined in preference to returning to Adelaide. However, he didn’t completely sever his overseas contacts and since moving back has been working for a coffee chain in Russia.

One of the directors of McDonald’s in Russia had left the company to work for a coffee chain over there – Coffee House – and asked me to work for them and I said ‘No. I’m going back to Adelaide, but we set up an arrangement where I went back and forth, he says.

Looking back at his time with McDonald’s, Dean draws most satisfaction from having come up with a restaurant design that is appreciated not only in Australia but across the world.

Changing the store design of McDonald’s Worldwide from plastic, very basic stores that were an eyesore on the landscape, to one that is contemporary where people can stay and enjoy the surroundings has been pleasing, he says. Dean has moved onto another fast food challenge much closer to home – updating the Wendy’s brand.

In addition to the major brands, he has been working on several boutique projects with a friend and design colleague, collaborating on bars and restaurants around Adelaide.

While Dean hasn’t ruled out more work overseas, for the time being, Dean’s enjoying that much sought-after work-life balance with his wife and two young daughters – baby Abigail was born last month.

Climbing the property ladder

H

arcourts NZ recently employed Stephen Johnson (1996-2000) into the newly created role as Franchise Development Manager/Group Auctioneer with a focus on further growing its presence in the crucial Auckland market.

To help achieve the ongoing success, Stephen’s key focus is on recruiting new sales consultants and assisting with opening new offices in the Auckland region. His secondary focus is to call auctions and to provide auction training/support for Harcourts’ Auckland offices.

Aged just 24, Stephen is new to Harcourts but not to the real estate industry which he joined as a cadet fresh out of school at 18.

Recognised as an ‘up-and-comer’, he soon moved into sales, then auctioneering and management, moving from Wellington to Taupo prior to joining Harcourts in Auckland recently. When I left school I saw real estate as an opportunity to work hard and really be rewarded, he said.

Stephen, who called over 100 auctions last year, won the Auctioneer of the Year title in 2004 and at the REINZ championships was awarded the Colin Brown Memorial Trophy for Auctioneer with the Most Potential at the national championships. He competed against 14 other auctioneers, most of whom started well before he was born.

He has quickly proved it was not a fluke, by selling 37 sections at a Waikanae housing development for $5 million in one night.

When he was exposed to the auction process he knew it was something he had to try. He was given the chance to cut his teeth on one of the most difficult auctions an agent could face – a mortgagee sale. Stephen said they are not nice occasions and can be quite difficult, although that didn’t hold him back and his first property was sold under the hammer, and a further 150 auctions followed.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Making his mark with Medicine

D

r David Campion (1948-1952) is a graduate of Otago Medical School in New Zealand and has additional degrees in Pharmacology and Biophysics. He was awarded a National Institute of Health Fellowship doing research in nephrology and muscle electrophysiology at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas.

courses locally, nationally and internationally.

He has published in the fields of biophysics, pharmacology, nephrology, muscle physiology, rheumatology, muscle disease, and electrodiagnostic medicine. At the request of the American Association of Hand Surgeons, Dr Campion recently published a definitive paper Electrodiagnostic Testing in Hand Surgery.

David trained in Neuromuscular Diseases and was recruited to the faculty at UCLA, where he directed the Muscular Dystrophy Clinic.

After training in Electrodiagnostic Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, he was Director of Electromyography Service at UCLA. There, he trained Neurology residents and examined hundreds of patients with all forms of common and rare neuromuscular problems.

Since 1978, David has been in private practice, has over 300 referring physicians, and has examined more than 100,000 patients. He is the only Electrodiagnostician listed in the Lockhart Directory of Worker's Compensation Doctors and is frequently used as an Independent Examiner. He has testified frequently as an expert witness, both for the plaintiff and defence sides.

For seven years, David was on the full-time faculty at UCLA and is currently Adjunct Professor in Internal Medicine. He is Board Certified in Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

David has lectured widely and contributed to many neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic

David’s Offices are in Beverly Hills, 90210.

His practice is in an unusual branch of medicine called electro-diagnostic medicine usually shortened to EDX. He loves this specialty because it combines two parts of medicine that he has always wanted to practice: he gets to chat with his

patients, and at the same time use his wide experience of medical science to help them get information about their problems that will help them and their doctors make good decisions.

David trained in New Zealand and completed degrees in Medicine, Biophysics and Pharmacology. In 1965, the United States National Institute of Health gave him a Research Fellowship and he trained in Dallas at Southwestern Medical School in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. His research was exciting and he was recruited to UCLA where he trained in Muscle Disorders and ran the Muscular Dystrophy Clinic. David wanted to have a complete Investigative Unit and particularly needed to be able to study the real functioning of the nerves and muscles.

Electrical Diagnostic Medicine was in 1970 being rapidly developed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and he trained there, returning to be Director of EDX at UCLA. Now after thirty-five years and 100,000 patients, he is pretty competent, and truly loves his work.

Bored with your sensible car?

F

or a cool $330,000 you could travel Hugh Hefner-style in an original Mercedes Benz limousine, which includes a hydraulically-operated reclining seat and a glove box lined with pink fluff. Wellington property developer and collector David Blackmore (1969-1973) is selling two Mercedes Benz 600 Pullman limousines - a 1969 and 1971 version - previously owned by the multimillionaire and Playboy magazine founder.

The 6.3-metre long, six-door limos are almost identical - one has a black interior while the other has red. Featuring forward-facing seats, a refrigerated bar and a curtain for privacy, the 1969 version also has the private number plate ‘69’. They're quite collectable, even without the ownership history, David said.

The classic car enthusiast - he has about 35 cars - is selling the two cars because he has four other Mercedes limousines, including a rare Landaulet with a reclining roof which was owned by a former Columbian cocaine dealer.

It's far too many for anyone who is trying to tell people he's not insane. After Hefner sold the limos separately, each went into private collections till David bought the 1969 version in late 2003 and then six months later its 1971 twin. David said he would like to keep them as a pair, but believed they would probably be split and bought by an overseas buyer. He was advertising the cars in Europe for £135,000 (NZ331,000) each.

People like them because of their history. The 1969 limo comes with the original sales receipt from an Illinois car dealer, near Hefner's first Playboy mansion in Chicago, where he was born. Hefner moved to Los Angeles in 1974.

David hires out his rare cars, which include a four-door Mercedes Pullman that actor Bruce Lee used in the 1970s, a Lamborghini Diablo VTR in purple lacquer, a VS Bentley Azure and a Rolls-Royce Phantom limousine.

As an update to the article, the cars have now been sold to Mr Vandrevala of Intrepid Capital Partners, a London-based investment capital company, with business interests in India.

They will first be sent to Mercedes Benz own restoration division in Stuttgart for a complete rebuild and systems upgrade, including inbuilt computer workstations and DVD etc and one will then be based in London and one in New Delhi, and will be used to chauffeur their executives and clients.

If you would like to go one further than owning a sensible car, please check out David’s website for unique cars and plates www.number1.co.nz THE LAMPSTAND 2008

55

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

In vino veritas [In wine is truth] Proverb quoted by Plato

I

recently found the Wellington College website and saw the Obituary of my old class mate, Bruce Grant, so decided to send you my information for your records!

I was a boarder at Firth House from 1974 - 1978, mixed memories, but I really enjoyed attending Wellington College and supporting the various sporting events. I played rugby for five years and do a mean Haka! I graduated from Massey University in 1983 with a B.Hort. Science and after travelling the world on a working holiday for five years, graduated from Roseworthy Agricultural College with a Grad Dip. Wine.

I have spent the last 25 years working in and around the Napa Valley making wine and I’m currently the winemaker at Vine Cliff Winery where I have been for the past seven years.

My brothers Gary and Brian Smith were also Boarders at Firth House before me and still live in Feilding, New Zealand. I would be interested in receiving information on any upcoming Firth House reunions although I only travel to NZ every few years.

My current position is as Winemaker at Vine Cliff Winery. We specialise in the production of high end Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon’s which retail for between $55 and $150 per bottle. The Winery is located in the Oakville Appellation of Napa Valley, and the Oakville estate vineyard sits adjacent or close to some of the finest labels in the Valley. We produce about 8000 cases per year and also make Chardonnay from our vineyard located in the cool, southern most Napa Valley Appellation of Los Carneros. I also make a little Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel, Malbec and Cabernet Franc for the tasting room and Wine Club.

The vineyard and winemaking operations,

are very detail-oriented, labour intensive, and we even do individual berry sorting after destemming the cabernet grapes. Vine Cliff’s web site is: www.vinecliff.com. Vine Cliff does a little export to Japan and Canada, but most of our wine is sold in California.

I enjoy well-made wine from all over the world, but I particularly enjoy New Zealand wines as a change from the big, bold Californian ones! I am a fan of New Zealand Chardonnays and especially Sauvignon Blancs, and Pinot Noirs from various areas.

I’m always on the lookout for a good bargain.

I have settled into life in the Napa Valley, but

love to visit wineries in New Zealand, and would like to do a little consulting in New Zealand some time in the future. I never run into any Old Boys, but often see fellow Kiwis around the Valley that are on holiday, visiting wineries. There are at least half a dozen New Zealand Winemakers working in the Napa Valley.

I live in the town of Napa with my wife Debbie [pictured above] and our five-monthold son Dylan.

Rex Smith, California, USA 1974-1978 • manaroa@aol.com

Scholarship assists in Chemistry research

A

ndrew Durant (1998-2002) is one of 12 outstanding young people who have been awarded prestigious William Georgetti Scholarships. The Scholarships are managed by Public Trust and administered by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee.

Andrew will receive $9,000 to assist him complete his MSc in Chemistry at Victoria University. His field of study is ‘novel inorganic polymers of Gallium and Germanium Oxides with potential new electronic properties’.

other investments, funds the William Georgetti Scholarships.

The William Georgetti Scholarships are awarded by the Scholarship Board which comprises the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, two people of academic distinction and the President of Federated Farmers, or their nominees.

The William Georgetti Scholarship is awarded to encourage postgraduate study and research in a field which, in the opinion of the scholarship board, is important to the social, cultural and economic development of New Zealand. Mr Georgetti desired that the best brains available shall receive the benefit of this trust.

The scholarships were established from the residue of the estate of William Georgetti who died in 1943.

Mr Georgetti instructed that a perpetual charitable trust be established for the purpose of funding scholarships. During his lifetime, Mr Georgetti ran Crissoge Farm, near Hastings. He believed that whatever fluctuations there may be in prices for primary produce and in land values and whatever vicissitudes the said Dominion may pass through, farming land will always be the most stable asset in which to invest money. In keeping with Mr Georgetti’s wishes, the trust still holds all 125.5ha of Crissoge Farm; currently leased as eight orchards. The rental income from the orchards, along with 56

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

(L-R): Penny Fenwick, Executive Director, NZ Vice-Chancellor’s Committee; Andrew Durant; and Henry Davies, Head of Marketing & Communications, Public Trust

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Brewed to Perfection

J

aysen Magan (1988-1992), and his team at Aotearoa Breweries NZ Limited have been setting the pace in an ever changing premium beer market since brewing their first 1000 litre batch of MATA Beer in the Eastern Bay of Plenty on 17 December 2005.

an appreciation for finer food beer and wine while travelling around Europe.

After two years of development and taste testing, the pressure to begin mounted.

On finding a second-hand brewery with the addition of Tammy’s parents to the ranks the family run business began. In the business plan there were two key points, making great beers and creating a powerful New Zealand brand, MATA.

No preservatives, additives, or added sugars, are used and the beers are brewed using Certified Organic Artesian Water, transported in for each brew. The unique Manuka is a smooth golden coloured ale edged with a hint of manuka honey, enjoyed by many hard and fast “beer drinkers” and a new favourite of the more discerning palate. The Artesian, a pale ale, like a lager, light crisp and clean tasting.

The young business has been collecting award after award for its MATA Artesian, double silver, and MATA Manuka, gold medal and class winner, at the two premiere awards ceremonies in New Zealand, The New Zealand International Beer Awards and BrewNZ. Topping it off in only the second year of business was winning the Emerging Business of the Year at the 2007 Bay of Plenty Sustainable Business Network Awards says Jaysen. Our business is focused on being sustainable now and in the future. Next on our list is to determine our carbon footprint and use this to eliminate or significantly reduce our impact on the environment.

Jaysen Magan was born in Wellington in September 1974, began school at St Marks Church School and went on to attend Wellington College from 1988 to 1992. At school he was a typical kiwi kid, a bit shy, got into a few fights, played rugby but never made the top team, his grades were average, but Wellington College was the place he made friends that would last the distance, built the social skills required in today’s fast pace of life and set him up to attend Victoria University, Wellington, on finishing 7th Form. He subsequently went to Massey University, Palmerston North, to complete a Bachelor of Technology with Honours, majoring in Manufacturing and Industrial Technology.

On completion of the degree, Jaysen was accepted into the Mainfreight Logistics Graduate Training Programme. This started out with one year of hard grafting on the shop floor in the Mainfreight Wellington and then Auckland Depots. After building working relationships with people at all levels of the Mainfreight Team he was accepted into a role as a Supply Chain Specialist working with the top management of Mainfreight and liaising with the frontline staff. Proving himself in this position, he was offered and accepted a position with the Mainfreight Group as the Mainfreight Logistics Technical Sales Manager, in Australia.

MATA means, rawness, freshness and edge. New Zealand is on the edge of the world with a mighty tectonic edge running smack down the middle of the country, all seen in the contemporary label.

We believe society is becoming more discerning, choosing items by country of origin, ingredient listings, quality and sustainability. Our philosophy is quality not quantity. Our beers are handcrafted and priced accordingly. MATA is about appreciation and enjoyment. One lavishes a mouthful of fine wine and it is becoming such for fine beer.

His partner Tammy Viitakangas, co-founder of Aotearoa Breweries, shifted to Australia and also worked for the Mainfreight Group.

As with a lot of Kiwis, both Jaysen and Tammy soon felt the urge to move to Europe to take on the world, so they uprooted themselves once again and shifted to England. In England, Jaysen worked as the UK Export and Distribution Specialist for a global pharmaceutical company.

Jaysen and Tammy arrived home in late 2003 with the objective of going into business knowing they wanted to create something that was a celebration of New Zealand. Jaysen suggested to Tammy that she have a go at making beer, having gained

Only recently MATA Beer has become the first and only beer in New Zealand to be certified by the New Zealand Vegetarian Society.

Unknown to most, traditionally, in the beer making process, Isinglass (derived from fish bladder) is added before filtration of the beer to assist with the process. I choose not to use Isinglass (or like products) and by being part of the Vegetarian Trademark Approval Program, guarantee that MATA beer will not contain such ingredients.

It is awesome when we see someone enjoy drinking MATA. It’s not all about awards but they do help in a competitive market. Our beers are not for everyone but the beer is selling well. We are passionate about MATA. Tammy is working on the third beer to be released in April 2009 and our second baby is due soon. Our mission for 2008 is that MATA will be available throughout New Zealand. www.mata. net.nz.

The life skills I gained at Wellington College have really helped and guided me in my life today. Thanks guys, even though I am sure I was a pain at times.

MATA beer is available at Glengarry, New World, Pak ’n Save, Liquorland and Regional Wines and Spirits. We are also in a selected number of up-market Bars and Restaurants, you can email us at outlets@mata.net.nz for more details.

If you you can think of a good bar or restaurant that we should be in, please send an email to us to follow them up, we are only small so would greatly appreciate any assistance we can get.

Jaysen and of course orders can be made to jaysenm@mata.net.nz THE LAMPSTAND 2008

57

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Embracing his Love of Music

N

icholas Hancox (1998-2002) has come a long way in a short time.

Nick graduated with a BMus (Hons) from Victoria University in 2006. He has been Principal Viola of the National Youth Orchestra in 2006/2007 and is now a freelance musician playing viola with the Vector Wellington Orchestra and the NZSO, as well as various other groups. His main focus in 2007, was preparation for a five week scholarship trip to the UK with the NZ School of Music Graduate Quartet: Antipodes Quartet.

I’m grateful that what occupies my time is the thing I love most in life, which is music, says Nicholas. Being inspired by great teachers, discovering the possibilities in new music, making close friends and enjoying a fair bit of national and international travel confirms that his choice to pursue music at 16 was definitely the right one, he says.

Having started piano lessons at the age of

Music, music, music

W

Music performance is a continually evolving experience for Mark. Few of The Henderson fans would recognise 58

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

Nicholas is excited by the future. He has won a scholarship to the University of Michigan to pursue a MMus under Yizhak Schotten and hopes to follow this with more study in Europe.

String Quartet repertoire is what I find most satisfying and to play in a professional quartet would be bliss. Also an aspiring conductor, his advice to other young people is simple: Find out what your passions are and commit yourself to them. Don’t do things halfway, do what you do well.

Study Kick-Start illiam Galt (2003-2007) has received a Kick-Start Scholarship from the University of Auckland to study at the Faculty of Engineering.

Mark Turner’s (2001-2004) (and Johanna Freeman’s) band Little Pictures has just been signed to Indie NZ recording label Li’l Chief. The Ruby Suns and The Brunettes are also signed to Li’l Chief. They release their first full album Owl n Owl on Li’l Chief label in July and August. They are having album release parties around New Zealand.

During his time at Wellington College, Mark formed and played in several rock groups and successfully led his band The Henderson Experience to National Finals in Rock Quest in 2005. Besides writing and performing his music, he has self-recorded and released EPs from several of the bands he has been involved with.

Music was an activity I did, just like the sports I played such as cricket and tennis.

Involvement in the pre-tertiary programme at Victoria University opened the door to meeting established musicians, as well as giving me the opportunity to make friends with students and musicians my own age.

W

hat becomes of boys who study music at Wellington College?

Some go on making more music.

Music has always been significant in Mark’s life. During his time at Wellington College as an elective music student, he received awards such as Junior Composer, Senior Composer, and Most Promising Musician. He also received Music Honours. Mark played both electric and double bass for the Jazz Band from Y9 and was selected to be part of the first Victoria Academy of Jazz Music for Secondary students.

However his abiding passion has always been rock music. Wellington College’s Music Department and the Heads of Music always encouraged Mark’s rock aspirations despite Jazz, Orchestral and Choral music being more of a focus at the College.

four (his mother is a piano teacher), Nicholas switched to the violin at age seven.

William was one of only ten students out of 100 to receive a "City of Sails" Kick-Start Scholarship, awarded to the top scholarship applicants from outside of the Auckland metropolitan area.

William will study a four-year Bachelor of Engineering degree and says he was thrilled to have received the scholarship. It will make living away from home slightly more manageable, says William, who has a passionate interest in computers and hopes to specialise in a computerrelated field of engineering. the former wild front man in his current incarnation. His band Little Pictures is electronic folk/pop where he plays electric keys sitting down. This is a far cry from the frenetic stage performance of the past which included leaping off the drum kit.

Recently profiled in Real Groove Magazine, Little Pictures describe their music as taking things from songs, movies, stuff we see on the internet and putting them into our music.

Sort of like sampling-cultural sampling.

Mark will complete his degree in Media Studies at Victoria University and proceed to Honours next year.

You can visit Little Pictures on www. myspace.com/lotsoflittlepictures or come to their launch party in Wellington on 22 August @ Happy. The Auckland date is yet to be confirmed. Their album Owl and Owl is on sale from 14 July. By the time this goes to print they will have returned from their Australian Tour and an overseas tour is planned for next year.

Faculty of Engineering Dean Professor Michael Davies says the scholarships assist outstanding first-year students make the transition from school to university. Starting university can be a daunting experience. We hope the Kick-Start Scholarships alleviate some of the financial stress of starting a degree, allowing the students to focus on becoming successful young engineers. The recipients are all top students, and we look forward to seeing them thrive and develop within the Faculty of Engineering, says Professor Davies.

Study Pays Off

D

avid McEwen (1984-1988) was recently very surprised to find out that he had won the 2008 Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) Alumni Association prize for most consistently high level of performance throughout the MBA (Executive) Program. The AGSM (a school of the University of NSW and formerly the University of Sydney) generally rates fairly well in international rankings of business schools and is supposedly the best in Australasia, so he was quite chuffed to be able to uphold WC’s proud academic tradition after a four year slog.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

A proper job?

J

ock Struthers (1961-1965) was asked by his Blenheim neighbour ten years ago when he was going to get a “proper job” - “no chance” was the theme of his reply as he was having too much fun working on aid projects in the Asia Pacific region to ever go back to the corporate life again.

Jock graduated from Lincoln College in 1971, married to Jill, a Christchurch nurse, both keen to work on overseas aid projects.

The “catch 22” problem of lack of overseas working experience however, (plus a growing family) restricted options and resulted in a thirty year career in rural finance with the Rural Bank and Wrightson Finance, broken by two-year secondments to the Canadian Farm Credit Corporation in the rural areas of Alberta in 1978/79, and the Papua Development Bank in 1983/84.

The experience in Papua New Guinea was pivotal in re-igniting the desire to take up the challenge of working in developing countries. Taking a family of four children to Port Moresby, he was soon travelling around the central highlands of Papua New Guinea, by helicopter and rugged 4WD vehicles, assessing the needs for successful rural lending. He was there as a result of the World Bank ceasing its support to the development bank for its highland coffee and coastal cocoa development programmes due to mismanaged lending. He found large loans being wasted on 6000ft mountain tops and down in the swamps. The task became one of training a large team of local agricultural graduates on how to appraise a loan application, including the physical inspection of the project site, assessing the organisation and management of the mostly illiterate and uneducated village borrowers and assessment of each proposal’s overall suitability for lending.

The assignment was taken over by the New Zealand Aid program, with four rural bank staff posted into the PNG regions while Jock returned to become the Rural Bank Manager in Blenheim, overseeing the offshore programme and training five PNG staff in New Zealand. From that initial connection with the New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade, Jock undertook a number of short term contracts over the next ten years to review the operations of Development Banks throughout the Pacific Region.

The opportunity to forgo a “proper job” came in 1996 with four of five sons no longer at home and the success of winning two bids for jobs in Laos and Kiribati at the same time. So it was off to Laos with the Asian Development Bank for six months to teach 66 non-English speaking credit staff of the State Owned Commercial banks how to lend money to Small, Medium and Rural Businesses in a communist country which was of necessity opening its borders to the outside world.

If that wasn’t challenge enough, the Development Bank of Kiribati was on its knees with 95% of its loans in arrears,

no money to lend and its skeleton staff collecting just enough payments each week to pay their wages. This NZAID contract successfully put the Development Bank on its feet resulting in significant development of small businesses on the low lying coral atolls that span the equator north of Fiji.

Having broken through the “catch-22” by obtaining offshore working experience, Jock has undertaken projects for many organisations throughout most of the Pacific Islands, the Southern Philippines, numerous provinces of Indonesia, (including Banda Aceh after the tsunami), Laos and Cambodia.

The projects vary from agriculture and forestry to rural development and microfinance. Assignments mostly range from one to six months, a notable highlight being a six month contract to organise the merger of the Cook Islands Development and Savings Banks to form the Bank of the Cook Islands.

The development of the bank’s strategic business plan served also to provide the project requirement for Jock’s MBA degree being undertaken through Massey University at that time.

Jock finds his job very satisfying, but says it would not be for everyone. Often he does not know where or when he is going until the last minute and he can be away quite often.

As a result, it is hard for him to get involved in the Blenheim community as much as he would like. While it’s a job that at times can be very demanding, it is not rocket science. It requires most of all, considerable patience.

His jobs start with bidding for proposals from organisations such as NZAID, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. He says it is becoming increasingly difficult to be competitive against the likes of increasingly skilled Indians and Filipinos who are able to do projects cheaper than he can as a New Zealander.

Jock says the people he meets and the variety of work are the highlights of his job. Every job is so different. Some have been more successful than others, some have failed, usually as a result of political interference, but I would like to think that most of the projects I have been involved with have made a difference helping people develop their planning, strategic thinking and business skills.

The projects are driven by poverty alleviation, but this is far easier said than done for the ultimate recipients think more about what they're going to eat today and tomorrow and not longterm, whereas sustainable livelihood is about planning and organising for the future.

Corruption is a challenge on many projects.

Local counterparts and government officials are rarely paid a living wage and so are expected to use their position to source additional income to meet family needs.

We would call it corrupt, but that's just their economic system. If I was in the same situation I would probably do the same.

You don't condone it, but you understand and can work around it. It’s the excesses of the people in higher places that are of most concern.

Jock’s wife Jill, now a Plunket nurse, accompanies him on some of his trips and has helped out with disabled children’s homes and orphanages in the Philippines, Kiribati and Cambodia. She finds the lack of basic healthcare, particularly with regards to children, difficult to observe.

Having just returned from an ongoing project in Cambodia, Jock says he is nowhere ready to retire and often thinks as he stands on the beach of a remote coral atoll or attends a two-day Cambodian wedding that he is glad he no longer has a “proper” job.

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

The Mighty Quinns

W

e have covered Harry Quinn (1966-1969) on page 61 of this publication, brother Keith Quinn (19601964) needs no introduction; but there are two other Quinns’ - both successful in their own right as the text below will testify to.

Max Quinn (1964-1967) is a famous natural history and wildlife filmmaker, director and producer for 20th Century Fox. He lives in Dunedin but travels far and wide; recently filming tigers in Brisbane and before that, gymnasts in China. Max specialises in the Antarctic and has a passion for extreme environments. He was a mate of Sir Edmund Hillary, (speaking at the Dunedin Memorial Service earlier this year). In 1991, Max was part of the first film crew to ever winter over in Antarctica to film The Emperors of Antarctica and The Longest Night, and has now made close to 20 programmes in and around the frozen regions. Recent productions include Ice Pilots, What Lies Beneath, New Zealand Journeys and China Circus.

Oldest brother, Dr George Quinn (1957-1961) is Head and Senior Lecturer with the Southeast Asia Centre at the University of Canberra as an Indonesian and Javanese language specialist. His research interests include the literature and popular culture of contemporary Java, patterns and sites of pilgrimage in Java and Madura, and the Catholic Church in East Timor.

Among his publications are The Novel in Javanese (Leiden, 1992) translated into Indonesian under the title Novel Berbahasa Jawa 1995); Hidup Berwarna (Sydney, 1989); and The Learner's Dictionary of Today's Indonesian (Sydney, 2001). He has also completed an English translation of the Indonesian novel Sukreni Gadis Bali (1936) by Anak Agung Pandji Tisna.

George’s interest in Asian studies began in 1966, aged just 23, when he visited Indonesia. The country was in turmoil after an army coup, the previous year. Hundreds of thousands of people had been killed. Inflation was running at around 600% and services were minimal.

Government was still nominally in the hands of President Sukarno but the country was emerging from the paranoia he had imposed over the previous seven years. For George, Indonesia was an exciting world, dramatically different from that of remote, tranquil NZ. A two-paged tribute to staunch Wellingtonian Keith Quinn was released in the 2008 Rugby Almanack.

Max Quinn

Keith, who is rated alongside Winston McCarthy and Terry McLean on the top rung of New Zealand’s most influential sports media personalities, has worked in broadcasting for 43 years.

He made his reputation as a rugby commentator hence the tribute in the almanack - but it mustn’t be overlooked that he has been covering Olympic and Commonwealth Games since 1972, and has excelled in reporting sports as varied as athletics, table tennis and wheelchair rugby.

George Quinn

The almanack story makes the point that Keith is a loyal Wellingtonian, and it is worth emphasising this point.

He has been a key figure in the Carillon Club, which raises money to the benefit of Wellington sport. He was a vehement advocate of the stadium in the days when many people were trying to cling to Athletic Park, and he gives his time to such charities in Wellington as the Te Omanga Hospice Foundation in Lower Hutt.

Keith Quinn

Not just a little paddle for this Old Boy We received the following from Marilyn Starr, mother of Old Boys, Tim and Peter.

M

y two sons Tim (19881992) and Peter (19982001) both attended Wellington College. Peter actually graduated from school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada).

Tim is now on a very exciting kayak expedition around the Svalbard Island group, Norway. I have included the link to his website. There is a map, history of the trip, photos in a slide show and daily updates as the two men paddle through the arctic circle. Old Boys and current students may be interested to follow the trip on the internet. http://www. ohad.info/svalbard The preparation has taken a year and Tim with fellow kayaker, Alon Ohad are on the water in boats specially made for the journey.

The guys are prepared for approximately three months on the water with food drops to collect along the way.

They are attempting the first ever circumnavigation of the Svalbard archipelago which consists of three main islands Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet, Edgeøya and 60

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

a number of smaller ones. The archipelago is the northern most part of Norway and is located between latitude 75° to 81° north. The Islands are some of the closest landmasses to the North Pole and are home to some of Europe's largest and most spectacular glaciers.

The expedition commenced in mid June 2008 at Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen Island) where they paddled clockwise to circumnavigate Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya.

Being so close to the Arctic Circle, they have close to 24 hours of daylight, all of which will be needed for some of the 18 hour paddling days that they anticipate as they travel past the steep ice walls that make up some of the coastline.

This expedition has never been attempted before and they are expecting the 1800 kilometre journey to take approximately ten weeks.

Being completely self supported, their biggest concern is not having a run in with a roaming polar bear, or negotiating the ice pack but running low on food and or fuel. They expect the trip will be immensely challenging but also a visually rewarding feast of

stunning coastlines, breathtaking fjords and an array of wildlife. An expedition like this could not happen without the invaluable support of our sponsors and a great deal of good quality high tech equipment.

At 32, Tim Starr is an avid, talented and enthusiastic white water kayaker - 17 years of experience has seen Tim paddling in New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, Africa and North and South America. When not paddling down rivers for fun, Tim can be found working on them as a raft guide. Tim can be contacted at tim@starrfish.net.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

On the trail

T

he top of a large cabinet in Detective Inspector Harry Quinn's (19661969) office is home to 37 years of memorabilia.

There is a wooden baton issued to him as a young cadet in February 1970, aged 17. It is pock-marked down its length but worn smooth at the handle. The only police weapon I was ever issued, he says.

There's a one-megabyte disk from the first computer used in Wellington, a Burrows B24 that he helped set up in a trial to computerise the intelligence office. It is the size of a toaster.

There's an old English police helmet given to him by a visiting bobby and the FBI Academy badge he received after attending training in the United States in 1999.

But most of the 55-year-old's memories are in his mind, and he rattles off dates and names, recalls the details of investigations, and talks passionately about his career.

we got away with things that you would not even be allowed to even ask to do these days. In the early 70s there were running battles with gangs. A dozen officers armed with their wooden batons would front up against 30 to 40 gang members and fight for two or three hours. They took the knocks, but always won, Harry says, The crooks were different too. Detectives and villains would drink beer together on Friday nights, and there was a mutual respect of sorts. Some of those men have written in recent weeks to wish him well for his retirement.

The old breed of criminals were absolutely ruthless but had a criminal code. There's a strange honour about them. What changed?

Probably the influence of drugs, he says.

The types of people who come to police attention now are mostly people who are drug traffickers. They are criminals because

they have a drug addiction, not because of the selection of a lifestyle when they were younger.

For an old-school cop, he has some thoroughly renegade views, but he thinks New Zealand is still a safe place.

Stab-resistant vests put police in the wrong state of mind to go out on to the street, he says, but he supports use of the Taser. He has seen things that would make most of us weep, but he seems to see the good in most people, even criminals.

What is he going to do now? I'm retiring, he says. The life expectancy of a police officer is significantly lower than average, and at 55 he wants to make the most of his remaining innings.

Source: The Dominion Post

It was just fantastic to be part of it, he says about one case. It's a lovely thing that he didn't shoot, he says of a criminal who surrendered rather than shoot police.

And of policing: It's an outstanding job.

Harry has had a long and varied career. As a member of Wellington's CIB, over 20 years he worked on every homicide investigation about 50 or 60 all up.

Harry helped set up a national organised crime unit at police headquarters; worked in the drug intelligence bureau; and then managed the covert policing unit for eight years. For the past six years he has been the head of Wellington district's manager of crime scenes.

In all that time he has never policed north of the top of Molesworth St. He knows the city well. There are some streets I've literally been into every house. When he began walking the beat in 1971, Wellington was a very different city and policing a different job.

Wearing a greatcoat, rain cape and a helmet, rookie beat cops walked the deserted streets from 9pm till 5am. They carried an alarm clock, and each night around 3am they would set the clock for half an hour ahead and duck into an unlocked train carriage or empty delivery truck to get out of the rain.

At that time, 48 outlets sold beer compared with 600 now, and Harry took pride in knowing every barman and chef in the city.

When a new chef arrived in town, officers would go in and say hello and take their fingerprints.

We policed the city in a very polite way but THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

A Master of Music

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igel Potts (1986-1987) and older brother Martyn (1983-1987) called into the WCOBA Office recently to reaquaint themselves with the College on a fleeting visit to Wellington. Martyn is based in Sydney in a top engineering role with Qantas and Nigel lives in New York. Nigel has kindly sent us his impressive resumé on his much-loved career in music.

Nigel recently performed a solo organ recital at Notre-Dame de Paris. In 1992, he departed Wellington for England as a recipient of the Gillian Weir Waitangi Foundation Scholarship (now called the Link Foundation), where he held Organ Scholarships at Blackburn and Lichfield Cathedrals. While living in London, he studied Church Music at the Royal Academy of Music.

In 2000, Nigel left London for the USA, accepting a full scholarship to Yale University where he graduated with a Master of Music degree in 2002. As an organ recitalist, Nigel has performed concerts spanning four continents, including recitals at such distinguished venues as Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral, the Hallgrimskirkja, Reykjavík, Iceland; the Hong Kong Cultural Centre; Notre-Dame de Paris, France; and extensively across the USA, Australia and New Zealand. His recitals and CDs have been broadcast on radio stations around the world and have been favorably reviewed by critics.

Nigel sits at the organ console of Notre-Dame de Paris at the conclusion of a practice session at 1:00am

Choirmaster of Christ and St Stephen's Episcopal Church in Manhattan, and lectures in music at Dowling (University) College. In 2004, he married Liese Leyrer, where they live on New York’s Long Island. www.nigelpotts.com

In addition to his concert work, Nigel is presently Organist and

They’re eating Honorary Doctorate from VUW Turnovsky (1954-1958), an internationally renowned economist and Castor our pizza where? tephen Professor of Economics at the University of Washington since 1993, will be presented

T

he two boyhood mates from Karori, who created Hell Pizza are expanding their foothold in the northern hemisphere and starting to extend their turf in Australia.

After selling the New Zealand rights to Hell in 2006, co-founders Callum Davies (1986-1989) and Stuart McMullin (1985-1989) are about to launch their brand in Canada and Ireland.

Stuart said that after just over a year, Hell Pizza's pilot restaurant in the London suburb of Fulham had passed the taste test with local people and Australian and Kiwi expatriates, and Hell expected to open another two stores this year. The company is to finalise a master franchise agreement for Ireland, with the first outlet expected to open in Dublin this year. A master franchise agreement for Canada is also about to be signed, with the first restaurant to open soon.

The master franchisee in Australia will open the third Hell Pizza outlet in Brisbane next month.

The agreement requires 30 outlets to be established in three years. Once the Queensland market is developed, Hell will move into NSW and Victoria, followed by the other states.

Hell receives a payment for the master franchise, a one-off payment for each new store opened and royalties of 1 per cent. Though there is no shortage of those seeking franchises, the biggest hurdle for expansion in London is the scarcity of good sites and 10- to 15-year leases.

Stuart said London had the potential for up to 150 Hell restaurants and Britain could absorb up to 600.

The quality of pizza over there is pretty poor, and service is also pretty patchy. Our food is quality and service is a high standard, but it's still done with a bit of Hell attitude.

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with an honorary doctorate from Victoria University next May.

Stephen completed a BA and masters in mathematics at Victoria in the early 1960s.

He went on to complete a PhD at Harvard University, but retains links with Victoria's school of economics. Professor Turnovsky's research has focused on the application of mathematical models and methods to the analysis of economic problems.

Legally Retired

G

raeme Wheatley (1966-1968) has retired from the law department of Exxon Mobil Corporation in the USA after 25 years’ service. He graduated with an LLB (Hons) from Victoria University and was admitted in February 1974. After periods with Rainey Collins Armour & Boock and Watts & Patterson in Wellington and Gawith Hutchison & Hall in Masterton, he spent six years with the Crown Law Office in Hong Kong before becoming General Counsel of Mobil Oil New Zealand Ltd from 1983 until 1987.

Thereafter, he served as General Counsel of ExxonMobil affiliates in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong as well having assignments in the USA with the ExxonMobil Law Department.

Graeme, Erica and Blair will remain in the Washington DC area. If any Old Boy would like to make contact, Graeme’s email address is graeme_wheatley@hotmail.com.

Putting his best foot forward

A

fter five years with the Australian Ballet School, Harry Skinner (2001-2002) is now a member of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Following his graduation with the ABS, Harry went on an audition tour and received offers from several American companies, but accepted the offer from the RNZB company instead.

Harry is currently touring New Zealand with the highly acclaimed production of Romeo and Juliet, being staged in Wellington in late August.

News just in as we go to print and to feature in depth in 2009...

O

ther Old Boys currently in the spotlight include actors Karl Urban featuring in a number of Hollywood movies and Nic Sampson in local productions; musicians Toby Laing with Fat Freddy’s Drop and Barnaby Weir with Fly My Pretties, comedians Dai Henwood and Steve Wrigley starring and winning in TV Shows and in Comedy Competitions, TV One Antique Dealer Peter Wedde and TV One News reporter Arun Soma.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

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is first name conjures up so many memories that his surname is just about superfluous.

From the 1960s until his untimely death in 1995, Bruno Lawrence was an enduring popular culture figure on both sides of the Tasman; from songs like Dance All Around the World, his band and theatre troupe Blerta; to films such as Smash Palace, Goodbye Pork Pie, The Quiet Earth, and the outstanding television series Frontline… the list goes on and on.

Written by fellow Old Boy Roger Booth (1958-1962), he says...I taught four of Bruno’s five children at Havelock North High School and got to know Bruno and his wife Veronica. I asked him who was going to write the Bruno Lawrence story. He offered me that challenge, but I was pretty involved as a teacher, Havelock North Borough Councillor and sports coach, while Bruno was usually in Australia and not always in the right condition when at home.

Ten years later, when Bruno’s life was tragically cut short by cancer, I was in Wellington, and about to leave teaching to work at a place called NZQA, which I had better not mention.

Because I was facilitating panels all over NZ in that job, my kind employer ‘provided’ me with the opportunity to interview 150 of Bruno’s accomplices all over NZ, and that was how I prepared the book.

As Frank Crist says in the book, Bruno was ‘never a problem at school…relatively colourless’.

Later in life the real Bruno emerged, and I think I captured a bit of that in the book, thanks to the ability of so many of his mates to tell a good Bruno story.

Bruno was a bit ahead of me at Wellington College, but it was much the same College that I attended from 1958 to 1962, and where I taught in 1968 and 1969, and so the chapter on his spell at college was easy to write, especially the cadets incident.

I still have copies of the book – if you want one, I’ll send you one for $10 plus postage. Email me at chrisrog@paradise.net.nz, and I’ll get that organised.

International Movie Debut

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ill Moore (1994-1998) is a producer and director.

Attending Victoria University in 1999, he studied Education Policy, Statistics and Psychology followed by two Masters papers in 2002 in education policy. After completing his degree, he focused more from the written format to the oral and visual format of television and film. In 2003, he took a practicalbased film course at the Avalon Film and Television School before moving to Auckland.

He began his film career in music video production, working on over 25 music videos in a period of five months in Auckland. He then set up Cleancut Productions, a production house in Wellington that focussed on documentaries and music videos.

In 2007, Will was the visual effects supervisor for The Last Great Snail Chase, working with a budget similar to the cost of an early-1990s Japanese import. He formed a team of 12 VFX staff that worked tirelessly for six months, creating whales that shuffled down a suburban street and giant flying turtles.

His latest documentary Clash of the Titans premiered in Wellington on 26 July and was reviewed as a rare documentary film journey into the true Wellington hip hop underground, as rappers live out their dream to be crowned champion battle emcee. Independently produced and directed by Will, the Clash of The Titans made its world premiere on the giant screen at the Paramount, Wellington as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival. Shot over eight consecutive nights in December 2006, Clash of The Titans features behind the scenes interviews with the contestants, and takes us centre stage for the live battle on the mike and the psyche.

Aside from making movies, Will is a stay home dad, of a 15 month old baby, and loving it. He has three projects currently under development.

Dancing around the world

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an Caddy (1996-2000) is about to graduate from the NZ School of Dance with a NZ School of Dance Diploma in Dance Performance one of the first graduating students of a new Diploma course. Earlier this year, his first choreographed piece entitled "if" (sic) formed part of Steel Skeletons - the 2008 NZ School of Dance Choreographic Season. It was a delightful, clever piece which encouraged the viewer to muse about the nature of flight in all its possibilities. Dan plans to go overseas at the end-of-the-year to Europe for more dance experience, with a possible stop-over in Australia to pursue dance opportunities there.

Dr Simon Ellis (1983-1986) is one of a select group of dance choreographers (20 out of 174) presently UK-based invited to submit an entry for The Place Prize, 2008.

The prize, held every two years, is the top prize in British dance in which the overall winner receives 25,000 pounds. Of the 20 choreographers selected, 11 trained outside the UK. Simon's work is to be entitled Gertrude and is an imagined fictional performance conversation through time between choreographer Gertrude Bodenwieser (1890 - 1859) and Simon Ellis (1968 -). It will be premiered on 11 September 2008. The competition aims to put contemporary dance in the limelight, and has been responsible for launching the careers of a number of noteworthy choreographers, and for providing a number of current contemporary works in the repertoires of companies such as Sadlers' Wells, the Nederlands Dans Company, the Royal Ballet and the Rambert Dance Company.

Check out Simon’s website for more news and reviews - www.skellis.net

No stranger to academic

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afe Hampson (2003-07), the 2007 College Dux is set for a stellar academic career.

The recipient of three prestigious scholarships, Rafe is studying for a BA at Auckland University. At a Government House ceremony in late May, Rafe received a Premier Award for scholarship - awarded to the very top candidates who attained at least three scholarships at an outstanding level and is worth $10,000 annually for the next three years - he attained four: Classical Studies, History, English and Latin. The award is limited to just ten students nationwide. At the same ceremony Rafe was awarded the top scholar in the NZ awards for Latin and Classical Studies.

Rafe also received an NZEST scholarship for academic excellence.

We were thrilled when it was announced that Rafe was one of the nine winners of this prestigious award. He was also awarded an Auckland University scholarship worth $5,000 per annum.

In 2006, Rafe was New Zealand’s top Level 3 student in Latin, achieving 100%.

We congratulate Rafe on his achievements and will continue to follow with interest the academic career of this talented, humble and popular young man.

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Thoroughly Modernist

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Hawke's Bay Museum and Art Gallery retrospective, recently celebrated the art and design of prodigiously talented octogenarian Don Ramage [Wellington College Master; 1947-1961].

He's a bit of a renaissance man, Don Ramage.

There's not much in the art line the Napierborn octogenarian, whose work spanning 60 years is the focus of a Hawke's Bay Museum and Art Gallery exhibition, has not tried and excelled at.

After active service as a soldier, Don gained an MA in history and taught at secondary and tertiary levels before capping his career as an educator in 1977 with four years as head of the Wellington Design School he helped develop, now part of Massey University.

As an artist in the late 1940s and early 50s, Don painted surrealist works in tempera and gouache before becoming a pioneer in lithographic printmaking then silk-screen printing. From the 60s, he won awards for his textile designs and created posters for ballet, opera and theatre, as well as stage sets.

At the same time, Don and his wife, Joan, whom he married in 1947, raised three children, one of whom, Jill, later graduated from the polytechnic's first textile design course.

What the Wellington art world didn't know was that the art teacher was also a rugby coach for many years and later a life member of the Wellington College Old Boys' Club. Don admits his friends probably didn't know about his artistic life either, since the family's social life centred on sporting rather than arts activities.

At home in a suburban Napier street overlooking a sports ground, the modest Don, keenly missing his wife, who died six months ago, is surprised at being the focus of attention.

Retirement allowed him to start painting and printmaking again - he completed and exhibited a series of silkscreen prints begun in the 70s then he mastered the techniques needed to make decorative ceramic pots and domestic ware. And while Joan was alive, the couple would sit companionably in front of the television of an evening, each with a supply of wool, and ply their craft - she knitting one-off patterned jerseys while he hooked one of the many rag rugs that adorn walls and floors of this and their family's homes.

Don was born in 1923, son of a tinsmith from Balclutha, who set up shop at Port Ahuriri after serving in World War I, and a mother who was always painting, drawing and handcrafting - including making rag rugs.

Their three sons were encouraged to be creative: young Don was already a confident artist before he left Napier Boys’ High School to begin studies at Victoria University that would lead, eventually, to producing the first illustrated history of New Zealand art from 1850 to 1950 for his MA thesis.

War intervened - Don continued his painting and drawing on the battlefields of Italy, using a paintbox and sketchpad tucked into the map case that hung around his neck. As war ended, he was invited to spend a few weeks at art school in Florence as part of a group of Allied servicemen selected by the British Council, before returning home. For the first time, a future in art seemed possible.

Back in Wellington, while completing his MA part-time, Don continued his art training at Wellington Technical College Art School. Printmaking was unusual in the country at that time, he recalls, but in his stone lithography class, in the stimulating company of artists such as E Mervyn Taylor and George Woods, his work flourished. The printmakers shared ideas and techniques in the print studio on Tuesday evenings. We were experimenting, doing our own thing, he says. Not many people knew much about aquatints, mezzotints and plate lithography,

things like that.

After art school, Don - who had never considered teaching as a career - took up the position of art master at Wellington College, where students such as John Drawbridge (1944-1947), with whom he was to have a long association, was impressed when the new master set up an easel in front of the class and painted one of the students.

Don submitted his surrealist paintings to the conservative New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, a deliberately provocative act. Later, he would wait up to six years before submitting work, by which time the ideas were more acceptable.

More influenced by international modernist movements than were his contemporaries Colin McCahon and Toss Woollaston - who looked to the landscape to express their identity as New Zealanders - Don felt it relevant to look to things that directly shaped his life, notes exhibition curator Lucy Hammonds.

The streets of Wellington, the gasworks and port, the construction of the breakwater off Moa Point, all became central to Don's examination of his experience of what it means to be a New Zealander living in his own country.

Ahead of his time in many ways, Don was a creative problem-solver at heart, a methodology he carried over into the new Wellington School of Design, where he set up the graphic design diploma course in 1961.

He progressed from one challenge and new technique to the next. It was when paint no longer captured the pace of the capital city's bustle that he embraced plate lithography, producing dramatic cityscapes - angular buildings, wet streets, harbour cranes - that pulsate with colour and action.

Perhaps Don's most significant achievement was to set up what has become the country's leading textile design course. His focus then was on carpet design - he had scooped the pool in the Festival of Wellington design competitions in 1960, winning three out of the four premier industrial design awards.

After retiring from the design school, at a time when the focus was moving away from an association with industry, Don set up a textile consultancy and since returning to his home town in 1991 has continued to handhook rugs. Although he has only ever seen his rugmaking as a hobby, it has remained a constant pleasure for more than 40 years.

He still has quite a few of his stock of more than 200 different coloured "cheeses" of wool yarn left over from his carpet-designing days.

And though Don is pushing 90, daughter Jill says her father is as creative as he's ever been. He's just so creative; you always wonder what he's going to produce next.

Construction '62, Lithograph 64

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

www.paper-works.co.nz/gallery

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Beijing Bound for Rowers

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ormer Wellington College rower, Peter Taylor (1997-2001) has been named in the final New Zealand team for the Beijing Olympics in August.

Peter [pictured right] and doubles partner Storm Uru powered their way to a convincing win in the light-weight double sculls in Poznan, Poland in July, beating crews from Portugal, Canada and the Czech Republic by 2.5 seconds on the 2000 metre course.

Peter emailed friends and family from Poland after the event: We are on our way to Beijing. The pinnacle in our sport, we do not have to wait another four years, it is real, it is no dream.

Peter started his rowing career while in the third form, aged 13. He began as a Cox but turned to rowing at 15. I got started because a friend in rowing and I haven’t missed a season since, he said.

Peter was part of the Maadi Cup Springbok Shield four, rowed out of the Star Boating Club in Wellington, and rowed for Victoria University (2 Blues) before heading off to Auckland to finish his degree and to further his rowing career.

For the past three years, Peter has been based at Karapiro with the New Zealand Under 23 and elite squads. This year he won the NZ lightweight singles title before being selected in the lightweight double with Storm Uru to go and try to win one of the final Olympic berths at the Poznan Olympic Qualification Regatta.

Peter works as a business consultant for DeLoitte in Auckland having gained a BCom from Auckland University. Deloittes have fully supported Peter and allowing him time off for this effort and assuring his job after his Olympic career.

Joining Peter at the Olympics is second-time attendee George Bridgewater (1996-2000), pictured right.

George currently competes in the Men’s pair at international level with Nathan Twaddle.

The pair have been together representing New Zealand since 2004, and that year they finished fourth in the final at the Athens Olympics.

Since then the duo have remained at the sharp end of the Men's Pairs in world rowing.

In 2005, the pair won a gold medal at the World Rowing Championships in Gifu, Japan, in what was part of the Magic 45 minutes

where four New Zealand crews won gold medals in that time. In the 2006 World Rowing Championships in Eton, England, the pair finished second and again in 2007 at Munich. In a stand-out race, the New Zealand crew gave everything and more in their pursuit of Duncan Free and Drew Ginn, but ultimately didn't have quite enough to beat them - this time.

Despite that, George and Nathan remain one of the top choices for success at Beijing in 2008. For 2007/2008 and in the build up to the Olympics, George has once again been part of the New Zealand Rowing Summer Squad training out of the Mighty River Power High Performance Centre at Lake Karapiro.

Nathan and George continued their good form with a good win in the men's coxless pair at the Poznan Regatta. Australian's Gin and Free the Canadian crew that won in Lucerne were absent from Poznan, but there was still plenty of decent opposition, including a good French pair of Germain Chardin and Dorian Mortelette who led them to 1,500 metres before the boy's regular final push took them through and home in first place.

London 2012 perhaps...

A

nother Olympic hopeful in the making is Elliot Riley (2000-2004), who is in the final phase of training for the U23 World champs, training twelve times a week and rowing in excess of 200km a week.

The final phase of training aims to push his crew to their limits increasing their anaerobic thresholds and preparing them for what is to come in Brandenburg, Germany.

His U23 eight left along with six other U23 crews in July bound for Berlin, where they will be based for 12 days and training out of the world class FISA rowing centre. They then head to Brandenburg two days early to familiarise themselves with the World Champ Course and get a feel for the regatta environment.

Racing starts 17 - 21 July. To date, training has been going well and Elliot and his crew are excited about getting there and racing.

George is not only aiming for a gold medal at the Olympics but also a role in the famous OxfordCambridge boat race.

George has been accepted into Oxford to study for his MBA and will head there after the Olympics.

It is remarkable achievement to have two rowing Old Boys from Wellington College going to the Olympics.

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

1500 wickets and still not out

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he Onslow Cricket Club saluted Bruce Heather (1954-1958) when he took his 1500th competition wicket for the Club earlier this year, and in doing so, took the opportunity to highlight on some aspects of his involvement with the Club.

Bruce started his involvement with the Senior Club in the 1956/57 season before returning in 1960. He played several seasons for Onslow’s second team with good results before a spell in the oneday grades where he developed his ability to bowl many overs during a season. He returned to more serious cricket in 1964/65 and played a few games in the Senior grade.

When Onslow was relegated from the Senior grade for 1966/67, Bruce was part of a changed top team and excelled with 44 wickets in the Second grade. When Senior status was regained in 1970/71 he again played a few games at that level, taking his first Senior wickets.

Having spent a number of seasons performing with distinction in the second team, Bruce commenced another spell of one-day cricket which lasted approximately 10 years before he returned to two day grades to lead a developing team of young players fresh from college cricket. This was part of his philosophy to encourage such players who were not seen as top team material but who could still contribute in the appropriate grade. Onslow certainly benefited from Bruce’s work with a number of good cricketers coming from this environment. Bruce had been involved earlier with another team which mixed players of various ages as a development team and this was the background for this approach.

After six years with this squad, Bruce ‘retired’ for the last time to the one-day grades. He has continued there since, apart from the occasional appearance in two-day cricket. He has also involved himself in a number of tours overseas with Onslow teams at various ‘Golden Oldies’” tournaments.

While Bruce may be well known for his cricket performances and longevity, his administrative influence at Onslow is equally impressive. Bruce has a strong history of working for the Club. He performed the duties of recording secretary for ten consecutive seasons from 1964/65 and joined the Committee in 1966. He was Chairman of the Committee for three years from 1973/74 and remained on the Committee until 1980.

Bruce had always been interested in the history of Onslow and compiled some early statistical records which were the basis of those continued on to this day. He followed this interest by writing the definitive history of the Club’s first 50 years for the celebrations

which took place in 1980. He followed this up ten years later, with an abridged version with the subsequent decade covered in more depth.

Recognising his contribution to the Club, members elected Bruce a Vice-President in 1983. He probably holds the record for the shortest period in the position, being elected President in 1986. At the same time he was elected to a small select group as a Life Member. He remained President for six years before members reluctantly agreed to his wish to allow someone else the honour.

Bruce never lost sight of the need to encourage and support young cricketers and in 1990 one of his dreams came true with the establishment of the Onslow Cricket Foundation for that purpose.

In the time since, the Foundation has raised and distributed considerable amounts of money to benefit Onslow junior cricket and cricketers, ultimately benefiting the senior club through their later performances.

Olympian Legend Honoured

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ongratulations to Ted Morgan (19211922), Ross Collinge, Alan McIntyre and Trevor Manning - all Olympic gold medallists - for being inducted as Legends of Wellington Sport.

They were honoured at the recent Wellington Sports Awards and join an expanding and worthy group of aptly-named legends. The legends awards revived great memories.

Those voted in earlier have been Onny Parun (1960-1965) (tennis), Eric Tindill (cricket and rugby), Ron Jarden (rugby), John Reid (cricket), Rebecca Perrott (swimming), Barrie Devenport (swimming), Jack Tynan (hockey), Andy Leslie (rugby), Billy Wallace (rugby), 66

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

Marilyn Marshall (soccer and softball), Harry Kent (rugby), Dick Joyce (rowing) and Bill Massey (softball).

Ted Morgan, a Wellington College Old Boy, was the lightweight boxer who went to Amsterdam for the 1928 Olympics, but broke a knuckle in his right hand in training.

Regardless, he still outclassed everyone at the games, winning four fights in succession.

It's one thing to be a New Zealand sports great. It's quite another to be a legend of Wellington sport.

Collinge, McIntyre, Manning and Morgan certainly fit the legends category.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Back to School for the Phoenix

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ellington College students put the books to one side on Wednesday 7 May, to join the Wellington Phoenix at a special training session at the school.

The full Phoenix squad, coach and parent Ricki Herbert and Club Chairman and parent, Terry Serepisos put members of the College's 1st and 2nd XIs through their paces during the hour-long session.

The Phoenix players had the youngsters run through a series of drills and skills training, as hundreds of other students watched on from the Terraces.

The visit was particularly special for Wellington College Old Boys Tim Brown (1994-1998) and Leo Bertos (1994-1999). Tim, vice-captain of the Phoenix in their inaugural season in the Hyundai A-League, was a member of the College's 1st XI from 1997, also captaining the side in 1998. Leo also played alongside Tim in the 1st XI.

gives those young players something to aspire to and helps them realise there's a pathway for them to become professional footballers right here in their home city. There's clearly a lot of talented players around and it's no doubt a bunch of these guys will be playing for the Phoenix in the future.

Wellington College Sports Director, Dave Keat said the visit by the Phoenix was arranged in response to the boom in the popularity of Football at the school.

It's become the major sport by a long way. We're talking about 29 teams here at Wellington College and 420 boys registered to play Football. The Phoenix have really driven the interest along but it's fair to say it has been growing over a number of years. It's great to see Leo and Tim here and that's fantastic for the College because I know the boys really feel like they have a special link to the Club.

It's very good to come back, Tim said after the training session. It's great to see so many kids playing football at school and how the popularity of the game has really increased. It's certainly a little bit different compared to when Leo and I were here at school.

Leo, who has recently returned to the capital after several years playing overseas, was also happy to be back at his old stomping ground.

It definitely brings back memories, bumping into teachers that were here when I was and it was really good to catch up with them and see how the school's going. There are a lot more students here now and more football teams. Hopefully the Phoenix coming down here Phoenix Club Chairman, Terry Serepisos, with Associate Principal, Dave Ashby and Headmaster, Roger Moses

Tim Brown gives our 1st and 2nd XI members some playing tips

Old Boys Leo Bertos (left) and Tim Brown, perhaps remembering their golden days at Wellington College, or on the lookout for new talent

The Phoenix with members of the 1st and 2nd XI after their visit to Wellington College

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

International Rugby Caps

J

oe Hill (2005-2006) was selected for the New Zealand U20 side that won the World Cup in Wales recently. Joe scored four tries in the tournament, but unfortunately missed out on playing in the final due to injury.

Joe made the step up to the newly formed New Zealand U20 team after previously spending two years in the NZ Secondary Schools' side out of Wellington College, where he helped the side to wins over Australia in both years.

The specialist winger who combines speed and guile out wide with outstanding skills to match joined the Wellington Rugby Academy at the start of 2007 and quickly made his Premier debut for Old Boys-University in last year's Swindale Shield.

Joe was selected in his first full Wellington representative team when he made the Wellington XV to play Wairarapa Bush in the annual Jimmy Cotter Memorial Trophy match. In this game he set up a try and scored another in a 49-0 win. He was then included in the initial Vodafone Wellington Lions squad of 2007, making his debut in the 38-38 draw against Waikato in the first pre-season game. He went on to play for the Wellington U19s in the representative season from August - October.

Following the second match against South Africa, Neemia Titalata (1999-2000) has now had 24 games in the Black Jersey with some strong recent performances after a mixed season in the Super 14 with the Hurricanes, suffering both injuries and suspension. Truth be told, it’s taken Neemia a while to find the swagger this year. By his own admission he made a slow start to the season in the Super 14, and by competition end wasn’t even a starter for the Hurricanes.

People like Richard Loe started saying some pretty average things about him too. That he was unfit. Struggling. Disappointing.

Neemia doesn’t mind admitting that his confidence went south, and he even got to a point where he wondered if his test career might be over.

But Graham Henry picked him for the All Blacks and, for one reason or another, he suddenly became the main man. He’s played in four tests this season so far, two starting and two off the bench, and has fronted big time. Neemia just shrugs and says it’s the least he could have done.

special, he says. My focus coming into this campaign was basically to give something back to the coaches.

I guess I’ve done that in the first four tests. Any chance I get I’m just making sure I give my all.

Neemia’s biggest strength is his versatility. He covers both sides, which makes him a valuable man. He’s working hard on his scrummaging, and taking care of the basics. But he has one part of his game he’d love to unleash.

I love (running with the ball), he says. “It used to be my focus coming through the agegrades. I’d try to get my hands on the ball whenever I could. But in this environment you do your job first, you do the little things.

Then when I do get my hands on ball I’ll give it my all.

And for those wondering about Neemia’s white boots… well, speaking to him in July when he called into the College to donate his recent All Black Jersey, shorts and socks, he said that the boots are not white, it’s just the strapping tape he uses to keep them on and support his ankles. The NZRFU have ordered special black tape, but it yet to arrive from the States.

Being picked for the All Blacks was quite

Schoolboy makes Wellington cricket history

H

arry Boam, has made Wellington cricket history recently, being named as one of Cricket Wellington's contracted players, and becomes the first schoolboy cricketer to earn a Firebirds contract.

The top-ranked player in each province earns a $36,500 retainer while the 12th presumably Harry - will pick up $19,500 in addition to match fees.

U19 tournament, with his 542 runs at an average of 67.8 including 184 against Central Districts in a three-day match, believed to be a Wellington age-group record.

The right-handed Harry can bat anywhere in the top or middle-order and also bowls handy medium pace. The Y13 student is coming off a record breaking 2007-08 season. He was the leading run-scorer at last year's national

Harry also hit a Gillette Cup record 123 against Wanganui Collegiate in a one-day game and top-scored with a patient 38 against defending champions Pakistan at this year's U19 World Cup in Malaysia.

Bejing Bound for Footballer

W

ith over 50 caps for the All Whites (including 48 'A' internationals), midfielder Simon Elliott (1987-1991) is part of the New Zealand men's football team at this year's Olympics.

Simon has been named in an extended 25-man squad for the Games and is one of three over 23-year-olds who brings vital experience, and a dead ball threat, to the young Oly Whites.

One of the first Kiwis to blaze the now well-worn trail to professional football via the American collegiate system, the former LA Galaxy and Fulham FC player finally gets a chance of Olympic success after his 1996 U23 side were pipped on goal difference by Australia for a spot in Atlanta despite Simon’s eight goal spree in as many games.

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Wellington College 1st XI coach Robbie Kerr (1979-1984), who played 59 games for Wellington in the 1990s, said Harry could handle the massive jump from captaining a school team to the first-class arena. Robbie has coached Harry for the past two seasons and had seen steady improvement. He had a sound technique and spent a huge amount of time in the nets improving his batting against spin bowling and ability to lift the run-rate.

Harry is currently in England as part of the U19 team to play two four-day matches and five one-day matches against their English counterparts.

Harry’s cricketing hero is Mahela Jayawardene and outside the game he enjoys playing football.

OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Lasting Friendship is part of Golf Team

T

he Auckland Inter-College Old Boys Golf Tournament was held on 7 March 2008 at the Pukekohe Golf Club. 32 Teams entered representing College Old Boys from as far south as Christchurch and Dunedin through to Wellington, Palmerston North, Wanganui, New Plymouth and a number of Auckland Colleges. Sadly, our team did not win, but enjoyed the golf and a well organised day.

Winning Teams were: 1st Palmerston North Marist 2nd St Paul’s Collegiate 3rd Otahuhu College Wellington College’s convenor, Brian Teehan said that he and fellow team member Les Allison first met in Form 3. Years on, Les introduced his sister Jan to Brian – they married and Les was the Groomsman and in earlier this year, made a speech at Brian and Jan’s Golden Wedding Anniversary celebration.

If you would like to play in the 2009 Tournament, representing our College, please contact Brian at jan-brian@xtra.co.nz or telephone (09) 534 1706.

Representing Wellington College, (L-R): Don Harland, Brian Teehan, Len Allison, Don Abbott

From Red ‘n Black to Yellow ‘n Black

W

ellington College has a link to the Canterbury University Rugby Club History, albeit a passing reference with a paragraph on Mr TL (Dick) Creswell who played for the 1st XV 18871894 and represented Canterbury in 1888, 1889 and 1891, being recognised as one of the top wing-three-quarters of his day. He had a stint as club captain and also served on the CRFU. Later he was Headmaster of Wellington College (1921-1928).

Wellington Lions includes seven Old Boys

s

even Old Boys feature in the 27-man Lions squad for 2008. Brendan Watt (1996-2001), Michael Hobbs (2001-2005), Tomasi Palu (2000-2004) and Joe Hill (2005-2006) make their debut this season, joining Neemia Tialata (1999-2000) and Dane Coles (2004-2004). Coach, Jamie Joseph is waiting to hear whether Buxton Popoali’i (nee Leutulava) (2003-2007) will get dispensation to also join the squad. Buxton, 18, needs dispensation from the NZRU to play in the NPC because of his age. A Wellington XV, which in this match also included Buxton and Joe Hill, had a excellent win over Otago in a pre-season fixture.

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OLD BOYS IN THE NEWS

Identical ages; identical jobs; idential golf handcaps and yes... identical twins

2

006 was exceptional year for Wellington College when its Golf team won by a record 22 shots in the National Secondary School Championships. Golfing twins Peter Spearman-Burn (2003-2006) and Thomas Spearman-Burn (2003-2006) left college at the end of that successful year at the age of 17, with Peter having won the Dominion Post College Sport Sportsman of the year and both of them members of the winning Sport’s Team of the year. This was the first time ever in the history of Dominion Post College Sport that golf had featured in either of these prestigious titles, let alone in both awards in the same year and by the same college.

After Peter and Thomas finished school they began Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying apprenticeships with flexible hours so they could continue to play golf at a competitive level. They hope to complete their apprenticeships before attempting to turn professional.

The twins both currently have a handicap of +3, (3 under par) and are members of the Miramar, Royal Wellington and Taupo Golf Clubs. They are the star players in Miramar’s top men’s team, which won both the Duncan and Otaki Cups in 2007 and the Otaki Cup in 2008. They both represent Wellington in the Wellington Men’s team. In November last year while Peter was playing in the 2007 NZ Open, Thomas was playing in the Aaron Baddeley World Junior Tournament in China.

It was back in Year 11 at College at the age of 15, Peter and Thomas decided to focus on their golf and became scratch handicap players. Prior to that they had played soccer and tennis for the College and had been in Wellington Representative Soccer teams.

Thomas made the first impact of the twins in golfing circles by being runner up in the North Island U19 at the age of 15. Not to be outdone, later that year Peter won two National titles within two weeks, the Caltex Eagles Under 18 and the NZ Under 19.

Peter then continued to shine. He went on to win many other titles including The 2007 Wellington Men’s Stroke Play; 2007 NZ U23yrs Teams Event; 2007 NZ U19yrs Eagles Championship (for the second time); 2008 North Island U19yrs Championship (for the second time).

He was also top qualifier in the final Qualifying Event for both the NZ Open 2006 in Gulf Harbour, and the NZ Open 2007 in Queenstown (where he shot a course record 10 under par 62 at Millbrook). He then enjoyed the experience of competing in both NZ Opens at 17 and 18 years of age.

He has also been the recipient of a Prime Minister’s Scholarship and a SPARC Sports Ambassador Scholarship.

Over the last two and a half years, Peter

has represented his country on numerous occasions in Japan, Australia and NZ. He has been consistent in his performance and is currently ranked 37th Amateur in the world.

So what about Thomas? He played less competitive golf than Peter since leaving College, but he peaked at the right time a couple of months ago in April to win New Zealand’s premier amateur title - The 2008 NZ Men’s Amateur. Winning this gives Thomas automatic entry into the NZ Open at The Hills course in Queenstown in March 2009.

And, as Peter has been the top qualifier for entry into the NZ Open for the past two years, he has a very good chance of qualifying for the next one. So, in March next year, you may see both of the Spearman-Burn twins, at the age of 19, playing in the NZ Open.

Put on those whites again

T

he annual Friendly Cup cricket match date between WCOBs and St Patrick’s has yet to be finalised, but if you still have those whites and you are interested in playing, please email me.

This an annual cricket match between the two Colleges, and has been going for a number of years. I am not sure of the rules or the history of this game, so if anyone is able to enlighten me I would appreciate the history lesson. However, I do know one important rule for this year - it is our turn to win.

There are some age limits on who is allowed to play and how many we need from certain decades.

I think we have agreed that the average age of the team needs to be 50, so even though the closest I got to playing for the 1st XI was being 12th man when the 2nd XI were out of town, I will be donning on my whites to see if I can prove the selectors wrong.

If anyone else interested in playing in this cricket match please contact me via e-mail at ian@psych.net. nz • Ian de Terte (1975-1980) 70

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

RECOLLECTIONS & MEMORIES

From conflict to country life style Frank Russell Farquhar • 1888 - 1958

the property still flourishes. He was an excellent shot and obtained rabbits and hares from the surrounding farmland, which no doubt were killed for the pot. In the season Frank was a keen duck shooter.

F

rank Russell Farquhar was born on 10 August, 1888 in Wellington.

His father Henry Alexander Farquhar, a surveyor, was the son of Henry Blunt Farquhar and Elizabeth (nee Sedcole), who arrived in Nelson in 1843. Frank’s mother Caroline Dartnall was the daughter of William and Lucy Dartnall who came to Nelson in early 1842. His heritage was entirely British.

Before the war of 1914-1918, Frank Frank, to the left Farquhar lived with his parents at 44 Hiropi Street in Newtown, Wellington. outside help. He learnt about beekeeping The family were Plymouth Brethren.

Frank attended Wellington College from on the job. He never owned a vehicle so all 1901 to 1903. He was almost the same age his hives had to be located on the property, as Bernard Freyberg and they were school altogether he had about 100. friends and went pig and deer shooting together. After leaving Wellington College, Besides never having a vehicle, Frank and Frank Farquhar must have joined a firm called Mary never had a phone. They relied on EW Mills and Co Ltd. In 1920, he was given others to get to the local town for essential a Bonehill shotgun which has a plaque on it supplies. In those early days, the shops in saying, Presented to FR Farquhar. EH Mills Featherston delivered goods in trucks, cars and Co. Ltd, 19/11/1910. By 1914 when he and vans. Almost everything was available at enlisted in the Army, Frank had qualified as the door by this means. a surveyor and was working with his father in the Lands and Survey Department in The Farquhars were not social and took little part in the community functions. Since there Wellington. were no children, they had no incentive to On 13 August, 1914, Frank enlisted. He join in school or other communal activities. joined the First New Zealand Expeditionary Force and was a sapper in the Engineers Frank and Mary lived at that property for 40 Field Troop. After training, he left for the years. Their life was austere. The first honey Middle East on 16 October, 1914. By 7 June, harvest was the result of the bees feeding 1915, he was seriously ill in Cairo. Later that on pollen from blossom of native plants such year, he had recovered enough to be sent as the cabbage tree and manuka etc. This to Gallipoli. Again he became dangerously ill honey was unsuitable for the palate of the and was returned to hospital in Alexandria on times and could not be easily extracted. As 11 September, 1915, and to hospital in Port a result, initially,there would have been little Said on 9 October 1915. On 6 December, income. It was not until the bees gathered 1915, he was sent home on the MS Raheno pollen from the clover in the cow pastures and was discharged from the Army on 20 that the honey could be easily extracted and March 1916. The war was over for Frank but potted up for sale. Frank also made a potent he had paid dearly with his health and was honey mead. not expected ever to make a full recovery.

On his highly fertile 10 acres of river flat, Somehow or other, after having been Frank kept a few pigs, some sheep, a cow for discharged from the Army but before the war milk and butter and of course hens. He was ended, Frank got to England and worked in a also a keen gardener and was the first person munitions factory in Liverpool. There that he in the district to grow tomatoes under glass met Mary Catherine Morgan who became cloches. Income was earnt by the sale of his wife late in 1917. His wife was always an surplus produce. He planted fruit trees and ultimately and a magnificent walnut tree on ardent Roman Catholic but Frank had abandoned his religious beliefs. Frank and Mary Farquhar returned to New Zealand in 1919.

The Pahautea Soldiers’ Settlement was a subdivision of dairy farms formed to provide farms for soldiers returning from the war. The subdivision is located about 17 kilometres from the Wairarapa township of Featherston and stretches along the western bank of the Ruamahanga River. Frank and Mary Farquhar drew the 10 acres of the subdivision which had been set aside for beekeeping. Frank would have had to develop his property without any

Frank's real passion was fly-fishing.

At that time, trout abounded in the Ruamahanga River, which adjoined his property, and he was able to take up to 100 each year. Perch were also plentiful. He was appointed ranger for the fishing along the river and was often seen working his way along the riverbanks complete with anglers jacket, tackle and a light pack.

Frank was a voracious reader, probably promoted by his talented father and his education at Wellington College. For some time he was responsible for the Country Library Service in the area and housed their books and lent them out to the various readers in the surrounding district. He was able to quote extensively from the lyrics of the Gilbert and Sullivan Operas.

Frank Russell Farquhar died in Greytown Hospital on 1 April,1958, mostly from cardiac asthma and chronic emphysema. He was a heavy smoker. After his death his wife sold the farmlet and moved back to Liverpool.

It seems Frank Farquhar’s life was badly affected by the fevers he had while in the Army at Cairo and Gallipoli. After the war he did not return to his work as a surveyor but chose a relatively unstressful country lifestyle, which suited him and caused no trouble to others. Today some might judge this life experience as tragic. It was not. Frank and his wife Mary enjoyed their experience in the Pahautea Settlement and they are part of the rich heritage of simple people who lived in the area. Frank Farquhar was a descendant of very early settlers in Nelson and a worthy Old Boy of Wellington College.

A photograph album, now in the possession of the Farquhar family is emblematic of Frank’s intellectualism, his artistry, and his perception of, and reaction to, the natural and spiritual world. The photographs, which represent his early manhood including some of the time spent in the Middle East during the war, are beautifully presented in an attractively restrained way and some are annotated by the remarkable clear printing of verse extracts, mostly from Kipling. Obviously Frank had benefited from a good education at home and at school and in the album these talents, combined with his natural and developed abilities and sensitivities, to leave a testimony to his strength of character and his joy and wonder at the life that surrounded him., Prepared by Robert Sedcole Bargh BE(Civil), BAHons) and Frank Farquhar’s second cousin once removed.

Frank, to the left

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RECOLLECTIONS & MEMORIES

Memories from a bygone era in Rugby Grahame Pohlen (1955-1959) has written to us from Sydney with an account of his rugby and medical career.

What follows gives some interesting insights in New Zealand Rugby, both at the top level and ‘Grass Roots’.

Y

our 2007 Lampstand was great reading!

Thank you for the memories. As an aside, Justice Hugh Williams' 1957 1st XV left Max Hand, Bruce Heather, Bob Griffiths, Paul Neal and Alan Wright to nurse the 1958 freshmen, Barrett, Hornabrook, Kenny, Mahon, Malcolm, Mills, Murphy, myself, Smither, Smyth, Speedy, Waddell, Wilson, Wingfield and Uttley.

We tested rugby's forge and anvil just as a Te Kuiti farmer's courage, passion and tenacity galvanised New Zealand.

A decade later I joined that farmer's team. He was rugby's greatest player. His was a world of very different values.

My tale begins sometime ago with the Mackenzie Medical Foundation's Sir Neil Callaghan and my wife, Marie. We were strolling along Sydney's Botanical Gardens' waterfront. The cathedral Opera House sails scintillated in the morning sunlight. Neil was reliving bygone days. Grahame, he asked, I visited the Sloane Kettering Cancer Centre's Murray Brennan in New York recently...

Did you know Brennan is the world's top surgical oncologist? Absolutely, I replied. He proceeded, What's all this he tells me about your being 'The Carisbrook Assassin'? St George's clear bright light reawakened fifty years of memories; and Farjeon hung upon the breeze, Morning has broken, Like the first morning, Like the first dewfall, On the first grass ...Born of the one light Eden saw play! ... The song was sung: You knew that I went down with a viral myocarditiscardiomyopathy in 1959 in my last college year?

They said I wouldn't play rugby again. They were wrong. There were endless probings and ECG's before Sir Charles Burns cleared me to play in Dunedin six years later. Brennan was my medical mentor. He was several years ahead of me.

We shared a remarkable flat with Laidlaw, Kirton, Oxford's Baird and discus's Tait in 1965-66. He was a gifted, genuine, unaffected human being.

He possessed a rare blend of courage, intellect, compassion and drive, and he believed that such gifts should be used to help others. He was a fine wing three-quarter, the best ball thrower in the country, and his vision and purpose steered me from the brink. Otago's Vice-Chancellor, Sir Robin Irvine, swore that my rugby rites of passage had run too far into the final year for me to escape unmarked. He intended to plough me.

Brennan seized the day. No-one was more deserving. He pounded countless clinical cases and tutorials into me at the end of our 1966 season. The Dean, Sir Edward Sayers, was apoplectic when he learned of my graduating into a meatworks' preparation for the 1967 All Black Tour of Britain. Sir Robin rewrote the Medical School's terms of engagement. Brennan took it all in his stride. Finally, in March 1967, he phoned me while I was stacking frozen lamb carcasses, Tiny, Kew Hospital needs you! Sayers will have your guts if you're not there Monday! Jack (the Axe) Hazlett needed me to lock Southland's scrum. The 'Dr Who' epithet had run thin. Kew's Hiddlestone, like Brennan, was inspirational. I trusted Brennan and the great Dr Hiddlestone with my life and arrived at Invercargill.

Brennan received attention from an unthinking

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rugby tyro in Varsity's 1966 Carisbrook derby with Southern. Forward rugby in those days was a dockyard brawl, better suited to yeomen farmers and Tainui warriors. Rough conduct by less reflective others who sought to part the tender student from his gentle ways was discouraged by a plague of self-anointed academic saints. The 'Massacre' fell on a Dunedin Saturday afternoon.

All cloud had fled the sky. A crowd of 10,000 warmed the liquid amber sunlight. Southern's men were spurred onto the field by the cry of Red Arnold, Pit yer boot antae 'a wee lassies! Yer dinna wanae Sassenach Tiny an the burrn! Sully yer elbows now, Brick! Varsity followed, absorbed in common prayer. The vicar's flock applauded.

Southern attacked with unbridled feudal ferocity.

Brennan left the hallowed green at once, his right eye haemorrhaging. Next, there was a blinding blue flash! My knees sank! The spectre of some nameless Frenchman had struck from behind... without warning!

Concussion is a strange experience. Searing lights tear the will asunder. Un-Hippocratic Oaths snap convention's chains. Time's measured march calls out from far away. And life's shimmering dreams become realities... They say eight of the Southern fifteen left the field, for timely philosophical advice, in the ensuing onslaught. Sir Edward Sayers, whose obligation as Dean of Medicine was to confirm my scholarly attendance at Carisbrook, reportedly declared, Tiny should complete his surgical outpatients on his Carisbrook opponents!

He spends more time there than he gives to Dunedin Hospital! He was also heard to say, Tiny played like Meads. He single-handedly took that Southern team apart! I can recall no such thing.

I might have reminded Brick, our Southern's 18 stone backrower, that he had breached his pledge of gentlemanly conduct. It is true that he fell to the ground at Sir Edward's feet a moment later.

I seem to remember that. Carisbrook gasped, as one. Brick lay there. He was unnaturally still!

There are occasions in life when one stands alone in the void, the world spinning at its edge, passion cut down by 'The Truth' , all realisation rushing in like the whispering wind of death. This was one of them. The crowd fell back, all around the ground.

An ominous sense of foreboding seized everyman.

The ice-cold silence sang; and swooned.

Dear old Brick was stretchered off the field, seemingly unconscious, a thick gray woollen blanket draped over his motionless form, a black and white foreleg and an arm dragging shamelessly in his wake... But 'Fate', and Brick and I, knew it to be otherwise; for Brick had been untouched by any hand of man. His wound was fear. Brickie 'took a dive' ! A frail heart flew his needy soul, and celestial starlings piped Southern’s ghost to Lilith and Azazel.

Battle's quick uneven dark resumed. A fresh new flow of life revived us. Brennan rejoined the fray.

He was not, I think, set upon again. They claim he shouted out, Take it easy Tiny! They'll call the game off, mate! You'll have the gendarmes here!

I remember none of this, although I was a little weary at the time. The legend of 'The Carisbrook Massacre' was but a passing dream. I am unable to recall any reputation for being 'The Carisbrook Assassin'. Varsity won by a massive margin. We blitzed Otago's Championship, challenged only by

the saints.

Almost the entire side, many of All Black calibre, was selected for Otago. Most took part in the 1966 routing of the touring British Lions at Carisbrook. Three represented the South Island against the North.

Laidlaw and I played for New Zealand against the Rest in the Final All Black Trial. Laidlaw was a Lions All Black; and there was more.

After the 1966 Trials, 'Sir' Colin Meads, the immortal Pinetree, acknowledged as the preeminent international rugby warlord of any era, invited me to the land of the Maori Kings. I was to join the Waitete scrum with Meads, his gentleman All Black Brother, Stanley, and the fierce Maori All Blacks of their day. The definitive challenge of chivalrous doom had been put by the Primeval Dark Enforcer! No New Zealander beyond the sacred Maori Kingdom had been so honoured.

None has been since. The deed was done in 1968.

Hiddlestone found a medical post in the King Country. Surgery, which was to have been my calling, joined Southern's Brick. My introduction to Sir Aubrey Lewis' s universe began and I was thrown upon life's great adventure; but more of that another time...

Here, in the home of the Ngati Tainui and Te Arawa, was the sacred Tapu, deed of foundation of the Maori world.

Here was Ngatoro i rangi and 'The Coming of Fire'. Here were the fearless warriors, Te Kooti, Te Rangihaeta, Tawhiao, Te Wherowhero and Te Rauparaha. Here too, Hinemoa, Love of Tutanekai. So, it fell to me as a young doctor to join my illustrious Te Kuiti companions. Together, we journeyed through their Kingdom's provincial, national and international rugby battles of that remarkable season of '68. The Brothers Meads would tumble into the back seat of my never- tobe-forgotten incandescent scarlet Zephyr. Cressy, the Maori All Black half, would squeeze into the front with my minder, McQuilkin. In silence we would wind our way through the firmament to the game. Hardened roadmen, alerted by some secret signal, hastened to each road's edge at every pause. There, they would yield their caps in homaged fealty to the redoubtable Brothers Meads. Never was such duty witnessed, or love so fierce given. Time raced. Bonds grew. Loyalties arrived. Colin Meads' fearless hammer world unfolded.

At times, the dark foreboding monstrous power of Tukaitaua, Warlord, would sense another self in the swirling distance. Far ahead at a forest's edge, the spirit of Te Rauparaha would loom, barefoot and resplendent in blood-red Kingdom blazer. In a hail of reverend silence we would close upon Meads' bow-legged, bare-foot, mighty Maori All Black prop, the formidable Taupiri Paiaka, Te Rauparaha 's mere at his hand, taiaha readied for war!

Paiaka's shouldered gear, his knee-rolled strides, shirt and tie askew, and wounded innocence declared but one intention. The Brothers Meads would cede their troth. These three merged into one! They and Wordley, Symonds, Quilkin, Cressy, Ingham, Nielsen too, were milled in fire and steeped in iced devotion. Toil's pain wet their stone.

RECOLLECTIONS & MEMORIES Darkness was their light. Theirs were days of battle's chant, of courage deep, and country's faithed commitment. Words were rarely spoken.

Blood silence was the song. Dreams of life and fate and destiny drove us ever onward.

Spring-heeled Pohlen...

Spring-heeled Grahame Pohlen’s name was on everybody’s lips after the South Island rugby trial at Timaru on Wednesday. His amazing jumping and clean two-handed takes had the crowd gasping in awe and admiration.

Here were New Zealand's legend Kings, God's brother hooded warriors, all-seeing and yet unsung. Their mortal doom's Valhalla, their singular beginning, Rangiatea, and all their founded fiefdom's trust, were vested into one, that Pinetree Colin Meads, Torment's Dark Defender, Commander of The Force, L'Empereu de Feu, Tukaitaua!

His towering frame so dominated the lineouts in the second spell that long before the game ended he was already a ‘sitter’ for a place in the South Island team.

Yet illness once very nearly ruined Pohlen’s rugby career before it had scarcely started. He was a student at Wellington College at the time.

These moments passed. In time, the farewells faded. Soon, a clear bright light showed the journey's way ahead.

In his second to last year, Pohlen made the first fifteen, and looked a grand prospect. Then calamity struck. Pohlen developed a viral disease, a form of pericarditis. The membrane around the heart was affected.

Our creed was thus: Kotahi teKohao 0 te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro ma te miro pango, te miro whero. I muri, kia mau kit e aroha kit e ture, me te whakapono. There is one eye in the needle through which all threads must pass. After I am gone, hold fast to the love, to the law and to the faith.

Pohlen was told he would never play rugby again. They said that’s it he recalled in a pleasant chat after the Timaru trial.

I was then only 16, and it seemed the end of the world he said. I was pretty down on sport.

Sir Neil paused, God forbid! he gasped, That to philosophise was merely to read so very many clever books!'

But I resigned myself to it, and I concentrated on my efforts to get into the Medical School in Otago. I went to Med. School, the years went by, and I began to play a little basketball. I felt good so I had another check-up. To my delight, this showed that I was OK, and I was given the all-clear to play rugby again.

Otago’s Grahame Pohlen makes a tremendous leap to get possession in a lineout during the South Island rugby trials at Timaru. Pohlen’s mighty lineout jumping for the Probables was as good as any seen in the South Island for years.

When Pohlen returned to rugby, it was 1964, and the boy had grown into a lean young giant more than 6ft 6in tall.

He was not particularly heavy, weighing in at 15st 7lb, but the astute rugby men of Otago were quick to realise that here was potential with a capital ‘P’.

GJ Pohlen, 1968

The giant King Country lock forward, G J Pohlen (6ft 7in) easily out-jumps the rest of the lineout to secure the ball in two hands during the King Country-Thames Valley match at Te Aroha on Wednesday. He made many of those clean takes during the match which was won 11 points to 3 by King Country.

TOP OF THE LINE Otago lock-forward Grahame Pohlen, a good head and shoulders taller than most rival forwards, is shown here making a clean jump in one of the lineouts when Otago played South Africa at Carisbrook in July. Pohlen weighs 15st 7lb and is close to 6ft 7in in height. South Africa had a hard match against Otago, and won only 8-6.

A typical scene from Saturday’s main rugby trial in Wellington - 6ft 71/2in Grahame Pohlen (black jersey) and Sam Strahan locked in a tussle following a lineout, although Kel Tremain (rear) has eyes only for the ball.

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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RECOLLECTIONS & MEMORIES

Wellington College in the late 1950s Prior to attending his 50 Years On Reunion, John Rhodes provided us with memories of his time at Wellington College

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write for the Lampstand with diffidence, for those who appear in these pages seem to be mostly judges, professors, sharebrokers or directors of American space programmes wearing suits and ties and owning vineyards. In their youth they played games involving balls, mud, hand-eye coordination and being bumped into - with bodily harm - by others similarly engaged. I regret that none of this applies to me.

However, I did become a teacher of a sort, so my College experience perhaps encouraged me to imperti something of the lumen.

In 1954 the first Sputnik was three years from launching, Sidney Holland was Prime Minister and his stoush with the Watersiders’ Union fresh in memory, NAC was flying DC3s and Lockheed Lodestars, and Everest had recently been climbed by a man whose only fault was that he went to the wrong school.

On a February morning of that year we assembled on the drive in crisp grey uniforms with black socks, fearful of our biggest transition since age five. A severe, straight-backed figure with a silver crew-cut appeared - the Headmaster, surely?

Later we knew this man as ‘Inky Jack’ Dighton, a renowned swimmer, by whom I was never privileged to be taught.

It took forever to get the College up and running, I hope because our teachers had enjoyed a long, uninterrupted summer holiday. In temporary third forms we spent the first week getting stationery and textbook lists (the free textbook scheme started about 1958), and in thinlydisguised idleness. After a long delay, test results assigned us to 3A, 3B, 3C, 3 Special, 3 Remove and the strangely named “shell”* classes between.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a timetable was being created.

Twelve years later I was to arrive as a green, untrained teacher for a very different beginning to a school year, at Kuranui College in Greytown.

The Principal was Sam Meads, who in an earlier life had run, in his inimitable style, Wellington College’s Firth House (Latin scholars delighted in mispronouncing its inscription “FIRTH HOVSE”).

Sam, a man of immense energy, fun and determination, had founded Kuranui in 1960 after a stint as DP at Raumati College, and was already a South Wairarapa legend. He welcomed me with open arms. As a Wellington College Old Boy I could do no wrong, and, overlooking my rapidly-evident shortcomings Sam heaped praise on my scant signs of pedagogical promise. He and I, with Evan Thomas (at whose instigation Kuranui acquired fives courts in the Wellington College tradition) and later Jim Wilkinson, were the only Wellington College men in the place.

Sam Meads became, and remained after I left Kuranui, a dear friend. Sadly he died only a few years after retiring. Anyway, one of his fetishes was that a school should get down to business promptly, setting homework on the first day, and to achieve this flying start he and his senior staff laboured throughout January.

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However, this was certainly not part of Sam’s training at Wellington College. There, the timetablers gained breathing space from Barracks Week, when the entire College became a battalion under the bellowing command of ‘Fanny’ Flaws (later Principal of Tawa College) and a senior student, usually the Head Prefect plus swagger stick, glorying in the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. We walked to Buckle Street to be issued with “sandpaper suits”: khaki hats with brass badges, khaki tunics, khaki socks and scratchy khaki shorts; and learned to march, to ‘SHU-UN! and to RI-IGHT DRESS! Morning assembly became a full parade on the Middle Ground with the College pipe band. Later we carried World War I Enfield 303’s and could PRESE-ENT ARMS! We fired 22’s on the range and stripped and reassembled Bren guns. Even then it all seemed a bit futile; but to our elders the latest war, which we could barely remember, was only yesterday.

Retired as DP at the end of 1953 was Jimmy Cuddie, an incredibly old but still walking Wellington College institution, revered almost as much as the historico-religious figure with whose initials his coincided. He was brought back to deliver what only he could, the Hillside Talk for third formers.

We climbed past the top field through the gorse onto the south ridge of Mt Victoria, which gave a bird’s eye view of the school. Meanwhile Jimmy drove up Alexandra Road in his black Morris Ten and walked down from above. He sat us down and told us how fortunate we were to have come to a College of such great and proud tradition, on which he elaborated with passion. Even in our innocence it seemed he might be laying it on a bit thick, but for the most part we believed him.

Almost in tears, Jimmy pointed out the quarter of the lower playing field wrongly appropriated

by St Mark’s at a time in the College’s history so early that it predated his. Today, an apology and reparations would be sought.

We imagined this to be the last we would see of J.C. However, late in the first term our maths and science teacher Bruce Ramage (whose brother Don was our art teacher) was taken ill, and Jimmy returned to harness. This was a bit much for me, for I fell far below the standard that J.C. expected of - as he called us – ‘3A men’. We’d never before in our short lives been called ‘men’. Classmate Robt Mann says the timeless ‘Horse’ Bradley recalled decades later that Jimmy was wont to reprove malefactors with "But you're a Wellington College man!"

Everything J.C. said and did was invested with grandeur and portent. Parallel lines, which had met at a quite ordinary infinity with Mr Ramage, now went on to a sort of nirvana which only those with white, bushy eyebrows could dare to contemplate. Copper sulphate, though a mystery which only one in a black gown could explain, formed crystals which could be looked at but not touched. He taught us density and specific gravity by floating a rod made of teak in a measuring cylinder. That it was teak was important, and years later when we put panelling of it on our living room wall, I remembered Jimmy Cuddie.

He revealed the utter marvel that one cubic centimetre of water weighed a gram, and how ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’ could represent numbers and do things to one another without it mattering a whit what these numbers were. This was the cutting edge of intellectual endeavour. Remembers Bob Mann: “The concept of a mathematical equation was exemplified by the solemn chant 'Time equals distance over rate'. If any boy pronounced the diphthong in that first word 'oi', J.C. would make him say the constituent vowels in ever-closer order, brandishing his fists closer together, to the chant 'Ah- ee, ah-ee' etc.”

After a long while I got used to J.C.’s ways and ceased to yearn for Mr. Ramage's return.

H.A. Heron, M.A. I tremble as I type the name of that remote, aloof figure. He paced the corridors, gown streaming behind, like a bird of prey. Rather than meet our Headmaster face on we’d have preferred the concrete to open and swallow us.

H.A. Heron, the epitome of coldness, had the nickname ‘Fish’; but was also, both in name and in fact, ‘The Boss’.

Assembly in the wonderful Memorial Hall, like a Greek temple with two iconic pillars (Jimmy Cuddie made sure every third former knew about the bulge in an iconic pillar) began with a seated rabble, with the Head Prefect on the stage maintaining a modicum of order while other prefects monitored the side aisles. Then Frank would come in. Oddly, he had no nickname; his name was Frank, and (a little surprised at our own daring) we referred to him so; but to his face he was ‘Sir’ or Mr Crist. Frank Crist, with dimpled chin but of powerful, heroic build, coached the First Fifteen and was rumoured to have flown fighters in the War. We worshipped him. He was the only teacher who ever biffed me - and that in a good-natured way.

Frank relieved the Head Prefect at the front, and we became quiet. He made announcements.

Then, at his nod, the school rose; and in filed our be-gowned masters to range themselves before stained-glass St George, glowing in the morning sunlight. When all were in place a vast silence filled the hall.

Only then, from the back, was heard the step of a hard leather shoe. As we stood in rigid submission there strode down the side aisle H.A. Heron, M.A., supreme commander of a thousand boys and thirty-five men, in grey suit, immaculate gown, close-cropped hair and steel-rimmed glasses. He reached his place at centre front, flanked by the senior masters, and again there was a moments silence. Then the hymn was announced and we turned to the place in our yellow-covered hymn books (with charred holes in the pages, made with the Wimshurst machine in the physics lab).

‘Rhubarb’ Radford raised his baton, the orchestra struck up and the white temple, thronged with grey jerseys, swelled with our singing. It was a marvellous piece of theatre.

Some boys hated The Boss, others feared him.

RECOLLECTIONS & MEMORIES I believe he was a man of his time, ruling the College with a necessary rod of iron; for we had, like all schools, our raffish element (probably now retired from successful business careers). The last I heard of H.A. Heron was a news item about an old man wandering, lost, from his retirement home, and I felt sorry.

From time to time a famous Old Boy (most notably Bernard Freyberg) would address Assembly.

One of these, whose identity is lost in the mists of time, asked rhetorically – “do you know why your teachers do what they do?” After a pause for effect, he supplied “because they love you.”

This truth roused a pervasive titter. Love was, we thought, a yet-to-be-experienced interaction with the other sex, represented in our minds and nether regions by the inhabitants of Wellington East.

Bob Mann recalls some of us having an accelerated familiarisation with these beings when they came down the hill with their formidable painted gym mistress for dancing classes in the New Gym (later the Social Hall). Otherwise our only contact with them was when their bodies pressed, in involuntary but legitimate contact, against ours in overcrowded morning trams approaching the Basin Reserve. It took me a couple of years at university to overcome my fear of girls.

I arrived at school one Monday morning to find an excited knot of boys gathered around one of the pohutukawas on the drive opposite the Headmaster’s house. Hanging on a branch was a small, limp object which had appeared over the weekend. According to those in the know, this was a ‘frenchy’. We had heard of such items, and despite their absence from the curriculum we probably had a vague notion of their purpose; but actually to see one made a deep impression.

Times have changed: in our newspaper recently was an item about a 16 year old college boy (not in Wellington) having an affair with a female teacher.

Whether this means that secondary education has changed for the worse I’m unsure; but certainly in the 1950s the very notion of women teachers at Wellington College was undreamed of.

Our classrooms were nearly as basic as those I have since seen in third world countries. Their unvarnished floorboards, though swept daily, were so grubby that any dropped paper acquired black smudges. During our time the old West School was renovated, gaining upstairs a wonderful light, airy library with linoleum. We left our belongings in our desks with no thought of theft, taking with us only what we needed for the next two or three classes.

In my upper sixth year, when many boys were nudging six feet, our West School form room had old one-piece desks, scarred with the graffiti of generations, into which we barely fitted. I measured up a chair and table in a better-equipped room and made my own in my parents’ basement.

This resulted in an appearance before The Boss, but he let me keep my furniture provided I stained the pine to look like rimu. It was, after all, built to specifications.

Firth House boys wore Roman sandals in summer.

Bob Mann and I, believing that day boys should be allowed to do the same, brought sandals and

changed into them at school. The DP, ‘Loony Mac,’ (ANB MacAloon) saw our point and passed validating legislation. Soon sandals were widespread, though socks and shoes had still to be worn beyond the gates.

revealing, “in an expansive moment,” something pertinent to our present discussion with Q. That a fifteen year-old should have such insight into the mind of a teacher was almost too threatening for Q, and though saying nothing he stiffened visibly.

Studious, academic ANB MacAloon took our small 6A Lower class for French in his study. I commissioned my elder sister, on OE in Europe, to buy a postcard in Paris and send it home, blank, in an envelope. We addressed this to Mr MacAloon with comments like “wish you were here” and “finding Whitmarsh (our grammar text) invaluable,” before returning it to my sister (now back in London), who arranged for its mailing in Paris. In due course the well-travelled postcard reached its target, who appreciated the joke enormously.

Loved by all because they enjoyed his classes was Mr (Noel) Swain in the basement woodwork room. Tuesday mornings could not arrive fast enough for me, and I’ve been ever thankful for skills learned there and in primary school Manual Training. Sadly, the College deemed woodwork inappropriate for academic boys after the fourth form - but not before we had each made a stool with turned French-polished legs of rimu (which it was p.c. to use) and a woven seagrass top. I still have mine.

Others have written about staff of that era. We knew little of their private lives, and like our own parents they probably struggled to raise families on meagre salaries. Some owned cars. ‘Limpy’ Smith (highly strung and volatile from reputed wartime shell-shock, but with a wicked sense of humour) in his green A40, and Frank Crist in his Series E Morris Eight were, like me, inveterately late and I delighted in racing them on my bike.

‘Rhubarb’ Radford startled us by appearing in a new Vauxhall Velox.

A.B. (‘Flash’) Gordon, who moved with the speed of a hibernating bear, taught us English and Social Studies. He once absent-mindedly set his jacket pocket on fire with his pipe; but this was not the least of Flash’s pyromania. He confessed that as boys in the Hutt Valley (to us almost a foreign country) he and his mates would set the gorse on the eastern hills alight and hide to watch the fire brigade in action.

“Bernie” Paetz, with nicotine-stained fingers and a love of cricket, had developed unvarying but effective classroom routines which allowed him to leave us at work and stand at the top of the forbidden Marble Stairs gazing out at the cricket pitch. Bernie had written ten years previously the questions for researching Roman history topics in Sixth Form Latin, and we took turns to copy his neat longhand from the dog-eared sheets.

Photocopiers were undreamed of.

It is no more appropriate for a boy to have a favourite teacher than vice versa, but I like to think that Bernie and I understood each other.

‘Horse’ Bradley, the terror of those not in his classes but well-liked by those in them, appeared one wet lunchtime at our door with three white balls and a grin, did a brief juggling act and departed. We never saw him juggle again.

‘Q’ Quartermain, veteran of the First War and disciple of all things Antarctic, was form and English master of 4A. It was the tradition that 4A should produce a class magazine, sometimes daringly named. Our predecessors had got away with Q-pid, but the best we could think of for our Gestetnered effort was a lame Foray.

A small incident in Q’s fifth or sixth form English class illustrates the cautious relationship between master and pupil. A new boy, Robin Zachariadis, referred in class to a teacher at his previous school

‘Tim’ Holt, the meekest man you could imagine, kept discipline by the stratagem of teaching not well but brilliantly, so that even my laggard mind saw light in the complexities of fifth and sixth form maths.

‘Foxy’ Sutton taught Latin. He would let us into his room (13) and after giving permission to sit, would take a key from his pocket to unlock his briefcase. From the briefcase would come a second key to unlock the desk drawer, and from the drawer a third key to unlock the cupboard.

Or perhaps there were only two keys; but the ritual never varied. Foxy was nervous, unsure of his discipline and utterly proper. Our fourth form Volume 2 of Latin for Today included a chapter on the Rape of Lucrece. We took turns to translate, but when the story approached its climax Foxy announced, to our disappointment, that we were to skip the crucial sentence. Exactly what rape entailed was obscure, for when we translated for ourselves we learned only that the woman was “taken by force.” We should probably have been content with the notion that her violator carried her off, had Foxy’s strategy not drawn attention to the possibility of more serious plight. Through the fifth form he led us through Caesar’s triumphs in Gaul and Britain, a ripping yarn.

‘Raz’ Wilton, no Latin scholar, crossed Foxy’s path in the down-time at the end of one year when Foxy was supervising us at silent reading.

Knowing Wilton’s reputation for mischief and rightly suspecting that he was concealing a Mad magazine, Foxy said “Wilton, what are you reading?” The straight-faced reply was “Ovid, Sir.” Foxy had a hard job not to crack up.

I look back on my Wellington College years with no regret and much gratitude. There was a certainty about all we did, and we rarely questioned its worth. As a parent and teacher I maintain that what is taught at school - other than literacy, numeracy and crap-detection - is unimportant.

However, it must be taught and learned well, and with enthusiasm.

It was.

John Rhodes (1954-1958) • rhodesja@xtra.co.nz *Wikipedia says (of Harrow) “the names Shell and Remove come from the fact that new boys used to eat under a shell in their first year in the dining hall. In the second year, therefore, they were "removed from the shell" and hence Remove.”

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FREYBERG OF WELLINGTON COLLEGE In 2006, the Wellington College Foundation resolved to inaugurate a Bernard Freyberg memorial lecture, in tribute to its most august Old Boy. The first lecture was given on Founders’ Day, 17 October 2007, by Wyn Beasley, the historian of the College; and at the beginning of the 2008 school year, he gave this abbreviated version to the boys of Years 9-11, to introduce them to an important figure in the school’s heritage.

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became a champion swimmer [Fig.2], and in Barrie’s death in 1937. his final two years [1903-1904] he was the junior and senior swimming champion of this College. He was, you see, no longer tiny by now; but he continued to be called ‘Tiny Freyberg’, all his life. He trained as a dentist; he was the New Zealand swimming champion over 100 yards in 1906 and again in 1910; and in 1914 he took off for England on what would nowadays be called the Big OE. By the time he arrived the world was at war; he had a letter of introduction which he showed to Winston Churchill, who was First Lord of the Admiralty, and Churchill arranged for him to be posted to the Royal Naval Division which was a bit like a Marine The Old East School was depicted by Christopher Aubrey in 1889.

Commando of today. He got of 8 named Bernard Freyberg was enrolled another nickname at this time, Khaki here. He lived in Hawker Street, and came Jack.

Fig. 3. Ambrose McEvoy painted this portrait of Freyberg along Brougham Street to school; he was in 1918. the youngest of five brothers who had come By the end of 1914, Churchill recognised out from England with their parents in 1891 that trench warfare in France could only in a ship called Aorangi; and because three lead to heavy losses and no gains, and He was back in action, and wounded again, of his big brothers were still at school when proposed that an attempt should be made at Passchendaele, and by the end of the war he started, he was named Freyberg iv in the to break through from the Mediterranean in 1918, still under 30 and looking like an school’s records, and called ‘Tiny’ because into the Black Sea, to help Russia which was eager boy [Fig.3], he was a brigadier-general. on our side, and force Turkey [which was on What is more, he was a celebrity in the same he was so young and so small. the other side] out of the war. It was a great way as Willy Apiata became a celebrity But it was not long before Tiny Freyberg idea, but the people in command ‘on the recently when his VC was awarded; and like ground’ made a hash of it; the naval attack Willy, Bernard Freyberg was a modest man. was called off when it was on the verge of He stayed on, in the British army, after the succeeding, and with the Turks well warned end of the First War; he became a majorby now, the Gallipoli landings in April 1915 general and looked as it he would go right to the top when, in 1937, he was discharged were met with stubborn resistance. on medical grounds after they found a heart The night before these landings Bernard murmur at a medical board.

Freyberg had won his first decoration, a DSO, for swimming ashore with a raft full of flares But when the Second War broke out in 1939, which he let off as a diversion on the beach he offered his services to the New Zealand where the landing would NOT take place; government and his offer was accepted. while he was placing these decoy flares he He was given command of the 2nd New was close enough to the Turkish sentries Zealand Expeditionary Force which went to hear them talking. He was wounded to the Middle East [except for one brigade twice during the Gallipoli campaign, and which was diverted to England, when that the experience helped him understand the country was threatened with invasion after importance of good medical facilities. At the Germans defeated France]. It was not Gallipoli the original ANZACs: Australian and until late in 1940 that Freyberg had all his NZ troops [the New Zealanders including troops in one place. many Old Boys of this school] performed with great courage and took heavy losses; Early in 1941 he took the Division into and after the campaign ended in December, Greece, on a futile campaign that had to the survivors [including Freyberg] were be attempted – the dividend came later, in the enduring friendships between Greece transferred to serve in France. and this country. He then commanded the Here in June 1916 Freyberg led his battalion defence of Crete, which was equally futile in an attack at Beaucourt with such courage because he had no air cover, a handful of that he was awarded a Victoria Cross – he tanks, limited supplies and a number of was also wounded four more times. While senior officers who were past their usehe was convalescing after Beaucourt he was by date. But in the Desert campaigns of introduced to J M Barrie, the author who North Africa Freyberg’s division came into gave us Peter Pan; now Barrie was 30 years its own and the men who served under older than Freyberg, but the two of them him developed an enormous regard for ‘the Fig. 2. As a schoolboy Bernard Freyberg became a formed a firm friendship that lasted until General’ [Fig. 4]. After Alamein he took t is 134 years since this school opened on this site: that is ten times as long as any of the Y9s have lived [and even longer than I have!] – None of the buildings from those days remain, but the school looked like this in 1897 [Fig. 1], when a small boy

champion swimmer.

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FREYBERG OF WELLINGTON COLLEGE flourished in the fire. And so, when Freyberg was awarded a grant of arms, the supporters of these arms were made salamanders [Fig. 6]; and when your school was granted arms, these were based on the shield portion of the arms of its most illustrious Old Boy.

Fig. 4. Peter McIntyre sketched his General studying the Desert situation.

the Division all the way to Tripoli, where in February 1943 they paraded before his old friend Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister who by his words and his example had kept Britain from defeat in 1940 and was now starting to see results.

Fig. 5. Churchill and Freyberg walk together, deep in discussion.

I am convinced that Churchill heroworshipped Freyberg for his courage [Fig. 5]; and he once described Freyberg as ‘the salamander of the British Empire’. One of the Intelligence Officers from Div HQ was hurried off to find out what a salamander was: he came back in time for his stage whisper to be heard clearly in a gathering of senior officers: ‘It’s all right, it’s only a bloody lizard’. Well, a salamander is a type of lizard, but it was also the mythical beast that

Fig. 6. Peter McIntyre’s formal portrait hangs in the Headmaster’s office.

At the end of the War in 1945, the General gained his 4th DSO – and he got this because as the Division approached Trieste [right up at the top of the Adriatic] the Yugoslav partisans tried to hijack the city [which had been Italian for ages]. Freyberg said ‘No way’ and there was a pretty tense standoff for a while; but the Yugoslavs blinked first and the NZers occupied Trieste. At about this time Freyberg was offered the post of governor-general of New Zealand; he and Lady Freyberg arrived out in August 1946, to become the vice-regal neighbours of his old school.

Naturally enough boys of the school lined the Government House drive for their arrival [Fig. 7]; and the General saw a lot of the school during his term here – at the 1946 prizegiving he renewed acquaintance with ‘Uncle Charlie’ Gifford [after whom the school’s observatory is named] who had taught both him and the then Headmaster, E N Hogben. So successful was Bernard Freyberg in the post that his term was extended by a year, and during that year he was given a peerage. He took the title of Baron Freyberg of Wellington NZ and Munstead in Surrey [note the priority he gave to Wellington over Munstead where he had lived between the wars and to which he

Fig. 7. The Freybergs’ arrival at Government House

returned in 1952]. He was seen off by the school which formed a guard of honour at the wharf, and the last thing he heard from New Zealand was the haka that the boys of the school performed as the ship pulled out.

But he was not allowed to settle down too much: he was made Deputy Constable and Lieutenant-Governor of Windsor Castle in Coronation Year 1953; and the following year the annual Garter procession, which it was his duty to lead, included his old friend Winston Churchill, now Sir Winston and a knight of the Garter. And then, in 1963, his adventurous past caught up with him; one of his war wounds split open and he died, quite gently and without prolonged suffering, at the age of 74.

After a service in St George’s chapel Windsor he was buried in the churchyard of St Martha’s chapel, where he and his Barbara had been married in 1922; high on a hill outside Guildford and overlooking the Surrey countryside where he had enjoyed those years of peace [Fig. 8]. St Martha’s is on the Pilgrims’ Way, the road that led pilgrims to the shrine of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury. When you read your Canterbury Tales, you will find that Chaucer’s fellowpilgrim was described as a ‘very perfect gentle knight’ – but that same description would do for Bernard Cyril Freyberg, who is arguably this College’s most illustrious Old Boy, and a part of your inheritance as members of the school.

Fig. 8. Lord Freyberg’s grave in St Martha’s Churchyard.

IMAGES OF FREYBERG

by Wyn Beasley

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n Founder’s Day, 17 October 2007, in the College’s Assembly Hall, Wyn Beasley delivered a wonderful address which he had prepared in honour of General Sir Bernard Freyberg entitled Images of Freyberg. Wyn, an eminent surgeon, historian and author of The Light Accepted – The History of Wellington College, was also Chairman of the Wellington College Board of Governors for eight years, prior to it becoming the Board of Trustees.

Copies of Wyn’s address are available from the WCOBA Office.

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WELLINGTON COLLEGE NEWS

From Student to Master

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ince the establishment of Wellington College, 141 years ago, there have been a great number of Old Boys who have returned to their alma mata in order to teach. In 2008, there are ten Old Boys currently on the staff and they have been asked to answer questions on their time at the College as a student, and what it is like now to be on the other side of the fence.

Robert Anderson (1969-1973)

the introduction of College slippers, boxer shorts and boot bags to name a few.

A good memory as a student.

Watching 1st XV matches against traditional rivals St Patrick’s (Town). These were sometimes held at Athletic Park and as well as both schools attending so did a large crowd. The school spirit, always led by the Firth House boys was whipped up into a furore.

A not so good memory as a student.

There was no Assembly Hall. The Memorial Hall had been pulled down prior to our arrival. Year group assemblies were held in the Social Hall. The new hall was opened in my last months of school. A school loses something when they can’t meet regularly as a ’corporate body’.

What are the biggest changes you have noticed since returning to the College?

More positive relations between students and staff. When I was at College, there were no year-group Deans. Students were addressed by their surnames. Corporal punishment was still in vogue. In the early 70s, the school was a building site. When I returned to teach, the new buildings were open and buildings and resources continue to improve.

What is it like to return to the College as an ‘adult’?

School is certainly a different place now to the 1970s. There is so much more available for the students both academically and in the extracurricular fields. It was initially odd to be on the staff with those who taught had taught me, but it was a wonderful experience to get to know those men as colleagues and to appreciate the huge commitment that they had made to the College. I refer in particular to Lawrie Gardiner, Ray Michael and Robert Bradley.

Started at Wellington College in 2006 as a Music Teacher

Started at Wellington College as a Geography Teacher in 1979 Now Deputy Principal.

Grant Bundle (1999-2003) Started at Wellington College in 2008 as an English Teacher

A good memory as a student.

Performing in the infamous Senior Drama of 2003. Something a little bit different.

A not so good memory as a student.

School detentions for gambling during school time.

What are the biggest changes you have noticed since returning to the College?

Better resources for the teacher; projectors, literacy support, uniform standards some students wearing hoodies with their uniform.

What is it like to return to the College as an ‘adult’?

I hope that being an Old Boy gives me an advantage when it comes to spotting the regular hijinks that boys get up to. The boys are always interested in how the school was ‘then’ and how it has changed.

The students are always inventing new ways to wear the uniform - I was amazed to see 78

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Ben Lau (1994-1998)

A good memory as a student.

My whole 7th form year. I thoroughly enjoyed it, got a lot out of it, learnt a lot about myself, forming friendships, participating in numerous extracurricular activities. I did take every opportunity that was given to me.

A not so good memory as a student.

Losing McEvedy Shield in my 7th form year.

Farewelling Harvey Rees-Thomas who left in my 4th form year.

What are the biggest changes you have noticed since returning to the College?

I have noticed that cultural activities have grown and are now accepted by the whole school. Large numbers are participating in the Drama productions, Stage Challenge, Music groups, Debating. It is fantastic now seeing a more well rounded student participating now in culture and sport activities and not just sport.

I have also noticed that there a lot more younger teachers and a lot more female staff.

It certainly brings a different environment to what I had when I was a student, and their thinking towards the world does really effect the younger generation.

What is it like to return to the College as an ‘adult’?

To this day, I find it very weird being back here. Every day I get reminded that I was an Old Boy. Students would do funny and stupid things and I would think been there, seen it, done it or why didn’t I do that or think about that when I was a student. I also find it weird walking through the staffroom door and the first person you see in there, is one of the teachers that used to teach you. It really does take you back. Although it is weird that some of the teachers that taught me are still here, you really start to realise that they are actually people and I have formed some fantastic friendships with them, which you would have never done when you were a student.

I am thoroughly enjoying my time at Wellington College (although it is weird being back). I would never regret my time as a student and as a teacher. Personally, I came into teaching to make a change and positively affect teenagers minds. I suppose I am doing so as the famous and fantastic colleague Gillian Thomas said to me the other day So, when are you leaving Wellington College before you become an institution of the school?

Gil Roper (1959-1961)

Started at Wellington College in 2007 as a Systems Adviser. Head Prefect, 1961

A good memory as a student.

When I was RSM of the College Cadets and

in command of the School Battalion on our Number 3 ground, being told my commands to the troops, could be easily heard in the Basin Reserve. Being a member of the 1st XV for three years and playing in three Quads.

Singing a solo in the final school prize-giving in Year 13.

A not so good memory as a student.

As Head Prefect, being requested by the Headmaster to reprimand certain Prefects who had erred. However they took it well and didn’t err again!

What are the biggest changes you have noticed since returning to the College?

The buildings. Those remaining today are only the Pavilion and part of Firth House with the clock. Also having a football field on the main ground. In my day, Football was only played on the top field with two rugby grounds on the main field.

What is it like to return to the College as an ‘adult’?

Wellington College is a superb place to work very pleasant, committed and supportive staff and excellent senior management. There is a closer working relationship between staff and students today. It was more distant and aloof when I was a student.

Sporting codes and extracurricular activities available to students today are vast. In my day, as a student, it was basically rugby and cricket with the Chess Club, Astronomy Club - activities for the academics.

A major feature of note is the traditional role of Old Boys associated with the College - the visitors, the reunions and using eminent Old Boys as speakers and presentations at Assembly. This was not so evident as a student at the school.

Wellington College is very effective in its smooth running celebrations of memorable events in the life of the College or its past students.

Ernie Rosenthal (1957-1960)

Started at Wellington College in 1998 as Careers Adviser, HOD Transition and Tourism. Teacher of German, Social Studies, Geography and HRD

A good memory as a student.

Acting as MacBeth (as a 5ft 4in 6th former) with my wife Lady MacBeth (6ft 2in) in a class production. They gave me a stool so I could look her in the eye.

A not so good memory as a student.

Not having my poem about Headmaster Mr Heron accepted for the school magazine. He censored it saying it was ‘lamentable verse’.

What are the biggest changes you have noticed since returning to the College?

The lack of buildings with a sense of history.

What is it like to return to the College as an ‘adult’?

It was very nostalgic and emotional to sing ‘40 Years on’ with ‘arthritis wills set in’. It is interesting teaching the sons of former students. The huge extracurricular choices and wider subject choices are very noticeable.

WELLINGTON COLLEGE NEWS

Started at Wellington College in 1991 as the Guidance Counsellor.

A good memory as a student.

School cadets, the swimming pool, teachers with character, singing, great mates - some for life.

A not so good memory as a student.

Getting scragged by the older boys on the bus, getting thrown out of your seat and caps thrown out the window. As a third former - hard to do much about it. I got the cane for punching someone once. It seemed very unfair at the time as all I was doing was punching him back but the teacher (Rhubarb) didn’t investigate it further.

What are the biggest changes you have noticed since returning to the College?

The old buildings have gone - a big disappointment. A totally male staff. Now the ratio is about 50/50. The huge number of extracurricular activities available now.

The old tuck shop was bigger and better.

Times were a lot more spartan in the 60s, but I also think we were more self-reliant, independent and adventurous than modern youth. There was no such problem with drugs in the 50s and 60s as there is now.

There was much more community involvement outside school and lots of adult involvement. The old metalwork and woodwork rooms have gone where we simply made things. I still use many of the skills I learnt in our weekly double period.

Privileges for third formers are still not apparent but at least they don’t have to carry senior Firth House boarders books to class.

Prefects got huge respect because there was just 12 of them and they got all the privileges.

Mr King got me interested in English and Social Studies, making the subjects very appealing. I was in the bottom stream and Mr King giving me much encouragement, when I moved to Auckland I was placed in a higher class.

A good memory as a student.

My time as a Prefect and member of the 1st XV. The opportunities these roles gave me to develop as a person and player. The friendships made then which endure today.

A not so good memory as a student.

Bullied by Roland (4CP) What are the biggest changes you have noticed since returning to the College?

Much of the schools day-to-day routines have remained - Assemblies, rituals, hymns, prayers etc - thank goodness. The loss of the Hall and Firth House have the biggest sadness.

What is it like to return to the College as an ‘adult’?

I am proud and privileged to be on the staff at the College. My greatest excitement was to coach the 1st XV - a team of people who have me great meaning to my life. In many ways I felt distinguished to return to the College. It’s a pleasure to work alongside some of my old teachers. Some of my own students are now working at the College.

Hijinks don’t change - catching them out with a smile on my face - priceless.

We used to confuse Mickey Michael by changing names during roll call. Mr Clayton could easily be relied upon to spend time reminiscing about Paris and use up much of our double French period on a Friday afternoon provided someone asked a question that got him going. eg Is it true that French people eat frogs and snails?

In PE, we would get sent to run up the gutbuster so as a class we would stop at the top and have a rest.

What is it like to return to the College as an ‘adult’?

Coming back to Wellington College was a great pleasure to me. I hadn’t want to leave at the end of the third form but my family was transferred to Auckland. I was proud to go to Wellington College in 1960 and it was great to feel that pride still in 1991 as it is today.

Bruce Tie (1967-1970)

Started at Wellington College in 2008 as Head Groundsman.

A good memory as a student.

Sunday night Church for Boarders. We always used to sneak off to Chez Paris Cafe in Majoribanks Street.

A not so good memory as a student.

Getting a nuggeting on the Number 3 field just before finishing College.

What are the biggest changes you have noticed since returning to the College?

Different buildings, longer hair, no caps, student vehicles. There is a huge number of extracurricular activities and lots of lateness.

What is it like to return to the College as an ‘adult’?

It’s interesting observing the current generation - ipods, phones, cars, overseas trips - spoilt little darlings - but generally the students at Wellington College are nice young men full of potential.

Started at Wellington College Head of Physical Education in 2000.

At the time of going to print, we had not received comments back from Gregor Fountain (1986-1990) and now Head of History and Matt Sutherland (1996-2000), now the IT Manager.

We should also acknowledge the following four recent Old Boys (and sons of current staff), who work for the Property and Maintenance Manager in each holiday break when they are home from university studies.

Robert Anderson

Grant Bundle

Gregor Fountain

Ben Lau

Stuart Slater

Matt Sutherland

Bruce Tie

(L-R): Tom Kane, Jono Anderson, Patrick Durant, Ben Tattersall

Ernie Rosenthal

The Head Prefect got his own office and the others had a prefect’s room. They were like staff, much admired and did duties like overseeing the tuck shop and drive very

Chris Wells (1971-1975)

Gil Roper

Stuart Slater (1960-1960)

well. We also got to know our Cadet NCO’s as well.

Chris Wells

Have been a teacher for over 42 years, I can honestly say that I am enjoying my current role and position at this fine school more than at any time previously in my career. The young men really appreciate what I do for them. The school has given me so much and I love being able to give something back.

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WELLINGTON COLLEGE NEWS

Wellington College 2007-2008 Overview The young men mentioned below are only a few of many, many students of Wellington College who have represented their school, their province and their country in variety of extracurricular activities over the past twelve months. They and fellowsportsmen and performers of Wellington College will no doubt feature in future Lampstands as they make their way into the world after leaving the College. As they say... ‘Watch this space’!

EXCERPTS FROM THE HEADMASTER’S 2007 ANNUAL PRIZE-GIVING REPORT

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cademic success in 2007 saw the College gain 84 Scholarships - just below the 92 - gained in 2006. It is worthy of note that of the five top performing schools in Scholarship, Auckland Grammar, Wellington College and Palmerston North Boys’ High School are all traditional boys schools with an unequivocal academic emphasis. Scholarships are not the ‘be all and end all’ of educational achievement, but they do symbolise the pinnacle of academic success in the secondary school system. In a world where mediocrity is often accepted, we unashamedly encourage our students to strive to the very best of their ability. These stellar achievements bear testimony, not only to the students themselves, but also to their teachers who have given of their time sacrificially before school, during lunchtimes, after school and in the weekends.

Statistics can be very misleading, especially in the ‘Brave New World’ of NCEA. It is relatively easy for schools to manipulate pass-rates by opting for a heavy dosage of internally-assessed standards and retesting these standards on multiple occasions until the students have ‘achieved’. Wellington College does not deny the validity of internal assessment per se, but steers away from an approach that retests ad infinitum. Nevertheless, our results are excellent in NCEA and superb in Scholarship, the only truly competitive examination where students are compared not only to a ‘standard’ but also to each other. In the three years since its inception, Wellington College has gained more scholarships than any other school in the country. That is a record of which we are proud and will strive hard to maintain.

The first World Vision Runathon was held in 1998 and, ten years later, it has become firmly established as a pivotal event in the school calendar. While academic success is central to our ethos, so too is service to our community both at home and abroad.

The Runathon is a special event, bringing together seniors and juniors in a competitive but celebratory fashion. How important it is that our young men should focus not only on their own well-being, but also on the plight of millions elsewhere, who are born into grinding poverty and despair. It is imperative that our educational system advocates not only individual success and personal excellence, but also a belief in service and philanthropy. The World Vision Runathon continues to be a great vehicle for this endeavour.

It has been another great year for Wellington College sport, with many individuals gaining national representation, and many teams 80

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winning local competitions and performing with distinction on the national stage. With over thirty sports offered within the College, it is unrealistic to expect staff to cover all activities. Therefore, we are particularly grateful to the many Old Boys, parents and supporters who help with the coaching and administration of teams. A number of the larger sports – including Rugby, Cricket, Soccer, Hockey, Rowing and Basketball – all function as clubs within the College and are highly successful entities.

The Arts continue to flourish at Wellington College, and it is appropriate to mention the ongoing success of the Wellington College Chorale. It is a great achievement to make the finals of what is known as ‘The Big Sing’, the National Secondary Schools’ Choral Competition. There are now over thirty members in our chorale, and adjudged to be one of the best boys’ choirs in the country.

How important it is that music continues to have a high profile in a school such as ours.

While academic endeavour must remain the core business of any school, the extracurricular dimension provides the ‘heart and soul’ of life at Wellington College. The level of participation by staff and students, both in sporting and cultural activities, is pivotal in creating the dynamic sense of school spirit which is so distinctive at events involving our College. The chanting at the McEvedy Shield, the haka after Stage Challenge at the Events Centre, the massive turnout at Porirua Park for the 1st XV final, and the brilliant humour evident in the film produced for the Sport and Cultural Awards Dinner are all indicative of an extracurricular programme that links so many to the life of the school. Whether it be the 1st XV at the Quadrangular Final or a junior hockey team playing on a Wednesday night, the boys all wear the black jersey with pride. Rowers and Cross-Country runners are often practising before 7.00am.

Debating teams and those involved in Drama are often here late at night. Drama productions and the Polynesian and Kapa Haka Clubs seem to rehearse right through the weekend!

Suffice to say, our students have once again enjoyed spectacular success on the local, regional, national and international stage. At the Foundation Sport and Cultural Awards, there is a glittering array of talent on display. While we celebrate our stars, however, it is important to recognise and remember that sporting and cultural glory

at school passes quickly. What does remain, are the friendships and memories linked inextricably to shared experiences. Extracurricular activities provide opportunities for interaction between students and teachers beyond the classroom. It is imperative that such an emphasis remains in our secondary schools if an holistic education is to be maintained. In many schools overseas and, increasingly, within New Zealand, such an emphasis is dying. Should this trend continue, then our schools will be much the poorer. It is heartening to see both sport and the arts thriving at Wellington College.

The Wellington College Foundation and Wellington College Old Boys have both provided wonderful support for the College in the year when our Development Office has been established. Malcolm Johnson, Chair of the Foundation, and Bob Slade, National President of the Old Boys’ Association, have both exhibited highly dedicated and professional leadership for which the College can be truly grateful.

Stephanie Kane, Events and Communications Manager as well as Executive Officer of the Old Boys’ Association, has been primarily responsible for organising a significant number of reunions throughout the year, including another spectacularly successful ’40 Years On’ reunion. Her production of The Wellingtonian, The Collegian and The Lampstand attracts plaudits from all over the world. Graham Steven, our Development Director, has worked in close association with Stephanie, and has also done a superlative job in launching our campaign to rebuild the Assembly Hall. Both the Foundation and the Old Boys’ Association have a pivotal role in this exciting new development, and their ongoing commitment and support is absolutely vital if our dreams are to be realised.

The BOT have approved the construction of a new eight-classroom block which is now being constructed at the top of the main driveway beyond the Headmaster’s house and expected to be completed by Term Four. The three prefab buildings on this site were moved to new locations within the College to accommodate classes until the new construction is finished.

The new classroom block is for the teaching of international languages; French, German, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. The ecofriendly building has two storeys and a linking bridge to the neighbouring Science Block.

WELLINGTON COLLEGE NEWS The Ministry of Education has agreed to fund approximately 80% of the cost of the project.

College Mothers, Parents and Old Boys are assisting the Board in making a significant contribution to meet the balance.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2007-2008 • Athletics The 2007 National Athletics Championships were held at the famous Cooks’ Gardens track in Wanganui. A team of 27 athletes took part in two full days of athletic competition.

It was a very successful meeting for the College as we gained a total of six medals and numerous fourth and fifth placings across a range of different events. Ryan Tinkle was the star of the team with two gold medals, in the hammer and discus (including breaking the old hammer record by 7 metres), and a bronze in the shot put.

Brendon Blacklaws won silver in the Senior 3000m. Ilya Demeshev won silver in the Senior 400m, and the Senior Boys’ Road Race team won silver in the six-man event.

This was a very accomplished team and all were excellent ambassadors for the College.

St Patrick’s (Town) took out the 2008 86th McEvedy Shield breaking our four subsequent win streak. Wellington College took second place. A focussed Town team dominated the sprints and relays giving them a deserved edge at the end of the day. Although it is disappointing to lose, the McEvedy Shield is a very worthwhile competition that requires total commitment in order to win and that all the schools involved have the potential to take out the title if things go their way.

McEvedy all-rounder Ryan Tinkle was one of seven athletes to break a record at the National Athletics Championships in Auckland. Ryan hurled the hammer 60.80m in the U16 boys event. He also won silver in the U16 boys shot put with a throw of 15.07m.

• Cricket Michael Pollard had a stellar 2007 with the bat, scoring five centuries for the 1st XI. Unfortunately none of these were against traditional opponents which would have ensured that his name would be placed on the Honours Board in the Pavilion. One incredible innings against Karori in November involved Michael scoring 169 not out off 67 balls.

In his fourth year with the 1st XI, Captain, Harry Boam had a superb National U19 tournament and was selected for the NZ U19 team that played in the World Cup in Malaysia, followed by a tour to England in August.

The 1st XI made the top four in the 2007 Gillette Cup final, beating the eventual winners Christchurch Boys’ High School who won the final in a run count-back. Six boys

have gained selection for the Wellington Under 19 team: Harry Boam, Tom Blundell, Vinnie Ward, Ili Tugaga, Michael Pollard and Pat Whelan.

The 1st XI beat HIBS convincingly in the Wellington final of the Gillette Cup, bowling them out for 50, with Patrick Whelan taking 7/9. They have now qualified for the 2008 National finals in Palmerston North in November.

Chamika Gajayanaka (Y12) and Thomas Pere (Y13) were both selected in the NZ U17 team after the National U17 Tournament.

Harry Wright (Y12) and Chamika Gajayanaka (Y12) have been selected for the Willows Youth Team to play in the inaugural “Spirit of Cricket Development Tournament” in Chandrigargh, India and in subsequent games in Oman and Sharjah.

The outstanding individual performance with the bat so far this year has come from Henry Hocking, playing for the 5th XI versus the 6th XI in Senior 1. Henry scored 144 off 64 balls with nine sixes and 18 fours.

The 2007 8th XI, playing the College’s 7th XI had a historic match with Jason Redmond scoring a hat-trick in his third over from the first three balls, followed by three dot balls.

Scenes of great excitement followed and Jason was carried on the shoulders of his team mates for a lap of honour before play eventually resumed.

The team also recorded what must have been the shortest game ever. Playing Onslow College, they dismissed their opponents for 19 runs after 9 overs. The first wicket fell at 14 runs, as did all the others except the last, which fell at 19.

• Football The 1st XI have started well in 2008 under coaches Mr Charlie Howe and Mr Bevan Jones with good wins over St Patrick’s (Town), (Silverstream) and Christchurch Boys’ High School in the Traditionals, and have had great success in the local competition.

Lewis Williams-Gray (Y13) was selected for the NZSS U17 Football team which played in an international tournament in Austria, finishing a very creditable fourth.

Sam Peters was selected for the NZ U20 team that played in the FIFA U20 World Cup. • Golf In the Wellington College Championships, 20 players vied for the title of College Champion. Played over nine holes at Miramar Golf Club Chan Young Chung (Y11) took out the Gross Competition with a level par 36. Ed Foley (Y9) won the handicap title with a nett 32. The College’s number one, Chan Young Chung won the South Island

Under 19 Strokeplay Championships held at Timaru in May. He recorded rounds of 74, 71 and 69 to win by two shots.

• Kayaking Wil McDowell (Y13) paddled at that CRNZ National Kayak Sprint Champs at Lake Pupuke in Auckland representing the Mana Kayak Racing club. Wil won three golds in the U19 K4 1000m race, U19 K2 1000m race and U19 K2 500m race.

• Multi Sport Taking place in February, two students competed in the 242km race from Kumara Beach to Christchurch across the Southern Alps. Hector Sharp and Paul Campbell as the youngest competitors competing in the twoday race finished 25th overall out of 150 teams – sixth school team.

It involved a 3km run, 55km cycle, and 33km run on the first day. Then a 15km cycle, 67km paddle and 70km cycle on the second day.

The boys finished in 13 hours 50 minutes.

• Rowing Wellington College performed strongly at the Maadi Cup National Secondary Schools’ rowing championships at Twizel. Sam Wells (left) and rowing captain Joe Trappitt (right), came second in the U18 double sculls. Sam also won gold in the U17 single sculls and came fourth in the U19 single sculls, all in the exhausting space of two hours.

Rowing Convenor, Hamish Bell said both Sam and Joe were now hopeful of being named in the New Zealand squads. Wellington College crews qualified for seven Maadi Cup ‘A’ finals and six ‘B’ finals and were ranked 14th best overall out of 105 schools and the third best boys’ school. Hamilton Boys’ High School won the prized Maadi Cup.

• Rugby The 1st XV began their 2008 season on a positive note, beating Hastings, Napier Palmerston North and Christchurch Boys’ High Schools in the annual fixtures. With 28 consecutive wins under their belt, the winning steak unfortunately came to an end against St Patrick’s (Silverstream) in the Traditional at Silverstream with a 3-10 loss.

The team however won the Traditionals against St Patrick’s (Town) and Rongotai and are back on a winning streak.

• Softball Joel Evans has for the third year, been selected as a member of the Junior Black Sox Softball Team.

The Wellington College squad went through to the NZSS Softball Nationals by winning THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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WELLINGTON COLLEGE NEWS the local Wellington competition. The team had three wins from four games to qualify for the NZ champs in Christchurch.

A competitive team were placed third at the NZSS Championships for the second year in a row, winning seven and losing three games, with 77 runs and 37 against in total.

• Tennis The College Number One Finn Tearney (Y13) qualified and played in the Australian Junior Open. He lost a close match in the first round of the singles and reached the second round of the doubles. With a career high of 61 in the ITF U18 rankings, Finn is continuing go from strength to strength including his qualification for the Asian Grade 1 Tour which will take place in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Good results in these should see his rankings climb even further.

At the 31st Annual Quadrangular Tennis Tournament Wellington College totally dominated the competition.

Played between Wellington College, Auckland Grammar School, Hamilton Boys’ High School and Palmerston North Boys’ High School, it was played in Wellington. A team of six played both doubles and singles with Wellington College finishing with 26 wins out of a possible 27.

The Senior team competed in Blenheim in the NZSS Championships. In the first round of Section 1, we played St Bedes, the top seeded South Island school and took a comfortable 5 – 1 win. The last doubles set was played under lights in about 4 degrees.

We went on to beat Wanganui Collegiate School 6 – 0 and Mt Albert Grammar, who later reached the semi-finals, 4 – 2. These three wins put us in a strong position in the semi-finals playing Westlake Boys’ High School, the runner-up of Section 2. Westlake BHS took a 3 – 1 lead in the singles matches.

Wellington College showed their depth by winning both the doubles: In the Finals, they met St Peter’s College (Cambridge). Finn won his singles 6 – 1, 6 – 1 but the others were not successful and we went into the doubles finals 3-1 down. We finished with a richly deserved silver medal.

• Yachting Jackson MacFarlane (Y11) and Josh Porebski (Y10) have been selected to represent New Zealand in the World Laser Championships to be held in Auckland later in the year.

• Dominion Post College Sport Awards As usual, Wellington College had a large 82

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presence at these prestigious Awards with 15 of our students being finalists in their chosen sport. The College came away with eight awards on the night with the following winning awards: Brendon Blacklaws - Cross-Country, RoadRacing and Multi Sports Chan Young Chung - Golf Joel Evans - Softball Buxton Popoali’i - Rugby Finn Tearney - Tennis Andrew Underwood - Athletics Michael Va’a - Volleyball • SPARC Future Champions Awards The names of all regional winners from around the country were forwarded to SPARC who, in consultation with the National Sports Associations, selected one athlete to be named ‘SPARC Future Champion’ of their respective sport.

Essentially, this award recognises the best players in New Zealand secondary schools.

In 2007, three Wellington College students received this top accolade. They were our joint Senior Sportsmen of the Year, Andrew Underwood [top], (Athletics) and Buxton Popoali’i [centre], (Rugby) along with Finn Tearney [below], (Tennis). These young men have shown that they have the potential to make it all the way to the top in the Senior ranks, and we will watch their progress in the future with anticipation and pride. Andrew is the grandson of Old Boy and benefactor Sir Frank Renouf.

• Debating Jaz Morris (Y13, 2007) was a member of the Regional Debating Team that won the National Secondary School’s Debating Competition.

As a result of Jaz’s outstanding performance, he was selected for the NZ Secondary Schools Team.

• Music Louis Baker (Y13, 2007) was one of five national finalists from 400 entries in the Play it Strange NZSS Songwriting Competition.

Both the allcomers Choir and the Chorale performed with distinction in the recent choral festival, the regional Big Sing. As a first time entry the Choir did very well to be awarded the prize for the Best Performance of a Folk Song. The Chorale performed brilliantly. They impressed with their very challenging choice of music and with the vibrancy of their performance with actions, of the Pasifika song Eleni. They received the award for the Best Performance of a New Zealand Work for this. The Chorale has been selected as one of only three Wellington groups, to compete at nationals in Wellington during Term Three.

Tim Myhill has been accepted into the National Youth Orchestra on Percussion. This is a great accomplishment as the majority of the orchestra members are university

students studying Performance Music at second – fourth Year level.

Jimmy Garden has been accepted into the RNZAF Central Band. This is also very significant as there are no secondary students in the band and none have even been considered for many years.

Emil Schroder (viola) has been selected for the 2008 NZ Secondary Students’ Orchestra in Christchurch.

Ben Allnatt travelled to South America with the NZSSC representing NZ in the Melodia South American Music Festival along with HOD of Music, Katie Macfarlane, who is one of the musical directors.

• Drama Niu Sila At the end of Term One, a large group of Palagi and Pasifika students were organised into something special. After the usual trials and tribulations that come with trying to put on a play in such a short time with an infinitesimal budget, conflicting volleyball practices and various other complications, what emerged was an amazing three-night season of the Dave Armstrong and Oscar Kightley play Niu Sila. The play traced the friendship of Palagi Peter Burton (Eddie Bowie) and fresh-offthe-boat Samoan Ioane Tafioka (Isaac Isaako), from their first meeting as young, energetic, carefree five-yearolds, through their experiences with cricket, college, constables and girls, and up to their parting and then reunion over 30 years later. The play was thoroughly entertaining and constant laughter was to be heard reverberating around the Brierley Theatre throughout the performance; but the play also went deeper than that and, as our Director said, was able to “build a bridge between two communities”.

BLOOD BROTHERS In Term Two, Wellington College’s first musical in over a decade took to the stage.

Blood Brothers tells the story of twin brothers, raised in different families, and of their intertwining fates across the class divide. For four nights, audiences were wowed by the talents of the student cast in a show that emotionally combined singing, dancing and acting. The hugely positive feedback that we received was extremely satisfying, and was testament to the months of work that were put into the show. Better than Cats was how a staff member’s child described it, and indeed there were several audience members who returned for a second (or third) showing.

FOUNDATION SPORT AND CULTURAL AWARDS DINNER The event, held annually since 1994, has become a highlight of the College calendar.

Buxton Popoali’i and Andrew Underwood took the stage together to accept their

WELLINGTON COLLEGE NEWS joint share of the Senior Sportsman Award.

Both were also recognised as SPARC Future Champions, along with tennis ace Finn Tearney.

The Right Reverend and Old Boy, the Honourable Sir Paul and Lady Reeves were the guests of honour. Sir Paul’s speech touched on his own personal experience

of Wellington College in the 1940s. At the time, he lived in Mansfield Street, within view of that site of innumerable black and yellow days – the plot of land we know as Newtown Park. His contribution to the night was complemented by the College Poly Club, which began proceedings, and also the chorale and jazz band.

Michael Trigg, who was named winner of the Senior Culture Award for his individual drama exploits was also part of the cast of Once on Chunuk Bair who won the Cultural Group of the Year. The 1st XV wrapped up the evening taking out the Sports Team of the Year award.

Rugby and Football go head-to-head uthor, Joseph Romanos, writing in his weekly column in The Wellingtonian, wrote of thoughts about the decline in rugby throughout secondary schools in New Zealand following the publicity released by the NZRFU on their grappling problem of why interest in our national game appears to be declining.

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656, the College fielded 16 rugby teams. To maintain the ratio now, the College would need to have about 38 teams.

In the summer, schools offered cricket and tennis, plus annual swimming and athletic days.

At the same time, Football at Wellington College is flourishing. The number has risen from no teams in 1940 , to 19 teams in 2000 and 26 in 2007.

Joseph believes college rugby is struggling and mentions a conversation he had with Headmaster Roger Moses. Joseph was surprised to learn that the College now only fields 12 teams this season from a roll of 1550. In 2000, when the roll was nearly 400 students fewer, the College fielded 16 teams. In 1940, when the roll was a mere

After checking with other big schools around the country, Joseph found that Auckland Grammar, Christchurch Boys’ and Otago Boys, he found the situation at Wellington College being mirrored.

The sports scene has now changed radically with Football for one proving ever more popular. Golf, dragon boating, squash, volleyball, rowing, softball are just some of the other sports that make up the 33 codes on offer at Wellington College - let alone those boys who participate in outside sport not offered at the College.

A few decades ago, rugby was pretty much the only winter sport on offer at college.

Everyone will have their own thoughts, but it is interesting to see how things are changing - even at Wellington College.

Seeking Help from Old Boys

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speeches given by the Headmaster Roger Moses and the Gateway Manager and Careers Adviser, Ernie Rosenthal (19571960).

Tributes were paid to the employers who so readily and willingly provided training and guidance for our students, as well as to the industry training organisations.

The Gateway programme has been a great success, and the positive outcomes were mentioned in glowing terms during the

The students spoke of how Gateway helped them gain and develop real industry skills and qualifications, employment, a positive attitude, confidence and self awareness.

Graduating students have gained employment in 2008 in areas such as building, real estate, IT and banking.

he first ever Gateway class at Wellington College celebrated their achievements at a graduation dinner with employers, parents, staff and other guests in Firth Hall in November 2007.

WANTED - Urgently

The Transition Department is keen to be in contact with Old Boys of Wellington College who might be willing to provide any of the following: Work Experience for Y12 students on 1 and 2 September, 2008.

Part-Time Jobs for Senior Students

• Creative Writing, Journalism, Television, Radio and other Media • Using computers (using and maintaining/developing software) • Trades: Building, Electrical, Plumbing, Joinery, Auto Engineering etc

Give a lunchtime presentation to interested students (12.30pm – 1.20pm)

• Health Professionals: Doctors, Specialists, Dentists, Vets, Physiotherapists, Laboratory scientists, Opticians, Forensics

Come and speak to interested classes on your career or business

• Chefs, Bakers, Butchers

Have a Senior Gateway Student for one day a week (Wednesdays)

• Accountants, Lawyers

• Small Business Owners, Financial Planners, Bankers and Share Brokers

• Scientists, Researchers, Biologists

• Advertising and Marketing

• Police, Fire and Rescue Services

• Retailers

• Agriculture

• Designers

• Engineering

• Hotel and Event Management

• Foreign Affairs/Political

• Architects and Designers • Property Developers and Entrepreneurs • Foreign Exchange Dealers or Exporting • Successful Sports People • State Service Employees • Business in NZ who employ French, German or Spanish speakers

Any further suggestions or inquiries, please contact Mr Ernie Rosenthal , Careers’ Adviser HOD Transition, Careers & Tourism; STAR Coordinator; Gateway Manager Wellington College Tel: 04 802 2536 • Cell: 021 1249 439 • Fax: 04 802 2542 PO Box 16-073, Wellington e.rosenthal@wellington-college.school.nz

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2008 QUADRANGULAR TOURNAMENT

Sixth Successive Win for Wellington College

Support from our younger Old Boys at Quadrangular [some travelled up from Otago and joined those studying in Christchurch and a couple flew in from Wellington] (L-R): Greg Belton-Brown, Sam Saunders, Tom Kane, Ed Wiley, Henry Thomas, Nick Tyler, Liam Gerring, Charles Gallagher, Dylan Johnson, Nick Johnson, David Barton

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hrist’s College were the hosts of the 82nd Quadrangular Tournament which saw Wellington College break another record with its sixth successive win of the Tournament.

Playing Wanganui Collegate on the Monday, with the Crist/Wallace Trophy being defended, Wellington College took the win 33-13, with Nelson College narrowly beating Christ’s College in the latter match.

Tuesday’s rest day gave visitors, players and supporters the opportunity to explore Christchurch and its surrounds, before the WCOBA Function at Dux de Lux that evening.

Around 70 Old Boys, College staff, partners, parents, friends, the 1st XV coaches and the captain and vice-captain assembled for a very convivial evening of conversation and catch ups. It was great to see a good turn out from very recent Old Boys who attended and who were made to feel very welcome from the more senior Old Boys. Mac Gapes (1936-41) and 1st XV Captain and Head Prefect of 1941 was our most ‘senior’ Old Boy in attendance and wonderful also to have members of the 1956 1st XV there as well.

Headmaster, Roger Moses and Bob Slade welcomed guests and both spoke of the College and Old Boys’ Association news, highlights and developments over the past year.

The 1st XV jubilant after their sixth successive Quad win at Christ’s College, beating Nelson College in the final.

Our guests take time out to hear from Roger Moses and Bob Slade

1st XV Captain, Jeff Allen and his deputy, Lima Sopoaga thanked the Old Boys for their support and encouragement and concluded with hope that they wouldn’t let the Old Boys down in the final. The guests were very impressed with these two fine young men both a credit to the College.

Wednesday afternoon’s final saw Wellington College have a fantastic game in very wet and miserable conditions, with a strong win of 27-0 over Nelson College. Wanganui Collegiate took the wooden spoon in a very disruptive match with Christ’s College.

Our three honoury Life Members (L-R): Malcolm Perrett, Morrie Deterte and Barry Jobson

WCOBA President, Bob Slade (left) and Malcolm Perrett form part of the supporters group at Quad

2009 QUADRANGULAR IN NELSON • 27-29 JULY • WCOBA FUNCTION @ TUESDAY 28 JULY 84

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2008 QUADRANGULAR TOURNAMENT

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RECOLLECTIONS & MEMORIES

Believe, achieve, lead and succeed Robbie Bruce (1954-1958), from the Manawatu has provided us with a personal tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary to lament his passing earlier this year. Robbie was in a party, led by Sir Edmund, and records his journey with him.

SIR EDMUND HILLARY KG ONZ KBE 1919 – 2008

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he death of Sir Edmund Hillary on 11 January 2008 has been followed by sadness, reflection and gratitude. As the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest on 29 May 1953, Sir Edmund didn’t rest on his laurels but went on to achieve much more in mountaineering and exploration.

Subsequently, it was in his humanitarian work for the people of Nepal and the Sherpas in particular, that gave Sir Edmund lifelong satisfaction. As Burra Sahib (“Big Heart”) to the Sherpas, he built schools, hospitals, bridges, airstrips and water systems and established tree nurseries.

For six weeks in 1973, I was in a small party of New Zealanders led by Sir Edmund the main objective being to build at Salleri the first secondary school in the programme. For me as a mountaineer and an amateur “chippie” this experience was a huge privilege.

We camped in tents, ate heartily, talked and laughed plenty and worked hard. The Sherpas were people with immense abilities and humour. We had nailing races when putting down the floor boards. As I had a beard at the time the Sherpas dubbed me Yeti sahib.

Sir Edmund (“Ed”) was a natural leader and organiser who delegated easily and effectively. With a carpenter’s pouch, pencil and hammer, he was thoroughly “hands on”, immersing himself in all the construction work. Beaming with his huge grin he was chuffed when I knocked up some saw horses. When Ed’s brother Rex arrived, a solar water heating system was installed at Khunde Hospital.

Sir Edmund packed a huge amount into his long life, enduring many triumphs and tragedies. He was a man of considerable intelligence, strength and focus. He was a deep thinker with a great empathy for people and the environment. He deplored humbug especially in politicians and expressed much concern about crass materialism and the downside effects on contemporary society.

His utterance that we live in a “poverty of affluence” is remarkably astute.

Most of all, Sir Edmund was a committed husband, father, family man and friend.

As a gentleman, he was an exemplar with

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high personal ethics and self-discipline. I remember how in the hills of Nepal he would faithfully pen letters and write up his diary, usually following breakfast each morning.

boots and seen the red sun slip over the horizon after the dark Antarctic winter. I have had more than my share of excitement, beauty, laughter and friendship.

In reflecting on the life of Sir Edmund Hillary we shall remember him best as a mountaineer, explorer, humanitarian, diplomat, family man, beekeeper and friend. However, he was also an author of exceptional ability, finding the time in his very busy life to write a total of sixteen books, five co-authored. One of Sir Edmund’s enduring legacies will be his writings in these books that give not only detailed accounts of his endeavours but also splendid insights into the contemplations of this most remarkable man.

Each of us has to discover his own path – of that I am sure. Some paths will be spectacular and others peaceful and quiet – who is to say which is the most important?

For me the most rewarding moments have not always been the great moments – for what can surpass a tear on your departure, joy on your return, or a trusting hand in yours?

Some examples from his autobiography Nothing Venture, Nothing Win Hodder and Stoughton, (1975) are: I have had the world lie between my clumsy

If my life finished tomorrow I would have little cause for complaint – I have gathered a few successes, a handful of honours and more love and laughter than I probably deserve.

Robert A. Bruce 1 June 2008

FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

Thanks a Million!

Fundraising breaks $1 million milestone

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hanks to the generosity of the College community, our fundraising campaign, launched in early 2007, has achieved an important milestone - raising the first $1,000,000 in gifts and pledges.

These gifts have come from past and present parents, Old Boys, current and past staff, members of the Board of Trustees, Wellington College Foundation, Wellington College Old Boys’ Association, and other friends and supporters of the school.

Many of the gifts have come from lunches and dinners hosted by Headmaster Roger Moses and Development Director Graeme Steven for small groups of parents and Old Boys. Giving is entirely voluntary. Guests are not asked to contribute or make a commitment at the meal, but only requested to take home printed materials, and to consider whether they may be able to make a tax-deductible gift to help the College.

The fundraising campaign aims to raise a

total of $15 million over five years, for new facilities and an educational endowment fund for the College.

Building Fund The current College Hall, built in the early 1970s is now woefully inadequate to meet the needs of a modern college, with our more than 1,500 students and vibrant cultural and performing arts programme. It has been many decades since the hall has been able to hold full school assemblies or performances. Sadly it has now reached the stage where three year groups can barely fit into the building. Concerts and performances are severely limited by the lack of backstage and other facilities.

Funds raised for the building programme will allow the College to build a new assembly hall, enabling the whole school to meet together to celebrate success and hold larger scale drama and music performances.

We will also build a permanent home for the College’s Archives and history, and repair

and refurbish the Centennial Terraces, overlooking the main sports fields.

Endowment Fund Endowment funds, where gifts are invested and only the net income after inflation used, are a well-proven and powerful way of building a longterm source of income for schools.

Gifts to the Wellington College Endowment Fund will provide ongoing financial support for a wide range of teaching, learning, cultural and sporting needs. These include assistance with recruiting, rewarding and the retention of the very best teachers, and assisting students in financial need to compete and succeed at levels beyond what their parents’ incomes would otherwise allow them to do.

Thank you to all our donors for their willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ and to Fuji Xerox for kindly printing our brochures.

Graeme Steven, Development Director

Building and Endowment Fund Donors Thank you to the following donors who have generously made gifts and written pledges to the College’s Building and Endowment Funds Campaign up to 30 June 2008 A

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Anonymous Donors (42)

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Saunders Family PA Savage

David Abernethy & Robyn Kelly

Mac Gapes

Chris Lendrum

Saker-O’Regan Family

Afford-Kos Family

Samson Gardner

James Leslie

Stephen & Sarah Sawrey

Alcock-Newberry Family

Garrett Family

Jim Lynch

Charles Scannell

Alexander H Armour

Gibson Family

Mahon Family

Nicholas Scannell

Robert, Tom & Jono Anderson

Gary & Alison Girvan

Guy Marriott

Scott Family

CH Arndt Memorial

Alastair Gooch

Peter Marriott

George & Nicholas Scott

Trevor Barber

Janelle Grady & David Murray

John & Mary Marshall

Michael & Lesley Shanahan

Rajesh & Chandan Bava

Daniel, Kane, David & Jordan Gush

J Paul Martin

Bob Slade

Ralph Hall

Duncan, Alexander, Hector & Archie McLachlan

William & Jackie Sommerville

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Matthew Beattie

Hampson Family

Christopher, George & Johnny Blundell

Hamish Hancock

John Haworth Bruce Heather

Tim Castle Family

Herrick-Cottrell Family

Susie & Richard Clarke Graham Cook Gordon & Ruby Cornish

Hobbs Family J

RA Josephson

Michael & Hugo Dobson

Don Forsyth Catharine & Stephen Franks

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Paddianne W Neely

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Michael Olsen

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WC Pacific Islands Parents’ Group

Judd Brothers K

Sygrove Family T

Michael Thornton Neville & Rosemary Trendle Michael Trigg Mark Turner

Hugh Perrett Geoffrey Perry Michael Phillips Robert C & Katrine Pope Q

Neil Quigley & Norine McBride Family

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Les & Joy Taylor Clare Perry & Kevin Tearney

Robert Pallot

Mike & Kathy James

Murray & Jane Jones

James Dawson

Guy Ferguson

K Roger & Barbara Moses (Auckland)

Kenneth & Heather Johnston

Crutchley Family

Aileen & Colin Fenton

Peter Morrison

Craig & Maria Johnson

Frank & Greta Crist

Robert Steven

Philip & Cathy Milne

Barry & Zena Jobson

David & Donna Cox

Doig Family

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Harcourt Family

Warwick Bringans Family

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John Laurenson Richard & Susan Laurenson

Robert & Ellen Bradley

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Mike & Sharyn Gallagher

Wyn & Alice Beasley

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George Gair

Abernethy Family

Paul Turner V

John Veale

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Stephen & Diane Waller Watchman Family S Watchman

Spencer Radford

Hugh Webber

David Kember & Charlotte Williams

John Raine

John Wedde

Tim Kerr

Sam Reese

Peter Wedde

Kerr Brothers

Reeve Family

Jonny & Tim Wild

Krause Family

Gilbert Roper

Bruce M Wilson

Jonathan & Alex Ross

Brett & Sandra Windley

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A REMARKABLE GIFT

$1.5 million Gift in memory of Tom Paul iolet Elizabeth Dunn is 92 years old, and lives in Auckland. She has only visited Wellington College once, but the College has been a strong thread running through her life.

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income, in perpetuity, to promote education at the College. Violet particularly wants her Gift to help the ‘strugglers’ and those who may not receive the same recognition as the ‘stars’ in the school.

On 24 April 2007, Violet attended the school’s ANZAC assembly as our special guest, along with close family members.

Violet was a keen tramper, crossing the South Island’s main divide, tramping around the Wellington area and the Tararuas, and attending an Outward Bound course.

She is keen to help more boys take up the challenges and opportunities that courses such as Outward Bound offer.

The assembly was dedicated to the memory of her fiancé, Wellington College Old Boy Thomas (Tom) K Paul (1931-1935). Tom died tragically on 4 January 1944, while attempting to return to base, when his crippled Wellington bomber crashed.

We hope Violet will be able to visit Wellington College later this year, for the second time, as our special guest, to be recognised and thanked for her wonderful gift and her belief in the future of our school and our young men.

Violet was deeply affected by Tom’s death.

She never married and has carried his memory through her life.

Prior to her visit, Violet had already decided to make a generous gift to the College in memory of Tom Paul. Her visit only reinforced her determination to ‘make a difference’, with an even more generous gift.

It was a bitter-sweet visit to Wellington for Violet – walking, for the first time, through the school that Tom had attended more than 70 years earlier. She saw the same buildings, Memorial Window, honours boards and brass plaques from the old Memorial Hall that Tom had seen. She met Old Boys who were at school at the same time as Tom. At the ANZAC Assembly she saw how the College honoured its Old Boys, commemorating those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. Seeing Tom’s name etched in brass at the back of the hall was a poignant moment.

And she saw that Wellington College today continues to provide an exceptional education, to inspire passion and loyalty, and to teach strong values to our young men - the same values and strengths she saw in Tom. Violet has now made an extraordinary Gift, totalling $1,500,000, to our school. She has done this in Tom’s memory, and because of her desire to help Wellington College continue making a difference for our young men.

in that newly opened Hall, surrounded by the marble tablets and brass plaques commemorating the 222 Old Boys who lost their lives in World War I.

We are truly grateful to Violet for her wonderful generosity and her contribution to our boys’ education, both now and for generations to come.

Just over eight years after leaving Wellington College, Tom lost his own life in the service of his country. His name is commemorated in the brass plaque, at the back of the current hall, dedicated to the 269 Old Boys killed in World War II. Violet’s $1,000,000 Gift to the Hall project is a major step towards providing a place where the whole school can meet for assemblies and performances, to celebrate success, and honour the past.

Violet (right) with her neice Susan and great nephew Harry (obscured) in Firth Hall after the ANZAC Assembly

Violet has requested that her $500,000 Endowment Bequest be invested and the net income distributed each year to promote the education of students at Wellington College.

Violet’s Endowment of $500,000 will live on for generations to come. When invested, her Gift will provide around $25,000 a year in net

This is the biggest single Gift the College has ever received.

Violet has directed that $1,000,000 of her Gift go towards the building of our new Memorial Hall.

The original Memorial Hall (1928-68) was built from funds raised by the great Headmaster JP Firth. As a young Wellington College student, Tom attended assemblies 88

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“Vi, what a face! Do you see that shadow under my nose? It has caused a lot of comment among the boys in the camp. Took such an age to develop”. Tom Paul

A REMARKABLE GIFT

Violet and Tom’s story

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n 1934, at the age of 18, Violet Dunn met Tom Paul on Takapuna Beach in Auckland. They fell in love and, when World War II broke out, were planning to become engaged.

Tom joined the Territorials, then enlisted in the RNZAF in 1940 as a trainee pilot. By late 1941 Tom was in England, flying Wellington (aptly named!) and Lancaster bombers on night-time raids over Europe.

During a six-month combat period, Tom flew an unknown number of night-time bombing missions over Europe. He suffered serious injuries when his Lancaster crashed in May 1942. After spending several months in hospital and recuperating, Tom was promoted to Flying Instructor. In August 1942 he joined an RAF training squadron, passing on his combat and flying experience to young pilots, many from New Zealand.

During his time in the UK, Tom wrote frequently to Violet, sharing his experiences and impressions, and enclosing photos of himself and the crews he trained and flew with.

Tom tramping at Korokoro (c 1939)

“Taken one evening in July about 9.00pm just before we clambered aboard a Wellington to carry out an exercise over some of the principal cities of the Midlands and London. Remind me to tell you of some of these trips over London, they are a marvelous experience”.

Tom died tragically 18 months later, on 4 January 1944. He was 26-years-old. His damaged Wellington bomber crashed into the forest near Farnham Common. Tom was buried in the same graveyard as his grandparents, at St Oswalds in Durham.

While Tom served in the war, Violet worked as a dental nurse. She had trained at the Dental School in Willis Street, and has fond memories of Wellington from that time.

Violet left New Zealand for the UK after the war ended, when travel restrictions were lifted. She visited the site where Tom’s plane crashed, finding shards of metal from the plane buried in the soil. Violet has given these jagged shards to the Archives, along with his medals and Wellington College uniform.

Violet was away for fifteen years, working and travelling through the UK and Europe.

She picked grapes in France (boarding with French families for months at a time); worked as a nanny and housekeeper in Sweden; did office work in the UK; and looked after her younger sisters when they visited the UK on their own OEs. In the early 1960s Violet returned to NZ and settled in Auckland, near her family.

She worked as an office administrator, retiring from the Department of Health in 1981. Until a couple of months ago, Violet, a fiercely independent woman, lived in her own flat. Just before her 92nd birthday she moved to a retirement home.

Tom (3rd from left) with fellow crew members in front of their Lancaster bomber.

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FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

Old Boys give $49,000 to 2007 Annual Giving Appeal

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HANK YOU to each Old Boy who gave so generously.

Gifts were received from Old Boys throughout New Zealand and from around the world, with the youngest donors from the Class of 2006 and the eldest from the Class of 1929.

Gifts ranged from $5, from a very elderly Old Boy who wrote on the back of the envelope Every little helps, to US$3,000 (NZ$3,800 at the then exchange rate), from an Old Boy who has lived most of his adult life in the USA. Thank you letters and receipts were sent to all those who gave

The Board of Trustees have approved the allocation of $48,000 across the four areas as described below, with $1,000 to be held in reserve for future allocation.

The College is very grateful for your support in 2007.

We look forward to your support for the 2008 Annual Giving Appeal which will arrive in your letterbox in October.

OUR ARCHIVES

LIBRARY & IT

OUR BOYS

OUR TEACHERS

Protecting our past and preserving our future

Providing essential learning tools and resources

$14,000 will help our Archivist, Paddianne Neely to:

$14,000 will enable us to purchase:

Helping every boy succeed and reach his potential, irrespective of his parent’s circumstances

Recognising excellence in teaching; attracting, retaining and rewarding the best teachers

$10,000 will provide more than 60 boys with grants and scholarships in the following areas:

$10,000 will provide ten scholarships and special awards to:

Academic assistance with study trips, purchase of NCEA study guides for national qualifications, and other learning support.

Recognise and reward excellence in teaching.

Purchase specialised storage equipment and materials.

Continue scanning historical records and photos, to facilitate easier access by the school community including Old Boys.

Computerise all scholarship and award winners from the Honours Boards in College Hall.

New books, DVDs and magazines.

New online learning resources.

Additional computers and new desk ‘pods’, to increase the number of students able to use the library at one time.

Begin the process of scanning and digitalising our historic collection of Wellingtonian magazines.

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Anonymous Donors

Leadership assistance for boys attending Outward Bound, Spirit of Adventure and other leadership programmes and opportunities.

Cultural assistance with travel and equipment purchases.

Meet some of the cost of housing the Archives in commercial office space until we can bring the collection back to a permanent home at the College.

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and for whom we had return addresses. If you did not receive our personal acknowledgement, because we could not identify you, please accept our thanks.

Recognise and reward exceptional contributions to the academic, cultural and sporting life of the College.

Assist teachers to take up professional development opportunities, and bring new skills and ideas back into the College.

Sports assistance with travel, the purchase of sports equipment and other expenses.

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D Brooke-Taylor

1942-1944

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N Cromie

1946-1949

AJ Crowther

1940-1943

DS Dalgliesh

1959-1963

TRC a’Court

1954-1958

BH Brookes

1946-1950

NS Ames

1958-1961

TI Brown

1971-1975

MB Andrews

1945-1948

PMR Browne

1953-1957

MD Danaher

1941-1944

KG Ansell

1947-1950

RA Bruce

1954-1958

DJ Darwin

1970-1974

R Archibald

1946-1948

G Bruce-Smith

1965-1969

WE Dasent

1939-1941

WR Atkin

1963-1967

JD Buchanan

1944-1946

PB Davenport

1946-1950

MW Austin

1949-1952

JC Burnett

1944-1948

RS Davey

1964-1967

DL Bade

1927-1929

AC Bycroft

1945-1949

JJB Dean

1999-2003

JJJ Bailey

1988-1992

PR Carpenter

1937-1939

MR Deck

1950-1952

DT Baird

1952-1956

GN Cave

1961-1966

AJ Dome

1984-1988

JAF Bernau

1969-1973

PD Cenek

1970-1974

KG Douglas

1949-1953

RS Bezar

1959-1960

S Chhotu

1961-1966

RK Dreyer

1951-1954

CJ Blake

1944-1948

JE Childerhouse

1951-1954

RJ Earles

1961-1965

ADY Bone

1953-1957

GM Cleland

1945-1950

LJ East

1963-1966

IA Borrin

1948-1951

EI Clissold

1953-1957

AJ Eastwood

2001-2005

BJC Bradburn

1945-1949

GJ Coldham

1978-1982

RG Ebbett

1948-1951

WD Brandon

1973-1975

AB Cooper

1950-1955

PJ Edmondson

1951-1954

AJ Brice

1973-1976

PL Cooper

1938-1942

JM Elsby

1944-1947

KE Brierley

1953-1956

GE Coppersmith

1971-1975

GQ England

1941-1945

RJ Broad

1972-1976

GAH Craigie

1965-1969

JPA Etheridge

1996-2000

DGP Brocklehurst

1954-1957

GH Cray

1941-1944

MR Ewing

1954-1958

FJ Brooker

1931-1935

HJS Cromie

1963-1965

T Farrar

1944-1948

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FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN F

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MS Faulknor

1944-1948

RA McCarlie

1949-1942

AH Shine

1968-1972

AF Ferguson

1939-1943

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BC McCormick

1948-1948

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AN Slack

1971-1975

BT Foley

1946-1950

JG McCulloch

1953-1956

FM Small

1955-1957

DE Forsyth

1951-1955

RJ McCully

1945-1946

MD Small

1959-1963

GJ Fraser

1993-1995

NC McLeod

1933-1937

BE Smith

1944-1947

AT Freeman

1937-1940

EA McQueen

1949-1953

EGA Smith

2000-2004

TE Frost

1968-1972

AD Meek

1967-1970

EB Smith

1950-1954

AA Gawith

1929-1931

LM Megget

1960-1964

WR Sparks

1947-1951

B Gerrard

1935-1936

BC Mexted

1942-1946

BJ Spolsky

1944-1948

JD Clifford

1940-1945

MO Mexted

1945-1949

RJ Steven

2002-2006

B Girdlestone

1963-1967

AM Millar

1977-1981

MV Stickley

1994-1998

DM Golding

1960-1964

AB Miller

1979-1983

AJ Stuart

1970-1974

RA Grainger

1948-1950

DJM Milne

1961-1965

PD Swallow

1980-1984

JM Green

1960-1964

RW Mitchell

1952-1956

RD Sweetzer

1956-1958

AL Greensmith

1958-1962

CA Mortland

1969-1973

BA Swift

1958-1961

RD Greenwood

1983-1987

TM Mowbray

1946-1950

TH Syddall

1952-1956

M Hardie Boys

1944-1948

AHE Munden

1939-1942

JC Sygrove

1998-2002

JF Harper

1951-1955

IR Murray

1957-1961

PH Sygrove

1998-2002

TM Hart

1942-1946

D Naik

1973-1977

IN Taylor

1952-1955

AF Hassed

1958-1959

JFA Newberry

2002-2006

JC Taylor

1945-1949

DI Hatfield

1971-1975

RW Newport

1944-1947

NK Thomas

1944-1948

H Heitner

1959-1960

WM Nicol

1941-1944

RJR Thornley

1962-1966

IM Hercus

1956-1960

JR O’Brien

1969-1973

IR Tichbon

1951-1955

TA Heron

1981-1982

JW O’Brien

1954-1956

DG Tierney

1945-1949

MJ Higgs

1958-1962

RG O’Connor

1942-1946

DNJ Todd

1952-1956

RPJ Hosegood

1999-2002

JN Oliver

1953-1956

SM Town

1973-1975

JM Hunn

1951-1955

PB Olsen

1943-1946

TW Turner

1945-1949

WA Hunt

1944-1948

G Osvath

1965-1969

JM Tweed

1933-1938

CB Hunter

1978-1982

DL Paetz

1953-1957

TG Twist

1950-1954

TG Huppert

1959-1960

RO Partridge

1944-1948

PG Van Dongen

1957-1959

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CJ Isaacs

1944-1948

RL Pattison

1960-1964

AS Varuhas

1968-1972

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JC Jaynes

1959-1960

AT Pattle

1936-1940

RL Vasan

1959-1962

LJ Johnsen

1942-1945

LJJ Peddie

1951-1955

MJ Vegar

2002-2006

KB Johnston

1971-1974

WR Percival

1946-1950

CJ Vining

1944-1946

BH Jones

1997-2001

SAM Perry

1960-1964

GF Wardle

1950-1952

RA Josephson

1962-1967

MJ Pillar

1978-1982

RR Watchman

1943-1946

IR Kaywood

1942-1944

KR Porter

1935-1937

GH Weiss

1965-1969

AJ Kean

1958-1961

BR Pratt

1963-1967

PC Wellings

1953-1957

IAD Kennedy

1998-2002

MJ Prosser

1944-1948

GC Weston

1939-1942

RA Kennedy

1998-2000

MW Prout

1980-1984

DV Weston

1962-1966

GR Kenny

1954-1958

CJ Pulley

1961-1966

P Whittle

1940-1944

I Kwok

1958-1959

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H Quinn

1966-1969

NJ Willis

1977-1981

ME Lambert

1940-1943

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TJ Reynolds

1947-1951

GJ Wilson

1953-1957

OG Lane

1960-1964

DB Roberts

1953-1957

HC Wong

1954-1957

VA Langford

1960-1960

J Roberts

1953-1956

RJ Wood

1956-1960

PC Lee

1939-1942

RH Robinson

1947-1951

RM Wood

1928-1930

PN Leslie

1946-1950

SM Robson

1983-1987

KG Yager

1994-1998

KJ Little

1950-1953

TR Robson

1988-1992

TJ Young

1939-1943

KH Logie

1936-1937

PDF Rumpit

1978-1982

Anonymous

Staff

PJ MacDonald

1953-1956

JC Rutherford

1963-1967

E Bar-Shalom

Staff

WJP Macdonald

1940-1943

RN Macgregor

1958-1961

ID Mackersey

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AD Rutherford

1965-1969

PE Salt

1958-1962

1939-1943

IK Sclater

1940-1944

RW Mangin

1952-1954

AE Scott-Howman

1982-1986

BE Marklew

1962-1966

EJ Sherring

1942-1946

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Thank You! M Thornton

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OBITUARIES GRAEME BERTRAM BLAKE, plastic surgeon: B: Palmerston North, 28 December, 1938; D: Christchurch, 7 January, 2008. Wellington College: 1952-1956.

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eading plastic surgeon Graeme Blake, who gave his services freely to disfigured children in Nepal, died at his Christchurch home, aged 69.

Graeme travelled eight times to Nepal with his wife Brenda to do cleft lip and palate surgery in a remote clinic. Not only was the work voluntary but Graeme and others in the mainly Australian party contributed funds so patients could make the pilgrimage from their mountain homes to the clinic.

Brenda Blake says she and her husband came to love the place and the people and looked forward each year to going back. Her husband had always felt at home in the mountains after being a Queen's Scout in his youth. His favourite leisure pursuits included tramping, skiing and fishing in the Southern Alps. The congregation at his funeral sang his favourite song Climb Every Mountain.

Graeme was born in Palmerston North but grew up mainly in Wellington, attending Kelburn Normal School and Wellington College.

After his medical intermediate year at Victoria University, he studied medicine at Otago University from 1958 to 1961. He met Brenda, a fellow student at Dunedin and they married in 1962. They had four children.

Graeme completed his studies at Christchurch Hospital in 1962 then served there as a house surgeon. He returned south in 1963 and worked as a registrar at Dunedin Hospital for three years.

In 1968, the Blakes embarked on the ocean liner Southern Cross bound for England and specialist surgery studies.

Graeme signed on for the voyage as the ship's assistant surgeon which gave him free passage.

He was concerned at the lack of openings in plastic surgery in Christchurch and considered a career in orthopaedics. However in London he met a former Burwood Hospital plastic surgeon who convinced him of the future of plastic surgery in Christchurch so he followed that course.

Graeme completed specialist studies at Mount Vernon and Roehampton Hospitals and was awarded a Commonwealth Medical Fellowship in 1971. This allowed him to continue working in England where he carried out much cleft lip and palate surgery.

Graeme and his family returned to Christchurch in late 1972. He was employed first as full-time plastic surgeon at Burwood Hospital. He opened a private practice in Merivale in 1974 and became a visiting surgeon to Burwood and to the South Canterbury Hospital Board at Timaru. He became a lecturer at the Christchurch Clinical School of Medicine in 1976.

As head of the Burwood plastic surgery unit from 1987 to 1995, Graeme did much to expand and upgrade it to international standard and maintain that standard.

He was influential in moving the unit to Christchurch Hospital where better emergency support systems were available. He retired from the hospital service in 2002 and from private practice in 2006.

Graeme chaired the NZ Association of Plastic Surgeons for a term and was an examiner for eight years. He was a board member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and chairman of its NZ training committee for plastic surgery from 1989 to 1995.

His annual March-April visits to Nepal began in 1997 when Australian colleague and friend Charles Sharpe invited him to join a group working in a Seventh Day

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Adventist clinic. Sharpe had established the service and needed a lip and palate specialist.

Brenda Blake says the clinic was two hours by tortuous road from Kathmandu. Her husband operated mainly on children born with facial deformities that would normally have been corrected at birth in western countries. He trained local medical staff to continue the work.

The people were grateful and gracious. Brenda Blake says."We loved doing it. It was a marvellous experience which we looked forward to each year." After each stint at the clinic, the Blakes and some colleagues embarked on mountain trekking and camping expeditions to see more of the country. "It was fantastic. Camping was no bother," Brenda Blake says.

Daughter Prue Blake says her father was an enthusiast for life and an eternal optimist. He had "boundless energy".

He loved people and was interested in what everyone was doing. He had a great sense of humour.

His advice was often sought because he considered all sides of an issue and took a balanced view.

Brenda Blake says he was keen but inexpert at golf and tennis. His mechanical workshop would have been the envy of many. There he made toys for the grandchildren whom he doted on. He was "a frustrated architect, "if anyone mentioned building or altering a building, he would whip out his drawing board and begin designing the project”.

Friend and colleague Dr Ted Mayell says ‘Blue’ (as Graeme was known) was a dedicated husband and family man.

As a medical leader, "he was extremely positive and encouraged others to step outside their boundaries. He was a man of scrupulous ethics."

Graeme is survived by wife Brenda, two daughters, two sons and ten grandchildren.

Christchurch Press ALAN HERBERT CASELBERG, Doctor, DM.B.Ch.B., F.R.N.Z.C.G.P., Dip. Obst. B: Dannevirke, 4 June 1926; D: Wellington, 29 August, 2007. Wellington College: 1939-1944

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lan was the second son of Herbert and Jenny Caselberg, of Wellington.

Herbert received the CBE in 1963, and an honorary doctorate of law in 1978, for services to agriculture.

Alan had his early schooling in Hawera before moving to Wellington.

He attended Wellesley College, Otago Boys’ High School (1940-42), and Wellington College (1939-40) and (1943-44) and was a Prefect in 1944.

After leaving College, Alan initially attended Otago University to begin his medical studies but transferred to Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. While there he flew Tiger Moth aeroplanes as a member of the Queen’s University Air Squadron. He returned to New Zealand in 1950, completing his degree in 1953. He spent his years as a House Surgeon at Wellington and Hutt Hospitals.

In 1955 Alan met Pauline Rothwell and they were married later that year.

1956 was a professionally rewarding one spent as Medical Registrar at Palmerston North Hospital, followed by six months doing obstetrics at St Helens Hospital in Christchurch.

In 1957, Alan went to Levin as a locum. Three doctors practising independently in Levin at that time, Ed Petersen, Hamish Neale and Peter McKinlay, decided to band together and they invited Alan to join them as a

partner.

Theirs was the first group medical practice in a country town in New Zealand. There was no hospital in Levin, so they had to deal with all sorts of emergencies, including accidents on the roads. They set up their own little casualty department, and, after a couple of years, one of the radiologists from Palmerston North put in an X-ray machine. It was this general medicine that Alan found most enjoyable. Tararua Medical Centre was unique in its day, stimulating much thought and providing the template for many others to use.

These years were very happy ones for the partners and their families. Alan said, “Country general practice was very busy, rewarding and emotional, but tremendously satisfying.” However, in 1978, his wife Pauline died suddenly at the age of 46. Alan had to cope with this sad loss, and the demands of general practice, while his children were still young.

In 1984, Alan spent three months as a Medical Officer at the Turoa skifield. He left Levin in 1987 after 30 years, and in 1988 began work as Senior Medical Officer at the Casualty Department at Wellington Hospital. Over the next 20 years, he kept up active medical practice in a variety of locums. A colleague, Prof. Graham Harley CBE, recently said of him, “Alan had a wonderful personality; it was such that whoever he met never forgot him.”

In recent years he travelled widely. He went to Belfast, to the United States, to Guyana, to Canada and to China, renewing friendships with colleagues, friends and relatives.

Alan was diagnosed with prostate cancer seven years ago, but remained active until February 2007 – always planning some new adventure. He underwent radiotherapy, and other oncology treatment, and, latterly, supportive palliative care from his family and the Mary Potter Hospice in Wellington.

He is survived by Andrew Caselberg, Jane Ball and Belinda Henshaw all of Wellington, plus three grandchildren.

Alan’s family supplied this obituary.

FADYL, Irsan Chalid. B: 11 July, 1960, D: 25 April, 2007. Wellington College: 1974-1976.

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wish to advise you of the sad death of an Old Boy; Isran Fadyl. Irsan was a good friend of mine both during my college days and well beyond. His dream was to become a professional musician, and a dream which he fulfilled. In recent years he was part of a European band and played in concerts throughout Europe and North America, and even a concert in Australia. Sadly, he never got to play in New Zealand.

The “Little Theatre” (it probably doesn’t exist now as it was a temporary room at the College around 1975, located next to the school tuck shop) had an inscription on the back of one of the chairs in the form of a plaque recognising a donation made by his parents. That plaque may still adorn a chair somewhere about the College.

I can still remember clearly the first time I saw Irsan. He was escorted to the form room having got lost on his first day at the College. The form room was high up the hill, in a prefab beside the woodworking prefabs. It was taken

by Mr Mark Sayer the former-All Black and Old Boy. Irsan (San to his friends) died from an asthma attack in Switzerland where he was living, on 25 April, 2007. He is survived by (at the time) a three-month old son Liam and his wife Bridgit. San would have only been about 46 years old.

I think San was at the College from 1974 to 1976. He was well known to many people, as he was always being

OBITUARIES asked to cut his hair. He loved having his hair long. I still remember Mr Sanders (the Music teacher) having a real go at him for having such long hair. He never did cut it!

Ward’s Government. A cousin, Air Commodore James Findlay, was a distinguished New Zealand airman, also an Old Boy of Wellington College.

He was the son of an Indonesian diplomat, and lived in many places around the world, before coming to New Zealand. He spoke several languages, his native language being Indonesian. I remember his mum and dad as the nicest parents one could ask for. There was always a meal for me a San’s house. Anthony Hiam (1973-1977)

The year he left College, David joined the literary staff of the Evening Post and worked as a reporter and music critic until he joined the reporting staff of the Melbourne Sun in 1958. From 1961 to 1963, he was a very successful tabloid journalist with the London Daily Mail. He returned to Australia in 1964 to work for World Books in Sydney, and then moved back to New Zealand to join the Auckland public relations team at Air New Zealand. After stint on the New Zealand Herald, David set up in business on his own account as a public relations consultant, and later linked with Wellington’s Brian Kitching to create the national agency, Findlay Kitching.

JUNE DETERTE, Wellington College Patron D: 22 March, 2008; Wellington

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ld Boys will be saddened to hear that June Deterte (wife of Morrie) passed away suddenly in March this year.

June, an ‘honorary Old Boy’ herself was recognised in 2006 by the WCOBA with a Certificate of Exceptional Service to the Association and the College Community at large, having given over more than 60 years of service.

June and Morrie began courting over 60 years ago, when Morrie was at Wellington College and June was a student at nearby Wellington East Girls’ College. Morrie has often told us that they were on many an occasion, caught by Headmaster Mr Hogburn, holding hands and canoodling as any young couple in love were known to. That longlasting love for each other continued right up until June’s passing and it is not often that one can say that they were made for each other from day one.

Morrie has attended 45 Quad Tournaments and June’s tally wouldn’t be far behind him. Old Boys over many, many years will remember June, with Morrie on the sidelines and at College and WCOBA events. June’s devotion to rugby at Wellington College even saw her knit the socks for Morrie’s team one year, due to a shortage of wool supplies during the war. In my five years as Manager of our 1st XV, Morrie and June would turn up at each home fixture with a plate of something sweet and sticky for afternoon tea to be enjoyed by players and the parents of the team after the match. Two years ago when the team travelled to Gisborne for the NZSS Top 4 Round-Robin, Morrie and June turned up the morning of the game with supplies for breakfast. Not to be thwarted by the lengthy drive, they did exactly the same again last year.

June’s connection to the College didn’t stop with Morrie.

She was also the mother of a daughter and three boys, Rodney, Wayne and Ian, all Old Boys and 1st XV members themselves and the grandmother of Ben, Matt and Finlay (the latter two currently at the College).

I felt honoured to be part of June’s life for the past ten years – her little treats of gifts and baking she dropped off to me for one, her friendliness and her outgoing manner is what I will miss.

June’s sweet and caring nature and her wonderful dedication will never be forgotten by us all.

Stephanie Kane, WCOBA Executive Officer DAVID BERNARD FINDLAY, journalist: B: 27 August, 1929. D: Auckland, 6 April, 2007. Wellington College 1942-1946.

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avid Findlay, who attended Wellington College from 1942 to 1946, died in Auckland in April 2007 after a long career as a newspaperman and public relations consultant.

David was born in 1929, a member of a distinguished Wellington family. His father was a well known Wellington barrister, David McCubbin Findlay (Findlay & Foote). His uncle, Sir John George Findlay, was also a barrister in a firm that was a precursor of today’s Buddle Findlay.

An early partner of Sir John’s was Sir Robert Stout. He was appointed to the Legislative Council and became Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in Sir Joseph

On his return to New Zealand, David settled in Howick with his wife, Verity, and two daughters, Charlotte and Jane. He was a keen through-the-year swimmer at Howick Beach and his delightful, irreverent sense of humour ensured he had a wide circle of friends. Some former Australian colleagues travelled to Auckland for his funeral.

David kept in touch with school friends and several times attended the WCOB Auckland branch annual dinner.

Eulogists at his funeral were Brian Kitching, Gordon McLauchlan and Gordon Dryden.

Gordon McLauchlan (1945-1949) BRUCE BERGHAN HANDS B: 19 November 1920; D: Nelson, 25 May, 2008. Wellington College 1932-1936.

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ruce Hands was admitted to the Rotary Club of Nelson in 1968 with the classification of Telegraph Engineer. He had previously served in the Timaru Club from 1952 to 1954 and in the Invercargill Club from 1956 to 1967 and served as President twice during that time.

Born in Wellington, Bruce was educated at Wellington College and gained a BSc at Victoria University. He continued his studies and became a Chartered Engineer, a Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (UK) and a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers NZ. He was an early graduate of the Administrative Staff College.

Bruce started work with the Post and Telegraph Department (which became the NZ Post Office in 1951) in Wellington and was the youngest District Engineer in the NZPO when appointed in Timaru. Apart from war service in the Royal New Zealand Navy, was with the NZPO until his retirement in 1977.

In retirement he acted as a management consultant to local bodies in the Top of the South as well as serving on the Boards of the YMCA, PRO and various Diocesan committees. He had a hockey Blue from Victoria University, also representing Wellington and the RNZN at hockey as well as serving in hockey administration in Wellington and Southland; Club Captain of the VUW Swimming Club and serving in Southland as Chair of the pavilion appeal for the John van Leuwin Surf Club.

Community service included working for the Sea Scouts in Nelson and Invercargill; serving as a board member of the Nelson YMCA; being on the PRO for 18 years; inaugural membership of the Outward Bound Trust; involvement with VSA and Foundation for the Blind; Life Membership of CCS South Canterbury and major involvement with the organisation of Telethon in Nelson for several years including the first in Nelson. Loyal service to his Church including serving on the vestry in Timaru and Invercargill, membership of the Diocesan Social services Board, coediting and being photographer for ‘The Witness’ as well as strong involvement with pastoral care at St Stephens.

In June 1988 the Rotary Club of Nelson made Bruce a Paul Harris Fellow. At the time of the presentation reference was made to the fact that earlier that year, although Bruce had been in Wellington for a week for

heart surgery he had missed only two meetings!

At the Christmas meeting in 1998 the Club awarded Bruce a sapphire Pin to his Paul Harris Fellowship with the following citation, The Rotary Club of Nelson bestowed the Sapphire Pin Award on a most Treasured fellow - Bruce has been involved in Rotary since 1952 and has been a member of three clubs – Timaru, Invercargill (where he was President twice) and Nelson. Bruce was admitted to the Rotary Club of Nelson in 1968 with the classification of Telegraph Engineer.

Over all these years Bruce has cheerfully and willingly served the aims and objectives of Rotary with his tireless efforts in every avenue of service. He has given great support and encouragement to Presidents and other Club Officers and is an inspiration to us all. Bruce’s outstanding contribution to the Club was recognised in 1988 when he was made a Paul Harris Fellow. Since then Bruce has continued to serve our Club with at least the same vigour.

Bruce was the Chairman of their Archives Committee and continued to maintain an invaluable record of Club Members and Club Activities. It is hard to name a committee on which he has not served and his tremendous knowledge of Rotary principles and procedures was an ongoing asset and strength to our Club.

Other interests included pottery, swimming, car trialling, photography, computers and the conservation movement. At his death he and wife Ngaire were in the 65th year of their marriage and he is survived by two children and two grandchildren.

Mita Robert Hoturoa (Bob) Henare, OBE, CNZM, company director and civil servant. Born Auckland, September 29, 1932; died Wellington, January 2, 2008.

Wellington College: 1946-1951.

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ob Henare trained as an engineer, but ended up having a hand in many facets of government – notably the health system.

Bob, of Ngapuhi and Ngati Hine descent, was the son of a locomotive driver. He met his future wife Ann while he was at Wellington College from 1946-1951 and they married when he was in his early 20s. Bob played rugby for the 1As as well as cricket and fencing.

He studied at Auckland University – becoming one of the first Maori to gain an engineering degree – and was involved in the construction of Auckland Harbour Bridge while still a student.

He joined the Railways Corporation in 1958 and spent 28 years working there. During his early career he carried out various civil engineering roles, including bridge design and operational management. One of his key achievements was overseeing the electrification project on the North Island main trunk rail line.

In 1979, he was promoted to chief civil engineer and was later appointed deputy general manager, responsible for a wide range of business activities. By 1984, he was working 14-hour days for the Railways Corporation.

Despite his management role, he was determined to keep in touch with the rail workers with whom he had built relationships as an engineer in the field.

In 1986, he left the Railways Corporation and formed a private business consultancy. Two years later, state owned enterprises minister Richard Prebble named him chairman of Coal Corporation. Maori affairs minister Koro Wetere said the appointment was particularly significant because Bob was the first Maori to chair a state-owned enterprise.

The following year, Helen Clark – then health minister – appointed him to the financially troubled Wellington Area Health Board. He was one of five men appointed to the

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OBITUARIES board, sitting alongside the all-female elected members.

In announcing the appointments, Miss Clark said the board had a history of “ineffective decision-making”, but she had decided against sacking it and replacing it with a commissioner. Bob was elected chairman at the board’s inaugural meeting a week later.

During his leadership, he advocated major reform of the health system. The board courted controversy when it proposed avoiding bankruptcy by turning itself into “Wellbank”. Under the plan, it would have distributed money to health providers rather than running services itself. Despite promotion by Bob and the board’s general manager, Karen Poutasi, the idea was later shelved.

It was followed by a strategic plan that proposed centralising most services in Wellington city, sparking protests in Porirua and the Hutt Valley. But in July 1991, that plan was abandoned when the board was axed. It was replaced with a commissioner, Sir Brian Elwood. Bob became deputy commissioner.

A decade later, he became chairman of Capital and Coast District Health Board, replacing Rick Bettle. Alongside chief executive Margot Mains, Bob led the DHB through many significant changes, including the development of Wellington’s new regional hospital, the establishment of primary health organisations and the Maori Partnership Board.

He resigned as chairman of Capital and Coast DHB in December 2006, after 17 years’ service. He had been on leave for much of the year due to a slow recovery from an operation. He said it was time to “refocus his energies”. Earlier that year, he had also stepped down as a commissioner on the Mental Health Commission, a role he had held for nearly 10 years.

Former commission chairwoman Ruth Harrison said that he was brought into the health sector because of his business knowledge but that he also had a real gift for working with people. He was a man of “huge charm”.

Bob’s other work included chairmanship of the ministerial working party on civil court fees in 2001, roles on the Qualifications Authority Advisory Forum, the National Interim Provider Board and the Energy Advisory Forum.

He also chaired the Central Institute of Technology and the Tourism Wellington Trust and was a director of many companies, including the Prudential Insurance Company of Greymouth, the Airways Corporation and Maori health provider Te Roopu Huihuinga Hauora.

In 1987, Bob was honoured with an OBE and his hard work was acknowledged with a New Zealand 1990 Medal. He was named a distinguished fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand in 2004. Last year he was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday honours list for his services to the public health sector. Bob was still serving on boards until just before his death, after a long illness, at age 75.

Bob is survived by his wife, Ann, three sons, one daughter and nine grandchildren. Source: The Dominion Post.

SEDDON HILL, Former Headmaster, Wellington College (1963-1978). B: 1917. D: 3 September, 2007.

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n 1935 the young Seddon Hill began work in a Gisborne commercial house.

He was lucky, as many were not, to obtain work in the days of the Great Depression. 1939 saw the world plunged into the Second World War and Seddon Hill enlisted with the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

He saw war service in England, Egypt, Greece and Crete. He was captured a prisoner of War in Crete and spent four years in a prisoner of war camp in Germany.

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Those inner qualities, strength of spirit and optimism which were characteristics of the man were forged in the turmoil of those years. He saw his career before him and decided to work in the interests of the new generations.

He attended Auckland University and Teachers’ College and became an Assistant Master at Kati Kati District High School. In 1956 he moved to Mt. Roskill Grammar School in Auckland as HoD English. It was from here that he came as a young Headmaster in 1963 to Wellington College. He arrived from Auckland after a meteoric rise in the teaching profession as a dynamic and stimulating teacher of English.

Doug spent his early school days in Nelson before attending Wellington College.

In 1963, Cadets were still a feature of College life. The Memorial Hall with the window of St George was the centrepiece of the school as many of that generation would remember it.

After serving nearly six years with the Fleet Air Arm, Doug was promoted to lieutenant-commander with his own squadron in Scotland.

Seddon brought with him the enthusiasm and drive, the ability to inspire warmth and generosity in others, the humanity, patience, understanding and tolerance that marked his period of leadership. He loved people and was gifted in his relationships and understanding of them. He brought the wisdom of experience and a deep understanding of human nature. His optimism was ever ready to uplift. As a true educator he saw the complete person and was solicitous to provide in changing times, for the sporting, cultural and artistic as well as the intellectual and academic necessities of the growing adolescent. His was a wider vision and a deeper passion in his quest for the welfare, the worth and the goodness of man. A feature of his life was his appreciation of the importance of the individual. Hence he often found it hard to separate the man from his actions. It was this totality of character, this integrity that made him so attractive and appealing as a leader. One felt safe when Seddon Hill was at the helm, so complete was the trust and loyalty he inspired in one and generously reciprocated. Hence the College was a happy dynamic place to be. His tenure included the rebuilding of much of the College after having been declared an earthquake risk. He oversaw the rebuilding but did not let the disruption affect academic standards three Rhodes Scholars were produced during his time.

The oldest of the Hill children, Richard, attended College for his final year before going on to Victoria University.

Cynthia attended Wellington East Girls’ College for four years, and then went to Auckland University.

Nick attended College from 1963-67, then trained as a reporter on the Wellington Evening Post. Jocelyn and Miranda attended St Mark’s Church School and later Wellington Girls’ College. And Geoff, who had arrived in Wellington as a three-year-old, went to St Mark’s, then the College from 1972-76.

Apart from their experience of having been the “Boss’ Children”, they gained an inside view of the workings of the school, the humorous and trivial incidents which wove the College tapestry. In particular, they had a free rein of the school during the holidays, and were dismayed when demolition machinery moved on to the site at the end of 1967. Seddon Hill’s photographs of the destruction of the Memorial Hall reflected the gravity of the moment.

The rebuilding took five long years, from which emerged the school in its modern form. While the Hill family might have preferred the ‘old school’, its transformation was the hallmark of the Seddon Hill years.

Seddon retired to Taupo aged 61. He worked parttime for an Accountant and became active in the Taupo Operatic Society. His wife Sheila passed away in 1993, but all six children were on hand to mark Seddon’s 90th birthday in June 2007. Seddon passed away peacefully on 4 September, 2007.

Douglas Charles Hill, MBE, businessman. B: Wellington, 29 January, 1920. D: Wellington, 5 March, 2008.

Wellington College: 1932-1935.

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oug Hill was a prominent figure in Wellington’s business world. He started work as an office boy with C & A Odlin Timber and Hardware Co Ltd in 1935 and climbed the company ladder to become managing director.

He was a determined young man who would go on to reveal courage as a Fleet Air Arm pilot in World War II, which earned him a military division MBE.

In 1935, he left to join C & A Odlin then volunteered for military service. He left with the first New Zealand draft for the Fleet Air Arm in 1940, trained in Britain and Canada and was a pilot on aircraft involved in operations in the Atlantic, Arctic and the Middle East.

He served on light carriers protecting Maltese and Russian convoys and took part in the raid on the German battleship Tirpitz, after which he was awarded his MBE.

Returning to New Zealand in 1946 with his new Scottishborn wife, Doris, a former Wren, he renewed his Odlin job and his association with the Wellington Rugby Football Club, of which he was a vice-president.

Doug enjoyed many sporting pursuits throughout his life. He was a life member of the Shandon Golf Club, a member of the Wellington Golf Club and always maintained a keen interest in cricket.

When he retired as managing director of Odlin in 1985, he continued as a director with several companies including Hume Industries, TNL, Newmans and Sumitomo Forestry.

He was chairman of Nelson Pine Forest Ltd. Doug lived in Raumati in his retirement and is survived by his wife, two sons and one daughter.

Albert Gordon Little, founder of NZ’s professional association of tax specialists. B: Wellington, October 4, 1919; D: Wellington, 30 November, 2007. Wellington College: 1932-1935.

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ordon Little founded the New Zealand Branch of the International Fiscal Association, New Zealand’s professional institute of taxation.

Until the burgeoning of tax practice in the mid-1980s he was one of a few expert tax consultants in this country.

A Wellingtonian all his life, Gordon was born in the family home in Thompson St, Mt Cook. He attended Wellington College and graduated BCom from the then Victoria University College, where he was a part-time lecturer for many years. Rejected for war service because of poor eyesight, he joined the Inland Revenue Department in the 1940s.

He moved to private practice as a chartered accountant.

He specialised in tax consulting at a time when most socalled “tax” work involved planning to avoid estate duty.

His was a scholarly practice, that concerned itself with the deeper aspects of income tax law. Unusually for the times, he maintained an extensive tax library of works from many parts of the world.

In the 1970s, Gordon joined the International Fiscal Association, based in Rotterdam. The association is a forum for people involved in tax: judges, scholars, accountants, lawyers, economists and civil servants. He attended several of the association’s annual congresses and was impressed by its endeavours to improve the world’s tax laws by study of regimes in different countries.

In 1975, Gordon convened a group in Wellington, aimed at forming a New Zealand branch of the association. He was successful, and served as the branch chairman for several years. Starting with small gatherings in professional offices and in a meeting room in Wakefield House on The Terrace, the branch grew quickly, and now organises a large conference each autumn. Its membership from different professional backgrounds reflects the make-up of its parent body.

OBITUARIES When the Lange government deregulated the New Zealand economy in the mid-1980s, domestic and international transactions and investment grew in number, value and complexity. Tax consulting, based mainly in larger accounting and law firms, grew in parallel, though Gordon and several others continued practising as individuals.

In Australia, Britain and in other jurisdictions similar to New Zealand, tax professionals have long found homes in professional institutes of taxation.

In New Zealand, when people perceived a need for a similar organisation in the 1980s, the New Zealand branch of the International Fiscal Association already occupied the field. Tax professionals joined it instead of starting afresh and the association became the de facto professional organisation for New Zealand tax specialists.

Because of this history, and because of Gordon’s prescience in founding the New Zealand branch, the International Fiscal Association has a much wider and more influential role in New Zealand than do its counterparts in other countries.

Because of their complexity, the association’s deliberations are not well known to the general public, but one or more of the minister of finance, the minister of revenue and the commissioner of Inland Revenue attend most conferences of the New Zealand branch, and frequently choose this forum for major tax policy announcements.

Most, if not all, tax professionals who have served on government taxation consultative committees over the past 30 years, charged with advising on reforms to the tax system, have been members of the association.

Gordon was not a public figure and, even in professional and business circles, his reputation was confined mainly to specialists. But his judgment and insight were unquestionable. The association is his legacy to good tax policy.

Throughout his professional life, Gordon was heavily involved in community and church affairs.

He was a member of the Anglican Church Pension Board, responsible for the welfare of New Zealand’s retired Anglican clergy.

He married Joan Mary Miller, who died in 2005 after a long illness. He is survived by their sons, Ross and Ian, and their daughter, Alison.

Source: John Prebble, Professor of Law at Victoria University.

Brigadier Ian Hartridge Lowen, AM, OBE, ED. Regimental No. VX53 25th Inf. Bat. Australian Imperial Forces. B: 8 January, 1917. D: 3 January, 2007, Melbourne. Wellington College 1931-1933.

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an Lowen served in the Militia from September 1935 to October 1939; the Australian Imperial Force from October 1939 to October, 1945; the Citizens Military Forces May 1948 to July 1962. Also worthy of note was that Ian served as Honorary ADC to the Governor General from June 1958 to June 1961 and as Honorary Colonel to the Australian Cadet Corps from December 1965 to January 1972. He also served as Honorary Colonel Monash University, from February 1973 to February 1981. His Overseas service was Middle East, April 1940 to April 1941; Greece April 1941 to May 1941; Middle East again May 1941 to February 1943; New Guinea July, 1943 to December 1943 and Morotai, June 1945 to September 1945. His principal units were 5th Infantry Battalion, 25th Australian Infantry Battalion, 14th Infantry Brigade, 24th Australian Infantry Brigade 9th Division, 18th Australian Infantry Brigade and 4th Australian Infantry Brigade. Ian joined the RSL in 1945. He became a member of their sub-branch in 1946, their foundation year which meant Ian had been associated with them for 60 years. Ian also was a Patron of the 5th Battalion Officers Association who described him as being an inspiring leader, and the 25th Battalion Association members mourned the passing of their esteemed comrade.

The choice of the historic and beautifully preserved Scots Church in the City of Melbourne could not have been more appropriate for the funeral service of Ian on 15 January 2007. When you took into account Ian’s forebears came from Scotland and his longstanding commitment to the Scottish Regiment, what better place was there to be found to honour this man who was both admired and decorated by his peers. The tone of the service was set by the Reverend Douglas Robertson. The magnificent organ played the Psalm 23; Scriptures were read by Christopher and Elizabeth Lowen. Ian’s son John spoke of his father’s life. Lt. Colonel Bruce Larkin detailed Ian’s service record and the Reverend John Scott (Chaplain to Melbourne Scots) offered prayers for Ian. The sub-branch Almoner conducted the RSL service in the presence of the Victorian Branch State President of the RSL, Major General David McLachlan AO. A tall immaculately turned out piper preceded the cortege from the Church stirring the emotions of the standing congregation.

Ian died five days short of his 90th birthday and had been in excellent health until 2006. His wife Meryl died in 2005 but they had had a great 65 years together.

Ian was proud of his Wellington College connections, particularly the Cadets, as it was mentioned in his full military funeral – that was where it all started. Even as a Managing Director at his company, he kept his reserve army interests and was Honorary Colonel of Cadets in Victoria. The family have donated his swords to Scotch College in Melbourne.

IAN STUART CAMPBELL McEWEN. Racing Executive.

B: 21 May, 1930. D: 15 October, 2007, Melbourne.

Wellington College 1944-1946.

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an McEwen was a former Kelburn and Wellington College schoolboy who went on to be one of the greatest innovators of modern Australian racing.

For 20 years, he was the inspiration of the Moonee Valley Racing Club in his role as chief executive.

Together with then chairman Bill Stutt in the 1970s, they lifted the Cox Plate to the weight-forage championship of Australasia.

When Ian joined the sleepy Moonee Valley Club somewhat controversially in 1970, the Club had only had three secretaries since its inception in 1917.

Ian, who spotted the position advertised in a New Zealand racing calendar, was then secretary of the Bay of Plenty Racing Club after working as a racing writer for The Dominion newspaper. Appointing a New Zealander to the post was, at the time, a controversial move. That didn’t bother Ian, or ’Macca’ as he was known to his many friends.

When he took over, the Cox Plate was worth A$30,000 and was not even the feature race on the day. Now, it has prize money of A$3 million.

Ian was son of Stan McEwen, a former racing editor of The Dominion. He was educated at Kelburn School and Wellington College before joining the staff of the Dom in 1945. He left in 1950 to become a racing writer for NZ Truth at Auckland and was with the tabloid till 1964 when he became managing secretary of the Bay of Plenty racing and trotting clubs.

on artificial tracks, which are now coming to pass, and he was one of the first to call for removal of the principal clubs system that ruled Australian racing for so long.

After leaving Moonee Valley, he was appointed executive consultant to TAB Gaming before the TAB was privatised.

In 1994, Ian, who had been responsible for the building of the harness racing track at Moonee Valley, was appointed chairman of the newly appointed Harness Racing Board.

Though he had recurring health problems due mainly to his long battle with diabetes, he threw himself into the job as passionately as he had into the gallops. When he finally opted for retirement, life on a farm at Tallarook with his second wife, Jo, was not for him and they soon moved back to Essendon.

Despite losing his lower right leg to diabetes, which caused him to miss his first Cox Plate in 30 years in 2000, and losing partial sight in an eye, he remained as passionate as ever about racing, particularly at Moonee Valley.

At the MVRC annual meeting in 2003, he led an attack on the committee against the club charging a A$50 admittance fee on Cox Plate day.

Ian had many other roles. He was inaugural national vicepresident of Diabetes Australia in 1983 and President from 1985-91; Chairman of the Diabetes Foundation of Victoria 1980-89; and a member of the Royal Melbourne Hospital Board of management for many years.

ERNEST (ERNIE) JAMES ARTHUR ORMROD, Musician.

B: 13 February, 1924. D: 25 November, 2007, New Plymouth. Wellington College 1938-1939.

A

Taranaki man awarded a British Empire Medal for his services to music died aged 83.

Ernest James Arthur Ormrod (Ernie) was born in Wellington but moved to New Plymouth in the 1950s with his wife Gwitha and children.

He began playing the piano at the age of five, learning brass instruments and joining the Port Nicholson Silver Band in 1938.

In 1942, he joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a bomber-gunner but kept playing in military bands. During the 1950s he became deputy conductor of the RNZAF Band, conducting it at Parliament’s official opening.

In New Plymouth, Ernie managed Colliers for many years and became president and a life member of the New Plymouth City Band after administering it for more than 25 years. As well as his British Empire Medal, Ernie was recognised by the New Zealand Brass Bands Association for service to the band movement. He often performed in the band, the New Plymouth Orchestra and New Plymouth Operatic Society’s orchestra.

Ernie told a Taranaki Daily News reporter in 1985: “I would like to think my involvement in all these things has brought pleasure to people and that my teaching has been of assistance to all the young bandsmen.” One of those young bandsmen was Bryce Gordon, who is now the band’s conductor. Mr Gordon learned cornet from Ernie and Ken Martin for about four years. Four words sprang to mind when he thought of Ernie dedicated, passionate, sharing and giving. “Ernie was very patient and he always had plenty of time to give to the youngsters,” he said. “I remember one band practice was cancelled because it was Easter but he’d forgotten to tell everyone so I turned up and he gave me an individual lesson instead.”

Ernie is survived by two children and six grandchildren.

During his time as CEO, from 1970-1990, Ian turned Moonee Valley into the ‘Action Attraction’ and was the first to introduce a host of features, including detailed form in the race book, integrating men and women in the members enclosure, allowing trainers and bookmakers to become members, introducing twilight and Sunday meetings, providing dining boxes for the public and a total undercover betting ring - innovations that are taken for granted these days.

ough times for retirees in the 1990s spawned the advocacy movement, Grey Power. Came the hour, came the man, in the form of engineer and company manager Graham Stairmand.

In a 1998 interview, Ian envisaged, among other features, racecourses equipped with hotel-style facilities and racing

As secretary of the movement in Christchurch, then president of the national organisation, Graham was

Graham Donal Stairmand, engineer and advocate: B: Wellington, January 22, 1929; D: Christchurch, May 23, 2008. Wellington College: 1942-1946

T

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

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OBITUARIES the face and the voice of Grey Power for a decade. When he died, he left New Zealand’s elderly in a better state than he had found them. His was a job done voluntarily and a job done well.

Graham Stairmand was the only child of a stern Scottish mother and a warm-hearted English father, from whom he took his egalitarian and humanitarian values.

After schooling at Hataitai School and Wellington College, and an intermediate year at Victoria University, he moved to Christchurch and gained an engineering degree from the University of Canterbury.

He was awarded a scholarship from Canterbury, which enabled him to complete a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Nottingham University in England.

Meeting Margaret Baird at a nurses’ and students’ dinner in Christchurch led to romance. The couple became engaged and the young nurse then followed her fiancé to Nottingham, where they were married in 1954.

The couple returned briefly to Christchurch before Graham took a job in Australia, in 1955. They lived mainly in Sydney for the next 18 years, with a short stint in Melbourne.

Graham began working in electrical engineering, moved into heavy engineering, and then into management.

By the early 1970s, he was running a group of companies, which required weekly shuttles between Sydney and Melbourne.

In 1973, the couple and their four children returned to Christchurch where Graham headed well-known Christchurch company Anderson’s Engineering for six years, before moving to footwear manufacturers Suckling Brothers.

Finding the work mundane and seeking a challenge, in 1982 he moved to the then failing firm of Tait Electronics.

As general manager he presided over the revitalisation of the firm before taking up the position of group general manager of the Andrews and Beaven group of companies.

The corporate buyout and asset- stripping of the Andrews and Beaven empire in the early 1990s left Graham stranded and he took retirement.

However, his son Malcolm says, he quickly “unretired” when one of Andrews and Beaven’s former companies asked him to take over its Nelson venture. The firm needed a project manager for the building of a cablelaying ship that would operate in Cook Strait and Graham loved the job and the Nelson region.

He and his wife commuted to Nelson, and were considering a permanent shift to the area when Margaret was diagnosed with cancer. They remained in Christchurch, where his wife died in 2000.

His interest sparked by the superannuation surcharge issue saw Graham become involved in Grey Power in the mid 1990s.

As a manager, he was a true humanitarian who knew all his workers and loved to chat with them. He held positive views of unions and spoke of the need for protecting workers’ rights. Though he had to deal with the tough Boilermakers’ Union, he had very little industrial trouble.

Graham deplored the change from old-style businesses that maintained a family atmosphere where management cared for staff, to the cut-throat modern enterprises ruled by contracts and the accumulation of wealth by managers being paid much more than employees.

He was a strong and forthright speaker who could work a crowd, but he never lusted after power or money. He was interested in politics but was apolitical, though he openly supported the MMP electoral system.

Graham Stairmand lived simply, in a plain house, with a plain car. His enjoyment was a round of golf with old mates, walking the dog, picnicking at Amberley Beach, and fishing at Birdlings Flat. His death brought glowing tributes from all quarters. He is survived by three daughters and a son.

GEOFFREY MICHAEL TRUEBRIDGE, Land Surveyor. B: 1 October, 1929 D: 21 October, 2006. Wellington College: 1944-1947

G

rowing up in Khandallah, Michael Truebridge attended Wellesley College before attending Wellington College where he enjoyed many team and individual sporting activities, including athletics.

Always a keen runner, he won many a title around the Wellington region as well as being awarded a Cross Country Running “Blue” from Victoria University. He always spoke fondly of his years in Wellington and the educational institutes he attended.

After leaving College, Michael studied for a BSc at Victoria University, before moving into surveying. He completed his surveying qualifications through the Cadet system, with the Wellington City Council and Truebridge Callender Beach. He became a registered land surveyor in 1957.

Upon gaining his qualifications, Michael and his new wife Jocelyn moved to Levin where he set up his own survey practice, Truebridge Associates. Michael had a great love of the land. As well as surveying the majority of the Horowhenua and Manawatu regions, he was a keen outdoors man enjoying many tramps throughout the district, New Zealand and the world, with the local Federated Farmers group and many other tramping associates.

Having travelled extensively throughout the world in his later years, Michael never found anything better than New Zealand. He was passionate about his country, particularly the Horowhenua District and Lake Taupo.

In the ensuing years, Graham advocated on behalf of the elderly with local and central government, all political parties and health and welfare services.

Michael always had a keen interest in national and local body politics and served on the Levin Borough Council for 22 years. He was a trustee of the Omori/Kuratau Charitable Trust at Lake Taupo and a member of the Kuratau/Omori Community Board. He was as well, a Life Member of the Levin Red Cross.

He won wide respect, which brought opportunities to contribute to policy making at all levels. His advice on issues ranging from reverse mortgages to rest home conditions was sought by many.

Michael loved to survey and worked at his firm up until a few weeks before he died. He is survived by his wife Jocelyn and their five children, Susan, Nicola, Timothy, Roger and Catherine.

Malcolm says his father was a relaxed and casual family man at home, but “he switched on for the business world and for Grey Power”. Whether he was mixing with shop floor workers in the factory, or entering a crowded hall to

96

address a meeting of superannuitants, he became genial and animated.

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

John Kempthorne Watson, Lawyer. B: 20 October, 1937; D: 6 January 2008, Lower Hutt.

Wellington College: 1950-1954.

T

his tribute is edited from a eulogy by Linton Adams.

I met John Watson over 40 years ago. I had joined the public accounting firm of Duncan, Craig & Sparkes in Lower Hutt and John was employed across the corridor at the legal firm of Rainey CoIlins Armour & Boock.

In the 1960s they had a large company client base in the finance sector and John honed his legal skills working as right-hand man to senior partner Alec Armour, dealing with many complex files.

I was barely 20 years old and John was in his late 20s so the age gap encouraged me (after a couple of respectful years) to nickname him “Uncle John” and “Uncle John” he has remained to this day, even by longstanding mutual clients.

It became very appropriate as John became a general practitioner lawyer, a true family lawyer. He was always there for clients’ families in their hour of need whether it was a large or small legal problem or of a more personal nature. He had the ability to empathise with clients and had a genuine interest in the broader aspects of the client’s business. Looking around the church today I recognise many second and even third generations of John’s clients.

Just over 20 years ago John joined Rod Gilliespie, Bill Macdonald, David Butler, James Young and Pat Grace in forming a new legal firm called Gilliespie Young Watson which went on to become one of the most respected legal firms in the Hutt Valley.

John had a complex character, reserved even shy - and maybe some people took a long time to get to really know him - but when they did they had a friend for life.

He was understated, certainly not pretentious, but with a quirky sense of humour... He enjoyed the banter and we always had good fun with John.

John had a brilliant legal mind, fantastic memory for facts and could recall circumstances and detail of events that had happened many years before. He was a meticulous note keeper and all of his clients present today will relate to his trademark fountain pen script written in an exercise pad of lined paper. John’s notes were always a succinct and logical summary of the legal matter at hand.

Of course, there is no getting away from the fact that John, like all lawyers, could be legalistic and pedantic if the occasion required it but more often than not he exercised a common sense approach to issues something that seems to be all too rare in many aspects of life today.

It has been an honour and privilege to share my thoughts of John’s contribution to the business life of our community and the heritage that he leaves behind - the legal profession has lost a very talented member and we have all lost a colleague and a good friend.

BRUCE BLADES, D: 26 June, 2008, Wellington

E

ven though Bruce Blades was not an Old Boy of Wellington College, he had a deep association with the school, firstly as the father of Head Prefect, Alex Blades (1984-1988).

Bruce, a civil engineer whose multiplicity of skills extended to sports field strategies and diplomacy saw him lead the restoration of the College’s Cricket Pavilion in the late 1980s, and was also responsible for the construction of the cricket nets. Bruce was made a life member of the Wellington College Cricket Club for his services.

OBITUARIES

I

t is with regret that we mention the passing of the following Old Boys, recorded since the 2007 Lampstand was issued. We wish to extend to each family, our sympathy in their loss.

AHEARN, Robert Carrington B: 1918 D: 2007, Wairarapa WC: 1932-1934 AHRADSEN, Peter William B: 1921 D: 12/12/06, Kapiti Coast WC: 1937-1937 ANDERSON, Ian Douglas B: 1931 D: 01/11/07, Auckland WC: 1944-1948 BAIGENT, John Warren B: 1924 D: 15/10/07, Wellington WC: 1938-1941 BENGE, Richard (Dick) Dorrington B: 1922 D: 23/04/08, Wellington WC: 1935-1939 BINNS, Phillip Stanley B: 1930 D: 11/11/07, Nelson WC: 1946-1946 BLAKE, Graeme Bertram [MBCHB, FRCS, FRACS] B: 1938 D: 07/01/08, Christchurch WC: 1952-1956 BOWYER, John Stephen B: 1919 D: 2007, Lower Hutt WC: 1934-1936 BRAY, Gail Kelburn B: 1926 D: 08/07/08, Bay of Plenty WC: 1939-1943 BURKE, Kerry William B: 1939 D: 13/06/08, Upper Hutt WC: 1952-1956 CAMERON, Morris Colin Fulton (Snow) [WWII 22 Battalion] B: 1917 D: 30/01/08, Levin WC: 1933-1934 CAMPBELL, Desmond Robert B: 1925 D: 2008, Canterbury WC: 1937-1939 CHISHOLM, Wesley Perrin B: 1915 D: 22/06/08, Manawatu WC: 1928-1928 CHONG, Peter B: 1939 D: 25/06/08, Wellington WC: 1953-1957 CHURCHWARD, Michael John B: 1959 D: 2007, Hawkes Bay WC: 1973-1974 CLARK, Graham Edward B: 1952 D: 25/04/08, Wellington WC: 1966-1970 CONNELL, Maurice Charles B: 1916 D: 01/08/08, Wanganui WC: 1930-1931 COOK, Gerard Matthew (Joe) 24th NZ Infantry Battalion, 2nd NZEF B: 1923 D: 27/05/08, Wellington WC: 1936-1940 COVENTRY, Bramwell Wesley Charles B: 1917 D: 03/12/07, Wellington WC: 1930-1932 COX, Frank Edward Murray B: 1930 D: 23/04/08, Horowhenua WC: 1944-1946 CRAIG, Stuart Aitken B: 1926 D: 06/09/07 WC: 1940-1941 CRAWFORD, Barrie Tweeddale B: 1935 D: 28/11/07, Auckland WC: 1948-1951 CUMMING, Lindsay Gordon B: 1934 D: 01/03/08, Wellington WC: 1947-1950 CUTFORTH, Grahame Hugh B: 1918 D: 22/12/07, Auckland WC: 1931-1934 DAWSON, Gordon B: 1928 D: 2007, Reefton WC: 1944-1946 de RIDDER, Eric Henry B: 1924 D: 27/01/08, Hawkes Bay WC: 1937-1940 DERBY, Harry Alfred B: 1939 D: 14/01/99, Auckland WC: 1953-1955 DICKEY, Sedgar Douglas Vivian B: 1914 D: 26/10/07, Canterbury WC: 1929-1932 DICKINSON, George Henry B: 1943 D: 01/01/08, Perth, WA WC: 1956-1959 DODD, John Fraser B: 1928 D: 25/10/07, Wellington WC: 1944-1945 DUDFIELD, Maurice Stafford B: 1942 D: 2006 WC: 1956-1957

DUNCAN, Bobbie (Bob) Charles B: 1932 D: 03/04/08, Lower Hutt WC: 1946-1947 EATON, Michael (Mike) David B: 1951 D: 28/10/07 Hawkes Bay WC: 1968-1968 EMERY, Alan David B: 1928 D: 23/02/08, Hawkes Bay WC: 1943-1946 ETHERINGTON, Michael Bruce B: 1949 D: 09/05/08 Kapiti Coast WC: 1963-1964 EVANS, Francis (Frank) Eyre Ogilvie B: 1919 D: 12/08/07 WC: 1936-1937 EVANS, John Victor [Professor] B: 1922 D: 11/04/07 WC: 1936-1939 Everett, Noel Rhodes B: 1936 D: 2007, Auckland WC: 1949-1952 FADYL, Irsan Chalid B: 1960 D: 25/04/07, Switzerland WC: 1974-1976 FINDLAY, David Bernard B: 1929 D: 06/04/07 WC: 1944-1946 FOSTER, Alexander McLeod B: 1927 D: 07/07/08, Poverty Bay WC: 1940-1945 FRASER, Simon Kenneth B: 1937 D: 07/06/08, Auckland WC: 1950-1953 FREEMAN, Murray Herbert B: 1942 D: 2007, Auckland WC: 1956-1960 FREW, Donald Leslie B: 1917 D: 23/09/07 WC: 1930-1933 GAPES, Robert (Bob) Francis B: 1931 D: 06/10/07, Auckland WC: 1945-1949 GERRARD, Boyd Lance Corporal, 22nd Batt. WWII B: 1920 D: 27/08/08, Wellington WC: 1935-1936 GIFFORD-MOORE, Harry Beresford B: 1925 D: 13/10/07, Auckland WC: 1939-1942 GORDON, Geoffrey Rhodes B: 1929 D: 11/01/08, Tauranga WC: 1946-1947 GOULD, Ronald William B: 1933 D: 22/07/03, Sydney WC: 1947-1950 HANDS, Bruce Berghan B: 1920 D: 25/05/08, Nelson WC: 1932-1936 HANTON, Noel Alexander B: 1931 D: 18/12/07, Northland WC: 1944-1948 HARVEY, Keith Alexander B: 1921 D: 02/04/08, Wellington WC: 1936-1936 HASSELL, Frederick Leonard B: 1941 D: 05/01/08, Masterton WC: 1955-1957 HAWKER, Horace Garner WWII, RNZAF B: 1922 D: 01/01/08, Upper Hutt WC: 1935-1936 HEAD, Royden Herbert B: 1942 D: 22/02/07, Auckland WC: 1955-1958 HENARE, Mita Robert (Bob) Hoturoa CNZM, OBE B: 1932 D: 02/01/08, Wellington WC: 1946-1951 HENDERSON, Ian Maurice B: 1922 D: 21/06/08, Waikato WC: 1948-1968 (Staff) HILL, Douglas Charles MBE, Lt Cdr (A) Fleet Air Army B: 1920 D: 05/03/08, Wellington WC: 1932-1935 HODGSON, Donald James B: 1937 D: 16/12/07, Auckland WC: 1950-1954 HUGHES, Norman B: 1923 D: 19/01/08, Wellington WC: 1939-1941 IBBETSON, Selwyn Denzil B: 1942 D: 2002 WC: 1956-1957 JACKSON, Yue Leonard, Doctor B: 1917 D: 04/10/07, Wellington WC: 1929-1934

JAMIESON, John Alastair B: 1925 D: 17/12/07, Wellington WC: 1938-1941 JOHNSEN, Peter Henry B: 1924 D: 00/01/07 WC: 1938-1941 JONES, Rex B: 1929 D: 04/01/08, Nelson WC: 1943-1945 JUDD, Robert Frederick B: 1941 D: 09/04/08, Manawatu WC: 1955-1956 KNAPP, Wallis Arnold (Don) B: 1923 D: 29/10/07, Wellington WC: 1938-1938 KNIGHT, John Frederick B: 1930 D: 03/03/08, Wairarapa WC: 1945-1945 LAIRD, Marshall B: 1923 D: 30/09/07, Tauranga WC: 1935-1939 LITTLE, Albert Gordon B: 1919 D: 30/11/07 WC: 1932-1935 LIVINGSTONE, John Angus (Jack) RNZVR WWII Lieutenant B: 1920 D: 30/03/08, Auckland WC: 1933-1936 LOCKIE, Harry Alistair B: 1925 D: 15/03/08, Wellington WC: 1940-1942 LOWEN, Ian Hartridge [Brigadier] AM, OBE, ED B: 1917 D: 03/01/07, Melbourne WC: 1931-1933 MacKAY, Colin B: 1934 D: 27/11/06, Wairarapa WC: 1946-1951 MacKINTOSH, Garth Alexander B: 1922 D: 2007, Hawkes Bay WC: 1937-1939 MANNING, Robert Langley B: 1931 D: 08/01/07 WC: 1948-1951 MARSDEN, Ernest David Lindsay (Tim) Dr BSc, MBChB, FRCNZC, GP B: 1922 D: 09/01/08, Auckland WC: 1935-1936 McEWEN, Ian Stuart Campbell B: 1930 D: 15/10/07, Melbourne WC: 1944-1946 McLEAN, Donald Fraser (Dougal) B: 1945 D: 07/07/08, Wellington WC: 1958-1963 MEEK, David Leslie B: 1951 D: 22/04/08, Greymouth WC: 1965-1968 MILLAR, John Notley (JP) Lieutenant RNZN, WWII Ex USSCO,

RNZNVR, NZCC B: 1924 D: 11/01/08, Wellington WC: 1938-1939 MILLER, John Dudley B: 1939 D: 29/01/07, Wellington WC: 1954-1955 MORTON, Hugh Saunders B: 1926 D: 07/05/08, NSW WC: 1940-1943 MULLIGAN, David Keith RNZAF B: 1919 D: 18/05/08, Kapiti Coast WC: 1934-1936 NAPIER, James (Jim) Keith B: 1924 D: 03/06/08, Kapiti Coast WC: 1938-1940 ORMROD, Ernest (Ernie) James Arthur BEM B: 1924 D: 25/11/07, Taranaki WC: 1938-1939 ORR, Vincent B: 1919 D: 27/06/08, Horowhenua WC: 1933-1934 OXBY, Leslie George B: 1914 D: 03/02/07, NSW WC: 1928-1929 PALMER, Hector, Sandford (Sandy) B: 1927 D: 30/12/07, Masterton WC: 1941-1944 PARKER, Bernard Thomas B: 1940 D: 00/12/07, Cambridge WC: 1954-1957 PATERSON, Jonathan Hugh B: 1935 D: 08/01/08, Kapiti Coast WC: 1949-1950 PAULL, Edwin Frank B: 1926 D: 08/02/08, Hamilton WC: 1939-1944

PETHERICK, Thomas Noel B: 1928, D: 12/09/07, Wellington WC: 1941-1944 PORTEOUS, James Graeme Petty Officer Radio Mech RNZN WWII B: 1919 D: 13/05/08, Wellington WC: 1934-1937 POTTINGER, John B: 1922 D: 17/11/07, Bay of Plenty WC: 1936-1940 PURDIE, Douglas Weston B: 1923 D: 06/06/08 WC: 1937-1938 READ, Raymond Kemp B: 1926 D: 21/04/08, Auckland WC: 1940-1944 REED, Selwyn Thomas B: 1938 D: 08/01/08, NSW WC: 1952-1955 RICHARDSON, Robert Graham B: 1925 D: 05/03/08, Auckland WC: 1939-1943 RITCHIE, Ronald John, MNZM B: 1924 D: 24/10/07, Wellington WC: 1938-1939 SAAR, Rein B: 1940 D: 29/06/07, NSW WC: 1954-1958 SHAW, Allen John B: 1930 D: 11/10/07, Bay of Plenty WC: 1943-1947 SHIMMINS, Ian Eric B: 1926 D: 2007, Wellington WC: 1939-1944 SMITH, Denis Brian B: 1946 D: Auckland WC: 1959-1963 SMITH, Desmond Leslie B: 1936 D: 12/06/08, Wairarapa WC: 1949-1949 SPEEDY, Glen Ashton RNZAF, WWII B: 1914 D: 20/04/08, Tauranga WC: 1931-1931 STAIRMAND, Graham Donal B: 1929 D: 23/05/08, Christchurch WC: 1942-1946 STANLEY, Victor Alan B: 1915 D: 2007, Wellington WC: 1927-1931 STOKOE, Brian St John B: 1931 D: 30/01/07, Horowhenua WC: 1945-1945 STONES, Francis William B: 1920 D: 24/05/06, Wellington WC: 1934-1937 STUBBS, Alan Raymond B: 1948 D: 14/10/07, Kapiti Coast WC: 1962-1965 THORBURN, James (Jim) George B: 1920 D: 23/12/06, Marlborough WC: 1934-1937 TOSSMAN, Aaron B: 1913 D: 18/09/07, Auckland WC: 1927-1927 TRUEBRIDGE, Michael Geoffrey B: 1929 D: 21/10/06, Horowhenua WC: 1944-1947 WALSH, Francis (Frank) Richard RNZAF Pilot Officer, England B: 1925 D: 28/04/08, Wellington WC: 1940-1941 WARD, Geoffrey Arthur Harold B: 1920 D: 30/05/08, Wellington WC: 1934-1935 WATCHMAN, Reginald Raine B: 1937 D: 06/01/08, NSW WC: 1928-1928 [Firth House] WATSON, John Kempthorne B: 1937 D: 06/01/08, Wellington WC: 1950-1954 WATT, Peter Stuart B: 1938 D: 22/05/08, Wairarapa WC: 1952-1954 WATTS, Trevor William B: 1925 D: 22/04/08, Taupo WC: 1938-1939 WAUGH, John Dempster OBE Group Captain, RNZAF B: 1925 D: 25/02/08, Tauranga WC: 1938-1941 WERREY, Derek William B: 1926 D: 04/01/08, Hastings WC: 1939-1942 WOTTON, Craig David B: 1968 D: 25/11/06 WC: 1982-1986

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

97

A SNAPSHOT OF COLLEGE LIFE

This postcard was found on Trade Me recently, purchased for $7.00 by Stephanie Kane. The postmark is 1905.

From the Johnny Tucker collection; (L) The last Assembly in Memorial Hall (1968), (R): Firth House Boarders attend ‘Church” on a Sunday morning (1968)

2007 Head Prefect, Alex Ross displays a ‘fondness’ for the Headmaster, the artwork by a posse of Y13 students

Wellington College - a bit of old and a bit of new 98

THE LAMPSTAND 2008

A Neville Lodge cartoon from 1967 acknowledging a century of Wellington College Sportsmen and Teams

CLASSIFIEDS WELLINGTON COLLEGE MEMORABILIA A

WCOBA TIE

$30.00 $5.00

B

WCOBA LAPEL PIN

C

WELLINGTON COLLEGE BOXER SHORTS [S-L]

$10.00

D

WELLINGTON COLLEGE SCARF

$34.00

E

WELLINGTON COLLEGE POLO {XS - 2XL]

$20.00

F

WELLINGTON COLLEGE BBQ APRON

$22.00

G

WELLINGTON COLLEGE SPORTS/BATH TOWEL

$22.00

H

WELLINGTON COLLEGE KEY RING

$10.00

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WELLINGTON COLLEGE BEER MUG

$12.00

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WELLINGTON COLLEGE COFFEE CUP

$7.00

K

WELLINGTON COLLEGE HIP FLASK

$25.00

M

WELLINGTON COLLEGE UMBRELLAS (Golf or Telescope)

$22.00

N

WELLINGTON COLLEGE COLLEGIAN (10 copies mailed per annum)

$25.00

O

WELLINGTON COLLEGE CHORALE CD

$15.00

All items can be ordered via the enclosed Feedback Form

A Great Gift for Wellington College Old Boys A Wellington College 2009 13-month Calendar.

Each month presents a historical photo of the College and College life.

Compiled by College Mothers. $16.50 (incl postage within NZ) $20.00 (incl international postage) Delivery, early October, 2008

THE WELLINGTON COLLEGE CHORALE CD • $15.00

O

ld Boys who have attended reunions over the past few years have had the pleasure of listening to our Chorale sing at the Reunion Dinners.

The Chorale have now put out a CD featuring songs from their award-winning performances and a few other harmonised pieces.

Sales of the CD will benefit the Chorale, assisting them to attend National Competitions.

CHECK LIST 

• COMPLETE FEEDBACK FORM • SEND US YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS • UPDATE YOUR DETAILS IF YOU MOVE • PLAN TO ATTEND A REUNION • KEEP US UP-TO-DATE ON ANY NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS, MEMORIES, STORIES & OBITUARIES

THE

T

COLLEGIAN

HE COLLEGIAN is the eight-page monthly newsletter, mailed to current families of the College, to keep them informed of academic, and cultural highlights as From From the the Headmaster Headmaster sporting well as other topical news relating to T Wellington College. A number of Old Boys also subscribe, either by post or email.

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As As mentioned, mentioned, the the Turnbull Turnbull Scholarships Scholarships Zk^ ZpZk]^] mh ma^ mhi Öo^ lmn]^gml bg ma^ Zk^ ZpZk]^] mh ma^ mhi Öo^ lmn]^gml bg ma^ NZ NZScholarship ScholarshipExaminations.

Examinations. They Theyare areas as _heehpl3 _heehpl3

Victor Victor Ghitescu.

Ghitescu. Victor Victor was was awarded awarded aa Scholarship Scholarship inin Mathematics Mathematics with with Calculus Calculus and and Outstanding Outstanding Scholarships Scholarships inin English English and and Classical Classical Studies.

Studies. Victor Victor has has gained gained Z L\aheZklabi mh lmn]r Zm ma^ Ngbo^klbmr h_ Z L\aheZklabi mh lmn]r Zm ma^ Ngbo^klbmr h_ Sydney.

Sydney.

Sam Reese.

Reese. Sam Sam was was awarded awarded aa :m :m P^eebg`mhg P^eebg`mhg <hee^`^% <hee^`^% p^ p^ fZd^ fZd^ Z Z Sam Scholarship inin History History and and Outstanding Outstanding ik^l^gmZmbhg ik^l^gmZmbhg mh mh hnk hnk mhi mhi i^k_hkfbg` i^k_hkfbg` Öo^ Öo^ hk hk Scholarship Scholarships inin English English and and Classical Classical six sixstudents studentsat atY11 Y11and andY12, Y12,and andat atY13 Y13we we Scholarships Studies. This This year year Sam Sam isis studying studying at at reward rewardall allstudents studentswho whohave havegained gainedat atleast least Studies.

VictoriaUniversity.

University. three threeScholarships Scholarshipsand andTurnbull TurnbullAwards Awardsto to Victoria the thevery veryhighest highestachievers. achievers.

Seb SebWilkin.

Wilkin.Seb Sebwas wasawarded awardedScholarships Scholarships English and and Media Media Students.

Students. He He was was P^ P^ \hff^g] \hff^g] pZkfer pZkfer mahl^ mahl^ lmn]^gml lmn]^gml pah pah inin English also alsoawarded awardedOutstanding OutstandingScholarships Scholarshipsinin were werethis thisyear’s year’srecipients. recipients.

Classical ClassicalStudies Studiesand andHistory.

History.InInSeptember, September, L^[ L^[ pbee pbee [^ [^ `hbg` `hbg` mh mh lmn]r lmn]r EZp EZp Zm Zm ;Zeebhe ;Zeebhe Y11: Y11: Callum CallumButler Butler <hee^`^% Hq_hk]' <hee^`^% Hq_hk]' Carlos CarlosCarbanatto-Bowkett Carbanatto-Bowkett Hugo HugoDobson Dobson Alex AlexRoss.

Ross.Alex Alexwas wasawarded awardedScholarships Scholarships Timo TimoFeeney-Toebes Feeney-Toebes ininBiology, Biology,Economics, Economics,Physics, Physics,Maths Mathswith with Andrew AndrewMcIndoe McIndoe Thang ThangTran Tran Y12: Y12:

Asim AsimAbulhamid Abulhamid Michael MichaelBlaschke Blaschke Hunter HunterDouglas Douglas Bavan BavanGnanasampanthan Gnanasampanthan Nick NickHopman Hopman Toby TobyNewberry Newberry

Y13: Y13:

James JamesFletcher Fletcher Benjamin BenjaminKrieble Krieble James JamesLeslie Leslie Joel JoelMiller Miller Talosaga TalosagaTalosaga Talosaga Michael MichaelTrigg Trigg

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