The
L MPSTAND
THE ANNUAL MAGAZINE OF THE WELLINGTON COLLEGE OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION
Number 19 • September, 2009
Wellington College Old Boys’ Association PO Box 16073, Wellington, New Zealand 6242 Telephone: (04) 802 2537 • Facsimile: (04) 802 2542 Email: oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz • www.wellington-college.school.nz LAMPSTAND 2009 • 1
with Thanks
Wellington College Old Boys’ Association
Special thanks to Paddianne Neely, our Archivist for her efforts in providing material for The Lampstand and to Gil Roper (1959-61) and Gary Girvan (1963-00) who proof-read The Lampstand. Thank you also to staff and Old Boys for sending in news that helps form The Lampstand each year. Stephanie Kane, Editor
PO Box 16073, Wellington Telephone: (04) 802 2537 • Facsimile: (04) 802 2542 Stephanie Kane, WCOBA Executive Officer Email: oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz
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EMAIL us
Help us to tell you news from the Association (including forthcoming reunions and functions) by providing us with your email address, then we can keep you up-to-date on news and events. Email us at oldboys@wellington-college. school.nz with your details and save a tree or two!
Got A Spare $5? With escalating costs of producing The Lampstand (around $25,000pa for printing and mailing alone), our magazine is becoming an expensive outlay for the Association. With so much more news to report on individual Old Boys, past and forthcoming reunions and events, we would never dream in stopping production, nor reduce the content back to the six pages as we used to produce, so we have been looking at possible solutions to assist with costs.
OLD FRIENDS
Last but not least, don’t forget to sign up to Old Friends - a NZ based website that you can register and associate yourself with your school, your employment, your clubs etc. There are around 2000 Old Boys who have already registered under Wellington College link, many who have recorded their memories. Others are using the ‘Looking For’ link to find missing Classmates and others have posted Form Class Photos. Worth a look!
We invite all readers of The Lampstand to support this publication by sending us $5. Support from our Old Boys will ensure this publication continues in its current full format and accordingly we can meet our printing and postage costs. Thanks for your support.
The Lampstand The Lampstand is a Registered Newsletter of the Wellington College Old Boys' Association. Correspondence can be sent to: The WCOBA Executive Officer, PO Box 16073, Wellington. The Lampstand is edited, designed and produced by Stephanie Kane. Back issues can be found on the Wellington College Website: www.wellington-college.school. nz (Our Community/Old Boys/Lampstands). 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. Life Membership: $150.00 (Includes a Certificate of Life Membership and Lapel Pin) If you have lost your Life Membership Certificate and would like another, please contact us and a new one will be mailed out. Details are on the enclosed feedback form.
Don't forget to check out our website for news from the College and the WCOBA at www.wellington-college. school.nz 2 • LAMPSTAND 2009
Wellington College Founded 1 8 6 7
Home
About Us
Academic
Sport & Culture
Enrolment
International
Our Community
Development
WELCOME
DATES TO note october 16 - 17, 2009 class of 1969 reunion november 6, 2009 class of 1999 reunion november 13, 2009 wellington get-together november 18, 2009 auckland get-together march 2, 2010 mcevedy SHIELD march 26-27, 2010 class of 1960 reunion april 23, 2010 WELLINGTON COLLEGE
anzac service april 30 - may 1, 2010 firth house reunion june 2, 2010 wcoba agm & ST PAT'S traditional july 26 - 28, 2010 quadrangular @ wanganui COLLEGIATE october 15 - 16, 2010 class of 1970 reunion FULL DETAILS OF THE ABOVE EVENTS ARE CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ISSUE. AS OTHER EVENTS ARE CONFIRMED, WE WILL PLACE THEM ON OUR WEBSITE AND VIA EMAIL.
The past year to date has been busy one for me and the WCOBA, with a large number of Old Boys visiting the College for reunions and associated events as well as those who visited the College under other auspices that we celebrated, and those who simply called in when passing by. Headmaster, Roger Moses, President Bob Slade, Deputy Principal Robert Anderson, Development Director Graeme Steven and myself have all enjoyed meeting Old Boys at various functions around the country and overseas.
The ‘40 Years On’ Reunions are now well established and our sixth one will take place later this year. Coincidently, the Class of 1968 was the last cohort to attend Assembly in the old Memorial Hall before it was demolished. ‘50 Years On’ Reunions are also becoming established, with three now under our belt. The inaugural ‘60 Years Plus’ Reunion was also an exercise on its own but it certainly was a most memorable occasion for our guests and for them to see that their old school is ‘good in heart’. There have also been one-off reunions attended by various sports teams and form classes. It is always a delight to welcome back our Old Boys and partners for their cohort reunion. The reunions always reverberate with many a “whatever happened to…” as well as many a tale of goings on at the College and life since leaving twenty, forty, fifty or sixty years ago.
Aside from the Welcome Functions and Formal Dinners, a tour of the College offers our guests a trip down memory lane. Much of the school has changed in appearance with the demolition of many of the buildings from their time. It is an interesting observation to watch these Old Boys fathom out where buildings once were as they get their bearings. The tours are always greeted with amazement and in some ways, sadness as many of the buildings that these Old Boys remember from their time are no longer there. Many Old Boys have responded with great enthusiasm to our plan to rebuild the Memorial Hall, albeit bigger and adapted for the modern world 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. Like any group of great diversity, our Old Boys display a wide range of ages, (from those who were at the College in the 1920s to those who graduate this year) backgrounds and interests. Their careers and achievements have taken them to all parts of the world but many still share an association with their College and now share their stories with us. I hope you find reading this issue of The Lampstand as rewarding as I did in putting it together. Stephanie Kane WCOBA Executive Officer
Lost Old Boys 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 2010. 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 the WCOBA office to update their details.
IN THIS ISSUE WCOBA Executive News
4
Reunions from the past 12 months
8
Forth-coming Reunions
25
Functions from the past 12 months
30
Plus forth-coming events
2009 ANZAC Service and Tribute
38
Wellington College Archives
40
Wellington College Stories
42
New Zealand Honours
48
Crossing our Paths
50
Feature Stories on Old Boys
From the Development Office
70
News from Wellington College
74
Your Letters and Feedback
78
Obituaries
88
89
Detailed Obituaries
WCOBA & College Merchandise
99
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 3
WCOBA EXECUTIVE • 2009-2010 POSITION
NAME
PRESIDENT
Bob Slade
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Ross Macdonald
TREASURER
1952-1956
Vacant
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Stephanie Kane
CENTENNIAL TRUST CHAIR
Matthew Beattie
EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
Robert Anderson
Brendan Jarvis (Auckland Rep) Roger Moses (Headmaster) Matthew Reweti Guy Randall
Ernie Rosenthal Brian Smythe Scott Tingey
YEARS 1954-1958 -
1970-1972
1969-1973
1998-2001 -
1986-1990 1999-2003 1957-1960 1954-1958 1974-1978
CONTACT bob@slade.co.nz • Tel: 04 477 0027 Fax: 04 232 5494
oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz matthew.beattie@insteplimited.com
r.anderson@wellington-college.school.nz eyelinks@paradise.net.nz
r.moses@wellington-college.school.nz matthew.reweti@gmail.com randall_guy@hotmail.com
e.rosenthal@wellington-college.school.nz smythelson@xtra.co.nz zl2tpd@gmail.com
WCOBA CONTACTS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE GLOBE LOCATION AUCKLAND WAIKATO BAY OF PLENTY HAWKES BAY MANAWATU HOROWHENUA NELSON MARLBOROUGH CANTERBURY OTAGO AUSTRALIA (NSW) AUSTRALIA (VIC) UNITED KINGDOM
NAME
YEARS
Brendan Jarvis
1998-2001
EMAIL eyelinks@paradise.net.nz
Alain Harper
1956-1960
apralain@wave.co.nz
Robert Bruce
1954-1958
rabruce@inspire.net.nz
John Sherring
Dave Halliday
Des Patching
Brian Hurst
John Wedde
John Veale
Peter Morrison
Darryl Tong
Michael Rhodes
Peter Osvath
Rob Owers
Martin Conway
1942-1946
1962-1966
1943-1946
1964-1966
1961-1965
1960-1964
1970-1975
1981-1985
1962-1966
1966-1970
1951-1955
1971-1974
ejsherring@xtra.co.nz
dash-hb@slingshot.co.nz
thepatchings@xtra.co.nz
hurstbchallenge.nel@xtra.co.nz
johnwedde@xtra.co.nz
john.h.veale@xtra.co.nz
morrisonh@xtra.co.nz
darryl.tong@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
TELEPHONE (021) 330 810
(07) 848 4091 Fax: (07) 838 0082
(07) 576 5354
(06) 844 7590
(06) 329 7858
(06) 368 7282
(03) 548 4456
(027) 484 3729
(03) 351 5510
(03) 377 7905 or (027) 434 0568 (03) 479 6530
michael@mkarhodes.com
(+614) 127 20922 (M)
martin_conway1410@yahoo.co.uk
(0) 20 8392 2566
peter.osvath@csiro.au
rowers@bigpond.net.au
(03) 9545 2594 or (+610) 439 343 483 (M) (03) 9807 0931 or (0419) 807 093 (M)
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/USA/CANADA. WE ARE ONLY TOO HAPPY TO ARRANGE AN EVENT FOR FELLOW OLD BOYS IF YOU CAN ASSIST AS THE LOCAL CONTACT.
PURPOSE OF THE WCOBA 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.
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. 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.
4 • LAMPSTAND 2009
WCOBA PRESIDENT’S REPORT I have pleasure in presenting the Annual Report of the Wellington College Old Boys’ Association for the 20082009 year.
College for a wide range of teaching, learning, cultural and sporting needs. In addition, an Annual Giving Appeal has also been established.
• OUR ASSOCIATION As also mentioned last year, the During my six years as Development Office is overseen President, I have attended the by a Development Committee Wellington College Leavers’ which is a sub-committee of Dinner each year and have told the College’s Board of Trustees. Bob Slade • 1954-1958 the young men (our newest Old Matthew Beattie, an Old Boys’ Boys) that they are about to become members Association Executive Committee Member is of a special brotherhood. I firmly believe this. the Chairman of this committee. • LAMPSTAND PUBLICATION At a record size of 100 pages, 10,000 copies of the Association’s magazine was issued in September, 2008 to Old Boys in New Zealand and overseas. As always, it is of the highest quality, containing a wide range of current and historical events of Old Boys and of the College, together with photos. Many favourable comments have been received and Old Boys continue to provide further material and update personal details for this year’s publication and database. Stephanie Kane, the Association’s Executive Officer does a superb job as Editor of The Lampstand.
• WELLINGTON COLLEGE ACHIEVEMENTS For quite a number of years now, Wellington College has once again performed with great distinction in the NZ Scholarship Awards. In 2008, our students gained 114 Scholarships, 19 of which were at the Outstanding level. This number is greater than any school has achieved in the previous history of these examinations and pending official confirmation, is probably the highest of any school in the country in 2008. These brilliant achievements are the result of the total commitment and dedication given by Headmaster Roger Moses, his staff and students alike. Sporting and cultural achievements continue to be exceptional with 43 Wellington College boys representing New Zealand in their chosen sporting and cultural activities during 2008.
• DEVELOPMENT OFFICE As mentioned last year, the purpose of the Development Office is to raise on behalf of the College Foundation, funding to be applied 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
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.
In conjunction with the College Foundation, and now recently the College itself, the Old Boys’ Association has been contributing towards the Development Office operating costs. Our commitment towards these costs will continue to reduce as the College becomes more involved.
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 $1,500,000 in pledges, over $90,000 towards the Annual Giving Appeal, and known Bequests valued at $90,000. Prospects for several very significant pledges in the near future are good. • SPECIAL EVENTS On 9 April, 2009 a very moving ANZAC Service was held in College Hall attended a by a good number of former and current serving Old Boys and a very fine address was given by Deputy Principal and Old Boy, Robert Anderson who spoke about Old Boy Hāmi Grace (1905-08). At the service, Hāmi’s family gifted to the College his precious medals and the diary he kept up until his untimely death on Chunuk Bair. Preceding the lunch and service, our guests were treated to a deeply moving powhiri, led by Head Prefect of 1992 Tane Gray, and the College’s Kapa Haka. • 2008 QUADRANGULAR TOURNAMENT This very historic and traditional rugby tournament was held in Christchurch in late July of last year – the weather being somewhat cold but rain held off until the matches were over. Wellington College extended their historical fifth successive win in 2007 by again, defeating a strong Nelson College team in the final to win a record sixth straight Quadrangular win in this 82-year-old competition. We were delighted to host a number of Old Boys at a function in town with attendees including a diverse range of ages – from those that left in
2007 right through to Old Boys who were at the College in the 1930s.
• OLD BOYS’ FUNCTIONS Our Wellington Function last November was well attended and Headmaster Roger Moses spoke about current and future activities at the College.
During the past year, Roger Moses, Graeme Steven, Stephanie Kane and I have attended various functions around New Zealand. On 1 March, my wife Janet and I hosted an Old Boys picnic at our Manakau property for Old Boys from the Manawatu, Horowhenua and Kapiti Branch at which we were entertained by the wonderful skills of Old Boy Magician Andrew Wilson.
Roger and Graeme have also hosted functions in Melbourne and Sydney. Everywhere we go, we find Old Boys to be 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 for her tireless energy and skill in coordinating our social activities. • REUNIONS ‘40 Years On’ Reunions are now well established and the Class of 1968 held theirs with great success last October. ‘50 Years On’ Reunions are also becoming established, the Class of 1959 held a wonderful 50 Years On Reunion in March 2009 with great success. In May, we were delighted to welcome back around 200 Old Boys who attended the College’s 60 Years Plus Reunion. It was a memorable day and evening, encompassing a number of events which ensured that these senior Old Boys were well catered for.
There have also been one-off reunions attended by various sports teams and form classes. I wish to give special thanks to Stephanie for her organising talents and hard work concerning all reunions and gatherings. • ARCHIVES As already mentioned, the Archives are one of the priorities within the College’s building plans. In recent years, Old Boys have also been donating to an Archives Building Refurbishment Fund which presently totals just over $20,000. 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.
• ASSISTANCE TO THE COLLEGE In addition to assisting with the operating costs of the Development Office in conjunction with the Foundation and now the College, 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, LAMPSTAND 2009 • 5
2009 president’s report 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. • EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE I extend my appreciation to the Executive Committee for their strong support during the year. I also could not have performed my role as President without the loyal support of our dedicated and talented Executive Officer, Stephanie Kane.
• CONCLUSION As stated last year, I continue to believe that 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.
has its own website www.wellington-college. school.nz (Our Community/Old Boys) containing current Old Boys’ information and the last seven issues of The Lampstand.
BOB SLADE, PRESIDENT PO Box 13-551, Johnsonville,Wellington T: (04) 477 0027 E: bob@slade.co.nz
Old Boys are reminded that our Association
How to Calculate Your ‘Cohort Leaving Year’ at Wellington College
Fill 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 (Upper 6th) 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 the example table should assist in your calculations.
Example (as shown in table): I joined Wellington College in the 3rd form in 1966 and left at the end of the 6th form in 1969. 1. Fill in 4th Form = 1967, 5th Form = 1968 and and 6th Form = 1969 2. Fill in the remaining COHORT YEARS you would have been at College ie 1970 is your COHORT YEAR. 3rd Form 4th Form 5th Form Year 9 Year 10 Year 11
1966
1967
6th Form Year 12
7th Form Upper 6th Year 13 This is Your Cohort Year
1969
1970
1968
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
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
2040
40 YEARS ON REUNION CLASS OF 1969
10 YEARS ON REUNION CLASS OF 1999
20 YEARS ON REUNION CLASS OF 1990
50 YEARS ON REUNION CLASS OF 1960
40 YEARS ON REUNION CLASS OF 1970
OCTOBER 16-17, 2009 Registrations taking place NOW
NOVEMBER 6, 2009 Registrations taking place NOW
Date to be Confirmed Registration Form to be issued October, 2009
MARCH 27-28, 2010 Registration Form to be issued October, 2009
OCTOBER 15-16, 2010 Registration Form to be issued November, 2009
WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU DO?
Wanted urgently. The Careers and Transition Department is keen to be in contact with Old Boys who might be willing to provide any of the following:
Ever wondered what your old classmates are up to? Ever thought they may be interested in what you do?
Work Experience for Y12 students in late August each year. Part-Time Jobs for Senior Students; Give a lunchtime presentation to interested students about your career or business; Come and speak to relevant classes about your business or speciality; Employ (no wages paid) a Senior Gateway Student for one day a week (Wednesdays’)
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. 6 • LAMPSTAND 2009
Any further suggestions or inquiries, please contact Ernie Rosenthal, Careers Adviser at Wellington College (and Old Boy). HOD Transition, Careers & Tourism; STAR Coordinator and Gateway Manager Tel: 04 802 2536 • Cell: 021 1249 439 • Fax: 04 802 2542 • PO Box 16-073, Wellington or email: e.rosenthal@wellington-college.school.nz
2009 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Bob Slade, Matthew Beattie
Graeme Steven, Lynn Morrison
Noel Evans, Wally Simmers
Andy Tie, Mark Trafford
Milton Mexted, Vern Darke
Peter Wedde, Mike Wiggins
Guy Randall, Matt Reweti, Scott Tingey
Grant Bundle, Ben Lau
Gil Roper, Gregor Fountain
Compared to the miserable 2008 AGM, the 2009 meeting took place on a sunny Wednesday on 3 June in the College’s Cricket Pavilion - ideal conditions for the Traditional rugby and football fixture against St Patrick’s (Silverstream).
examinations. Other highlights are covered in detail in this publication.
perhaps even yourself, an Old Boy who could offer their accounting services for a couple of hours a month to maintain the Association’s accounts, please contact President Bob Slade in the first instance.
A good turnout of Old Boys, young and older were in attendance, including current staff (and former Old Boys) and a couple from outof-town.
Headmaster Roger Moses began the proceedings with a warm welcome to those in attendance. He then acknowledged the sterling contribution that President Bob Slade has given to the Association during his tenure, and hoped that he would continue in this role. I was touched that Roger also acknowledged the work I have been carrying out for the Association, with particular emphasis on the reunion programmes and The Lampstand. Roger then went on to highlight the College’s successes over the past twelve-months. He was most delighted with the College’s academic results, with the College being the top school in the country in 2008 in the NZ Scholarship
As Roger concluded, Bob Slade acknowledged the recent OMNZ title bestowed on Roger in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to Education. A hearty round of applause was given to Roger to congratulate him.
Bob then moved on to the AGM Agenda and referred to his President’s report [produced on the previous page] and then on to the Financial Statements. He also touched on the three recent reunions at the College: the Class of 1968, Class of 1959 and the 60 Years On Plus Reunion as well as the Old Boy functions that have taken place around the country and in Australia. The Election of Officers welcomed a new Executive Member - Brian Smythe (1954-58), and former Head Prefect who has moved back to Wellington after 40 plus years in Nelson. Resignations were received from Ian de Terte and Robin Cathcart. With the resignation of Robin from the Executive, we require the services of a new Treasurer. If you know, or
Bob also paid tribute to fellow Executive Members and to Archivist Paddianne Neely’s work, in particular to her wonderful photographic displays at recent reunions. Aside from a couple of general queries about the financial statements and a couple of anecdotes, no further general business was recorded, the meeting concluded in a record time of 30 minutes. A buffet lunch and refreshments were served to those in attendance, before the two traditional fixtures kicked off.
With a sunny day beckoning, many went down to the sideline after dining, to enjoy the live action with a good result to the 1st XV, winning 42-20 and the 1st XI Football who won 6-0. Stephanie Kane WCOBA Executive Officer
2010 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 OR first Wednesday in June in conjunction with the Traditional against either St Patrick's (Town) or (Silverstream) 2010 - Town. Copies of the 2009 MINUTES and FINANCIAL STATEMENTS are available either online or by contacting the WCOBA Office. LAMPSTAND 2009 • 7
REUNIONS
Reliving the memories - never mind about the score! With the 125th 1st XV Traditional against St Patrick’s (Town) in June this year, Peter Jackson (1980-84) thought it would be a great opportunity for the 1st XV of 1984 to meet up again on this auspicious occasion. Peter’s team, captained by 1984 Head Prefect Michael Heron drew with SPT 3-3 so there was a score to settle 25 years on with the 2009 1st XV.
Five team members assembled at the College and following a tour of their old school, met with Headmaster Roger Moses for a bit of a reminisce before heading through the tunnel to Evans Bay where the match was drawn to play. Even though there was some pretty vocal home side encouragement, support from our current
senior students and a great number of Old Boys saw Wellington College win comfortably 38-12.
The after match function at SPT also included a sprinkling of their 1st XV members from 1988 and ‘our 1984 boys’ finally got to hold the shield.
In front of the 1984 1st XV photo in the College's Recption are Michael Heron, Stuart Holden, Peter Jackson and Martin Halliday
The 2009 1st XV celebrate with the coveted Traditional Shield. Wellington College have won 75 matches and Town, 42 and there have been 8 draws
Finally getting to hold the shield are (L-R): Peter Jackson, Martin Halliday, Stuart Holden, Michael Heron
(L-R): Wellington College's 2009 Captain, Lima Sopoaga, 1984 Captain, Michael Heron, SPT 1984 Captain, Matt Christie and 2009 SPT Captain, Eric Sione
The ‘Quad Boys’ meet for an impromptu ‘Coll Gathering’
Leputi Finau (1994-99) wrote to us earlier this year to tell us that he arranged a 10 Years On 'Quad Boys' Reunion with a BBQ at his place. The reunion attendees included David Palu, Toili Latu, Sammy Isa'ako, Fa'asili Richardson Tugaga, Ete Masun, Nu Filo, Soti Fa'amausili and Neemia Tialata. The '99 seniors that were not able to attend included Wayne Lau'ulu (away playing for the Black Sox), Paul Rasch (obligations in Auckland), Otto Rasch (currently residing in France playing rugby) and Ross Alosio (in Mars where no one has any contact details for him). The boys look forward meeting up again later this year at the Class of 1999 Reunion.
8 • LAMPSTAND 2009
REUNIONS • 40 YEARS ON • CLASS OF 1968
Back Row: Fourth Row: Third Row: Second Row: Front Row: Absent for Photo:
Fraser Clark, Craig Wylie, Dave Graves, Neil Livingston, Jim Tait, Viv Gandar, Kerry Sinclair, Ross Davey, Rowan Renouf, David Wiley, Derek Tyler, Geoff Pearce Mark de Berry, Peter Wilton, Jeremy Rhodes, Bruce Mitchell, Gary Shearer, John Harrison, John Lennie, Neil Dykes, Craig Chappell, Charlie Loh, Tony Hayman Ian Wong, Richard Keeling, Ross Blick, Malcolm McLean, Alan Jenkins, Bruce Little, Dave McArtney, Roy Allen, Brendan Smyth, Les Mathews Paul Myers, Steve Tasker, Peter Lorentz, John Langford, Andrew Wilson, Gordon Ritson, Tony Skilton, Johnny Tucker, Graeme Wheatley, John Fyson Steve Chong, Mike Wiggins, Graeme Warring, Barry Tingey (Former Master), David Sage (Head Prefect 1968), Roger Moses (current Headmaster), Ted Clayton (Former Master), Chris Kalderimis, Wayne Deterte, Kevin Moss, Greg Monteith Alasdair Cassels, Fane Flaws, Stefanos Kappatos, Mike Randall
It was the Class of 1968’s turn to meet 40 Years On in October last year at Wellington College for two days of reminiscing, nostalgia and renewing acquaintances. Coincidently, the Class of 1968 was the last class to attend Assembly in the old Memorial Hall.
Following registrations and a brief welcome from Headmaster Roger Moses, the group headed to the Assembly. John Lennie gave the reading, followed by an address from 1968 Head Prefect David Sage. David is now Chief Medical Officer for the Auckland District Health Board and Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Auckland. At school, David belonged to the orchestra and drama club and says he was very proud of achieving the 2D rugby team on the wing. Following a hearty rendition of Forty Years On, the 1968 class departed the Assembly Hall to the applause from current students up to Firth Hall for morning tea, a more formal welcome from Roger and then a tour around the College. That afternoon the group headed out onto Wellington’ Harbour for a cruise on ‘Sweet Georgia’ organised by Gordon Ritson,
returning just in time for the Class of 1968 photo - thanks Gordon!
The Cocktail Party then followed, with a few more joining the throng - absent from the morning’s activities. Peter Wilton spoke on behalf of the Class, thanking Roger for his hospitality.
The formal conclusion came around 10.00pm, however a large contingent headed into the city to experience Wellington’s nightlife. Certainly a lot of changes would have been apparent from the days in 1968 with Courtenay Place a shadow of itself today. From all accounts, it was a rather long evening - and wonderful that former Master Ted Clayton managed to keep up with the ‘young fellas’ as they reminisced into the wee small hours. Those who could manage it, played golf the following morning, and then I suspect there may have been one or two that had an afternoon siesta before returning to the College, along with partners for the formal dinner.
Following pre-dinner drinks, the College’s
award-winning chorale sang to the guests - their repertoire included a selection of their winning songs plus Jerusalem and 40 Years On concluding with Grace - and one or two damp eyes. Bruce Little gave the toast to the College, responded to by Roger Moses. Johnny Tucker toasted Firth House and then followed, toasts to staff and absent friends. Many a humorous anecdote was recounted throughout the evening by the Class and former staff as memories came floating back.
This was our fifth 40 Years On Reunion and well attended. Particular mention must be made to those who flew in from overseas; Fraser Clark from Fiji, Tony Hayman, Alan Jenkins, Malcolm McLean, Kevin Moss, Jeremy Rhodes and Gary Shearer from Australia, Charlie Loh from California, Graeme Wheatley from Virginia and Peter Wilton from Germany.
Lastly, thanks in particular to Johnny Tucker who provided us with an extensive collection of photographs from 1968 for both the display and the Archives. See you in ten years time at your 50th Reunion.
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REUNIONS • 40 YEARS ON • CLASS OF 1968
The Assembly (L-R): The Class of 1968, Dave McArtney, Kevin Biss, Charlie Loh, John Lanford, Viv Gandar, Ross Blick
The Tour of the College (L-R): Behind the Sports Centre (where Firth House once was), in the Headmaster's Office, the gathering in Firth Hall
Johnny Tucker with the photos he took in 1968
Craig Chappell, David Sage, Malcolm McLean
David Graves, Chris Kaldermis, Gordon Ritson
Peter Lorentz, Brendon Smythe, Johnny Tucker
Peter Wilton, Gary Girvan
Bruce Little, Bruce Mitchell
John Fyson, Graeme Wheatley
Derek Tyler, Chris Kaldermis
Steve Tasker, Ian Wong
Peter Lorentz, Kerry Sinclair
Harry Harrison, Ross Davey
Alan Jenkins, Gary Shearer, Fraser Clark, Kevin Biss
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REUNIONS • 40 YEARS ON • CLASS OF 1968
Les Mathews, Ted Clayton, Dave McArtney, Rowan Renouf, Bruce Little
Tony Hayman, Fane Flaws, Ian Wong, Steve Tasker, Roy Allen
Charlie Loh, Philippa Mathews, Bruce Little, Les Mathews, Gary Shearer, Barry Tingey
Jim Tait, Stefanos Kappatos, Gordon Ritson
Neil Dykes, Tony Skilton, Craig Wylie
Peter Wilton, Mike Wiggins, Viv Gandar
Andrew Wilson, Mike Wiggins, Dave Graves, Rowan Renouf
Craig Chappell, Paul Myers, John Langford, Harry Harrison
Gordon Ritson, Alan Jenkins, Ted Clayton, Tony Hayman singing Forty Years On
(L-R): Group pose at the dinner, aboard the Harbour Cruise
Friday Night in Courtenay Place
Sunday afternoon on the Waterfront LAMPSTAND 2009 • 11
REUNIONS • 50 YEARS ON • CLASS OF 1959
Back Row: Fourth Row: Third Row: Second Row: Front Row: Absent for Photo:
Roger Lane, Roscoe Turner, Brian Downes, Ron Jeffs, Ian August, Alan Lough, Dennis Rowe, Ed Sainsbury, Dave Houston, Mark Schroder Peter Webb, Alastair Gooch, Barry Green, Bill McLean, Garth Edwards, Malcolm Magill, Doug Crease, Haddon Speakman, Chris Bremner Peter Jenkin, Stephen Perry, John Patterson, Blair Wingfield, Derek Milne, Sandy Anderson, Bryan Earles, Wilf Vickers, Brendon Melville Peter Wilson, Neville Martin, Ray Thomas, Rod Mills, Tony Taylor, Stephen Reid, John Spry, Tony Hassed, Roger Moses David Cooke, Ross Buddle, Jonty Ellis, Ian Uttley, Roger Moses (Current Headmaster), Tom Smither, Kit Rollings, Arnold Buck, John Hosie David Arthur, Gavin Cook, Bob Crisp, Peter Dawson, Barry Howatson
Address to the Assembly • Ian Uttley, Head Prefect 1959 Headmaster Roger Moses, staff and students of Wellington College, Class of 1959, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning everyone. May I begin with a huge thank you to Roger Moses and the Board of Trustees for continuing to provide us Old Boys with the opportunity to gather like this, and to renew the friendships we made at this College so many years ago - in our cases in 1959, a whole 50 years ago!
I’m hugely honoured to have the opportunity to address you this morning, following a long line of former Head Prefects who have done so at their respective class reunions. As I stand here, I’m very glad to have the support of four of the 1959 Prefects. Tom Smither, Deputy Head Prefect and the outstanding sprinter at the 1959 intercollegiate sports and a very quick winger in the 1st XV. Barry Green, Dux of the College and a member of the 1st XI Cricket Team. Peter Webb, the vice-captain of the 1st XI Cricket Team and Blair Wingfield, a member of both the 1st XV and 1st XI. Welcome, my old friends, and welcome also to your respective wives and partners, and to 12 • LAMPSTAND 2009
all the ‘59ers out there in the Hall. It really is neat to have you all here and to be able to chat about ‘the old days’ after so much time apart. I have just one more welcome. I simply wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t mention another very important guest at our reunion. Frank Crist, Maths and Science Master, coach of the 1st XV for umpteen years, and now in your 90th year and still going strong. You are a hero to all of us, Frank, and I’m so, so pleased that you and Greta have been able to come down from the sunny Hawkes Bay to join us on this lovely occasion. Welcome to you both. While I’m on my feet, I would also like to say hello and welcome to the 2009 Head Prefect, Karl Moresi and his deputies, Andrew McIndoe, Sam Lawson and Hugo Dobson.
Now, I’ve been asked to keep my address short, but I think I’m still expected to recall some old memories… or to quote from the wonderful song we’ve just sung, a dreamland echo and maybe a boyhood vision or two? In fact my first dreamland echo is an early (probably Form 3) memory involving, not Frank
Crist, but another of our well-remembered Masters, Sam Meads, uncle of the famous Colin and, if I’m not mistaken, Frank, your fellow lock in the Wellington rugby scrum?
I was in one of Sam’s maths classes, up in the prefabs behind the fives courts. I was sitting with my mate, Gary Key, and we must have been chattering, because suddenly the classroom became very quiet, Gary and I looked up to find Sam standing alongside our desks... and the next thing we were airborne..., one of us in each of Sam’s huge hands. All he said was be quiet as he placed us back in our seats. Needless to say we were like little mice after that, but it’s a simple example of the way we were treated, and why we looked up to and respected the Masters we had at the time. Along with Frank Crist and Sam Meads, I remember receiving good teaching and counselling from ’Q’ Quartermain, Ray ‘Micky’ Michael, ‘Inky Jack’ Dighton, ‘Horsey’ Bradley, ‘Fanny’ Flaws, ‘Flash’ Gordon, and ‘Flea’ Halliday and, of course, that list leaves off two of the most important: Headmaster, HA (Fish) Heron, and first assistant, ANB (Looney Mac) McAloon. No doubt my fellow 1959ers will have more
REUNIONS • 50 YEARS ON • CLASS OF 1959 to discuss later about the teachers of our time... but my challenge to you current students is take every advantage you can of being here at Wellington College. You’re at a college recognised as among the best in the country. It has the best teachers you will ever have access to in one place - talk to them - ask their advice while you can, and make plans for your own futures. Having said that, I’ll move on to my ‘boyhood vision’ - my other memory of those long ago days at Wellington College. This is the second, and by far the most daunting, of the memories I’d like to share with you. It’s five or six years later than the Sam Meads story. I’m
now a second-year 7th former, 17-years-old, and Head Prefect, but still a very shy lad... having talked with my parents and teachers about my future, we’ve concluded that this extra year at school will be beneficial... providing me with more experience and maturity before leaving school.
In those days, and it may be similar today, the Head Prefect stood on the dais at the front of the old Assembly Hall, which was full with well over 1,000 students, and he ‘nodded’, like this, when it was time for the Headmaster to lead the Masters in. All the boys then stood and the
The Reunion Itself...
Masters filed in and took their seats up here facing the school. The Head Boy then read a passage from the Bible, following which the Headmaster effectively took over the Assembly. My main recollection of my first day in front of the whole school as Head Prefect was that I really felt like a non-swimmer (which I was) diving into the deep end (which I didn’t ever do). I was petrified. My knees really did knock together, and it remains an experience I will never ever forget! On reflection, for a shy lad like me, it was very good experience for things I had to do later in life. Do have a really good reunion, everyone.
The Class of 1959 enjoyed a wonderful reunion at the College on Friday and Saturday, 27 and 28 March 2009. Some 50 Old Boys attended, together with 15 of their wives/partners, and very special guests Frank and Greta Crist, who made the trip down from Hawkes Bay especially for the Reunion Dinner. As is normal in Wellington at this time of year, the weather was beautiful, and the various activities went off without a hitch. Friday morning saw registration and refreshments followed by an Assembly in the College Hall which was addressed by the Headmaster, Roger Moses, and myself.
Morning tea, followed by a tour of the College led by Roger Moses, permitted the Old Boys to see just how much the College has changed physically since they attended 50 years previously. However, it was soon obvious that the physical changes, even including the loss due to earthquake risk of the old Memorial Hall, have failed to remove the mana of the College, and the affection in which it is held by both the Old Boys and the present students and staff.
(L-R): 2009 Head Prefect Karl Moresi, 1959 Head Prefect Ian Uttley, 1959 Deputy Head Prefect Tom Smither and 2009 Deputy Head Prefect Andrew McIndoe
Later in the afternoon, the Class of 1959 gathered in the College Hall to be photographed for posterity, following which they enjoyed catching up at a Cocktail Party, with many stories from the past.
On the Saturday morning, again blessed with wonderful fine weather, Old Boys were able to be present for two rugby matches involving the 1st and 2nd XVs of old rivals Wellington College and Hastings Boys’ High School and, at noon, a cricket match involving the Wellington College 2nd XI. In the evening, the highlight of the pre-dinner drinks was a performance by the College’s Award-Winning Chorale, which thrilled the attendees, especially the Old Boys, with a rendition of the well-known College hymn Forty Years On and the College Haka, among other spine-tingling numbers, concluding with Grace.
(L-R): 2009 1st XV Captain and first-five, Lima Sopoaga, 1959 first-five Ian Uttley and 2009 centre, Hanapole Galo
The Dinner began with a toast to Wellington College proposed by 1959 Prefect, Blair Wingfield, which was responded to by Headmaster, Roger Moses, with a toast to the Class of 1959. The formalities continued with a response and toast to Firth Hall by Rod Mills, then a toast to staff and a toast to absent friends, and was crowned with a contribution from the floor by Frank Crist, the subject of which must remain known only to the attendees. Needless to say, the Reunion was a huge success, and special thanks must be given to the College Board and to the Headmaster, Roger Moses, for continuing to permit the Old Boys to gather at the College for these reunions, and to the lady behind the scenes, the Wellington College Old Boys’ Association Executive Officer, Stephanie Kane, without whose assistance they simply would not fly. Ian Uttley, Head Prefect, 1959
Ian Uttley points out his name on the Head Prefect's Board
Barry Green points out his name on the Dux Honours Board
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REUNIONS • 50 YEARS ON • CLASS OF 1959
(L-R): Peter Wilson, Roger Moses, Alastair Gooch, Ross Buddle
(L-R): Tony Taylor, Karl Moresi, Gavin Cook
(L-R): Garth Edwards, Peter Dawson
Denis Rowe, Alan Lough, Tom Smither, Ron Jeffs
(L-R): John Hosie, David Cooke, Rod Mills
(L-R): Tony Hassad, Sandy Anderson, Brian Downes
Rod Mills, Dave Houston, David Cooke
Roger Moses (Headmaster) and Roger Moses (Class of 1959)
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(L-R): Barry Green, Tom Smither, Roscoe Turner, Ian August, Blair Wingfield
(L-R): Bob Crisp, Ross Buddle, Tom Smither
(L-R):Kit Rollings, Peter Webb
Ed Sainsbury, Roscoe Turner
Frank Crist ‘telling a story or two’ at the Dinner
REUNIONS • 50 YEARS ON • CLASS OF 1959
The Tour of the College - the Sports Centre
The Tour of the College - The Art Block
The Dinner - shorter in sight but voices are strong
Peter Dawson, Haddon Speakman
On the Terraces for the 1st XV Match
John Spry
Roger Moses, Mark Schroder
An afternoon of relaxation on the Waterfront
The ‘Looney Mac’ Table
Alan Lough
Peter Jenkin, Brian Downes
Stephen Reid, Derek Milne
David Arthur, Malcolm Magill
(Left Photo): Claridges in High Street, Lower Hutt not quite fifty years ago. (Right Photo): In the same position are [L-R], Peter Webb, Ian Uttley, Barry Green, Blair Wingfield LAMPSTAND 2009 • 15
REUNIONS • 60 YEARS on plus
Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days On what had to be the wettest day this century in Wellington on Friday, 15 May, the College welcomed almost 200 Old Boys back to the old school for the inaugural 60 Years Plus Reunion.
The wet weather didn’t dampen spirits as our guests trudged through shin-high puddles to Firth Hall to register. However it was unfortunate that a handful could not land in Wellington because of the conditions at the airport. Nevertheless, the show went on with a great number meeting face-to-face after many years away from the College and fellow classmates having a chuckle over the photo displays prepared by Archivist Paddianne Neely.
The first formal event was the School Assembly with senior students present. Two of our former Governors General, Sir Paul Reeves (1946-51) and Sir Michael Hardie Boys (1944-48) gave the reading and address respectively to the Assembly. Sir Michael’s address follows this report. Headmaster Roger Moses presented a number of academic, cultural and sports awards to current students following a hearty rendition of Forty Years On sung by former and current students.
By the time Assembly had concluded, the skies had cleared and it was back to the Brierley Theatre for morning tea and Year Group Photos. Prefects then escorted our Old Boys around the College for a tour, with very little evidence of any of the buildings from sixty odd years ago.
Over lunch, the College’s History and Music Departments performed their popular Wish Me Luck Concert - a combination of music and stories from WWI, weaving in our very own Old Boys’ ill-fated accounts of the WWI battlefields. The heart-rending singing and stories saw many a damp eye around the Brierley Theatre.
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A few hours break away from the College let Old Boys to rest up for the Formal Dinner that evening. MC for the night was Robert Anderson, (Deputy Headmaster and Old Boy of 1969-73). Robert’s father-in-law John Hunt (1942-46) and Uncle, Bob Hunt (193840) were both in attendance at the Reunion.
The evening began with the ‘Lighting of the Lamp’ by the oldest Old Boy in attendance at the dinner; John (Ormie) Haworth (193335). Two older Old Boys; Fred Brooker (1931-35) and Dick Barrow (1932-34) were not able to attend the evening formalities. The College’s award-winning Chorale welcomed the dinner guests with a selection of past school songs and hymns before Sir Paul and Sir Michael gave the Toast to the Queen, followed by Robert (Bob) Pope (1938-40) who gave a Toast to the College. Roger Moses responded with feeling, touching on the success and contribution to society and the College by those in attendance.
Between entree and main course, the Chorale again performed – with many a light-hearted comparison of Head of Music, Katie Macfarlane to the renowned Miss Loretto Cunningham (a former buxom music teacher of the 1940s). Following the main course, a Toast was given by Michael Mayman (1946-50) to Firth House, with Matthew Beattie (1970-72) representing the Old Boys’ Association making a toast to the WCOBA. The 2009 Head Prefect, Karl Moresi addressed the audience about life as a student today at the College following the giant footsteps of so many before him and fellow students. Karl assured the guests that their College was in fine heart, still continuing with many traditions that our Old Boys knew so well (aside from corporal punishment that was discontinued in the late 1970s). Ken Douglas (1949-53) toasted the Masters of the time and it was particularly pleasing to have Frank Crist (1949-61)in attendance and be warmly greeted by many of ‘his boys’. While not Masters 60 years ago, three Old Boys who later became Masters at the College were also
acknowledged; Ted Clayton (1943-47), John Craig (1940-45) and Chris Gaunt (194751). Last but not least was the Toast made by Morrie Deterte (1941-45) to absent friends; those unable to be at the Reunion for various reasons and those no longer with us.
Roger Moses concluded the evening by thanking all who attended and to the wives for accompanying them and looks forward to welcoming them back again at another planned 60 Years On Plus Reunion and subsequently the College’s 150th Celebrations in 2017. A brief tribute to the great work by Roger Moses was made by Desmond Patching (1943-46).
On a personal note, I have to mention that this was a most memorable occasion for the College and the Association. To have such an extensive group of Old Boys ranging from their late 70s through to early 90s was very poignant. The plethora of careers, sporting, cultural and academic backgrounds that came to light over the day were quite remarkable, and in particular, wonderful to know that these gentlemen started their journeys from their days here at the College. The current students also were quite taken to be able to meet such a calibre of former students and of course, made the Old Boys feel very welcome at their old school.
It was a real team effort to host such an event and my thanks in particular to Robert Anderson, Paddianne Neely, Graeme Steven, Margie Turner, Bruce Tie (who got the cars out of the mud on the Number 2 Field), Elaine Harris and her staff at Fine Cuisine and the 2009 Prefect Team and Sport Captains. Special mention must be made to Headmaster Roger Moses, so very proud to show off his school to our senior Old Boys. The feedback I have received is most touching and appreciated. We look forward to a similar event in the not too distant future. Stephanie Kane WCOBA Executive Officer
REUNIONS • 60 YEARS ON plus
Address to the Assembly • Sir Michael Hardie Boys Headmaster, Staff, boys old and young. Thank you Headmaster for your welcome and for inviting us back to our old school.
It has drawn us back from far and wide, in the hope of seeing old school mates, and to remember, to reminisce, above all perhaps to acknowledge that whatever we have made of our lives is in no small measure because of what we learnt here – not just what we needed to know for exams, but more importantly a realisation of what really matters.
Well, it’s not 40 but 60 years on, and more, for the oldest of us arrived here in 1931, the year I was born, and we aren’t in bad shape. Some of us may be shorter in wind but today we are surely long in memory. I’ve been asked to share some of mine. Just being in this hall brings so many of those memories, memories of the great classical War Memorial Hall, with the fine stained glass window looking down on us, and the names of old boys fallen in WWI on the walls around us, demolished in an act of bureaucratic vandalism. Presided over by the Headmaster, W.A. Armour for some of you, EN Hogben for me, HA Heron for others, it could be an inspiring place, fixed forever in our minds. I arrived in 1944. The school looked very different then, a set of fine uniformly designed buildings, plus the old West School, an Edwardian brick relic. All of them except Firth Hall swept away since. The roll was little more than half its present size. The whole school could fit in the Hall for assembly, the 4th formers in a sort of dress circle. There were only ten prefects. There were very few Maori and Pacific Island boys. Discipline was stern. Uniform requirements were strict, socks just below the knee, cap two fingers width above the eye. The sound of the strap or the cane nearby, often brought a hush to the classroom.
In 1944, WWII was far from won. Hundreds of Old Boys were fighting in it, many achieving great honour. Foremost among them was the then Sir Bernard Freyberg, who later as Governor General came back to visit us. Many regular staff members were away at the war too. Some grand old men had stayed on when they could have retired, notably Tibby Brodie, who had come to teach in 1897, and Gary Lomas who had begun in 1911; others came back after war service. I know that during the day we will be remembering many of their names and faces. May I mention two. LB Quartermain, who had been gassed in WWI and who made us learn poetry by heart, as it was the only thing that kept him sane in the trenches. And ANB McAloon, the finest teacher I have ever had. And I must not forget the women, the first women I think to teach in the school, who came to help out, some formidable, some timid, one glamorous - the music teacher Loretto Cunningham, who dressed in a manner
that was, shall we say, well ahead of its time. All of us will be forever grateful to these people, who helped make us what we are.
Being wartime we had army cadets, indeed I think they had been there almost from the start of the school. So in the summer we put on hot and uncomfortable uniforms with same size fits all socks, and brass buttons and belt buckle that had to be polished, carrying rifles that had to be kept spotlessly clean. Under the command of Inky Dighton we formed up on the lower ground, paraded, marched around, sweltered. There was a rifle range up behind the school, and sometimes we would be taken there to practise our marksmanship, or lack of it. At one stage we had a go with Bren guns, I think they were. When we went to look at our targets, mine was empty, and the chap next to me had 150%. As a result of that, when it was decided to establish a separate unit for those who turned left when commanded to turn right, I was put in charge of it. We were apparently training to be traffic cops and in those days when there were no traffic lights but traffic cops on point duty directing the traffic, we practised that out on the Terrace, which was much wider than it is now. Later the unit was given the opportunity of some real point duty, at the busiest intersection of all, James Smith’s corner, and the result was a colossal pile up. Fortunately by then I had left. We had our triumphs and our disasters on the sportsfields, of course, in the McEvedy Shield, and at cricket and rugby, notably in our annual games against St Patrick’s (Town) and (Silverstream) and in the Quadrangular tournaments. We also had hockey and soccer and tennis, and fives in courts alongside the quadrangle formed by the classroom buildings, and swimming in our own pool where the Old Boys’ Gymnasium now is, but few of the multitude of other sports at which you boys of today so often excel.
We did however have cross-country runs, everyone, all 850, had to take part, up the gut-buster to the top of Mt Victoria, down to Constable Street and back along Adelaide Road. Some took this very seriously, some struggled conscientiously to make the distance, many had more sense: they bought an ice cream and came back in the tram. One of those fine looking buildings now gone was Firth House where the Sports Centre now is. It housed 100 or so boarders, and they ate in Firth Hall. They were mostly country boys and like any good farmers’ sons they did not like trespassers. Woe betide any day boy who ventured too close. Sometimes a group did, and there would be the odd pitched battle, but generally we city types respected rural ruggedness and stayed away.
The old West School housed the Library, a fine room with a gallery along one side off which were the upstairs classrooms. It was full of books of course, no computers. At the back of the Library was the private retreat of the Librarians, all students, where some bookbinding was done, many of the world’s problems were dealt with, and various good things to eat prepared and consumed. The job of librarian was much sought after. I finish on a musical note. Under Garry Lomas, the school orchestra led us in singing, from our yellow covered school song book, mostly the songs of old Britain, like Hearts of Oak and Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes, songs which I am sure most of us could still recite even if we could not sing them. Garry retired, and Loretto Cunningham went off to play in the NZ Symphony Orchestra, and Murray Fastier took over. He was an accomplished organist, married to a very good soprano, and we went classical, learning choruses from the Messiah and Haydn’s Creation, and we and the Fastiers put on a concert in the Town Hall. It ran for two nights and part was broadcast. It wasn’t bad, although it didn’t receive the highest critical acclaim, and there was certainly no report of the highlight, namely one boy in the fourth row being copiously sick down the neck and back of the boys in front of him. I don’t agree with those who say their school days were the best days of their life, but they were good days, and for them we Old Boys are grateful. And looking at the school today, a truly great school, we are proud to be part of its history. I am sure your Masters and boys of today must feel the same. Sir Michael Hardie Boys 15 May, 2009 • 60 Years Plus Reunion
60 YEARS ON PLUS REUNION FEEDBACK There seems to be some confusion on how we categorise the Group Photos. As with individual Decade Reunions ie Class of 1959, 1969 etc, we need to have a formula to determine who falls into what cohort. For instance, to work out those who are in the 'Class of 1959', we took all students who began or would have been in Form 3 in 1955, and taking into account spending five years at the College would be 50 Years on from 1959. Of course not everyone went through to Form 7, and many also started at the College in the fourth, fifth, sixth form but still fall into that cohort. With the 60 Years Plus Reunion, if a student started in Form 3 in 1941 and left in 1943, he would still be in the cohort of 1945 as that encompasses his five years at the College and thus is in the 1945 cohort photo, not the 1943. There is a cohort calculation guide on page 6 of this publication so you can work out your cohort for future reunions.
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REUNIONS • 60 YEARS on plus Wellington College 1935-1943 cohort
Back Row: Ewen Cameron (1942), Maurice Andrews (1943), Jack Browne (1943), Stan Shearer (1943), Geoff Streeter (1943) Middle Row: Alf Were (1939), Jack Toft (1942), Bob Twaddle (1941), Ian Lankshear (1939), Tony Munden (1943), Allen Freeman (1941), Ian Mackersey (1943) Front Row: Bob Pope (1942), Bill Chegwidden (1941), Jim Galloway (1938), Cliffe Adams (1937), John Haworth (1937), Fred Brooker (1935), Bob Hunt (1940), Dick Barrow (1936), Jim Battersby (1942), Armer Alcorn (1940) Absent for Photo: Mac Gapes (1940), Fergus Ferguson (1942), Peter Hindle (1938)
Wellington College 1944-1945 cohort
Back Row: Frank Kwok (1945), Russell Graham (1945), Colin Fenton (1944), David Gifford (1944), Alex Neale (1945) Middle Row: David Wilson (1944), Bill Hopper (1945), Gerry Barnard (1945), David Lawson (1945), Brian Tolley (1944), Keith Dee (1945), Ollie Nixon (1945), Don Silver (1944) Front Row: Graham Cook (1944), Dick Steele (1945), Peter Macdonald (1944), Denis Danaher (1944), Ian Aarons (1945), Eric Freeman (1945), Garth England (1945), Morris Deterte (1945), Ian Sclater (1944), Albie Gaskin (1944) Absent for Photo: Jim Patching (1945), John Craig (1944)
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REUNIONS • 60 YEARS ON plus Wellington College 1946-1947 cohort
Back Row: Rob Burton (1947), David Evans (1947), William Fraser (1946), Rangi Pope (1946) Middle Row: Olstan Whitehead (1947), Boyd Gardiner (1947), Harold Cummins (1947), Peter Collins (1947), Brian Mexted (1946), Bruce Purdie (1947), Fred Coad (1947) Front Row: Jim Thornton (1947), Gordon Asbridge (1947), Paul Keesing (1947), Desmond Patching (1947), Clive Westbury (1946), Brian Young (1946), Ian Kaywood (1946), John Hunt (1946) Absent for Photo: Ted Clayton (1947), Wilf Simenauer (1947), John Riseborough (1946)
Wellington College 1948 cohort Back Row: Ray Partridge, Wally Simmers, Ross George, Ian Blow, Doug Wright, Ross Ross-Taylor, Bill Donovan Middle Row: Alan Rice, Michael Hardie Boys, Donald Adams, Murray Conibear, Les O’Donnell, Peter McArtney, Colin Christie, Bill Glass Front Row: Barry Hogan, Eddie Napier, Grahame Alecock, John Fletcher, Bob Hopkirk, Tom Farrar, Collis Blake, Warren Hunt Absent for Photo: Paul Simpson, Tony Best, Jim Hefford, Keith Morshead, Geof Owers
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REUNIONS • 60 YEARS on plus
Wellington College 1949 cohort Back Row: Roy Mason, Ron Thornton, Milton Mexted, Ian Bourne, Brian Bradburn, Paul Burnett Middle Row: Bill Taylor, John Ellings, David Tierney, Barry Brooks, Maurice Andrews, John Campbell, Martin Cleland, Graham Atkin Front Row: Ted Mason, Ian Laurie, Gordon McLauchlan, John Taylor, Brian Findlay, Ivan Barrowman, Peter Stewart, Russell Aitken Absent for Photo: Peter Turner
Wellington College 1950 cohort
Back Row: Middle Row: Front Row:
Graeme MacFarlane, Deane Davis, Barry Syminton, John Moffat Peter Leslie, Michael Mayman, Kerry Hoggard, Don Hopkirk, Roy Burke, Paul Reeves Peter Davenport, David Ward, Ted Percival, Gerry Paris, Fraser McKenzie, Dick McKenzie, Ian Matthews, Len Vincent
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REUNIONS • 60 YEARS ON plus
Wellington College 1951 cohort Back Row: Malcolm Faulls, John Knight, Jim Ritchie, Kerry Ansell, Leo Gambitsis Middle Row: Ian Wilson, Charles O'Donnell, Chris Gaunt, Tom Martindale, Trevor Reynolds, Murray Fergusson, Trevor Hudson Front Row: Roland Sarten, Vern Darke, Vern Smith, Jeff Borrell, Bob James, Don Brooker, Bill Eason Absent for Photo: Barry Farrell, Bill Sparks
Wellington College 1952-1955 cohort
Back Row: Ian Noble (1952), Rob Ebbert (1952), Michael Clements (1953), Guy Ashton (1955) Middle Row: Ian Anderson (1952), Peter Conwell (1952), Ben Poynter (1952), John Edgar (1952), Rex Pearson (1952) Front Row: Bernie Harris (‘52), Barry Ward (‘52), Mike Phillips (‘53), Alan Osborne (‘52), Ramsay Newton (‘52), Ken Douglas (‘53) LAMPSTAND 2009 • 21
REUNIONS • 60 YEARS on plus
The 60 Years On Plus Assembly • (L-R): Roger Moses, Sir Paul Reeves, Sir Michael Hardie Boys, Ken Douglas, Wallace Simmers
The 60 Years On Plus Assembly
The 60 Years On Plus Assembly
The Boarding ‘Boys’ with Frank Crist and John Craig
The 'Wish Me Luck' Lunchtime Concert
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REUNIONS • 60 YEARS ON plus
Fraser McKenzie, Wallace Simmers
Barry Ward, Charles O’Donnell
Michael Clements, Paul Reeves
Eddie Napier, Roy Mason
Bob Slade, Ian Wilson
David Ward, Ivan Barrowman
Peter Macdonald, Geoff Streeter
Jack Toft, Alan Rice
Deane Davis, Ted Percival
Cliffe Adams, Bob Twaddle
Collis Blake, Bill Donovan, Ross Ross-Taylor
Alf Were, Ormie Haworth
Barry Hogan, Don Brooker
Desmond Patching, Peter Collins
Bob Hunt, John Hunt
One of the wettest days in Wellington. Outside Firth Hall seemed like a river and look at the state of the No 2 Field!
Trevor Hudson, Vern Darke
We had problems with the exposure of the photos on our website taken at the dinner. You will be pleased to know this error has now been fixed and can now be viewed - faces now stand out out (and not just the whites of your eyes). LAMPSTAND 2009 • 23
REUNIONS • 60 YEARS on plus: the dinner
24 • LAMPSTAND 2009
FORTH-COMING REUNIONS
Class of 1969 40 yEARS oN rEUNION fRIDAY 16 - sATURDAY 17 October, 2009 There’s still time to register. We are trying to locate the following Old Boys from the cohort Class of 1969. If you know where one or any may reside, please let us know, so we can let them know of their forthcoming 40 Years On Reunion. Bolland, Keith Bowers, Michael Chanwai, Dave Davidson, Douglas Earsman, Stephen Edwards, John
Evans, Glenn Gordon, Alan Grant, Jonathan Gray, Charles Harrison, Richard Liddell, Pete
Macpherson, Peter Martin, Peter McLernon, John Minton, Bruce Nauta, Hendrick Phillips, Carl
Phillips, Ken Purdie, Bill Ridding, Graham Shattky, Brent Smith, Grant Sumner, Warren
Thomas, Anthony Thompson, Alan Thornton, Gary Va'ai, Aisoli Weir, Nigel Whitta, Kim
Registration details can be found on our website:
Whyte, Brent Wilkinson, Lester Williams, Tony Worthy, Bill Yee, Tyrone Young, Thomas
www.wellington-college.school.nz (our community/oldboys/reunions) or email: oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz or Tel: 04 802 2537
TOP 3 SONGS OF 1969 (US BILLBOARD) 1. The Beatles - GET BACK
2. The Rolling Stones - HONKY TONK WOMAN 3. Zager & Evans - IN THE YEAR 2525
TOP 3 MOVIES OF 1969 (US TAKINGS) 1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 2. The Love Bug
3. Midnight Cowboy
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 25
FORTH-COMING REUNIONS
Class of 1960
50 Years On Reunion
fRIDAY 26 - sATURDAY 27 march, 2010 registration forms will be mailed in September, 2009. We are trying to locate the following Old Boys. If you know where one or any may reside, please let us know, so we can let them know of their forthcoming 50 years on reunion. Anderson, G W Beatson, J E Bibby, A C A Biles, C G W Bould, S P Bowden, W J Bowring, D E Browne, C M Carey, V M Cheung, S P Cochrane, R Cole, E A Cooke, E F R Cooper, G J Cox, C G S
Craig, P L Cresswell, R G Cuttance, G P Dennis, J R Dixon, A T Dollimore, J H Eaddy, D M Eriksen, T J Evans, D L Fabin, A R Fergusson, B W Fowler, M R Furness, L A Gilberd, K S Godfrey, M E R
Gower, G H Graham, M S Hardie, R L Harper, C C Henderson, I A Hester, D B Hickman, S J Hirschberg, P H Hyde, M W Jacobsen, A B Jamieson, T L Jennings, A M Joyce, R J Kelsey, P D Kenny, A G
Korte, D G Kuznecoff, D Laing, A J Laing, D J Laing, J B M Lamb, A L Loeber, D S Loh, P C S Long, R H Maehl, H W R McCalman, J B McConkey, T McDonald, D N McGechan, R A McIntosh, A C
Mitchell, S G Monk, W M NightingaleI, F O'Brien, B N O'Donnell, P R Parker, G K Patterson, D R Pattison, P W Pearce, P M Pedder, R J Philipp, R Price, P W V Rees, B V L Ritchie, B P Roberts, I H
Robinson, J D Rosenberg, B J Russell, D A Scott, B W J Sheppard, J M Simpson, R A Simpson, T J Smart, E S Smith, P J Smith, P W Smith, R M Souter, J B Stace, J G Stephens, D G Stewart, N R
Registration details can be found on our website:
Taylor, R T Thomas, O F Thomson, J S Tone, L Trotman, A C Ussher, B W H Vermes, A Waddell, G F Ward, M E Watson, M H Watt, J R Whyte, J S Wilson, G M Wood, P M Yalden, M A
www.wellington-college.school.nz (our community/oldboys/reunions) or email: oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz or Tel: 04 802 2537
TOP 3 SONGS OF 1960 (US BILLBOARD) 1. The Everly Brothers - CATHY’S CLOWN 2. Jim Reeves - HE’LL HAVE TO GO
3.Percy Faith - THEME FROM ‘A SUMMER PLACE’
26 • LAMPSTAND 2009
TOP 3 MOVIES OF 1960 (US TAKINGS) 1. The Swiss Family Robinson 2. Psycho
3. Spartacus
FIRTH HOUSE REUNION fRIDAY, 30 aPRIL - sATURDAY, 1 mAY 2010 wELLINGTON cOLLEGE Programme Two-Day Reunion • Registration ly • School Assemb • Morning Tea ege • Tour of the Coll s to • Year Group Pho • Cocktail Party me a • 1st XV Home G r Boarders fo • Formal Dinner
Prep...!
MONDAY, 10 MARCH 1980
WELLINGTON COLLEGE’S BOARDING HOSTEL TO EAVE EKEND-L E . W R O .............. ATION F .............. .. .. .. .. APPLIC .. .. .. ........ .............. .............. .............. .. .. .. t: .. n .. a .. c .. li .. App .............. Name of ............. .............. .. .. .. .. .. .............. .. .. .. .. .. .. t: .. s .. o .. .. H .............. Name of ........ .............. .............. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. t: s .. .. f Ho .............. Address o ............ .............. r: e ft a .............. .. m .. o .. fr .. y .. a .. aw ............ I shall be .............. until after:
Registration forms will be mailed out in 9. 0 0 2 r e b o t c O LAMPSTAND 2009 • 27
THE CLASS OF 1999 "They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself" Andy Warhol
TEN YEARS ON: Ben Revell, Head Prefect, 1999 In the decade since we walked down the Drive that final time, with our heads held high and our thoughts on the future, the Class of 1999 have been doing just that. We have experienced a kaleidoscope of fates, fortunes and fun in seeking to find our place within a world that has been changing as rapidly as ever in history. The internet and mobile technologies have grown to the extent that the media now includes everyday people with a camera-phone! We have seen the boom and bust of the most bullish markets the world has seen; and horrific wars and warcrimes executed in the name of 'freedom', an increasingly meaningless word. There has been an awakening of international awareness, concern and action about climate change; and the success of independent commerce through internet sales and web publicity at an individual and community level has provided new opportunities at a time of increasing unemployment. Reflecting the positive spirit of our class, the scope of activity our peers have engaged in is diverse and impressive. Our dux Charles Jackson cemented his academic prowess by recently completing his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He is living in Pittsburgh where he works remotely for a London-based firm, designing a recommendation system for online music sales. Former Deputy Head Prefect Arthur Meek has crafted a highly promising career as an actor and playwright. He toured the country in the lead up to last year's general election and received widespread critical acclaim, performing his brilliantly titled one man play On the Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark taking me as Her Young Lover. Perhaps more notoriously he was touted earlier this year as one half of New Zealand's Sexiest Couple! Fellow former DHP Otto Rasch is enjoying a professional rugby career in France along with the opportunities for travel his European home provides. Completing the former DHP lineup Nick Whittington not only completed an LLM at Cambridge in 2008, but also realised his dream of playing a match on the hallowed
a week and a half in intensive care, which he will forever remember by the massive scar he sports from his operation. After spending two months in hospital, he made a full recovery over the next seven months and now works at the British High Commission, while juggling his burgeoning career in American Football. Sammy has represented New Zealand in his new code and, indicating his aptitude for the game, has been asked to trial for an Arena Football League team in the USA.
turf of Lord's, representing the University in their annual high profile fixture against Oxford at The Home of Cricket. Satisfyingly for Nick, the Light Blues claimed victory.
The appeal of foreign shores has claimed a number of our year group. Andreas Heuser has recently moved to his childhood hometown of Cologne in Germany to complete a Masters in Law, not to mention continue his vociferous support for FC Kรถln. Last year Marcel Austin-Martin left his position as International Relations Project Coordinator at the Wellington City Council to take up a prestigious scholarship to assist in his Masters in Contemporary Chinese Studies at highly regarded Renmin University in Beijing. He initially became interested in the wider Chinese world some years ago when visiting his old friend and 1999 McEvedy co-captain Luke Paul who has been living in Taiwan since our collective last hurrah. Luke has completed university in Taiwan, where all his subjects were taught in Mandarin. Fellow McEvedy leader and former national discus and shotput champion Sam Isa'ako was struck down by a severe case of pneumonia in 2004, which saw him come close to death during
Also on the sports field, Robbie Kydd has been playing professional rugby for Northampton, Saracens and Bath in the UK, while former Highlander Kane Thompson now plays professionally for Dax in France. All White Leo Bertos has become an ever more familiar name to Wellington sports fans as a midfielder for the Phoenix and the team's Player of the Year 2008/09. Directly assisting Leo and the team in their rise to prominence and popularity in the capital is the Yellow Fever supporter's club which counts as one of its founding members Jonathan Tommo Norman. Tommo has been living in London since the middle of last year where he is currently on secondment from his law firm to the investment bank Barclays Capital. This has put him back in the company of Sam Moncur, our erstwhile 1st XV captain, who works for Barclays Bank. These two are part of a veritable hamlet of Old Boys living in the London suburb of Maida Vale, where Sam flats with Alistair Brook. Al is putting his gift of the gab to good use in PR for a private equity firm. Daryl Gore, Simon Green, Brad Whittfield and Jay Carlsen are among other Old Boys currently strolling along the banks of Thames. It is testament to their first rate employability that these lads have avoided the widespread axing and redundancies which are currently claiming 20,000 positions a week in London alone. I was fortunate to meet up with Jonty Vavasour and Andrew Dentice in Argentina a few months ago as they journeyed their way through South America before heading to London to visit friends and to see what law jobs still existed in the shell of the City's former self.
CLASS OF 1999 ~ 10 YEARS ON REUNION Friday, 6 November : 5.30pm onwards Firth Hall, Wellington College (Cash Bar & $10 Cover Charge) Initial indication of interest to: Shane.Binnie@randstad.co.nz or (021) 514 282 enquiries to: oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz
28 โ ข LAMPSTAND 2009
THE CLASS OF 1999 Opportunities have abounded back at home and plenty of our class continuing to enjoy life in Aotearoa. Michael Appleton established a highly successful career as a journalist before taking up a position at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. MFAT has also lured Nicholas Walbridge back from The Hague in Holland where he had spent a number of years writing for an organisation which produces legal opinion on cases heard by the World Court among other judicial bodies. Shane Binnie completed a Tennis scholarship in the USA and has since returned to Wellington and works in the financial services. Shane is organising the Ten Years On Reunion at the end of the year.
Former Cross-Country captain James Coubrough has continued to be one of the top athletes in New Zealand, excelling in kayaking as well as running. This year he will again wear the silver fern when he races at the World Mountain Running Championships in Italy. James has established a successful career as a builder, including constructing several new backcountry huts for DoC, including Roaring Stag Lodge and Maungahuka Hut high in the Tararuas. Visiting either one of these huts makes for a very enjoyable tramp, and I encourage you to get some friends together to do so the next time you have a spare fine weekend in Wellington. Henry Milne is in his final year at Otago Medical School and starts work as a doctor at Hawke's Bay Hospital late this year. Dennis Prakash has developed a stellar music reputation. As Henry put it, Dennis is smashing up the Wellington club scene, DJing sold out house gigs every weekend. Te Kawa Robb spent five years as the Operations Manager at Mojo Coffee before moving on to work with Harry A'Court as the Operations Manager for Harry's design company, Inject Design. These days, Te Kawa is studying Exercise Science at Massey University and chasing his dream of being a professional Triathlete. TK and I raced each other at the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman in January of this year, and enjoyed a
catch up as we racked our bikes at 5.00am in the morning! We both qualified for the World Championships in Perth in October, where we will face competition from around the globe.
Destined for a more sophisticated life since the days of his non-regulation silk school trousers, Alex Cassels has enjoyed success in commercial and residential property development in the heart of Wellington. A true friend of the earth, Alex continues to eschew the automobile, preferring to leave only a literal footprint as he visits his clients around the city.
Gaining new insights into that former cavern of wonder and mystery, namely the Staffroom, are Charles Wilson and William Connor, who are currently teaching at Rongotai College and Hutt Valley High School respectively.
Considerably more global however, is the scope of Sam MinnĂŠe and Sigurd Magnusson's web and software design company SilverStripe, which they operate from Courtenay Place! SilverStripe employs a staff of over 30 and has already been the recipient of a host of national and international industry awards for their pioneering software and web design. In an incredible coup for any New Zealand company, SilverStripe produced and powered the US Democratic National Convention website in the lead-up to the historic 2008 US General Election. During the peak 96-hour period of use, it received over 2.6 billion hits and still, as Sam and Sigurd say on their website the site handled the load with flair, not breaking a sweat even during the heaviest load times such as during Barack Obama's live-streamed acceptance speech. Andrew Tipping is another with valiant global ambitions. Having just completed a Masters degree in International Development at the prestigious London School of Economics, Andrew hopes to work in small business advisory in the developing world and is currently investigating opportunities in
CLASS OF 2000 10 YEARS ON REUNION in 2010 Date still to be confirmed. Firth Hall, Wellington College
Ethiopia, Malawi, Vietnam, India and Kenya.
Across the ditch, Chai Lim is living in Melbourne where he works for a law firm dealing with commercial disputes, writes legal opinions and competes in Taekwondo. The mercurial Patrick Chong-Nee is currently living in Sydney working for Saatchi and Saatchi. Just a couple of years ago, Patty had an unexpected trip to Italy at the expense of a big television station to appear in a gameshow entitled Batticuore which he informs me translates as Beating Heart! This was the result of an internet relationship he had developed with a bella Italiana which caught the network's attention prompting them to introduce the pair on live television! Still turning heads and hearts with his wily charms, Sydney ladies - look out yo! Patti plans to travel to Madrid later this year to meet up with David Palu, who has just moved to Spain to play professional rugby for Cetransa El Salvador, having spent last season with Plymouth Albion in England.
As for me, I graduated as a doctor from Otago Medical School nearly three years ago and then spent a little over two years working at Hawke's Bay Hospital. I was married earlier this year in Napier and my wife Emily and I then spent our honeymoon travelling through South America. We are now enjoying an unseasonably hot summer in Vancouver, Canada where I am training for the Perth World Triathlon. We will return to New Zealand after the race and hope to settle in Wellington. It has been thoroughly inspirational to collate these tales of the exploits of our men in the wide world. I encourage all of you to come to the reunion in November and share your own stories from the past decade. Until 30 years on, let us take pride in upholding Mahatma Gandhi's simple but crucial challenge - Be the change you want to see in the world. Ben Revell, August 2009
CLASS OF 1990 20 YEARS ON REUNION in 2010 Date still to be confirmed. Firth Hall, Wellington College
Initial indication of interest to 2000 Head Prefect, Nick Buck nicholasbuck@gmail.com or (021) 1154 176
Initial indication of interest to Matthew Reweti, WCOBA Rep.
Also update Nick on your news for the 2010 Lampstand Report.
Matthew.Reweti@gmail.com or (021) 189 1105 LAMPSTAND 2009 • 29
WCOBA GET-TOGETHER • WELLINGTON 2009 Wellington Get-Together
& YELLOW Λ
BLACK FRIDAY Our annual Wellington Get-Together was well attended on a warm, Wellington evening and it was great to welcome a number of our more recent Old Boys to Firth Hall on Friday, 14 November 2008.
Interspersed between informal conviviality, Headmaster Roger Moses spoke of the College’s highlights over the past year, followed by President Bob Slade with an update on the Association’s events. Old Boys were pleased to hear that the College is in good heart and doing extremely well in all three pursuits; academia, the arts and in sport. Two days prior, the senior school held their prize-giving before the boys headed off for study leave ahead of the NCEA and NZ Scholarship examinations.
FRIDAY, 13 NOVEMBER FIRTH HALL, WELLINGTON COLLEGE 5.30PM - 8.00PM $20.00 pp IF WE HAVE YOUR EMAIL, WE'LL REMIND YOU ABOUT IT. RSVP ESSENTIAL FOR CATERING
(L-R): Craig Johnson, Roger Moses, Steve Guiney
(L-R): Russell Tether, David Ward, Douglas Brown, Derral Barnes
(L-R): Gregor Fountain, Bruce Heather, Robert Anderson
(L-R): Peter Howman, Andy Tie, Donald Adams
(L-R): Keith Dryer, Milton Mexted, Graeme Warring
(L-R): Steve Phillips, Ted Percival, Dylan Johnson
30 • LAMPSTAND 2009
WCOBA GET-TOGETHER • WELLINGTON
Sean Conway, Jono Anderson, Dylan Johnson, Stephanie Kane, Charles Gallagher
(L-R): William Somerville, Gareth Kean, John Cook
(L-R): Morrie Deterte, Barry Tingey
(L-R): Barry Ferguson, Bruce Tie
(L-R): Ted Percival, Gregor Fountain, Bruce Heather, Bob Slade
(L-R): Peter Wedde, John Wedde
(L-R): David Gregg, Bill Jackson, Tom Martindale
(L-R): Peter Conwell, John Cook, Barry Jobson
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 31
WCOBA GET-TOGETHER • AUCKLAND On a warm, sunny evening in Auckland on Friday, 6 March, a Get-Together was held for our Auckland Old Boys at the Tamaki Yacht Club in lieu of the annual dinner. With Brendon Jarvis now taking over the reins of the Auckland Branch, we hope to reactivate the annual dinner as soon as we can. Our thanks to Mike Ward who has relinquished the role due to work commitments but who did a great job in keeping the Auckland Old Boys database and events up-and-running.
Around 80 Old Boys together with Headmaster Roger Moses, Development Director Graeme Steven, Archivist Paddianne Neely and myself gathered for an informal evening of convivality catching up with fellow Aucklanders and hearing from those at ‘Head Office’.
It certainly was a relaxed and informal occasion and a pleasure for us to meet a number from ‘north of the Bombay Hills’ and to know that they still hold fond memories of their old school.
WCOBA AUCKLAND GET-TOGETHER (PART II) Wednesday, 18 November 2009 Old Boys' Pavilion, Auckland Grammar School, Newmarket. 5.00pm - 8.00pm DETAILS WILL BE POSTED OR EMAILED TO ALL AUCKLAND OLD BOYS IN OCTOBER. IF YOU LIVE OUT OF AUCKLAND BUT WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND, PLEASE LET us KNOW.
Damian Thornton, David Fehl, Will Taylor, Leigh Thornton
Leon Clarke, Elton Smith, George Gair
Kenneth Bliss, Brian Helson
Paddy Battersby, Lloyd East, Brian Dodd
Noel Holyoake, Alan Main
Tom Gault, John McGuire
32 • LAMPSTAND 2009
WCOBA GET-TOGETHER • AUCKLAND
John Roberts, David Pointon
Alastair Gooch, Luke Hoggard
Trevor Hudson, Brian Teehan, Les Mathews
John Laurenson, Elton Smith
Philip Savage, Denis Danaher
Peter Jackson, David Scobie, Dinesh Naik
Mike Ward, Roger Moses
Ralph Hall,Chris Murphy, Max Harris
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 33
WCOBA GET-TOGETHER • HOROWHENUA & MANAWATU Following annual dinners in 2006 and 2007, the Manawatu – Horowhenua Branch chose to hold a late summer picnic on Sunday, 1 March 2009 to which Old Boys and their wives and partners were invited.
showed the acute sharpness of his guillotine blades by chopping carrots and rhubarb stalks with ease. Thoughtfully, he placed a plastic bucket underneath Bob’s head to catch it when it was lopped off.
While the morning was a little chilly, the occasion really warmed up after a hearty lunch and then the remarkable display of pure magic from top tier magician Andrew Wilson (196064). Apparently, Andrew has been performing his sleight of hand dexterities since boyhood.
Actually, this was a very happy result to a very happy day. After all, Bob was a superb host, is a superlative President, there was no protoplasmic mess to clear up and it would have been strange seeing him front up to further College functions with his head off.
The venue was the splendid Manakau home and garden of President Bob Slade and his wife Janet. Around forty Old Boys, wives and staff rolled up with their hampers and refreshments to relax in the rural setting of trees, flowers and borders so carefully tended by Bob and Janet.
We were enthralled at Andrew’s wizardry and rapid patter until the guillotine act. In a gallant move it was our noble President, host, Prefect and champion miler Bob Slade who stepped forward to put his head on the block. Andrew
We were worried. When the lever fell and the crunch came we all winced and shed a tear. However, in a very rare systems failure and for reasons that remain unclear, the guillotine failed to function and sever Bob’s head at the atlanto-occipital articulation.
With a little bit of luck, maybe we shall hold another magic picnic at Manakau in 2010. Robbie Bruce (1954-58) Convenor, WCOBA Manawatu
Andrew Wilson, in the process of decapitating President, Bob Slade - bucket at the ready
(L-R): Wendy and Russell Tether, Barry Jobson
(L-R): Barry Coupland, Robbie Bruce
Mike O'Connor, Gerry Aburn, Malcolm Perrett
Elaine and Bruce Little, Dayle and Rob Anderson
Andrew Wilson, aged 13, performing in Hamilton in December 1960 at the biennial NZ International Magicians' Convention. Andrew obviously thought that his College blazer was the smartest costume he could wear. He had entered the 'Top Teenage Magician' competition along with Ted Aspey (19591963). Andrew is performing his opening magic trick in which he produces a glass of red wine from under the handkerchief. He came second and Ted (who joined the Crown Law Office in Wellington) came third. Andrew won the teenage title in subsequent years and remembers performing for the whole school in the old Memorial Hall. Mr Radford, as Head of Music, organised musical variety shows and Andrew performed the famous Linking Rings and Cups and Balls tricks. These formed the staples of his act later and he used them and many other tricks for the two TV series he took part in called 'Merry-goRound' and 'Kiwi 'n' Chips' produced for WNTV1. Andrew went on to Victoria University, joined the English Department as a junior lecturer and then went to Magdalen College, Oxford for a thesis on Ben Jonson. He stayed in England until 2002, teaching at Charterhouse in Surrey. He is a member of The Magic Circle in London. He is back in New Zealand now, teaching English at Nga Tawa in Marton.
Chefs, John Hunt and Bob Slade
MANAWATU & HOROWHENUA 2009 DINNER : WEDNESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER ~ $35pp Manakau Hotel, just off State Highway 1 @ 39 Honi Taipua Street, Manakau * $35.00pp & Cash Bar Please RSVP to Robbie Bruce on TEL: 06 329 7858 or email: rabruce@inspire.net.nz 34 • LAMPSTAND 2009
WCOBA GET-TOGETHER • NELSON in conjunction with the 2009 Quadrangular This year, the Quadrangular Rugby Tournament was hosted by Nelson College from 27 - 29 July in near perfect conditions. Coming from the heavy wet fields of Wellington, the 1st XV were able to lift their game and played with considerable passion and commitment to take out the title for a record-breaking seventh time in a row. First up, they played the Christ’s College side, who are were lying third in the Crusaders’ competition. The Wellington College team played controlled rugby to win 33-3. The tries were scored by Titapu Pairama-Lewington, Hanipale Galo and Tupou Sopoaga (2). Captain, Lima Sopoaga kicked three conversions and two penalties. Solomona Sakalia had an outstanding game in the front row.
Captain Lima Sopoaga leads the team down the terraces at Nelson College
Up against a very strong Nelson College team in the final, the Wellington team lifted the game a notch winning 33-21. Winger Foalo Sagaga ran in three tries and Jack Wolfreys one. Lima Sopoaga capped an outstanding personal performance, by kicking three penalties and two conversions. Hanipale Galo deserves mention for his play in both games.
Coaches Lincoln Rawles and Greg Sharland were delighted with the performance of the team both on and off the field. They were outstanding representatives of the school and did us proud. A good number of local and visiting Old Boys attended the matches to support Wellington College.
Incidentally Lima Sopoaga, Reg Goodes, Tupou Sopoaga, Caleb Williams-Stewart, Solomona Sakalia and Hanipale Galo have been named in the extended 50-man squad for the NZSS team to be selected later in the year.
On the evening of Tuesday, 28 July, we hosted a function for our local Nelson Old Boys, plus for those who travelled to Nelson for the tournament. Held at the Trailways Hotel, around 60 Old Boys, plus members of the current 1st XV gathered to catch up and hear from Headmaster, Roger Moses, WCOBA President, Bob Slade and 1st XV Captain Lima Sopoaga. It was great to have a good representation from local Old Boys and nice too, that the current team members could also be present to meet their supporters.
Prior to the 1st XV departing for Quadrangular, the team were presented with their caps by Michael Hobbs, 2005 Head Prefect and current Super 14 Blues and Wellington Lions team member, on behalf of the Old Boys University Rugby Club. Three of the team received their third cap; from left Reg Goodes, Lima Sopoaga, Michael Hobbs and Titapu Pairama-Lewington.
Current Head of Physical Education, Chris Wells (1971-75) was in the Wellington College 1st XV in 1975. 34 years on, son Andrew (Y12) made his debut for the team against Christ's College (L-R): Richard Bramwell, David Bailey, Alex McLeod, Kahu Pattison, Alex McLeod, Bryan Shepherd
(L-R): Jim Cable, Brian Smythe
2010 QUADRANGULAR TOURNAMENT @ WANGANUI COLLEGIATE Monday 26 - Wednesday 28 July WCOBA Function on Tuesday, 27 July LAMPSTAND 2009 • 35
WCOBA GET-TOGETHER • MARLBOROUGH
The inaugural (or so we believe) dinner for our Marlborough Old Boys took place on 3 April, 2009 at the Blenheim Club with around 20 Old Boys, plus wives and partners together with Headmaster Roger Moses, Development Director Graeme Steven and myself. It was particularly poignant to have Dave Trevena join us. Not only an Old Boy from 1937-40, but also a English and French Master at the College from 1954-60.
Aside from hearing from Roger Moses about the College, each Old Boy also had the opportunity to speak of themselves and how they came to be living in the Marlborough region. It certainly was a pleasant evening with an interesting and delightful mix of Old Boys. My thanks to John Wedde for updating the local database and Richard Sweetzer for coordinating the venue and dinner.
WCOBA GET-TOGETHER • HAWKES BAY
On Friday, 7 August, Deputy Principal Robert Anderson (1969-73), Development Director Graeme Steven and myself drove up to the sunny Hawkes Bay for the annual Branch Lunch, superbly organised by Dave Halliday (1962-66). Around 50 Old Boys gathered at the Havelock North Community Centre for lunch and it was particurarly special to have former master Frank Crist in attendance. In the absence of Headmaster Roger Moses, Robert Anderson spoke on his behalf, bringing the guests up-to-date on news from the College. WCOBA President, Bob Slade followed with news of the Association. A good number of the guests were former boarders so they will be looking forward to the Firth House Reunion at the end of April next year. It was great to see a group of ‘younger’ Old Boys at the Lunch - themselves being the last boarders before the hostel closed in 1980. My personal thanks to Dave for organising the lunch - it was certainly a pleasure to be a guest for a change!
Congratulations
BIRTHDAY GREETINGS to revered former master Frank Crist who celebrates his 90th Birthday in late September.
If you would like to send Frank Birthday Greetings, please contact the WCOBA Office for his address. 36 • LAMPSTAND 2009
YEAR 13 2008 LEAVERS’ DINNER • our newest old boys Deputy Head Prefects and MCs for the evening - Hunter Douglas and Edward Bowie - welcomed 230 plus Year 13 students to our 2008 Leavers’ Dinner in the Brierley Theatre in early November. Invited guests included Headmaster, Roger Moses, Old Boy President, Bob Slade, Guest Speaker and 1986 Head Prefect, Andrew Scott-Howman and his wife Karen, and senior members of the College staff. Students sat in their Y9 form classes, with many still having most of their original classmates in attendance. There were also three tables of ‘Newbies’ - those who started at the College after 2004.
Hunter, Eddie and representatives from each Y9 of 2004 all brought back memories of life at the College in 2004, the development of friendships, the school spirit and the place of loyalty throughout their five years of secondary education. Head Prefect of 1986, Andrew Scott-Howman spoke of the benefits and influences that Wellington College bestowed on him and
Head Prefect, Tom Aitken also spoke briefly, saving his main speech for the following evening at the Senior Prize-giving, but commented on his warm memories of friends, staff and events throughout his five years.
(L-R): Old Boys at the Dinner included Ernie Rosenthal (Careers Adviser), Bob Slade (WCOBA President), Headmaster, Mr Roger Moses, Andrew Scott-Howman and Deputy Principal Robert Anderson
encouraged each student to follow his passion and most importantly to be a well-rounded, well-mannered and model citizen.
A few words from Bob Slade followed, with him extending a warm welcome to our most recent Old Boys, to a community of almost 30,000 fellow Wellington College students all who have a common bond of attending the College from 1867 to today.
Headmaster, Roger Moses wrapped up the proceedings with a farewell to the 2008 cohort and thanking them for their commitment, loyalty and friendship over the past five years. The evening concluded with a rousing rendition of 40 Years On, followed by a haka from the students to the staff in attendance.
With the ‘perfectly good establishment down the road’ now no longer in existence, there was hope that the traditional haka on the front lawn of the Headmaster’s house at 1.00am would not proceed - alas, we were proved wrong - again!
We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2008 back to their 40 Years On Reunion in 2048. Stephanie Kane • WCOBA Executive Officer
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 37
ANZAC SERVICE 2009
A day of Remembrance for the College The 2009 ANZAC Day service, traditionally held on the last day of Term One, was a most memorable occasion for the College. For in the service, we were gifted the precious taonga of Hāmi Grace’s medals and the diary he kept up until his untimely death on Chunuk Bair. It was also an honour to welcome back a number of former and current serving Old Boys to our College, together with family of Hāmi Grace, a student at the College from 1904 to 1908.
TPM (Hāmi) Grace is in a photograph of the 1905 1st XI Cricket team which used to hang in our main foyer. The name TPM Grace is also on the brass plaque at the back of the Hall where we remember those who attended Wellington College and subsequently, gave their lives in the service of their country. Robert Anderson, our Deputy Principal and Old Boy, undertook some further research and discovered some remarkable information about Hāmi Grace. He was the grandson, on one side, of Thomas Samuel Grace, sent out by the Church Missionary Society to establish the Pukawa Mission Station in 1855. On his other side, he was the grandson of Te Heuheu, Paramount Chief of Ngati Tuwharetoa.
Hāmi Grace had a stellar sporting career during his time at Wellington College, playing for both the 1st XV Rugby and 1st XI Cricket teams. He was also an expert marksman. After leaving College, he played Rugby for Wellington and the New Zealand Māori, and Cricket for Wellington. When war was declared, he was chosen by Colonel Malone as one of the highly skilled snipers in the Wellington Regiment. Like so many of his former schoolmates, he died a hero’s death on Chunuk Bair. Mrs Wene McMillin is Hāmi’s niece, the daughter of his younger sister. Having read of our interest in Hāmi, she established contact with Robert and, in an act of wonderful generosity, has given Hāmi’s medals and diary back to his school. What an honour that, at a deeply moving powhiri, we should not only welcome Wene McMillin and her husband Rex, but also Tumu Te Heuheu, the current Paramount Chief of Ngati Tuwharetoa and Mrs Susan Te Heuheu. Martin Wikaira, former member of the Board of Trustees, spoke on their behalf. Representing the tangatawhenua, Te Atiawa, we were equally honoured to be represented by Dr Kara Puketapu and Mr George Konia.
(L-R): Current and former serving Old Boys included Andrew Brown, Peter Leslie, Roger Moses, Scott Cordwell, Mike Ward
Challenging the manuhiri before the powhiri could begin with a spectacular wero was a former Māori Head Prefect, Tanemahuta Gray (1988-91).
The ANZAC Service in the afternoon was a poignant occasion, highlighted by a superb address by Robert on the life and legacy of Hāmi Grace, and some wonderful words from Mrs McMillin. To paraphrase the famous words of Laurence Binyon: Hāmi Grace shall not grow old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary him, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember him. Hāmi Grace’s story is a New Zealand story and specifically a Wellington College story. It is an eternal reminder of the folly of war, the generation of Old Boys which was destroyed, and the reality that Māori and Pakeha have always been inextricably linked in our College’s history. It is also fitting and proper that the Māori dimension of our heritage should be recognised and acknowledged in a more celebratory and explicit manner.
(L-R): Jim Galloway, Morris Deterte, Peter Hindle
(L-R): Gerry Barnard and Allen Freeman
ANZAC SERVICE 2010 Friday, 23 April at Wellington College. Former and current serving Old Boys are most welcome to attend the 2010 Service. In the first instance, please contact the WCOBA Office for details of the arrangements. Tel: 04 802 2537 or email at oldboys@wellington-college.school.nz
38 • LAMPSTAND 2009
(L-R): Malcolm Faulls and Don Stewart
(L-R): Ted Percival and John Mills
ANZAC SERVICE 2009
Address to the Assembly First of all, I would like to thank the Headmaster, Roger Moses, the Deputy Principal, Robert Anderson and the Wellington College Board of Trustees, for inviting my husband Rex and myself to this ANZAC Service. We consider it a great privilege to be with you today.
As special mention has been made of my uncle, Hāmi Grace, I thought it would be appropriate to give a brief outline of his background. Much has been said of his sporting skills on the cricket pitch and rugby field, and his war service has been well documented. Hāmi was born on 11 July 1890, at Pukawa, on the south western shores of Lake Taupo, in a house built by his father, Lawrence, on the site of his grandfather's mission station. His maternal grandfather was Horonuku Te Heuheu, Paramount Chief of Ngati Tuwharetoa, and his paternal grandfather was the Rev Thomas Samuel Grace, a missionary attached to the Church Missionary Society.
Lawrence Grace negotiated with the Education Board, for a native school to be built at Pukawa, and this was opened to pupils in 1895. One of Hāmi's uncles, Charles Grace, was the first Headmaster. Hāmi would have attended this school with his elder brother WT (Bill) Grace (1902-1905), who also attended Wellington College. Sadly, the Pukawa School only lasted two years due to its inaccessibility for children from the nearby villages of Tokaanu and Waihi. At the end of 1897, the school buildings were removed and reIocated at Tokaanu. Sometime during this year, Hāmi and his family moved to Wellington where he and his brothers and sisters attended primary school.
Since 1975, I have had in my possession, Hāmi's diary and war medals. The diary has travelled great distances over the years. It would have been sent by Hāmi from Gallipoli to his father Lawrence in Wellington, where it remained until 1934. When Lawrence died, Dick Grace, Hāmi's younger brother, took the diary back with him to England. On the death of Dick's widow in 1975, the diary came back to me at Pukawa. Finally, on behalf of his nephews and nieces, it gives me great pleasure to present to Wellington College, my Uncle Hāmi's diary and war medals. Mrs Wene McMillin April, 2009
Pages from Hāmi Grace's Diary, donated to the College by his niece, Mrs Wene McMillin
Relatives of Hāmi Grace, current and former serving Old Boys and friends of the College face the manuhiri challenge (Right): A commemorative medal given to Hāmi's family - the inscription reads 'He died for freedom and honour' (Left): Challenging the manuhiri before the powhiri could begin with a spectacular wero was former Head Prefect, Tanemahuta Gray
(Right): This stirling silver beer tankard was given to Hāmi Grace by his family on the occasion of his 21st birthday. It was presented to the College by his niece, Wene McMillin. The Tankard is to be presented as a prize and will be known as 'The Hāmi Grace Memorial Prize for Best All-Round Student'. This will go to a Y13 student, who in his final year at Wellington College, best exemplifies by his involvement and character, those qualities that were personified in Hāmi Grace. LAMPSTAND 2009 • 39
THE ARCHIVES
“…..a goodly heritage, proud traditions, cherished memories” On 17 July 2009, the Class of 4A 1941 held a luncheon and mini-reunion at the RAF Club, Piccadilly. Elizabeth and David Salkeld, Doris and Peter Macdonald, Helen Joplin and Fay and George Gair attended. These amazing Old Boys and their wives take every opportunity they can to enjoy one another’s company. I was in London at the time with my husband Don for the Test at Lord’s and the ICC Cricket Historians’ Conference in Oxford. Doris and Peter Macdonald were wonderful hosts during our stay in London. It was a great privilege to be invited to attend the RAF luncheon and to be made an honorary member of the Class of 4A. Reunions have been our major activities during the last twelve months at the College. The Old Boys are most fortunate to have someone as talented and professional as Stephanie Kane to make these occasions so successful. It is wonderful to meet and catch up again with Old Boys from previous years and watch their faces as they recognise old friends not seen in 40, 50 or 60 years and to hear their stories. It is as if they have never been apart. Some make new friends with fellows they didn’t really get to know during their school years. The main changes are the lack of familiar buildings, the youth of the Headmaster and his staff, the vast number of boys at the College and maybe the thinning grey hair and the odd paunch. Treasures pour in for the Archives or are sent in at a later stage. Photographs are the visual history of the College and these along with written memories of days at school become valuable resources, especially with the 150th celebrations fast approaching. Our need to gather as much as possible for a proposed historic display is essential, so please help if you can. The annual New Zealand School Archives Conference was held at Mt Albert Grammar School this year. Once more it was a valuable few days of meeting new and old colleagues, seeing how other schools cope with their archives and a chance to view Conservation Supplies’ materials run by Jim and Margaret Morrison.
While in the dining roomat Mt Albert, I spotted a notice framed on the wall, it read…. If any of you has written home saying that you’re homesick or that you don’t like it here, tear the letter up and write another one. Your parents are all making considerable sacrifices to send you here and I am not going to have them worrying about you. signed by the Headmaster, first day of term, 1938. With good friend Ken Douglas at the 60 Years Plus Reunion Are there any Firth House boarders or dayboys who may have Harold Cummins (1944-46) and Les Howe similar correspondence you might like to (1950-54) have each donated their different donate to our Archives? hymn books.
We have received a very handsome Firth House mug donated by Bill Donovan (1944-47). He has been ‘care taking’ it for the last 62 years.
One hundred and fifty photographs and sixty-one pieces of ephemera have arrived and been recorded so far this year. Some items received include a straw boater and band from Ewen Cameron (1938-41). From Sandy Anderson (1955-58) a sterling silver medal awarded to his father HJ Anderson in 1925 as the Wellington College Junior Swimming Champion. HJ swam 50 yards in the record time of 31.6 seconds.
A very special bundle of envelopes containing examination papers for 3B, 4B, 5B (194042) which had belonged to Jerry Janson had been tied up and stored for 66 years. Jerry had written the name of each master, with some comments, for each paper. Another treasure, a small book entitled The Listening Heart by Helen Hogben, wife of the Headmaster Mr EN Hogben (1943-50). It contained some poignant short sketches, especially one about new boys starting school. I have included a poignant excerpt from her book on the following page. The book had been a gift to a university student in 1951, Sir Michael Hardie Boys.
Kathleen Clark, daughter of AS (Aubrey) Clark (1902-04), has given the Archives nine book prizes awarded to her father. These are beautifully leather bound with the familiar College crest stamped in gold. Also a set of Archivists at the 2009 Conference: (L-R): Gaye Robertson twelve Waverley Novels by Sir Walter (Woodford House), Paddianne Neely (Wellington, Wellesley, Scott, awarded to Aubrey. Scots Colleges and Wanganui Collegiate), and Christine Black (Epsom Girls' Grammar and St Cuthbert's College)
40 • LAMPSTAND 2009
collection.
Ian Blow (1944-47) has kept his school bus/tram ticket since school days and that along with a book awarded to his father Stanley Blow (190913) are treasured articles in our
The athletic sports programmes are growing in number. We now have CN (Charles) Nicholls’ from 1916-23 during his time at College given by his daughter Mary McKenzie.
Many missing team, prefect, class and pipe band photographs are finding their way into our collections. At last we are being given photographs of staff members too with some good ones from Bill Donovan (1944-47) and some interesting activity ones from Ian Mackersey, (1939-43). Thank you to everyone who has supported the Archives – to the Headmaster, Roger Moses, the donors, Stephanie Kane, Marilyn MacLennan, and especially Ted Clayton and my husband, Don Neely. Paddianne W Neely, College Archivist
At the Class of 1959 Reunion, we presented Frank Crist with a framed copy of this photo, taken of him with Springbok Chris de Wilzen by Old Boy Rod Mills. Frank was chuffed to receive the photo!
THE ARCHIVES THE LISTENING HEART Sketches by L Helen Hogben
Mini Reunion of the Class of 4A 1941 at the RAF Club Piccadilly, 2009. (L-R): Doris Macdonald, Helen Joplin, David Salkeld, Peter Macdonald, George Gair, Elizabeth Salkeld and Fay Gair.
The College, deserted during the long vacation, awakened this morning from its dreamless sleep. I watched the boys as they came up the drive, the faces of some reflecting the unconscious pride of those returning to a place familiar and greatly loved. They were the ‘Old Boys’ as distinct from the ‘New Boys’. They have gained much from the years they had spent at the College, and are, perhaps, destined to play an important part in its life and well-being. Eager they seemed to open the First Volume of the New Year Book - the leaves as yet uncut. Success, failure-happiness, heartbreak-all lie unrevealed between its covers. Cut the leaves carefully lest you miss some priceless gem that may help you, bringing humility and modesty in your successes, courage and strength in your failures, peace and contentment in your happiness, comfort and solace in your heartbreaks. The new boys, reacting differently in their strange surroundings, mingled with these veterans, some talking loudly, perhaps to cover their nervousness, some brighteyed and smiling shyly, glimpsing the sunshine in their hearts, some almost afraid to venture on this new chapter in their lives.
Fear not, you newcomers! A welcome awaits you within these friendly walls. Here you will meet masters who will lead you along the paths of learning, imparting with patience and understanding the knowledge they themselves have acquired through study and experience. Opportunity is yours! Do not let this precious gift pass by neglected and disregarded.
The College Archivist Paddianne Neely with very kind hosts Doris and Peter Macdonald in the Richmond Gardens, London.
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 Photographs Uniforms Sports Gear Medals Book Prizes Art Work Books Music Reports Papers Correspondence
Please send your stories
College Life; Students, Staff, Old Boys, Trophies, Prizes Caps, Ties, Blazers, Boaters Jerseys, Caps, Boots
Dux, Badges, Awards, War Medals Academic Awards
Paintings, Sketches
By Old Boy Authors
Recordings by Old Boys Academic, Certificates
Governing Boards, Headmasters, Parents’ Association 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)
These new boys will not yet appreciate the peace and harmony that pervades this, their happy hunting ground; nor will they realise that it is made possible by the quiet unassuming man who is at the head of this great College.
He is an idealist, a man with a vision. He has sacrificed much; he has been criticised as all such men will be; he has suffered sorely-paying dearly, perhaps too dearly, that he might tread his chosen path firmly and unafraid.
He has devoted his whole life to this great work and only those of us on the inside can form any estimate of its true worth. Ceaseless, untiring, unobtrusive work, not only for the boys of ability who bring notice and honour to the College - they are the products of most schools - but for every boy who goes through his hands, irrespective of his position in the school. While they are there they are his boys; his to encourage and to help by wise counsel nothing is too big, nothing too small; his to guide by precept and example that they may be better fitted to withstand the temptations and pitfalls that await them when they go out into the world.
Take heed of this man! His words of wisdom, his courage, his steadfastness in following his vision, his greatness of heart, his loyalty, will give you strength and faith as you travel along the great highway of life. Wellington, December, 1950.
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 41
WELLINGTON COLLEGE STORIES
The Talented Class 6A of 1948 In celebration of the 60 Years On Plus Reunion in May, Douglas Wright (1944-48) drew a cartoon of 6A 1948 - his old class. It was drawn from the class photo taken at the time. On the back of the cartoon the following text states: This cartoon drawn by Douglas Elliott Wright celebrates the 60 Years Plus Reunion of Wellington College in 2009.
Its symbolism includes: • the faces are based on the 1948 photo with academic gowns signifying later career achievements - red for doctorates and black for bachelor, masterate and medical degrees. I have included our form master A.N.B. McAloon [respectfully nicknamed Loony Mac] who had a profound influence on our lives and careers • I have joined the colours of the gowns signifying that members of the class were and have remained close friends • the shapes in white signify those who are no longer with us • likewise the background of old Wellington College’s main building which was demolished as an earthquake risk. I have included a shadow on the side of the former building as this place cast a long shadow over the lives of so many boys. • I have included the stained glass window which is now part of the new assembly hall and a reminder of past times.
As well, under the cartoon is a roll call as follows. Prof. D Gray, LitD Hon; Prof. B Spolsky, LitD Hon; Dr A Matheson, PhD; Dr D Wright, CNZM, DSc; Dr D Brasch, PhD; I Anderson, MA; J Burnett, MA; Dr T Farrar, MBChB; G Patchett, BSc; D Melvin, MA; ANB McAloon, MA; Prof. B White, PhD; Sir M Hardie Boys, GCMG, GNZM, QSO, DLaws.Hon.
Doug says that the purpose of the cartoon was mainly personal satisfaction and to give a copy to any of the class who attend the reunion. The cartoon, which hangs on a wall at his home has become a talking point amongst friends who have seen it. It would be unusual to gift a cartoon but I hope the College will appreciate it. Excerpt from The Dominion, 1998. A CLASS OF TALENT.
Wellington College Old Boy Tom Farrar, organiser of an 'about 50 years' reunion conceded that the College's ‘Class of 1948’ might have achieved professionally slightly better than many others around New Zealand. Slightly better? Dr Farrar's class oozes an international talent that may be unparalleled. The 1948 class photograph above shows, back row from left, Doug Gray, Professor of English at Oxford University and honorary Doctor of Literature at Victory University; Bernard Spolsky, Professor of Linguistics at Bar-Ilan University, Jerusalem; Arch Matheson, former
42 • LAMPSTAND 2009
Chemistry Professor at Otago University; Doug Wright, past Assistant Director of MAF, Director of the Meat Industry Research Institute and Science Ministry acting Chief Scientist; Don Brasch, retired applied Chemistry Professor, Otago University; Ian Anderson, former Australian Bank Systems General Manager who set up Payments Clearing as a competitor to Databank; John Burnett, retired Deputy Headmaster of Auckland's Dilworth School for under-privileged boys; Dr Tom Farrar, retired GP and past President of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs.
of Appeal Judge and Privy Councillor. That's five professors, three senior private industry directors or managers, a president of the Royal College of GPs and a senior educationalist. Oh yes, and the Governor General.
Front from left are: Graham Patchett, formerly Mobil's New York Manager for Programmes and Analysis; David Melvin, now deceased; ANB McAloon, 'inspirational' form teacher; Bruce White, former University of Vancouver Nuclear Physics Professor who demonstrated the existence of a particular proton; Governor General Sir Michael Hardie Boys, former Court
The reunion includes a special Assembly and also include a function at Government house. “We thought we better have the reunion while Sir Michael was still Governor General so we could have a free dinner” Dr Farrar said.
Dr Farrar said the class had been the cream of Wellington College, sustained by the disciplines of the day and a fine, all-round education. They had the unique advantage of staying together throughout secondary school, with the same teachers. Otherwise they had been ‘ordinary boys’
WELLINGTON COLLEGE STORIES
Memories from an ‘Inmate’ Michael Mayman reflects on Firth House in the post war years. I attended Wellington College from 1946 to 1950 and spent the first three years as a boarder. Coming from a small country area, it was something of a culture shock to find myself at a school of 900 or so pupils and living cheek to jowl with 120 fellow boarders.
Firth House was quite an imposing looking building sitting on the site above what is now Firth Hall (then the dining block). If it was imposing it could also best be described as austere if not bleak! It was built in the form of an H, the ground floor containing senior and junior prep rooms and ‘recreation rooms’ [a table tennis table in each and a small pool table in the seniors’ room], house masters and prefects studies and on the back wall, senior and junior shower and changing rooms – on the south side and apart from a narrow alley, virtually built into the cliff and devoid of any sunlight. In my first year the housemaster was the redoubtable TD Holmes [nicknamed ‘Chook’ because of his habit of flapping his hands when he walked] – a stern disciplinarian whose gruff manner disguised quite a shy and private person. It would be true to say he was both feared and respected.
While Chook was also a fulltime teacher, when he retired at the end of 1946, he was replaced by a fulltime house manager, one FES Long, who, from day one, was known as ‘Fesil’ or ‘the Fesil’. Quite how he filled in his day I know not, but it became quite obvious that, because of his lack of a teaching background, he struggled to obtain the respect of the assistant housemasters, all of whom taught at the College. Conditions, which were pretty Spartan in the previous regime, certainly didn’t improve much under Fesil but it would have to be said that he did take a keen and kindly interest in the younger boys under his care. The Firth House Notes in the 1949 Wellingtonian state that Mr Long left towards the end of the year. No explanation, thanks or good wishes for the future, so the reasons for his obviously unlamented departure, are uncertain. ‘Chook’ returned in 1950 and continued until the appointment of ‘Sam’ Meads in 1951. (It is now common knowledge that this appointment was the cause of a major rift between the Board of
Governors and the then Headmaster, Mr EN Hogben – leading, it would seem, to the latter’s resignation and self exile to England.)
The housemasters were a varied bunch of characters ranging from the mildly psychopathic to the iconic! The well known pair of Frank Crist and Sam Meads locked the Wellington representative scrum and were both renowned for wielding a mighty cane – a common punishment in those days for even trivial offences such as talking after lights out. Both men were hugely popular in the rugby mad Firth House. I also have fond memories of Ray [Mickey] Michael, a gentleman in the finest sense of the word and whose patience and good nature were shamelessly taken advantage of! Then there was Rex Barrell. He and I developed a mutual and obvious dislike for one another, not very bright on my part as this was hardly a level playing field! Amongst other canings for (seemingly) trivial offences, I recall getting ‘six of the best’ from this gentleman for hitting John Nelson over the head with my laundry bag. If I felt hard done by, you can imagine how the poor and quite guiltless John felt when he received the same punishment.
However, that pales into insignificance in comparison with the punishment meted out to my good friend Neil Kittow who received from a housemaster (who will be nameless), ‘six’ for talking in prep and was then called back from his way out of the Master’s study with the comment I’ll teach you to grin! and given another three. (Hard to tell a grin from a grimace – especially when viewed from the back!) The punishment, if harsh, was ineffective; Neil still has plenty to say! The headmaster at the time was Mr EN Hogben whom I remember as a cold and austere character. During the week, he and Mrs Hogben (nick-named ‘the Pirate’), had their mid-day meal, in the dining hall – sitting at a separate table. Mr Hogben gave the Grace at the beginning of the meal, reading off a card
which was hidden under his place mat.
One incident involving Mr Hogben comes to my mind – which might be called ‘The Great Silence’. A boarder had been either expelled or suspended by Mr Hogben for some not too serious offence, a punishment which the boys considered as being totally unjustified. At breakfast, the word was passed from table to table that the mid-day meal was to be conducted in total silence as a gesture of protest. So the only noise was a barely audible and stilted conversation between Mr and Mrs Hogben at one table and the housemasters at another.
I imagine Mr Hogben would have been absolutely livid but we only received a relatively mild admonition from Chook at prep that evening. Justice was eventually done the boy was re-instated. It says much for the power of silence!
We tend to forget that rationing was still in force until the late 40’s and we were sent home at term holiday times with a small portion of butter and presumably a sugar and meat coupon or two at the end of the year. The matron [appropriately named Miss Firth but no relation of the great ‘JP’] was presumably tasked with caring for our diet but the food was typical institutional fare of the time – monotonous and stodgy. However we didn’t ever go hungry! I recall her only treatment for a sore throat was to apply iodine to the affected area with a small paint brush. You soon learned not to come back unless you were at death’s door!
However, I can’t recall anyone going to see a doctor though in 1948 one fifth former was taken to Wellington Hospital A & E Department after being punched in the face by a renowned bully (and school heavy weight boxing champion) who had misguidedly been made a prefect!
Our laundry arrangements can hardly be believed in this day and age! Socks and towels were changed twice a week, the remainder, underclothes, shirts and pyjamas once a week. We were issued with two sheets at the beginning of the term. On the next Saturday another sheet was issued. This became the top sheet and the one which had been on top went to the bottom and the previous bottom one went to the laundry; and so it continued to the end of the term. With a hundred and twenty pubescent boys there were many ribald jokes about having to Continued over the page LAMPSTAND 2009 • 43
WELLINGTON COLLEGE STORIES
Memories of Foxy Sutton I really did enjoy John Rhodes’ article, Lampstand 2008: Wellington College in the late 1950s. His recollections and the exactness of the memories they recalled, like Heron's entrances at Assembly, and Foxy's daily ritual with his keys provoked rampant nostalgia – but John left out how Foxy would spin around as soon as he'd unlocked his cupboard but before he opened it, to check we were absolutely attentive and focused. As Danny Kaye’s immortal line in The Court Jester told it - you could never outfox the Fox.
The article inspired forgotten memories. In our 5th form year, a classmate chalked ‘Foxy's Battleship’ across the front panel of Foxy's desk. Obviously Foxy never ventured into the body of the class because the fading caption was there for months - but around July/August, during some morning-interval horseplay, someone stood on Foxy’s desk and someone else kicked the drawer-side legs, which caused the entire side to break-off. Freed of its lock, the desk’s drawer crashed to the floor, exposing to eyes other than Foxy's own, the hitherto everhidden contents.
Foxy’s class records were calculated to three decimal places and we would have paid dearly for any chance to peruse them – but we were so shocked at the damage, nothing from the drawer was looked at, let alone examined, (corporal punishment was still on the books). The desk was propped-up as best it could be, and we hastily departed for the next class.
Retribution, of course, descended a class or two later when we were back in our form-room - Foxy having contained himself until we were under his control. He was very angry - and the offenders quickly identified themselves. Intriguingly, rather than the ruined desk, it was his discovery of the chalked words that enraged him most – the ‘personal remark’ FIRTH HOUSE MEMORIES continued fold sheets with an axe. Our grey shorts were changed once a term whether that was needed or not Our week days were pretty full and structured, what with the usual school routine and sports practice, with prep in the evenings.
Saturdays were largely taken up with sport; Sundays, there was compulsory church in the morning and in the afternoon we were let loose to go on aimless walks around Wellington. There was an alternative to this; going for training runs. These were really a subterfuge for obtaining some sexual titillation by spying on courting couples copulating in the secluded glades of Mount Victoria. This innocent pastime 44 • LAMPSTAND 2009
- not raped them – something doubtless we’ve absorbed more readily as the years have passed. At the time, however - for a class of adolescents doubly afflicted by ‘50s authoritarian suppression and volatile hormones – attitudes towards the lesson all but degenerated. Doubtless, we’d have vehemently maintained otherwise, but in the 4th form, with limited access to magazines that were a far cry even from Playboy, we didn't know a lot about rape or, more especially, about girls. Still, that Latin class was the most memorable of all that ever followed. The incident was savoured for years. really upset him. The offender too, stood and confessed, and the whole lot were ‘smacked’ Foxy's strap reputedly having been pared short, a sliver at a time, in earlier days when it’d been kept in his desk drawer, and thus apparently accessible from underneath. By our day, it was always concealed in his cupboard.
We did two exacting years of French with Foxy - he was also our form master in 4A and 5A - so John’s account of his Latin class translation of the Rape of the Sabine women was pretty well tangible. His recollection stirred memories of our own involvement with the same piece with our 4A Latin master, Dick Campion.
We'd done the work as prep and presented efforts individually in the class. We’d all enjoyed (translating) the part where, in the Sabine village, young Romans had run hither and thither, et virgines rapuerunt - which most of us had gleefully translated as, and raped virgins (or young virgins, or young girls concoctions were similar but widespread).
Campion was horrified - the only time I ever saw that languid man lose his cool. He expounded repeatedly on how it meant, seized young girls
was put to a temporary halt when one busybody (I suspect an elderly pervert who’s patch we were intruding on!) wrote to the House Master complaining that he had ‘observed Firth House boys spying on young couples basking in the sun’. This was utter rubbish; we were interested in far more than ‘basking’.
We were allowed into town each Friday after school but woe betide if you were not back for roll call at 5.30pm. We were also permitted two weekend leaves a term but not starting until after breakfast on Saturday. Petrol was rationed so visits home were rare and many boys didn’t see their parents from one term holiday until the next. We had two brothers from the Chathams and one who commuted for a year from Kaitaia; it literally took him two days to get home.
My years were 1957-60. By any measure of hindsight, our Wellington College education was a good one, and I feel something lacking in that the formative influences to which we were exposed have been so expunged from education today. So much of the system we'd known was diminished by the late ‘60s, and completely emasculated by the middle '70s. Yes, Heron’s rule was authoritarian - but, despite my frequent assignations with detention and the strap, I know I became a far better person, with far greater appreciation of right and wrong, of the fit and proper and of the acceptable and unacceptable, than so often seems to be the case today. I feel so lucky to have had my college education when and where I did. I can still hear the echoes and re-echoes of that oft-repeated injunction - you mightn’t like it now, but you’ll thank me for it one day. Boy, do I what!
I’m grateful to every single one of my masters – grateful from the bottom of my heart. I wish they were still around so I could thank them and let them know that their labours weren’t entirely in vain. Jim Cable, Nelson (1957-62)
Rivalry between dayboys and boarders was intense but on the whole friendly - unless a dayboy was rash enough to invade a ‘boarders’ only’ domain such as the area at the back of the dining block [scurrilously referred to by the dayboys as ‘Scab Alley’]. The Firth House boys were always well represented in the 1st XV, athletics and boxing and to a lesser extent in the 1st XI. While scholarship was not highly regarded by many, my year produced a school dux in Ross Howie who went on to a distinguished career in paediatric medicine, and of my vintage there were two oral surgeons, a cardiologist, a dentist, a psychiatrist, two solicitors and several who made significant contributions in farming and National [note the capital N !] politics.
WELLINGTON COLLEGE STORIES
Memories of Jack Lamason A Primary School "Old Boy" Though I entered Wellington College as a third former in 1941, my involvement with Wellington College Old Boys began, strangely enough, in the 1930s. I was then a primary school boy at Wellesley College when it was located on The Terrace. My teacher in Standards 3 and 4 - and my hero - was one Jack (JR) Lamason.
He was a leading sportsman of his time captain of the Wellington rep. teams in both cricket and rugby as well as captain of the Old Boys’ senior club cricket and rugby teams. An aggressive batsman and medium-pace bowler, he represented New Zealand against the visiting MCC team in 1935-36 and was a member of the squad that toured England in 1937. He did not make the test team on that tour but I remember how proud I was when he top-scored with 71 in a county game. In the late thirties, another Wellesley boy, Bill (WN) Freeman, was the regular scorer for the Old Boys senior cricket team and when he moved on to Wellington College (he made the 1st XI and later played Plunket Shield for Wellington) ‘Mr Lamason’ asked me to take over the scorer's job.
Cars were few and far between in those days and I travelled to all the senior grounds by tram (one penny to Kilbirnie, twopence to Karori) or by train to the Hutt. It was at Kilbirnie that I first met the boy who was to become my best mate at College. Noble (NCM) Smith in those days manned the Kilbirnie scoreboard on Saturday afternoons and when Old Boys were playing there I would call out the score from the scorers' box and he would change the numbers on the board. After College, Noble qualified as an accountant while I began a career in journalism. Our paths inevitably diverged. Noble and his wife started Advance Transport, a trucking business in Te Kuiti. My wife and I called on them once when we were driving through the town, It was many years later that I learnt Noble had suffered a major heart attack at the age of 47, passing
FIRTH HOUSE MEMORIES continued School bullying has been much in the news in recent years and it was certainly institutionalised in most boys’ boarding schools in those days; Firth House was no exception. Third formers were given a rough time by some fourth formers and again some couldn’t wait to get their own back the following year. As with life in general, time is a great healer and I look back on my three years as a boarder quite fondly. It certainly made me appreciate
away in Te Kuiti only nine years later.
I minded the Old Boys’ scorebook for three seasons and was thoroughly absorbed in the fortunes of the team and its players. In one issue of the long-defunct Sports Post, the cricket writer lamented the fact that so few senior teams had a regular scorer, adding: one of the most competent of whom is a schoolboy. Other notable sporting Old Boys who played under Jack Lamason that I can recall include Bill (WG) Rainbird (1930-34), opening bat for the Wellington Plunket Shield team, and in the rugby team the 1935-36 All Black half back Joey (BS) Sadler (1928-32).
My duties as scorer ended as College days began. At my last game, I was called into the players' pavilion and presented with a book about cricket. Lamason expressed the hope that when I made the 1st XI, I would be as well served by a scorer as the Old Boys team had been. Unfortunately, Mr Frank Joplin, who was in charge of cricket at College, did not share Jack's opinion of my cricketing prowess. I did not get higher than the 2nd XI and, in frustration, switched to tennis as my main summer sport.
Jack Lamason attended the College in 1919-21 and his younger brother, RH (Bob) Lamason (1927-32), wicket keeper in the Old Boys’ senior team, was a student a few years later. Jack's wife, Ina Lamason MBE, captained the
New Zealand women's cricket team in 194749 and also played hockey for New Zealand.
Jack died in 1961 at the age of 55 and Ina lived until 1994, dying in Auckland at the age of 82. David Lawson (1941-45), Auckland
the comforts of home.
involvement in the health and disability areas. He was chairman of the local hospital board and its successor, for a number of years and was for four years, National President of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society of which he is a Life Member. He was awarded the Queen’s Service Order for Public Service in 1991.
Michael Mayman, after a totally undistinguished five years at College, obtained a law degree at Victoria University. He lives in Timaru where he occasionally practices law as a consultant in the legal firm he co-founded. He has had a long
Thanks Michael for your memories - no doubt there are many others who share those recollections and will do so at the Firth House Reunion in 2010. See page 27 for details.
So it is now approaching thirty years since Firth House was demolished and a reunion is planned for 2010. I just hope that a number of my ever diminishing band of contemporaries and I haven’t fallen off the perch by then!
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 45
WELLINGTON COLLEGE STORIES
An Old Boy friendship extends over 90 years We received a couple of delightful letters from RM (Bob) Wood (1928-30); one is published on our letters page, the following is a tribute to a fellow Old Boy and chum - a friendship lasting many decades that we would like to share with you. The death occurred last month in Australia, of a notable Karori Old Boy RR (Reg) Watchman (1928-2008), whose parents ran the grocery store on the corner of Karori Road and Raine Street from about 1920. Their family home was on the corner of Raine and Friend Streets. His boyhood was, to put it mildly most active. He excelled in many things such as tickling trout and catching eels in the Karori Stream, having the best billy-cart and tackling the steepest slope on his sledge. In the view of the policeman, Mr Cattanach, he was a habitual criminal. Having been caught red-handed in such crimes as riding his bike on the footpath, all leading to summary punishment with a large boot or a slap.
Guy Fawkes' Day was made memorable by Reg. He and his minions collected a goodly sum for fireworks by dragging the guy for miles. The fire, located in a paddock roughly between the present tennis courts and his home, was immense with piles of gorse etc with a few tyres and the resultant conflagration spectacular. The fireworks were augmented by inviting the ‘rich kids’ from Friend and Hatton Streets to attend. Reg followed his brother, Johnny, in a bright career in the Hockey Club, rising from the junior teams to the first grade, which won the championship regularly. He was selected to play for Wellington and was greatly honoured to make the New Zealand Team which played the visiting Indians.
He left Wellington College in the depth of the depression, and unlike his mates, many of whom went on Relief work for 5 shillings a week, managed to land a junior job in C&A Odlins Timber and Hardware business. After some years he successfully set up a branch in Gisborne where he married most happily and was much respected. His service was broken by the war in which he served as a pilot in a Lancaster bomber squadron, based in England. He continued up the ladder and in due course became the Managing Director. His retirement was marked by a grand dinner and he took up residence on the lakeside at Rotorua where he planned and built a garden ideally suited to the very pleasant site. After happy years in Rotorua, where he 46 • LAMPSTAND 2009
became the oldest member of the Golf Club. He moved to Australia to live with his daughter Maxine and her husband Garry in the town of Brunswick Heads on the north coast of NSW. He became a well known and much loved member of the town. He died in February at the age of 94.
I was a contemporary of Reg since pre-Sunday school days. In 1918, I moved with my family to the now historic home at 316 Karori Road which was occupied until recently by my sister, Kitty Wood MVO, former secretary at Government House and active in the Karori Historical Society. I was closely associated with Reg in the doings and crimes mentioned above especially the Hockey Club where I was the Club Captain.
As soon as the war was declared, myself and other hockey club members including Maurie Browne (NZ Representative and top Cricketer), my brother Frank Wood, Cliff Edwards and Ken Mackenzie enlisted in the army and, despite the story that the war would be over by Christmas, were shot off to Cairo early in January 1940 with the ‘First Echelon’.
I was lucky in that I got a job in 1931 (as a clerk in the AMP Society after an entrance exam). On my return from the war in 1946, I accepted a transfer to Australia, which meant the end of my life in New Zealand except for some years as Manager in Christchurch. I retired from the job as Manager for the United Kingdom and returned to my home in Sydney in 1977. Despite my absence from New Zealand, Reg and I kept close contact with visits between the two countries and by correspondence. Some seven years ago, I moved to the town of Sawtell on the mid north coast of NSW, near the homes
of my two sons and their families.
So it was when Maxine invited me to attend a gathering in honour of Reg in his favourite coffee shop and now at the age of 93, still pretty fit and with a driving licence, I was happy to drive the few hours and to ‘say a few words‘ and was proud to open the batting with the words; I have known Reg Watchman for more than 90 years – so top that one! In the past couple of years, Bob has called into the Old Boys Office twice during his visits back to Wellington and I can vouch that he is ‘still pretty fit’. Bob has a remarkable war record himself, which follows.
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, he escaped and spent three months at large, travelling south, finally making contact with British forces.
After some months on furlough in New Zealand he 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 he 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 New Zealand and was demobbed in September 1946. His World War 2 was 'first in, last out.'
Victoria University’s New York Alumni
Past Head Prefects Alex Blades (1984-88) [second right], and Ben Perham (1985-89) [far right], were guests at a Victoria University's Alumni function held in New York in June. Wellington College continues to be one of the largest source schools for Victoria University students.
WELLINGTON COLLEGE STORIES
A long time between drinks In February, the College honoured those senior students who performed at an outstanding level in 2008. Our special guest at the Scholars’ Assembly was Old Boy, businessman, art patron and entrepreneur, Alan Gibbs (1953-56) who addressed the Assembly and then presented the awards.
Alan, together with his daughter Emma were in New Zealand for the summer holidays and were guests of honour at at lunch that same day, hosted by the Headmaster Roger Moses. Also joining at the lunch was fellow Old Boy Richard (Raj) Roberts (1953-57) whom Alan hadn’t seen for 20 years and whom had ‘gone missing’ from our database. With a bit of detective work from Development Director, Graeme Steven, Raj was found on Old Friends - and after an email to confirm Raj was one and the same, he was able to fly to Wellington and attend the lunch. Raj splits his time between New Zealand and Finland just as Alan splits his time between here and England where he is still heavily involved with his Gibbs Aquada - the high speed amphibious vehicle. It was a great catch-up for these two former classmates.
(L-R): Raj Roberts, Roger Moses, Alan Gibbs
Cambridge Man returns home for the holidays
(L-R): Alex Ross as Head Prefect, 2007; Jono and Alex in France; Alex in 2009 on his visit back to New Zealand
It was wonderful to briefly catch up with Alex Ross who called into the College recently while home for the holidays from Cambridge University. Alex, who was Head Prefect in 2007 was awarded the highly prestigious Douglas Myers Scholarship, worth $200,000 which is assisting him with his Economics with Mathematics degree (with Honours) studies at Cambridge University in England. Alex (now with a slight English accent) resides at Gonville and Caius College and his scholarship covers all tuition, accommodation, travel, living and social costs for the duration of his study there.
Aside from academic pursuits, Alex spends around 30 plus hours per week training with both the University Waterpolo team as goalie
(and who just beat Oxford 15-11) and the Cambridge Rowing team in preparation for the 2010 season.
Cambridge University - now in its 800th year of rituals and traditions (gowns must be worn for dinner each night) - is a complete change for Alex, who spent his first six months at Otago University before heading away. He says he truly loves the environment, atmosphere and interaction and his having the time of his life - he hasn’t met any ‘Royals’ however Stephen Hawking teaches at his College. Alex stresses that any Old Boy passing through should contact him to catch up - there aren’t too many Kiwis at Cambridge so he’s feeling
like a bit of a minority.
Alex’s older brother Jono Ross (2002-05) and national Waterpolo representative has just returned home to New Zealand after living in a 12th-century French Village; St Jean d’Angely where he was playing in the French Elite Waterpolo league for the past year. Waterpolo is the main sport of this town and St Jean d’Angely is one of the top national teams. Before Jono returned home, he and Alex caught up in the French Port of La Rochelle, near to where Jono was living.
If you want to catch up with Alex, his email address is agr34@cam.ac.uk
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 47
NEW ZEALAND HONOURS
Accolade at the Chalkface He's in charge of one of New Zealand’s top state boys’ colleges, but Roger Moses isn’t selfish when it comes to accolades.
The Wellington College Headmaster of 15 years says students, teachers, parents and former bosses have all played a role in him being made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours. I love working with people. The contact with students, teachers and parents is great. In a way they have all played a part in this award. I get a fantastic kick out of seeing students taking part in activities, whether it is Stage Challenge, the chorale or watching the boys’ football team. Seeing kids who actually benefit from being at school is one of the huge satisfactions of the job. Roger said often teaching was filled with images of ‘doom and gloom’, but he loved it as much now as when he started in 1978. Teaching is a dynamic job, never boring, and is always one with challenges. It is a tough job but also a highly rewarding one. It saddens me that teaching has perhaps ceased to be a profession of choice and it is very nice that a teacher has been recognised. Hopefully it will be the start of many more. Since starting his first teaching job at Auckland Grammar in 1978, Roger has taught at MacLeans College, Mahurangi College and Waihi College, and publicly voiced concerns about problems with the flagship
secondary qualification, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement. During his time at the chalkface he had noticed a big change in the number of students staying at school longer. And as such the shape of schools has had to change. They have had to look very seriously at courses, still offering traditional courses, but acknowledging for many students, there needs to be a different path. Schools are no longer simply a sorting pen for university.
Not since JP Firth (Headmaster 1892-1921), has such an honour been bestowed on a Wellington College Headmaster. Mr Firth received the CMG (Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George) in 1922.
HOLY MOSES
Headmaster Roger Moses showed recently that some things never change at the city's largest boys' school. When Moses spotted two errant boys at the Wellington College - St Patrick's (Town) annual rugby match, he was quick to roll out a message familiar to many Old Boys who had turned up to watch. “You boys shouldn't be here. You've got classes. Get back to school and pull your socks up”. [The Dominion Post]
Arise Sir Thomas and Dame Joy...
The overwhelming majority of distinguished New Zealanders who had the option of becoming Knights or Dames have indicated they wish to use the titles. Those made Principal Companions or Distinguished Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the intervening years were eligible to take advantage of the National Government’s restrospective move to restore the titles. Of the 85 eligible, 72 have taken up the titles of Knights and Dames including two with Wellington College connections. Honourable Thomas Galt QC, PC • 1952-1955 Distinguished Companion of the Order DCNZM in 2000 for services to the Judiciary. Redesignated as KNZM Knight Companion of the Order in 2009.
Sir Thomas (Tom) Gault, is a now retired Justice of the Supreme Court of NZ and a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.
After Wellington College, Tom graduated with a Master of Laws degree from Victoria University. After graduation he was a member of the law firm A J Park & Son for 20 years. In 1981, he began practising as a barrister sole, and in 1984 he was appointed a Queen’s Counsel.
His first appointment to the bench was as a Judge of the High Court, followed four years later by being made a member of the Court of Appeal. He was appointed President of the Court of Appeal in May 2002. In 2001, he was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the judiciary.
Tom is a keen golfer, winning the NZ Universities’ Championship. He was awarded Blues by both Victoria University and the University of NZ. Moving into the administration of the game, he was President of the NZ Golf Association from 1987 to 1996 and as an Advisory Member of the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status Committees from 1978 to 1996. He was referee for The Open Championship from 1993 to 1998. He joined The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1994, and was made its first New Zealand captain in September 2005. 48 • LAMPSTAND 2009
Dr Joy Drayton CNZM, MBE • Staff: 1942-1944 Distinguished Companion of the Order DCNZM in 2004 for services to Education and Local Body Affairs. Redesignated as DNZM Dame Companion of the Order in 2009.
Joy was one of the first women staff members at the College, appointed during WWII, when many of the male staff were away on duty. Born in Dunedin, she grew up in Wellington where she studied at Victoria University. After graduating with a MA(Hons) in History she gained a Teacher’s Certificate from the Wellington Teachers’ Training College and later added a Diploma of Education.
Joy’s career within the education system has seen her as Principal of Tauranga Girls’ College, active in the Post Primary Teachers’ Association and a term as Pro-Chancellor and then Chancellor at Waikato University. Upon her retirement, she became involved in local body politics and was elected to the Tauranga District Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and served one term as Deputy Mayor of Tauranga.
She has participated in many community organisations; artistic, historical, environmental and ones supporting the welfare of women and children. Joy has also continued to work for the National Council of Women and was a founding member of the Soroptimist International of Tauranga, the Kaimai Youth Camp Society, BOP Women’s Refuge, BOP Historic Places Trust and Friends of the Library. She is now connected with The Elms, initially as Treasurer of the Family Home Preservation Trust in 1987 and became a Trustee in 1998 when the Foundation was set up and more recently as Director.
NEW ZEALAND HONOURS
Four Old Boys recognised in 2009 New Year Honours
Professor Ngatata Love SSO, JP 1951-1954 Principal Companion of the NZ Order of Merit (PCNZM) For services to Maori Now redesignated as a Knight Grand Companion of the Order (GNZM)
Professor Ngatata Love is currently Professor of Business development at Victoria University. He has worked extensively on Maori land matters and Waitangi Tribunal cases, and has held directorships of Air New Zealand and Huttons New Zealand, amongst others. Before he began his appointment at Victoria University, he was Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri (Ministry of Maori Development) for five years. Professor Love also has close links with Massey University. He was on the academic staff from 1973 to 1995 and is now an Emeritus Professor at this institution.
Professor Love has been a key researcher and negotiator with Te Atiawa and the Wellington Tenths Maori Land Trust, which currently has a Treaty of Waitangi settlement before parliament. He has also had a distinguished career as an academic and has sat on several boards, including New Zealand Post, Kiwibank, Te Papa and Victoria University.
Professor Love has five children, 16 grandchildren and one greatgrandchild and devotes much time to them, but he says he isn’t planning a quiet retirement just yet.
The Honourable John Laurenson QC 1951-1955 Companion of the NZ Order of Merit For services as a Judge of the High Court of New Zealand
Justice John Laurenson was a Judge of the High Court for nine years until 2005 and sat regularly in the Divisional Courts of the Court of Appeal. He was chairman of the Police Disciplinary Tribunal and a member of the Serious Fraud Office Prosecution Board. He has been an active member of the legal profession including as a member of the Taranaki District Law Society and as a member of the New Zealand Law Society Appeal Board. Justice Laurenson has also served the community as a member of the New Plymouth Boys’ High School Board of Governors, New Plymouth Citizens’ Advice Bureau Trust chairman and a trustee of the Taranaki Scanner Trust.
His love of rugby saw him serve as the chairman of both the New Zealand Rugby Football Union Judicial Committee and Appeal Council and as the Taranaki Rugby Football Union Appeal Committee convenor. Now retired in Auckland, he also spent three months in 2007 as Tonga’s Supreme Court Judge, as part of NZAID, the aid donor agency of the New Zealand Government. Two of his sons, Andrew and David, are also lawyers, as were his grandfather, two uncles and his brother.
Michael Seresin 1958-1959 Officer of the NZ Order of Merit For services to the film and wine industries
George Bridgewater 1996-2000 Member of the NZ Order of Merit For services to Rowing
Michael Seresin oversaw filming on such ground-breaking movies as Sleeping Dogs and Midnight Express. Midnight Express won two Oscars for its brutal depiction of an American drugsmuggler trapped in a Turkish jail. It was one of Michael's several collaborations with acclaimed director Alan Parker, including the voodoo thriller Angel Heart.
With a name like Bridgewater you would think he was born to row - but it was anything but. George claims he was a ‘lazy teenager’ till his 6th Form year at Wellington College when his parents persuaded him to give rowing a go.
Michael also worked his magic on the smash-hit Harry Potter series and was nominated for a Bafta for the comedy-drama Angela's Ashes. Michael’s interest in wine developed into a passion, and he decided to build a new career alongside filmmaking by starting Seresin Estate in Marlborough in 1992. Today the organic and biodynamic winery produces about 35,000 cases a year, mostly of Sauvignon Blanc, which has consistently earned very good ratings (85 to 89 points on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale), as have the estate’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The winery also produces small amounts of Riesling, Pinot Gris and a méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine called Moana. It even makes extravirgin olive oil from trees planted around the vineyards.
George is a New Zealand rower who has been competing in the pair at international level with Nathan Twaddle. The pair won bronze medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. They have been together representing New Zealand since 2004, and that year they finished fourth in the final at the Athens Olympics. The pair won a gold medal at the World Rowing Champs in Japan, in 2005 and finished second in the 2006 and 2007 World Rowing Champs.
In 2008, straight after the Beijing Olympics, George went to Oxford University to do a MBA, and where he also won the 155th University Boat Race in March, 2009 rowing at seven. He is the second New Zealander to compete for Oxford, following in the footsteps of JH Lascelles in 1934. George says he misses Wellington. For the past six years he has been based in Cambridge and more recently in Oxford, with his girlfriend Rachel. Rachel was coxswain for the women’s eight that failed at the final hurdle to qualify for Beijing. LAMPSTAND 2009 • 49
CROSSING OUR PATHS
From ‘behind the scenes’ to ‘now on our screens’ Students here in early 2000s will remember Arrun Soma’s (1998-02) claim to fame at the College - as Student Director of the College’s highly successful Stage Challenge entry Boys Can Do Anything. Arrun did a top job, keeping the boys on their toes, organising rehearsals, creating dance moves and mentoring those with two left feet. He was also involved with hockey, student council, and peer support during his time here. Arrun is just as recognisable today by appearing on our television screens as a reporter with TVNZ’s One News each night. We put the ‘shoe on the other foot’ and asked Arrun how he went from the floorboards of the Brierley Theatre to our television screens. After leaving school, where did you go? After leaving the College, I studied for a year at Victoria, majoring in psychology. My first set of exams results quickly proved that psychology wasn’t for me - an E grade in one paper showed I struggled in the university environment, where the teachers didn’t remind you to complete your homework, or tell you when your essays were due - and honestly, I wasn’t enjoying psychology. I thought being a psychologist would have good cred, and would earn me my millions, but I figured, what use does money have if I’m not happy with my career. I had heard about the NZ Broadcasting School in Christchurch. I applied and auditioned to study there, and waited nervously to hear the results; as they accept fewer than 20 applicants nationwide per year. I was accepted, I passed through the course, completely enjoying it, and secured myself an internship at TVNZ. So was Broadcasting in the back of your mind while at school? In Y12, we were required to complete two days work experience as part of one of the College courses. One of my neighbours (Jackie Maher) worked as a investigative reporter at TVNZ. So I spent two days with her and the other reporters in the newsroom, and it was at that stage I realised I wanted to become a reporter for One News. I was most drawn to television because I think it’s a great medium and a great way to tell the stories of every day Kiwis to the rest of the country. I set the goal of wanting to be a reporter at TVNZ (specifically) at age 16, and I started first working there at age 20. Something else that appealed about becoming a television reporter, was the fact that there are not many brown faces on the television. I think cultural identity is important, and to be from a cultural minority (Indian), and on the television gives me the opportunity to empower others like me to do similar things. When did you first get on air - were you part of the TVNZ cadet plan? When I started my internship at TVNZ, I was 50 • LAMPSTAND 2009
and proper, and if you don’t get a call from them, it’s means you’re doing ok.
simply the observer. I watched carefully how it all worked, and took it all in, hoping someday my time telling the stories would come. My boss told me that it was unusual for an intern to have a story on the 6.00pm news, and that if I did get one on there, I’d be doing well. So, of course, I set out to prove it could be done. I went through my six-month internship hoping it would happen, and about three weeks out from the end, I had a story that made it on air. You’ve had a stint in Christchurch and now reporting in Wellington. Is it good to be covering news in your home town? I spent the first part of my time at TVNZ working in a production role, sending camera crews to protests and crashes, and organising the general logistics of the newsroom. I then got a reporting job in Christchurch. I moved down there, simply because that’s where the job was. I spent a year in what is a really great patch. Working from Christchurch allows you to see a lot of the beauty that the South Island has to offer, in all four seasons. I moved back towards the end of 2008 simply to be back in my hometown. I like reporting in Wellington as I’ve grown up here my whole life, and I find a sense of responsibility to do my hometown, and surrounding patch justice. It’s also about contact building; because I have lived here for so long, it means I have a life time (well 24 years) of people that can help me try report the stories that matter to them and the wider community. Do you get nervous in front of the camera? I get nervous when doing live crosses. But that’s the thrill of it. Going live to the nation is a daunting task, so when I hear the words in my earpiece “…we’re crossing live now to Arrun Soma…” it scares me. But it’s all about trying to stay composed and trying to ‘own’ the story. I’ve had a few shocking on camera moments that I’d love to forget, but it’s all character and career building. And there’s not a day in my job where I don’t learn something new, and that’s part of it. What about clothes - does TVNZ ‘outfit ‘ you? TVNZ is very kind and provides us with a clothing allowance and a grooming allowance, and that allows us to look tidy and professional on the television. We have makeup and wardrobe staff in Auckland who make sure we’re looking prim
Any interesting interviews that stand out and have you had any that were just plain awful? The stories that stand out are the ones where people are struck by tragedy and grief. That’s because it’s always so sad, and the hardest part of the job is talking to people whose family member/s has died. No matter what the circumstance, it’s always hard. We go about our job, reporting on what’s happened, but it’s tough to try and not be affected by such things happening. It’s sometimes hard to be removed from the murder, car crash, drowning etc. Other stories that stand out, are stories where I’ve helped people out, either directly or indirectly. It’s great to be able to fight for the little man, the person who isn’t getting a fair go, and that’s why I do my job. It’s a great feeling finding answers for a person who needs help, finding answers they couldn’t have got without you. Some of the more memorable interviews I’ve done have been with rapper Lil Jon, boy band Westlife, Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett, and a host of Kiwi music acts like Opshop. It’s also great when breaking news happens, being whisked away to a remote part of the country in a helicopter when something major happens. There’s nothing like the thrill of the chase. Where to next - anchorman, director, producer or the European Correspondent? At the moment, I am really happy reporting for TVNZ in NZ, but it would be great to be an overseas correspondent. TVNZ doesn’t have one anymore, but I’d love to be an Asian Correspondent to New Zealand. I am Indian, and have travelled to bits of Asia, and think it’s such a diverse and intriguing patch to cover. I also want to work in current affairs, and maybe one day become the anchorman. And in summing up... I was never the smartest kid in the class. There were times when I struggled through school, especially in my seventh form year when I spent too much time avoiding my class work. I was middle of the road, and I had to work really hard to get to where I am. I’ve found choosing a career path you’re passionate about makes a lot of difference. My job hasn’t been so much about having a brilliant intellect, because I know that I don’t. It’s been about applying the logic and life skills that I’ve learnt over time. My advice to anyone wanting to do what I do, push yourself hard to achieve it. You don’t need to be the Dux to do this, you just need to want it. I don’t think of myself as the guy from TV who knows everything, because I’m not. I’m just a regular run-of-the-mill former Wellington College student who chose to do something a bit different. And that’s what makes the difference.
CROSSING OUR PATHS
Four Old Boys - Changing the World through Technology
(L-R): Jason Hogg, Chris Johnson, Martin Wood, Nicholas Kerr outside the Microsoft complex
A recent email to the ‘ANZAC’ staff at Microsoft revealed that there are four Wellington College Old Boys based at Microsoft’s head office in Redmond, Washington. We arranged to get together and take this photo to share with you – but we also thought it would be fun to share a little background. Microsoft is of course a global company with over 95,000 employees worldwide of which 41,000 are based in and around Redmond, a suburb on the east-side of Seattle. The campus is big - very big. Imagine the space required to house 30 times as many people as Wellington College – except that every student would also have their own office, and you should get the picture. Anyway, some brief background on each of us.
Nicholas Kerr was a student at Wellington College from 1985-89. Since joining Microsoft in 2007, Nicholas has been responsible for subsidiary engagement and training with the worldwide marketing and sales field responsible for the company’s enterprise management and security software. He moved to the Seattle area in 2005 to work for T-Mobile after working in the telecommunications and consulting industries, following studies in the US and Victoria University. He commutes to work daily across the floating bridges on Lake Washington from downtown Seattle, where he lives with his wife Jennifer, a Texan, and their schnoodle puppy, Scooter. Nicholas has spoken with Bill Gates at an event and chatted with CEO Steve Ballmer on campus.
Chris Johnson joined Microsoft in 2002 after returning to New Zealand from his OE. Chris moved to the US in 2007 to work on Microsoft’s SharePoint product (used to deliver the Wellington College website). Before that he worked for a number of smaller companies and prior to that graduated from Victoria University where he studied Computer Science. Chris was at Wellington College from 1990-93 and he played in the Senior A Waterpolo team. Chris fondly remembers the early morning training sessions at Kilbirnie Pool. He also loved attending McEvedy Shield events and the awesome College Hakas and chants.
Martin Wood attended Wellington College from 1965-70, and then went onto Victoria University to do a BS degree in Geology. In 1982, Martin moved to Sydney, spent five years there where he met his American wife of 22 years (Martin has a daughter 19 and a son who is 16). Martin joined Microsoft in 2004 to manage a business operations team focused on ensuring deals involving external partner relationships within the ‘Online Services Division met Sarbanes Oxley financial compliance requirements’. The larger group he is part of has since moved into the search and advertising world, so his team is now fully engaged in supporting one of Microsoft key search initiatives – “Bing”. Martin had moved his family to Seattle in 2000 to continue working as a controller for a large audio visual systems integrator. Prior to that, he spent 15 years in Southern
California, where he went back to school to get a degree in Landscape Architecture (still licensed to practice in California). Martin is looking forward to seeing his old classmates this October at the 40 Years On Reunion.
Jason Hogg was a student at Wellington College from 1983-87. He did one year at Victoria University and then completed his degree in Perth, Australia. After that Jason worked in London, New York and now resides in Kirkland, a suburb of Seattle. Jason is a software architect inside the Worldwide Services CTO’s Office designing software for enterprise customers. One of his fondest memories from Wellington College was Head of Computing Studies, Vic Paulson’s computer lab, which in 1983 was a disused closet (or was it a bathroom?) housing three * Tandy TRS-80’s. Jason recently completed his MSc (CompSci) at the University of Washington. In his spare time Jason takes advantage of the outdoor opportunities afforded by the nearby Cascade mountains - rock climbing, hiking and snow-boarding with his wife Maureen and baby daughter Tegan. So there you have it – four Wellington College Old Boys changing the world through software – sometimes even changing it for the better!
Seriously though, if you are ever in Seattle and want to catch up for a beer you can contact these people at: nicholas_kerr@hotmail.com, chjohn@microsoft.com, mawood@microsoft. com or jahogg@microsoft.com. LAMPSTAND 2009 • 51
CROSSING OUR PATHS
The Mere (Mayor) Facts If you happen to come across the Mayor of Carterton, be warned – you won’t come face-to-face with the traditional mayoral gold chains and daimler – more likely, you’ll come across a giant of a man, with a goatie and earring, his sleeves pulled up, Harley Davidson parked alongside, working out and about in the community.
of the goings on in the community. Crime and the disenchanted youth became a major concern and frustration to Gary so he stepped up and ran successfully for the local Council. In 2004, with the local elections forthcoming, Gary ran for the top job and was successfully elected.
It was a pleasure to welcome Gary back to the College recently for a catch-up and look around the grounds, as well as making time for us to catch up with him.
Instead of sitting behind a desk all day dealing with bureaucracy, Gary is out and about dealing with issues and concerns as they happen. He has also been involved alongside fellow dignitaries in reinstating daily flights between Masterton and Auckland – a much need boost to the local economy and the tourism and hospitality industries. The closure and hopeful reopening of the toilets at the top of the Rimutaka’s is also another priority.
Crime was and still is a major issue in the community, but with Gary lobbying to secure the 24/7 manning of the Police Station and CCTV cameras, the community is now enjoying a safer environment and a positive change for the better. The local community centre has also benefited from Gary’s intervention and now the streets and its citizens are on the way back up.
Gary McPhee (1969-72), Mayor of this small Wairarpara service town, was overwhelming re-elected for a second term by his constituents so he’s obviously doing something right. He comes across as a genuine, caring and thoughtful man – almost like one of those community constables of times past.
Gary left Wellington College two weeks into his sixth form year in 1972, having realised after the summer holidays that having to conform to the ‘short back ‘n’ sides, shaved look’ was not his style. Having survived three years of never being caned by persuasive conversation, Gary spent a few weeks contemplating life at the beach before he began an apprenticeship at the Evening Post as a Fitter and Turner. Once qualified, overseas travel aboard his motorbike beckoned and Gary spent the next few years working and travelling on his OE. Returning to New Zealand some years later,
Gary eventually settled in the Wairarapa – more so to extensively care for his son, injured in a motorbike accident. Pretty much single-handedly, Gary restored his son to full health when others felt it was futile exercise, committing himself as a fully-fledged caregiver.
While living in Carterton and in between taking time out to care for his son, and restoring one of the local hotels, Gary began to take notice
Downtime includes spending time with his wife, children and grandchild and when time permits, a blast out on the faithful Harley. As to a third term as Mayor – it could be on the cards but no final commitment at this stage. Whatever the case, the next incumbent has big steps to follow.
The Waterloo Bar and Grill is a central city pub that has local values and offers well priced food and beverage. Formerly the Ferrymans, the Waterloo has recently been refurbished to provide an even more relaxed, comfortable and enjoyable atmosphere.
The Waterloo is situated in the historic art deco Waterloo Hotel Building opposite the railway station. Close to all forms of public transport the Waterloo is the place to end your long hard day or begin your long hard night. With a full pub, reasonably priced drinks, gaming room, TAB and private function area and FREE venue hire, the Waterloo is your home away from home.
Owner, Old Boy Jono Cox (1996-00) welcomes Old Boys of all eras and their associates to pop in and say gidday. Mention your affiliation with the College for your Old Boys discount on food and beverage.
L-R Ouside the Waterloo, Jono Cox (2000), Hayden Prosser (2000), Andre Howe (2000) Matthew Prosser(2003). A random mate of Andre's 2nd left.
The Waterloo Bar & Grill • 27 Waterloo Quay, Wellington • (04) 499 4485 • Email: jono@thewaterloo.co.nz
52 • LAMPSTAND 2009
CROSSING OUR PATHS
The Sausage Man still on a Roll Twenty years ago, Steve Outtrim (1986-89) left Wellington College at the end of his sixth form year, knowing he wanted to be successful, but not quite sure how that would happen. School did not really enthrall him, even though he was academically inclined. He wasn’t into sports or cultural activities in a big way, in fact his days (and thoughts) were focussed on playing and creating computer games. He went to Victoria University, completed his degree in commerce and administration over three years, and immediately moved across the Tasman to Melbourne in 1993 in search of fame and fortune. Now 36 years old, Steve is a multimillionaire, a successful technology entrepreneur, a passionate environmentalist, and of course, an Old Boy. As a 12-year-old, Steve informed his parents that he was going to be a millionaire. 20 years on - he is one - many times over.
At the age of 22, Steve developed one of the world’s most successful web editors - the HotDog web authoring tool. He founded Sausage Software in 1995 and took the company public in 1996, becoming the youngest CEO of a public company in Australian history. Four well-known banks turned him down for a loan when he was trying to fund his company’s phenomenal growth, however one canny investor put his hand up and bought 20% of the company for AU$5 million. Overnight Steve’s 80% share was worth AU$20 million!
Sausage Software was one of the darlings of the ‘dotcom’ boom in Australia and grew rapidly to employ more than 1,000 people. Describing himself as bit of a dreamer, and tinkerer, and ideas man rather than a business manager, Steve sold most of his stake in the firm in 1999, for AU$60 million, just months before the dotcom bubble burst. After retiring at the age of 26, travelling the world and pondering the future on an extended OE, Steve returned to Melbourne looking for his next challenge. He is now an internet and IT entrepreneur, with global markets, partnerships and business interests. His passions are wide ranging; technology and the internet, the environment, conservation and energy efficiency, technology mentoring, and travel, cars, boats, fine wine and food.
Steve has been involved in a number of technology start-ups and investments. He founded Pagan Investments, a private equity company, with a motto of Peaceful evolution to a better world. Pagan invests in environmental and biotechnology companies and other ethical businesses. He founded Majitek, an enterprise software company, and is the founder and Chairman of ekoLiving, a company developing environmentally friendly smart-home systems.
Headmaster, Roger Moses met Steve earlier this year in Melbourne. In his office, Steve showed Roger some of the energy-saving technology his company ekoLiving is developing, and the Headmaster invited Steve to
come back to his old School and talk to the boys.
Steve recently visited the College and he is keen to give back to his old school. Steve is mentoring a joint project aimed at harnessing the students’ ingenuity and enthusiasm, to develop practical energy-saving solutions in the College. But more importantly, he hopes the solutions developed over the coming year with the College can then be applied across thousands of schools in New Zealand and Australia, significantly reducing their energy use and carbon footprints. Steve and two of his colleagues spent a full day at the College in late August, speaking at Assembly, meeting students and staff in a lunchtime forum geared around the environment, the future, how we can use technology to solve environmental problems, and promoting energy conservation in the College through a combination of measuring, teaching, and experimenting. Steve facilitated an afterschool session with students on a collaborative project between ekoLiving and the College to implement practical energy-saving solutions. The project will run to the end of 2010. Read more about Steve anthe smart home technologies he is developing at www.ekoliving.com
ekoLiving Pty Ltd. Level 14-15 50 Market St Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia
Tel: +61(0) 3 9629 4367 Fax: +61(0) 3 9621 1299 ACN 117 999 863 LAMPSTAND 2009 • 53
CROSSING OUR PATHS
Top Marks for Hotel The Classic Villa, owned by Peter Morrison (1970-75) and Jan Clarke has been judged among the top five New Zealand hotels in an international online travel company's survey. The Classic Villa topped Expedia Insiders' Select list. Now in its third year, the annual Expedia list represents hotels offered by Expedia globally and those that have been recognised by its travellers for consistently delivering excellent service, a great overall experience and providing notable value.
The Italian style historic home has been renovated and tastefully refurbished into one of the finest Five-Star boutique hotel accommodations in Christchurch. Peter and Jan’s additional awards include: 2009 Expedia Insiders' Select List - 1st in NZ, 2nd Australasia, 28th globally. (Top 1000 Hotels), 2006,2007 & 2008 5 Star Qualmark Rating, 2006 HANZ National finalist - Best new/redeveloped accommodation hotel, 2006 Civic Trust Award for promoting higher environmental standards, 2007 Expedia Insiders' Select List: Elite 1% of all World Wide Hotels, 2008 Finalist Champion Canterbury AwardsChampion Host-Small Enterprise Celebrating Business Excellence, Passion and Success, and 2008 Qualmark Enviro-Bronze. Situated on a quiet pedestrian boulevard (Worcester Blvd), the Classic Villa is only steps away from the Arts Centre and Market, Art Gallery, Museum, Botanical Gardens, Cathedral Square, Historic Tram, Punting
on the Avon River, Golf Course, Theatres, Restaurants, Cafes and Central City Shopping. Beautifully decorated, the quality facilities include luxury beds, wood-fire effect heaters, LCD flat screen TVs, free Wi-Fi wireless and broadband high speed internet plus many other extras. Included in our rates is a delicious Continental style breakfast and complimentary Tea, Coffee and non-alcoholic beverages are available. Peter and Jan have kindly offered our Old Boys a special rate of $169.00 per night, including GST, their Delicious Mediterranean Breakfast, free car-parking and free Wireless Internet.
Bookings can be made to frontdesk@theclassicvilla.co.nz or view full details on their website: http://www.theclassicvilla.co.nz 17 Worcester Boulevard, The Cultural Precinct Christchurch Tel: (03) 377 7905
Aotearoa Breweries - On the Edge of their Seats
Old Boy Jaysen Magan (1988-92) and partner Tammy Viitakangas, who featured in the 2008 Lampstand, have recently exported their first shipments of MATA Beer to Australia and Hong Kong. Since the last report, they are now part of the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) Market Development Grant and Fomana Capital, Tekau Plus - Export Excellence Programme.
Jaysen is also about to join an elite group of young professionals from New Zealand to visit and experience Japan, its society, culture, as well as its people. The programme, fully sponsored by the Japanese Government, is designed in order to advance and intensify the relationship between Japan and New Zealand, thus promoting mutual understanding between each other. The aim of this unique programme is to invite young professionals from New Zealand to increase their understanding of Japan, through lectures on Japan's business trends, its major industries, and the bilateral relationship. Countermeasures against global warming taken by Japanese corporations will be also be covered in a cross-sectoral manner as well.
The third beer in the range, MATA FEIJOA was launched in November 2008. Head Brewer,
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Tammy, tells us that so far they have picked up people new to beer and people that appreciate something unique and special. MATA Feijoa is edged with whole crushed New Zealand grown Feijoa, it is a pale fruit ale with a full blown Feijoa taste. All natural, no additives or preservatives. With export opportunities on the horizon, says Jaysen, our business model is continually
evolving, even in the current times, we are extremely excited, scared and thrilled to be on ‘The Edge’ of our seats, pretty much all the time.
If you want to stay up-to-date with our news, check out www.mata.net.nz or follow us on twitter, www.twitter.com/matabeer. Lastly, call for a stockist or try your local New World or Glengarrys.
CROSSING OUR PATHS Hunter • Builder • Forestry Contractor • Fisherman • Collector • Author • Inventor • Innovator
The New Zealand Caterpillar Experience
The New Zealand Caterpillar Experience provides Lindsay Willis (1956-59) a way to share his passion for old Caterpillar equipment. It tells the story of the shaping of the country and preserves a slice of logging history – a window into his love of the land and the bush covering it. Lindsay was at home in the bush even prior to leaving school. He and his brothers hunted deer and trapped possums for pocket money.
He became a builder upon leaving school, but the pull of the bush proved too strong. In 1974 he formed a forestry contracting business which allowed him to work, hunt and use bulldozers – old bulldozers.
Lindsay took a break in 1990, built a boat and went tuna fishing, eventually selling the fishing business in 1998 to return to the land. His son Brett ran the forestry business during this time, and upon Lindsay’s return, the company started developing ideas they had in specialised forestry equipment.
A successful career in forestry and related ventures has seen Lindsay move from contractor to inventor. His philosophy of 'get in and do it' rather than talk about it, emphasises the kiwi tradition of 'do-it-yourself and make it work'. His dogged determination has seen him develop better ways and tools to perform tasks such as forestry planting. If you work in forestry today, chances are you are benefitting from one of Lindsay's ideas. As busy as he is with his businesses, he still finds time to head to the hills with long standing hunting mates, restore old bulldozers and even write a book or two.
Lindsay hopes you can pay a visit and gain an insight into how his beloved 'Cats' have helped shape this country.
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Times we’ll never forget
A WOODEN WHEEL ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK • Dave Bailey, NSW, Australia
Wooden wheel astronomical clocks are rare and I know of just seven. One is from the St Peter monastery in the Black Forest and is now in the Deutsches Uhrenmuseum at Furtwangen in Germany, four are from Switzerland and two are from Austria. The Black Forest clock is perhaps best known, but a Swiss clock by Johannes Lostorff, Bern, 1771 appears to be technically superior to the rest. The gear ratios in this clock give a theoretical lunar month error of one day in 122 years. The seven clocks were all made in the 18th century. In January 2006 I began designing and building a wooden wheel astronomical clock, and I completed it in December 2008. It is the twelfth wooden wheel clock that I have made in the past 25 years. Work began with background reading and research. I then drew up the specifications for the clock and did the wheel and pinion calculations. The clock comprises three dials; the top dial is a perpetual calendar which Even though he's not an Old Boy, current permanent staff reliever David Grant’s book; Field Punishment No 1 is one of New Zealand’s most extraordinary stories describing the courage of the conscientious objectors sent overseas during World War I, in a brutal attempt to force them to renounce their convictions and join the war effort. Despite torture and privation, Archie Baxter and Mark Briggs held out till the end, in one of the bravest displays of principle New Zealand has ever seen. They were this country’s first successful dissenters, in defiance of a militaristic, neo-colonial government that feared non-conformity. 56 • LAMPSTAND 2009
corrects for leap years, the centre dial show the times and phases of the moon, and lower is an orrery showing the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Moon, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. There is also a year counter.
The clock runs for seven-and-a-half days between winding, is weight driven and strikes out the hour. The case is two metres tall and the great wheel of the time train turns once in twelve hours and also drives the orrery. The gear ratios chosen give the following theoretical mean orbital errors; Mercury 1 day in 5.9 years, Venus 1 day in 8.9 years Earth 1 day in 7,692 years Moon 1 day in 224 years Mars 1 day in 7.2 years Jupiter 1 day in 2.8 years Saturn 1 day in 1.9 years The orrery also shows solstices and total lunar and solar eclipses. Wheels were made from laminated Australian
Author in our midst David is the foremost authority on the history of conscientious objection in New Zealand. He re-appraises Briggs and Baxter’s stand in the context of a New Zealand which has come to value its place as an independent, antimilitarist nation. Bob Kerr’s paintings evoke the pathos and drama of the conscientious objectors’ struggle. The book is available through Unity Books in Willis Street, Wellington or by emailing David at david.grant@xtra.co.nz
David is currently researching a biography of former Trade Union leader and Old Boy Ken Douglas ONZ (1949-53) which he hopes to have published in late 2010.
blackwood and the pinions were cut from steel. The largest wheel in the orrery has a diameter of 29cm and has 235 teeth. There are 67 wheels and pinions and 240 handmade parts in the clock; and it involved 3,000 hours of work to construct. The clock is accurate to about two seconds per day. Dave was at Wellington College from 1952-56 and is a frequent attendee at our annual Quad Tournaments (inbetween making clocks is seems).
CROSSING OUR PATHS
Legend of Te Mata Estate Boarder, John Buck (1955-58) left Wellington College and Firth House for Victoria University to study Commerce but eventually ended back at Te Mata Estate in the Hawkes Bay in 1974.
grandchildren; and a golf handicap that is to be sneezed at! It is his role as grandfather and golfer that will keep John busy well into retirement. Jonathan and Nicholas also work at Te Mata Estate.
In 1990, John was awarded the Commemoration Medal for Services to New Zealand, and in 1995 an OBE for services to the wine industry,
Under the direction of John, Te Mata Estate has, over nearly thirty years, produced a stunning array of red and white wines including famous labels as Coleraine, Awatea cabernets/ merlots, Bullnose syrah, Elston chardonnay, Cape Crest sauvignon blanc and launched in 2009 Zara viognier. Te Mata Estate has also developed a unique single vineyard from which it produces its Woodthorpe wines.
John’s contribution to the New Zealand wine industry extends well beyond his role at Te Mata Estate. John was involved in wine judging in both Australia and New Zealand for many years, first joining the National Tasting Panel in 1969. In 1979, he was made Chairman of Judges for the National Wine Show, the first New Zealander to be appointed to the position. While he is currently Chairman of the Hawkes Bay Opera House, he also served as Chairman of Hawkes Bay Vintners in the 1980s, and from 1991 to 1996 as Chairman of the New Zealand Wine Institute.
Te Mata Estate is New Zealand's oldest winery, dating from the early 1890's. It is a New Zealand family owned winery - a true estate, specialising in grape growing and winemaking from its nine Hawke's Bay vineyards. It is acknowledged as one of only five icon wineries in New Zealand.
and a Fellowship of the Wine Institute of New Zealand in 2000.
John and his wife Wendy have three sons, Jonathan, Nicholas and Toby; five
From Wellington to New York, via Harvard University
Former Prefect, Debating and Public Speaking Champion, Lewis Bollard (2000-04) left Wellington College bound for Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA in 2005. Five years later, at his graduation ceremony, Lewis was one of the chosen few to address the graduates, families and friends on their Class Day in June this year. Excerpts from Lewis’s speech follow however you can watch the full delivery at http://harvardmagazine.com/ commencement/2009-class-day.
Four years ago, we converged on this same Yard for the Freshman Activities Fair. We were headstrong and sure-footed: we had aced the SAT, made it into the elect 9% to enter these gates, and already accumulated our first 100 Facebook friends. Our high school friends admired us, tourists in the Yard photographed us, even our siblings congratulated us. We were all paragons of success and had the ambitions to prove it. We dreamt of becoming President of the Crimson, Captain of Varsity Crew, and a straight-A student to match. Then things started going wrong. For some, it came in Expos, when the first draft came back with a grade that looked eerily like a ‘C’. For me, the moment arose in Annenberg when I realised I was seated between the world fencing champion and a concert violinist, and one then leaned over and politely asked, “So, what do you do?” In some sense, the four years since then have all been downhill. The Crimson President, Crew Captain, straight-A student trifecta didn’t
gates, this self-knowledge will be crucial. If the financial crisis has induced numerous sleepless nights for members of our graduating class, it has also forced many of us down the road “less travelled.”
exactly work out, and for many of us neither did half our other aspirations. Harvard, far from delivering the limitless success we dreamt it would, seems sometimes to sow only doubts about whether we might in fact be the ‘admissions mistake’. And yet I suggest this afternoon that those doubts may be Harvard’s greatest gift to us. For they forced us to do something that the progression of perfect exam scores, star athletic performances, and unmatched talents that got us here never did: to step back, re-evaluate, and ask who we truly are. At the Oracle at Delphi, an inscription above the entrance read simply, “Gnothi Seauton”—Know Thyself. Similar words could be inscribed above the entrance to every dining hall and dorm room, for it is here that the real work of Harvard took place: the debating, questioning, and studying that led us to discover what we care about, and what we hope for. It is here that we began to conceive of ourselves as larger than lines on our resumes, larger even than the degree certificates we receive tomorrow. And it is here that we began to learn that most important kind of Veritas: the truth about who we are. As we enter the turbulent world beyond these
This road is often rough. I still remember my father’s parting words as I left New Zealand for Harvard. “I wish you many failures,” he declared happily. At the time it didn’t seem like a particularly nice thing to say to someone boarding an airplane, so I ignored the comment. But in the years since, as I’ve spent endless nights working on papers that were never quite perfect and applications that never quite succeeded, those words have seemed ever more apt. As sports columnist Bill Lyon quips, “If at first you don’t succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.” And here at Harvard, the loser does get something. For in the Harvard Oracle, failure serves as education. Every unsuccessful audition bears a clue to our true strengths, every lost sporting contest a clue to our human limitations, and every job rejection a clue to what we really dream for. The Puritans who founded Harvard College called this process finding one’s “calling.” As we leave these gates, I hope that you have had enough doubts, setbacks, and frustrations to find yours. Lewis will be moving to New York in October to start consulting with Bain & Company and says he would love to meet up with any Old Boys in the city. lewis.bollard@gmail.com
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Success on and off the wicket At the NZ Radio 2009 Awards, Jack Perkins (1954-58) received a special recognition award for services to broadcasting and won the ‘Best Documentary’ for his documentary on the life of Sir Edmund Hillary aptly called It’s one thing to climb a mountain. Following on from this success, Jack’s documentary won a Gold Medal at the New York Festival Radio Awards.
The annual awards recognise the world's best radio broadcasting with international experts assessing work from hundreds of individuals and networks in more than 30 countries. The award follows success for Jack at the recent NZ Radio Awards, where he won Best Documentary for his work on Sir Edmund and received a Special Recognition for Services to Broadcasting award in acknowledgement of his work in radio over more than 50 years. Jack is a senior producer for Radio NZ National and runs the Spectrum radio documentary unit. Almost 50 years ago, Jack began his radio career tying up bundles of acetate records to be sent to stations around the country. He’d been ordained into the priesthood of the NZ Broadcasting Service because he played cricket and classical piano fairly well, smoked a hookah pipe and sported a Harris tweed sports coat with leather elbows. His first personal report described him as a nice young chap whose future did not belong behind the microphone. But 12 years later, after toil in 2YA’s record library and notably underperforming in various administrative positions, Jack found a way to get behind the microphone. Producer Alwyn Owen had started the Insight documentary series in 1969; three years later he and Jack began Spectrum, with a brief to pursue human interest topics as a balance to the current affairs emphasis of Insight. Jack can recall many highlights from well over 30 years spent exploring the nooks and crannies of New Zealand life, but one of his most vivid memories comes from 1974 when he thought he had killed what was believed to be the last kakapo in the wild. For Spectrum, he covers the North Island, south of Taupo. While Jack is well known as a broadcaster, few may be aware that, when he wasn’t cruising the country looking for stories for Radio New Zealand’s human interest programme, Jack spent many a weekend playing senior club cricket in Wellington.
Not Out, No Ball, Over! is a collection of Jack Perkins’ anecdotes and observations from 2008 as published on the website cricketmystery (he writes as The Bearded Inswinger). His often ascerbic observations on the game blend with a rich store of cricketing memories, lending a whimsy which readers are sure to find entertaining. Jack’s readings from the book on Radio NZ National over the Christmas holidays proved highly popular. Jack’s love of the game rubbed off on his son Bryan, and father and
son played together briefly in the Wellington Collegians top side. More recently, Bryan’s passion for the game found him writing for the all things- cricket website cricketmystery and it wasn’t long before his father joined him on the site, blogging bi-weekly as The Bearded Inswinger. Jack attended Wellington College in the 1950s and was in the 1st XI for several years.
For orders, please send a cheque for $15.00 (includes postage and packaging) to Jack Perkins at 2/137 Karori Road, Wellington 6012 or email him at jack.perkins@paradise.net.nz Cheques payable to JS Perkins. Books can be posted overseas by adding a furhter $5.00 to your order. Internet payment can be made to: BNZ 02-0534-0038695002. Don’t forget to mention you are an Old Boy.
All Blacks at War • The 1st XIII
Auckland-based Nixon Pictures are in the midst of making a film – All Blacks at War; The 1st XIII. In 1905, a rugby team from New Zealand in an all black strip took on the might of the United Kingdom and France and won convincingly. A whole new breed of man epitomised this young country far away on the other side of the world. Yet with this All Black legend barely cemented, fate was set to test the qualities of these men like never before. Within ten years, the First World War had broken out. 58 • LAMPSTAND 2009
All Black players were back to Europe once more, shoulder to shoulder with thousands of their fellow countrymen. But this time, the stakes were to be very different. Instead of fighting for match winning points, they were now fighting for their lives amid the blood and horror of Gallipoli, the Somme, Passchendaele, Messines and the scorching sands of Palestine. The television series is the story of 13 All Blacks who made that journey and never returned.
Following in their footsteps will be 1992 All
Black and Old Boy Marc Ellis (1985-90). He will walk the battlefields today, bringing into sharp focus the excitement, the fear and the desperation of each of these thirteen players. Yet as well as their darkest hours there will be the uplifting triumphs that shine through. Their spiritual victories. Their moments of hope. Their support, camaraderie and fortitude. Precisely the qualities they exhibited on the rugby field. Where to win, it was similarly important to stay focussed and full of self belief against seemingly insurmountable odds.
CROSSING OUR PATHS One of the 13 includes our third Wellington College All Black EH (Ernie) Dodd (1896-97) whose abridged details follow.
Ernie was born in 1880. He was a member of our 1st XV in 1897. He made his debut with the All Blacks on 28 August, 1901 AB# 83 as Hooker aged 21. His international debut was on 2 September 1905 v Australia in Dunedin, aged 25. His last test was on 2 September 1905 v Australia at Dunedin aged 25. He joined the Army as a Rank Lance Sergeant, with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd NZ Rifle Brigade. He died on 11 September 1918, in France, aged 38 (Grave Metz-en-Couture Communal Cemetery Ref: IV.B.16). Bruce Nixon says that as far as family goes, he only knows of his sister, Mrs A Esson who was living in Christchurch and working at the Telegraph Office there. However Ernie did have a son called Clifford Read Dodd. Nothing else is known at this stage of research. Prior to WWI and enlistment, Ernie's profession was a Clerk.
Ernie was a hard working front rower forward, or hooker, in the old 2-3-2 scrum formation and was the first member of the Wellington College Old Boys’ Club (COB) to become a NZ representative. The Club has an interesting beginning; Wellington Headmaster, Joseph Firth was the first President, and he of course taught the boys of the College to play rugby. He and rugby players, using picks, shovels and wheelbarrows, manually dug out a clay bank to form the No 3 ground, still in use as a Club pre-season training ground. No doubt, a young and excited Ernie Dodd was there swinging a pick and dreaming of rugby matches to come. 1898 saw the first club game played although the score was never officially recorded. They played the Wellington 'Melrose' team which could well have included Henry Dewar, another of the 13 All Blacks to die in WWI. That first season the Junior COB team played seven matches, won three, drew one and lost three. A commendable result for a new team with many young players, including Ernie Dodd. Reviewing the 1900 season, one sports writer commented: The Old Boys were a source of surprise to many, playing with an immense amount of dash they were never beaten until the final whistle sounded no matter who they were playing. The calibre of our players - young as
they were - was reflected by three of them, Ernie Dodd, Mona Thomson and Frank Johnson, being selected to all play for Wellington. Ernie's big break had happened at last!
As a 21-year old, Ernie played in the national team's warm-up match against Wellington in 1901 before appearing in the 'unofficial' international four days later against the touring New South Welshmen. In 1904, Ernie played in the first Ranfurly Shield challenge when Wellington upset the team who had been first awarded the shield, Auckland. In 1905 he was also in the Wellington team which in turn lost the shield to Auckland. He played for the North Island in 1902 but was out of the national reckoning until 1905. Ernie played three games for the All Blacks. His sole test being against Australia in an 'official' test in Dunedin. The term 'official' referring to the fact that at the time, the Original NZ team was touring the UK and a second national team had been officiated. It was that match that saw Ernie play in the same team as Hubert Turtill another of the 13 All Blacks killed in WWI. Ernie played 45 matches for Wellington between 1901 and 1905, his period with the union ending when as a clerical worker with the NZ Shipping Company he was transferred to Timaru. Still in his 20s, he was then given life membership by his WCOB club to mark his distinction as its first national rep. Ernie formed a formidable front row pairing at club and provincial levels with Eric Watkins. They were in the Wellington provincial side which played against the 1905 Originals before they left for their tour of Britain and France. The team beat the Originals 3-0 with fullback, George Spencer's conversion only missing by inches. In those days a try was worth three points and back then there was no such thing as video-replay, records show that it was either Spencer or Dodd who scored. David Gallaher's
forwards were thoroughly outplayed and controversy stirred about Ernie's omission from the All Blacks due to his fine form. He and fellow front-rower, Eric Watkins, were the best front-rankers in the colony. They both beat their opponents on the All Black side two out of three scrummages! While there were rumours that the NZ side were not playing 100% due to pre-tour injury concerns, they were generally accepted as a side with potential that should rise to the challenge in the 'old country'. Though in his late 30s by this stage, Ernie served in WWI as a Rifleman. He set sail for Liverpool in July 1917. In September 1918, about 12 months after Ernie reached Europe, the tempo increased: Haplincourt, Bertincourt, Ruyaulcourt – all in ruins – and then the southern half of Havrincourt Wood, from the deep thickets of which on the ninth the Division assaulted the Trescault Spur, the last position before the Hindenburg Line. We know that in the days leading up to Ernie's death, he was part of assault on Trescault Spur. They had first to deal with a section of the Wood, then an awkward switch trench in the open, and finally another stretch of the timbered area which curved southwards and covered their first objective. They briefly held what was named 'Dead Man's Corner' but were driven out again by a strong German counter-offensive. Sometime on the 11th, after this initial battle, and the next that was to occur on the 12th, Ernie was killed. His odds of surviving the 12th wouldn't have been good either as there was more long-sustained close fighting on 12 September than the Division had experienced on any other single day since Gallipoli. Exactly two months after Ernie's death, although the New Zealanders did not realise it, their war was effectively over. At 11.00 am on 11 November 1918, the fighting ceased, and the greatest war in history was finally over. 1897 Wellingtonian: Dodd: One of the very best forwards in the team. Fast and dashing, strong and clever, he was unflinching in the pack and brilliant in the open.
1897 Wellington College 1st XV Standing: K Gilmer, A Gray, F Cheeseman, A McTavish, J McKenzie, EK Dodd Seated: DH Tomoana, P Downes, ED Hales, FF Wills, G Tabor, JL Haselden Front: CJ McGowan, HD Thompson, T Page
If you can assist in our venture and in this case, provide any further information on Ernest Dodd, please contact us: Email: info@nixonpictures. co.nz or visit our site at www. nixonpictures.co.nz/All_ Blacks_WWI.html and look the 'about us' link for more contact information. Thank you for your interest and helping us to pay our respect to these 13 sportsmen who knew what it meant to give everything they had, be it on the rugby field or the battle field. LAMPSTAND 2009 • 59
CROSSING OUR PATHS
Don Peebles - Icon Artis A key figure in the emergence and evolution of New Zealand abstract art, Don Peebles (1936-37) is known as a leading force in contemporary New Zealand painting and is one of New Zealand's most senior and respected practitioners. He was born in Taneatua near Whakatane. His family moved to Wellington two years later and he attended Wadestown School and Wellington College, before leaving to deliver telegrams for the Post Office in 1937. He saw active service in the army from 1941 to 1945 in the Pacific and Italy, studying art in Florence briefly at the war's end before returning to New Zealand and the Wellington Post Office. He trained at the Wellington Technical College Art School from 1947-50 and at the Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney from 1951-53. He lectured at the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts from 1965 until 1986, and was the Head of the Painting Department from 1980. Since his first exhibition in 1948, Don has continued to push the boundaries of his art practice, never accepting what he has already achieved, but striving for more. He has steadily produced a solid body of work as he has pursued a unique path in his art. Like most artists of the 1940s/1950s, he began painting landscapes but, since the mid1950s, he has focussed on and been committed to his practice of abstract art. He was the first artist in NZ to explore constructionist abstraction, becoming well-known in the early 1960s for painted relief constructions which were typically framed in shallow-trays. The interplay and effects of light and shadow this allowed, have always held a fascination for Don. By 1975, he was creating loose canvas works without frames, which hung according to the natural inclination of their weight and added relief elements. He also experimented with paper, creating exquisite relief works and, by the early 1980s, had developed and enlarged this concept by producing bold, large 'book page' reliefs. These groundbreaking works consisted of strips of canvas sewn vertically onto a larger canvas, and were likened to book leaves or gills. They achieved a sense of movement and evoked elements of nature. Each hanging was different in its effect due to the fluid nature of the canvas, and the light playing part, or interlocking, shaped, canvas pieces. 60 • LAMPSTAND 2009
while still retaining the 'cutting edge' that has always typified his work. In confirmation of the heightening interest in his work, all but one had either sold or was subject to a 'hold', within a week of the opening.
In the late 1990s, Don returned to working more frequently on a smaller scale, creating balance and tension within works in paint on canvas on board, again within 'tray frames'. By applying subtle markings in pencil or paint, or even leaving threads of canvas showing at the edges, Peebles lures the eye to explore each work in depth. An exhibition at Artis Gallery, Auckland, in the year of his 80th birthday proved again his ability to produce paintings of great beauty,
Don was awarded the ONZM in 1999 in recognition of his services to art and, in April 2003, the University of Canterbury awarded him a LittD (Honoris Causa). Don continued to lecture at the University of Canterbury until his retirement from teaching in 1984 and then retirement from the University itself in 1986 to concentrate on painting full-time.
In 2007, Don was made an Icon of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand – honouring 20 living New Zealanders at one time and stands alongside many other illustrious artistes. Don is represented in several public and private collections both in New Zealand and overseas and has exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions since 1949. He lives and works in Christchurch.
The Arts Foundation of New Zealand’s website gives futher coverage of Don’s work. Don has a solo exhibition on until 3 October at the The Diversion Gallery, Grove Mill Winery, Cnr State Highway 63 and Waihopai Valley Road, Renwick, Marlborough.
When I spoke to Don about his time at the College, he said that he did not actually take art as a subject when at school. At that time, Mr Thornton was the Art Master and students were only ‘encouraged’ to sketch simple still life displays. There certainly was not any opportunity or encouragement to show creativity, individuality or modernism art. Thus Don took a practical qualification which assisted him in the interim in finding work when he left school. Don also said that Jack ‘Inky’ Dighton’ was a major influence on his life at school - Inky was a marvelous teacher of literature and English Grammar and always had his students enthralled in his lessons.
CROSSING OUR PATHS
Brierley Theatre initiates International Acclaim The Arts Centre (better known as the Brierley Theatre and named after benefactor and Old Boy Sir Ron Brierley (1951-54) and incorporating the Firth House Dining Hall was officially opened in 1987 by Old Boy and Governor General at the time; Sir Paul Reeves (1946-51). For much of that following week, a variety of musical recitals were given and the first major production in the new theatre followed shortly after - The Visit. Since then, countless Wellington College plays, musicals, speech recitals, drama extravaganzas and debating championships to name a few have taken place. The following is a small selection of many, many artistic Old Boys who in the past twenty years since the Brierley Theatre opened have since made their mark on the international stages and screens - we’d like to think that their ‘debut’ in the Brierley Theatre has in some way assisted in their achievements. TANEMAHUTA GRAY Actor, Teacher, Director and Writer.
HARRY SKINNER Dancer
Tanemahuta Gray attended Wellington College from 1988-91.
Harry Skinner attended Wellington College from 2001-02.
He has directed eleven shows and carnivals and performed in two Kapa Haka national competitions for Ngati Poneke. He is a senior regional tutor (ahorei) of taiaha under the mantle of Mita Mohi. His performance experience includes Song and Dance, West Side Story, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet.
Harry left the College at the end of his fourth form year after receiving a scholarship to The Australian Ballet School. He joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2008. Harry was born in Invercargill, and trained at Paula Hunt Dance Studios in Wellington before leaving for Australia He performed in The Australian Ballet’s productions of Don Quixote and Destiny.
He graduated from the New Zealand School of Dance in 1994. Having created and staged his first work in 1997, Te Ao Hurihuri - The Changing World, he shifted to London in 1998, where he performed for De La Guarda, one of the world’s leading aerial theatre companies, travelling over five years to Las Vegas, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, Berlin, Seoul and Sydney.
offered a role in the hit New Zealand TV series Shortland Street. After appearing on the show for the 1993‐1994 season he attended Victoria University of Wellington for one year, then left to pursue his acting career.
Harry starred in the College’s Stage Challenge dance extravaganza in 2002. With a cast of 100 performers, the Stage Challenge theme was Boys Dan Do Anything. Following a group of ‘Billy Elliot’s wannabes showed that dancing is not as easy as it looks, on leapt Harry to show them some serious ballet dancing.
Over the next few years, he landed several theatre roles in Wellington and Auckland before landing the first of many film and television roles in the internationally syndicated American TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its spin‐off Xena: Warrior Princess, from 1996 to 2001.
Performer and Producer of Maui – One Man Against the Gods was a stirring Kapa Haka and spectacular aerial theatre united in the stunning theatre production that told the story of Maui’s life – a thrilling journey of the senses in which gods fly and one man defies them all. Staged over two hours with a cast of 18 onstage performers, Maui was a dynamic mix of Kapa Haka, aerial theatre and contemporary dance with an original score featuring traditional Maori instruments.
When not in the dance studios rehearsing, Harry is studying extramurally for a history degree from Massey University.
Urban was reported to be one of several actors being considered for the part of British secret service agent 007 in Casino Royale – a role that finally went to Daniel Craig.
Karl Urban attended Wellington College from 1986-90.
He also won acclaim for his performances in New Zealand films The Price of Milk and Out of the Blue as policeman Nick Harvey in a dramatisation of New Zealand's Aramoana Massacre.
Tane Gray
Harry Skinner
Karl Urban
KARL URBAN Actor
On leaving Wellington College Karl was
Karl is best known for playing Éomer in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick, the Russian assassin Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy, and for lead roles in Viking adventure Pathfinder, Leonard McCoy in the 2009 film Star Trek, and the movie adaptation of video game Doom.
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 61
CROSSING OUR PATHS NICK TIPPING Musician
TOM McGRATH Musicain
Nick Tipping’s musical career began in the classical vein, with performances with the Wellington College Chamber Choir from 198993. He also played and sang in many of the other musical groups at the College, including the Choir, Glee Club, Polyphonica, Concert Band and Orchestra. He was a member of Wellington College’s successful vocal groups The Four Haircuts and Face Value, which went on to national success in barbershop competitions.
Tom attended Wellington College from 198791.
He studied musicology at Victoria University and jazz bass at Massey University, before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he continued his jazz study. While in Las Vegas he performed regularly in many of the famous hotel/casinos on the Strip, including the Riviera, the Bellagio, the Mandalay Bay and the MGM Grand. He also had the opportunity to play with well-known jazz names such as the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, James Moody, Phil Woods, Kenny Burrell and Monty Alexander. After a short stint teaching at the Seoul Jazz Academy, South Korea, Nick moved back to Wellington in 2003 to work at the Massey University Conservatorium’s jazz department. Since 2007 he has been the Head of Jazz at the New Zealand School of Music, where he teaches jazz history, jazz theory, combo, jazz bass, and improvisation.
Nick can be seen regularly around Wellington, playing bass in groups as diverse as the Rodger Fox Big Band, his own jazz trio, and the Vector Wellington Orchestra. He is the bass player on the very successful TV series Dancing with the Stars, and occasionally gets to work as jazz bassist with the NZSO. Other highlights have been playing with Nathan Haines, Ronan Keating, Delta Goodrem and Chris De Burgh.
He studied with Diedre Irons at the University of Canterbury where he graduated with First Class Honours. He completed postgraduate studies at the Richard Strauss Konservatorium in Munich in solo piano with Yasuko Matsuda, and song accompaniment with Donald Sulzen.
As a song accompanist he participated in courses by Graham Johnson and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Together with baritone Ernst Buscagne he was a finalist at the 2000 International Schubert and Music of Modernity Competition in Graz for singer and pianist duo. The same year at the Gasteig Culture Centre Competition in Munich the jury created a special prize to recognise his abilities as an accompanist.
Nick Tipping
Tom has performed in Germany, Austria, Japan and New Zealand and made recordings for Genuin, Bavarian Radio, Austrian Radio and Radio New Zealand.
Since he returned to New Zealand in 2003, he has appeared throughout the country as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist, including concerts for the Wellington Chamber Music Society, Christchurch Arts Festival, Auckland Chorale and City of Dunedin Choir (Dunedin Choral Society). This year he will tour for Chamber Music New Zealand with his wife, soprano Goeknil Meryem Biner, with a programme of piano works and songs about childhood. They live in Dunedin, where he currently holds the position of Teaching Fellow in Piano Accompaniment at the University of Otago.
Tom McGrath
The above and following mentioned Old Boys are only the tip of the iceberg of those who have performed in the Brierley Theatre over the past 22 years. If you can enlighten us on other Old Boys of similar vein, please let us know so a) we can feature their achievement in next year's Lampstand and b) in due course to be part of the Honours Board display for the Brierley Theatre.
Comedy Central DAI HENWOOD Comedian Dai Henwood attended Wellington College from 1991-95.
He trained in Theatre and Film at Victoria University. From there he moved into Stand-up comedy winning best new face in 1999’s Pulp Comedy on TV2 and the prestigious TV2 Billy T Award in 2002. From there Dai toured to Melbourne and Edinburgh in 2003. In 2004/5 he performed the sell-out shows The Hot Stepper and Champagne Table Tennis, in the
62 • LAMPSTAND 2009
New Zealand International Comedy Festival as well as performing at the Tokyo Comedy Store and all around Britain and Melbourne.
In 2006 he performed with Rhys Darby in The Everymen. From there Dai was given his own TV show on C4 called Insert Video Here, which quickly became a cult classic. The momentum continued in 2007 where Dai won the coveted Fred Award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival and has become a household name for his TV Series Roll the Dai on C4 Television - the first season local, the second set in the Australian Outback!
Dai is one of the country’s best and most respected live stand up comics. His comedy festival tours have been 100% sell outs over the last few years and this year will no doubt be the same! BRET McKENZIE Singer, Songwriter and Comedian.
Bret McKenzie attended Wellington College from 1990-94.
He is best known for being half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords (FOTC),
CROSSING OUR PATHS with Jemaine Clement, whom he met at studying film and theatre at the Victoria University . Bret was a member of number one‐selling New Zealand band The Black Seeds and is a founding member of the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra.
In 1998, he and Jemaine teamed up to create Flight of the Conchords, describing themselves as New Zealand's ‘fourth most popular guitar‐based digi‐bongo a capellarap‐funk‐comedy folk duo’.
Formed originally as a vehicle to improve their limited guitar skills, the FOTC duo has collected several awards from the International Comedy circuit in toured Europe, USA, and Australia. They have released three CDs: Folk the World Tour in 2002, Grammy Award‐winning The Distant Future EP in 2007, and Grammy‐winning Flight of the Conchords in 2008.
Their six‐part improvisational comedy radio programme for the BBC and have appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show. After a successful appearance in 2005 on HBO’s One Night Stand, the Conchords were offered their own 12‐part HBO series Flight of the Conchords, now in its third season (2009).
Bret also appeared in the first and third films in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, achieving some internet notoriety as Figwit. Bret's father Peter McKenzie played the role of Elendil in Lord of the Rings. ARTHUR MEEK Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film Maker
Arthur Meek attended Wellington College from 1995-99.
A graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 2006, Arthur’s professional theatre credits include Two Brothers for Circa Theatre, Finding Murdoch for Downstage and the nationwide tour of The Hollow Men.
Arthur won the 2008 Chapman Tripp Theatre
Dai Henwood
Bret McKenzie
Award for Most Promising Male Newcomer for his performance in the acclaimed show On the Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark Taking Me as Her Young Lover. The show took the country by storm, playing to packed houses, garnering best production of the year nominations and picking up awards throughout the country. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin in 1809, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, Arthur is writing the play Collapsing Creation, to consider the dilemmas Darwin faced in going public about his theory of evolution.
Arthur is the creator of the award‐winning short film Being John Campbell (2002), which won awards around the country. His play The Cottage (2006) was awarded the Best Newcomer of the Fringe. In 2008 he was commissioned to write Yolk for Young and Hungry’s’ season of plays for young people.
Many also know him as Arty Buckwhip, from the musical comedy band The Lonesome Buckwhips. Nominated for the Billy T Awards, the Buckwhips are currently recording a series with Radio New Zealand. His play Return of the Lonesome Buckwhips (2007) was awarded Best Comedy at the NZ International Fringe Festival. Nic Sampson Actor, Film Maker
Nic Sampson attended Wellington College from 2000-04.
He is an actor mostly known for playing Chip Thorn in Power Rangers: Mystic Force and the voice of the Sentinel Knight in Power Rangers Operation Overdrive. Before both of his roles in Power Rangers, Noc was a local celebrity among the schoolgirls of Wellington for his comedy band, Guns ‘n’ Moses (named after the headmaster of his old school). He was very involved with his band and they enjoyed mild to moderate success. Earlier this year, Nic wrote and performed
Arthur Meek
in the comedy festival show The Burn with fellow Old Boy Joseph Moore (2002-06), with a well-received season in both Auckland and Wellington. Nic has also been performing in some other local plays and short films and recently landed a role in an upcoming New Zealand feature film. Later this year he plans to visit Los Angeles for the opening of the fantasy western movie The Warrior’s Way, which he has a role in. STEVE WRIGLEY Comedian
Steve attended Wellington College from 199397. The winner of the prestigious 2008 Billy T Award, Steve Wrigley is a world class stand upcomedian who has performed Stand Up Comedy in New York, both in Times Square and on Broadway, in Canada, Australia, London and all over his native country, New Zealand.
Steve is a master story teller. His material comprises of well told highly energetic stories blasted through the manic filter of his over active imagination. Steve’s comedy draws you further and further into his world as he reveals an unusual life from a bizarre and wonderfully entertaining comedic perspective.
Best known for his ‘almost unsurpassed’ (Theatreview.org.nz) Improv skill, Steve exudes a tremendous amount of energy as he will often unleash the full fury of his improv arsenal, side tracking from his own stories and getting lost in whimsical banter with his audience, In the past this has been anything from an improvised song or shakespearian soliloque to costuming himself with items from the crowd and creating an entire character then and there. It’s clear when Steve performs that he is the person in the room enjoying himself the most. It’s infectious and no audience is able to resist this energetic mountain of charm and honesty. With all the traits of the classic clown, Steve Wrigley is one to go and see.
Nic Sampson
Steve Wrigley LAMPSTAND 2009 • 63
CROSSING OUR PATHS
Sharing in life’s journey Samoan-born composer Igelese Ete's Malaga has grown from a static, 12-minute work to a vibrant, two-hour celebration of life.
wrote the script. He has had several teaching positions but embraces life as a musical freelancer. The money's not consistent, but there's the ability to do what I want, and travel, and not be tied down.
Malaga began as an almost static 12-minute work for the opening of Te Papa in 1998. Now the choreographed Pacific musical, a fusion of gospel, opera, pop and hip-hop, is nearly two hours long and 120 students aged 12 to 17, keen as mustard and top of voice, practised their parts for a four-day season that took place Porirua in August.
His father, though, is 70 and he and Ete's mother are in their last years at Newtown. Ete wanted to be closer and, encouraged by his two children and Jakki, turned down an extended university contract in Fiji, and decided to anchor down in Wellington. I love Wellington. It's an amazing city. And I support the Hurricanes. I wanted to come back and thrive in the cultural setting and environment and do my bit for New Zealand arts and Pacific arts.
Samoan-born composer and conductor Igelese Ete (1981-86) is there to keep the excited cast - the youngest he has worked with - contained and focused, "without being too schoolmasterish about it. It's all good. I enjoy the spontaneity and keeping discipline".
Malaga depicts the journey of a people from their Hawai'iki (their homeland) to New Zealand. Ete describes it as a choreographed choral celebration. The show's growth has parallels with his own musical journey, from a little kid singing in a Newtown church to being named, late last year, as Senior Pacific Artist at the Creative NZ Arts PasifIka Awards.
Ete, at the time of the honour, was a senior lecturer at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, but behind him he had a host of accomplishments, including being fIrst Creative Fellow in Pacific Music at the University of Auckland. Malaga was a catalyst for the university's fledgling School for the Creative and Performing Arts. Ete was New Zealand choirmaster for The Lord of the Rings, conductor for the America's Cup opening ceremony and conductor/composer for the South Pacific Games in Samoa in 2007. His musical life began at age seven when his father, Risatisone, left Samoa with his family to settle in Newtown as pastor of the Congregational Christian Church.
Ete and his two brothers and five sisters were all obliged to learn music. That's standard for the children of Samoan pastors, he says, so they can help their parents in worship. I'm one of those products. He learned piano. At 11, he entered an intermediate school talent quest with a composition of his own, A Little Bit of Rhythm. His career path was set.
Music was his favoured subject at Wellington College -and 1st XV rugby. He sang in the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ and National Youth Choirs and later studied at Massey's Conservatorium and graduated in music from Victoria University. He taught music in Wellington and headed up to Auckland to do the same, turning out, with the help of his friends, a gospel Polynesian fusion single, Groovalation, which made it into the top 20, though not far enough for him to fix on pop stardom as an aim.
He also wanted the children to be close to their grand-parents and the Newtown church which, he says, has always been like a village within the community.
He can't count the number of Malaga productions over the past decade. I've done so many. I love seeing young people before and after and their self-esteem lifted to an-other level. That's the reward, to see them empowered, with self-belief that they can do things. Part of the process is that when you choose to do it, you can do it. I know what belief can do. This is partly a mentoring programme. Ete has ‘big plans’. He is working on a documentary film proposed by a Canadian company and is expecting to create a Pacific sound for The Hobbit along the lines of that from the 60-person choir he gathered and conducted for The Lord of the Rings. He would also like to produce a film version of Malaga which - on stage - will be a festival highlight in Canberra next year. Source: The Dominion Post
Life changes, he says. I got married at 27. Jakki is amazing. She's the co-creator of Malaga and
Victory may ‘add to cache’
Wellington open source developer SilverStripe is another Kiwi software firm that may have reason to celebrate Barack Obama's win.
continues to pay dividends for the company and Obama's victory could help add to the cache.
Sigurd Magnusson, (1995-99) one of three Wellington College and Scots College students (also including Sam Minnee, 1995-98) who founded SilverStripe in 2000, says the win
"It demonstrated a real-life scenario for the software, rather than the judges needing perhaps to benchmark it."
The 22-person firm scored a coup when the Democratic Party selected its content management system to manage the website for its National Convention in August.
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The work for the convention has "simplified" SilverStripe's sales cycle and it may have helped it secure its latest accolade – being named "most promising" product at the open source CMS awards in Britain last month.
Speaking from TVNZ's former sales room in Wellington – which has now been subsumed into the web company's swanky offices on Courtenay Place – Sigurd said the next challenge for the firm would be to set up offices or accredit partners to support customers in the US and Europe, whose demands were growing. SilverStripe's software has been downloaded more than 100,000 times and it has more than 200 paying customers that have spent tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars on add-ons and consultancy.
CROSSING OUR PATHS
Welcome Back to Hell Stu McMullin (1987-91) [pictured below], Callum Davies (1986-89) and Warren Powell have returned to Hell - and they couldn't be happier.
The Wellington trio have bought back the pizza business they started in 1996 and sold two years later for $15 million to Tasman Pacific Foods Group, the local owners of Burger King who then decided to sell Hell to concentrate on expansion plans for Burger King. Stu said the trio jumped at the chance to reenter the local market, despite the recession. Now is the perfect time. People are still spending money. Instead of going out and spending $80 to $100, they are spending $30 to $40 on pizza and wine for a big night in at home, he said. He said it was good to be back, thinking about
plans for the local market. We're really excited about the whole thing, but it'll be a real test of our skill. You can't underestimate your local market. We knew our local market three years ago, but the landscape has changed. When we set up Hell in 1996 and when we started our expansion in 2003, people hadn't experienced Asian wedges or lemon pepper wedges, or some of our toppings; now they're used to that sort of thing. So the challenge is bringing in an exciting new menu. We've got stuff we've used overseas that was successful. Avocado slices and fresh roasted, rather than crushed, garlic are likely to get the nod. Both were popular additions to their London store's pizzas. Even though they sold Hell, a licensing agreement meant the three were able to open stores in overseas markets.
When we sold out we thought we'd take some time off and chill out, but we went to the UK, said Stu. They opened the first British store in Fulham in 2007. Starting again was hard work. We actually got on delivery bikes ourselves and delivered pizzas. We must have been the highest net-worth pizza delivery guys in London. Their hard slog paid off. Within a few months, the Fulham store went from having four or five customers a night to people queuing around the corner.
Stu said he was serious about Hell Pizza becoming a global brand, and talked about slowly expanding the franchise. We've turned down a lot of people because they didn't fit in with our culture or how we do things. A master franchise with us is 15 years, so you want to be confident with the people you use, that they are the right people. He said a second London store was planned for Shepherd's Bush, there were six stores in Australia and the first Irish store had opened last month in Dublin. There had also been interest from a potential franchise-holder in Vancouver, Canada. However, Stu said that in New Zealand there were few expansion plans, though they would like to create a model for small towns at some stage. In the meantime, they were working on a new marketing campaign that would take the country by storm. They've been slapped on the wrist by the Advertising Standards Authority for previous marketing campaigns, but Stu said that was in the past. He said they never set out to hurt anyone. It's just that Callum and I would see something and have an idea, and it would crack us up, so we'd use it. They're still planning to shake things up with their advertising, but McMullin was secretive about it.
Bowls Anyone? AUCKLAND BOWLERS About a annual Another50ofyears thoseago, attending wasBowls Neil competiton began Auckland for Old Shewan. Neil, Peterinand I are members Boys of quite aClaudelands number of Bowling New Zealand of Hamilton’s Club, Traditional Boys Schools. The bowlers season and if any peregrinating Old Boy runs from through in need of September a bowling ‘fix’ care to to May join and is held at the Remuera Bowling friendly Claudelands Club members in a Club.
roll-up you’ll be warmly welcomed. We’ll
lend you suitable bowls. Wellington College has always entered over the years, but as time goes by, the ranks have thinned out and teams have had to pull out - or recruit outsiders.
If any Auckland Old Boy of Wellington College would like to play in our 200910 team, please call Barry Hornblow (1943-47) on (09) 266 5812 or John Haworth (1933-35) on (09) 524 2163. HAMILTON BOWLERS Roy Cable (1946-47) of Hamilton is also looking for players to join the Wellington College team at Claudelands Bowling Club in Hamilton. Please give Roy a call on (07) 855 4144 or burker@ clear.net.nz if you are interested.
The Annual Auckland ‘Inter College Old Boys Golf Tournament’ was held at the Pukekohe Golf Club in March. There were 27 teams entered representing College Old Boys from as far south as Dunedin and Christchurch, from Wellington including Scots, Rongotai, Silverstream and Wellington College, plus Palmerston North, New Plymouth and Auckland. Representing Wellington College were (L-R): Don Harland, Brian Teehan, Peter Taylor, and Tom Gault. Sadly, Wellington College did not win, (Tamaki College won) but enjoyed themselves at the well-organised day. If you would like to play for the Wellington College team in 2010, please contact Brian Teehan on jan-brian@xtra.co.nz or (09) 534 1706. LAMPSTAND 2009 • 65
CROSSING OUR PATHS
Twins achieve NZ Amateur Golfing Grand Slam Peter and Thomas SpearmanBurn (2003-06) continue to shine in the golfing arena. Refer to the 2008 Lampstand for their past achievements.
course in Taupo. This selection was particularly meaningful to Thomas as it was his debut representation for New Zealand. His performance in this tournament was the best of the New Zealand team.
Earlier this year, Peter represented New Zealand in tournaments in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane.
At the local scene in June, they played for their home club, Miramar, who won the Wellington Men’s premier Interclub competition for the Duncan Cup against their archrivals Shandon.
Thomas played in March in the NZ Open at the Hills in Queenstown. Peter was unable to qualify as he was in Melbourne and could not compete in the qualifying round.
However New Zealand Golf flew him directly down to Queenstown in time to caddy for Thomas. The twins made a great pair. Peter had played in the NZ Open at the Hills the previous year so knew the course and was able to advise Thomas.
At the Hills, Thomas won the Bledisloe Cup (plus a Michael Hill limited edition diamond watch) for best amateur player. He beat Danny Lee by one shot in Danny’s last appearance as an amateur in New Zealand. Later that month, they competed at the Terrace Downs course in Methven, Christchurch for the South Island Men’s Strokeplay. In the final round, Peter shot a six-under course record and claimed the title. Then it was straight on to Murawai, Auckland for the North Island
In August, Peter and Thomas flew to Canada to play for New Zealand in the Four Nations Cup between Canada, Japan, Australia and NZ.
(L-R): Peter and Thomas Spearman-Burn
Men’s Strokeplay. The tournament ended up as a battle between the twins with Peter winning and Thomas runner-up.
So by April this year, the Spearman-Burn twins between them currently had the top four Men’s Amateur titles in New Zealand: the NZ Men’s Amateur; the Bledisloe Cup; the South Island Men’s Strokeplay and the North Island Men’s Strokeplay. A week later, both of them represented New Zealand in the Southern Cross Cup (a competition between New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and South Africa) at the Wairakei
From Canada, Peter continued to the United Kingdom to take up his Michael Campbell Foundation Scholarship where he will be mentored and coached by Jonothan Yarwood, one of Europe’s top professional coaches. He will then go to Scotland to play the Northern Scottish Amateur and South East Scottish Amateur tournaments at the renowned links courses of Moray and Dunbar. Six days after his return to New Zealand in September, Peter will then travel with the New Zealand team to compete in the Asia Pacific tournament in Korea. In November this year, Peter will hopefully be off to Argentina to play for New Zealand.
Crazy About Mountain Running...
James Coubrough (1995-99) is crazy. Crazy about mountain running, kayaking, and building things.
James has been selected to compete in the NZ team at the World Running Mountain Championships in Italy in September. He wants to combine the trip with the Commonwealth championship in England a fortnight later. He recently won the Vosseler Shield, a 10k race up and around Mt Victoria. His strength and endurance come from kayaking in wild rivers, building mountain huts in the Tararuas and the sheer hard work of being a self-employed builder in Wellington. After a hard day’s work, James sets off for a training run. If the weather is too extreme for building, and the Hutt River is running high, he’ll kayak it with a mate.
James has competed several times in the Wairoa White Water Extreme race, and recently came second in the Crazyman race in the Hutt Valley, which combines running and kayaking. He holds the record for the fastest run of this extreme multisport event.
66 • LAMPSTAND 2009
Can You Help? James is a self-employed builder. The time off from work to compete in Europe is a cost and funding from the relevant sporting organisation is not available to him. Contact James on (021) 041 1970 or email coubskayak@ hotmail.com
CROSSING OUR PATHS
Stroke for Gold They missed out on a medal in Beijing last year but Peter Taylor [1997-01] at the Rowing World Cup Regatta in Munich earlier this year, won gold in the Lightweight Double with partner Storm Eru. A fantastic result in the most successful World Cup Regatta ever for New Zealand where we took out five Golds, two Silvers and one Bronze. A few months on, and starting their race as favourites at the World Rowing Champs in Poland, Peter together with Storm struck gold again, winning the Lightweight Doubles. Peter sent us an email not long after his win as follows:
Waking up this morning (nursing a small headache) it took half a second to catch sight of this shinny gold medal hanging beside the bed and think yeah we did it. Storm and I have spent the last 12 months working towards this goal and I can tell you that when you achieved it, the feeling is the best in the world. The race worked to near perfection, I would say perfection except for one sloppy stroke I had. The night before was a very sleepless night, I reckon I only had three hours sleep and that was broken sleep too. I believe I went through the race over 50 times through my mind. From the first stroke, everything fell into place. We knew we had to get out of the starting blocks fast and we did. The only crew managed to get a jump on us was the French. It did surprise me that the other crews didn’t come with us. We wanted a lead through the first 500m going through even with the French put us pretty bang on. Storm and I were just so in sink, so together that every move the Storm called was responsive. We attacked that first 1000m like a sprint, keeping the rating up, swinging along, not letting the boat slow down. Our big move came at the 1200m mark, Storm called a ‘big seven’ and we went, we threw everything into that piece, and we destroyed the field. Coming into the last 500m, we lifted again, taking the race away from the other crews, why should we wait for them. With a strong tail wind, the last 300m was going to bumpy so the thought was to keep it clean and clean is what we did. First across the line instantly made us World Champions and how do you celebrate that, I celebrated firstly by out spreading my arms, then by pointing at the mass of supporters in the stands and banging the water with my hands, finally collapsing back into Storms lap exhausted and full of elation. Standing on the medal podium and hearing our national anthem being
played will never leave me. Being fulfilled by a flag being raised and music is a feeling that I am finding hard to describe. I am finding it very very hard to write words to best share my thoughts and feelings as none can give them justice. Old Boys are invited to join Peter’s regular email list and keep up-todate on his rowing campaign - the World Champs take place in Karapiro next year - petertaylor@ihug.co.nz
Golf Anyone?
When the College's Trophy cabinets were given a clean-out recently, we came across the ‘missing for some time’ Old Boys Golf Trophy - The HA Heron Golf Trophy, believed to have been played for by Old Boys and current College Golfers. The full history and rules remain a mystery to us at this stage.
Past winners include DM Slade (1977), D Allison (1978), DM Drury (1980), P Horn (1980), J Green (1981), Not Played between 1982-89, PW Martin (1990), 1991 Not Played and 1992 GA Cheyne. Why it hasn’t been played since - who knows. But perhaps it’s time to reactivate this tournament and play for this trophy.
If you are interested in running a WCOBA Golf Tournament, probably in Wellington, can get some fellow Old Boys on a ‘Committee’ and set the scene - throw in a few prizes, perhaps a sponsor and a 19th hole - we’re sure it would be a great day of competition and conviviality. If you have some ideas on getting this tournament upand-running again, please contact the WCOBA Office.
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 67
CROSSING OUR PATHS
Sports Shorts Recent Old Boys are hitting the headlines in their respective sporting codes. Finn Tearney [2004-08] has gained a Tennis scholarship at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. This is one of the top tennis colleges in the States and a fantastic opportunity for Finn who led our tennis team to silver medal at the Nationals.
Leo Bertos [1995-99], the speedy Football winger, has been one of the most consistent players at international level during the past four years, was voted the Phoenix's MVP last season, his first in Wellington. After seven years plying his trade in England and Australia, it was a dream come true to learn of the Phoenix and then sign with them. James Franklin [1994-98], playing for Gloucester against Derbyshire in County Cricket took his first hat trick in first class cricket. He has also taken a hat trick in test cricket against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2004. James is now back in the Black Caps, recovering from serious injury.
Still with Cricket, the Wellington Firebirds have re-signed Harry Boam [2004-08], for the upcoming season. In 2008, Harry represented NZ at the U19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia in and in NZ's U19 tour of England where he played in two test matches and five one day games. Captain of the highly successful Wellington College 1st XI team his cricketing achievements were recognised by the award of Wellington Sport's Sportsman of the Year award for 2008.
Finn Tearney
In rugby, Buxton Popalii [2004-08], has shown good form playing well starting for the Wellington Lions and scoring two tries and a conversion in a pre season game. Also in the Wellington Lions team is Dane Coles, [2004] Michael Hobbs [2001-05] and All Black Neemia Tialata [1999-00]. Ross Kennedy [1998-00] is playing for the Hawkes Bay Magpies NPC Team. Nick Passi [1999-03] was the successful captain of the Marist St Pats team that won the 2009 Jubilee Cup in the local Wellington Competition winning outright over Norths (who they were joint winners with in 2008). Old Boys University beat Wests Roosters for the Hardham Cup.
And still with rugby, Assistant Coach of the Hurricanes this year, was Old Boy Jono Phillipps (1979-83). The ‘Canes finished third behind the Bulls and the Chiefs.
Nick Passi
Luke Dustin [2003-05], and Sam Notman [2004-08] have been selected for the NZU21 Canoe Polo team.
Dion Prewster (2004-06) was Captain and David Beck (2003-06) a member, of the Junior Tall Blacks which competed in the World Championships in Auckland. Dion, currently at San Jacinto College in the USA performed very well and has gained selection for the Tall Black squad to tour Europe this month. Mark Elson (1999-03) is currently playing in Copenhagen, Denmark for the Amager Vikings Club as a specialised pitcher. He intends to continue gaining further experience with the goal to represent New Zealand in the Black Sox Team. In July, Mark was approached to play in the Great Britain team for the Softball World Series in Saskatoon, Canada. He was eligible for the team as he also holds a British Passport. Mark pitched against his country team, The Black Socks. Though England lost to the NZ Black Sox during the Series, Mark’s most enjoyable experience was the opportunity to pitch against the Black Sox who placed second overall in the Series.
Mark Elson
Sam Wells [2004-08] has been competing in Australia with the NZ U21 Rowing team. He will attend University in Melbourne next year, taking a Bachelor of Environments degree. Melbourne's rowing reputation was also something that appealed a lot to Sam and he intends to continue doing his best in the sport while studying over the ditch. Te Kawa (TK) Robb [1995-99], when at College played for the College’s Senior A Waterpolo team, and was also stroke for the Maadi Cup Rowing Team.
While at University, he was encouraged to try his hand at a local triathlon and in January, 2006, Te Kawa lined up at Scorching Bay, Wellington for his first race. Much to his surprise, he went on to win that race by a considerable margin – about 6 minutes! Naturally, not wanting to let an opportunity go past, Te Kawa fully committed to the sport of Triathlon and decided to set his sights high for the future. Within two years since that first race, Te Kawa has achieved some very credible results locally, consistently placing in the top 10 overall and in the top 5 for his agegroup, was recently selected to represent New Zealand at the World Triathlon Champs where he placed 6th in his age group and is now about to break into the national scene. 68 • LAMPSTAND 2009
Leo Bertos and Tim Brown
CROSSING OUR PATHS
A Child Refugee Still On The Run
Ethiopian-born runner Terefe Ejigu (2002-06) arrived in Wellington eight years ago as a child refugee with nothing - not even a word of English - and had no idea he could run. He has proved a very fast learner. In late August, he left for the United States to take up a prestigious athletics scholarship at East Michigan University in Detroit a step toward his goal of representing New Zealand at the Olympics. It is a dream come true for me, said the top middle-distance runner, who turns 21 next month.
Introduced to running by Wellington College coach Alan Coulston, he broke the national junior 5000m record, with a time of 14min 43.50s, and has represented New Zealand at several international athletics competitions.
in seven years. She had fled war-torn Ethiopia with her husband, seeking asylum for the family, leaving her children in the care of their grandparents. Tragically, her husband was murdered, leaving her alone in a refugee camp in Kenya. After settling in New Zealand, she was able to send for her children. Her son sees the scholarship as more than his own achievement. I am doing this for the youth from refugee backgrounds, who are trying to make a life in a different culture, and for other runners who are very talented but aren't able to get the same opportunity. I didn't get this opportunity by myself, but had help from people who believed in me, my parents, my school and friends. I am doing it for them too.
But he needed all his grit and determination to keep going after twice failing the strict English language tests to get into an American university. Undaunted, he enrolled at Victoria University, majoring in development studies. His grades from the last 18 months were good enough to impress the American selectors.
And he still needs a little help from his friends. While his scholarship covers his fees and accommodation, he needs money for travel and living expenses.
Terefe was 13 when he arrived in New Zealand with his two older sisters to be reunited with their mother, Mulu, whom they had not seen
www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/TerefeEjigu/
At East Michigan, he plans to study international relations a subject close to his heart.
Documentary maker Anna Cottrell, who has been following the Terefe Ejigu story since he was at College and ran a fundraising auction for him , described him as a wonderful young man and a credit to both his countries.
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 69
WELLINGTON COLLEGE FOUNDATION
Chairman’s Review for 2009 It gives me great pleasure to report on the Foundation’s progress for the financial year ended 31 March 2009.
Investment Returns Given the extreme volatility of investment markets, the Foundation’s Investment Committee has elected to place all new money received from donors into secure bank deposits. This was deemed to be the prudent course of action in the build up phase of the various funds in particular the Endowment and Building Funds. It should be noted that currently all those bank deposits enjoy a Government Guarantee by virtue of the Government’s recent moves to protect the banking sector in New Zealand and mirror a similar move by the Australian Government with regard to its own banking sector.
Highlights • Eleven teachers received $1,000 professional development scholarships and $38,000 was gifted to the College from 2007 Annual Giving Appeal funds. • Income earned from interest and dividends increased by almost 50% over the previous year. • The surplus after investment revaluation for the year ended 31 March 2009 was $383,438 compared to $90,082 the previous year. • Much of this surplus came from greatly increased donations received from Parents and Old Boys. • Accumulated funds as at 31 March 2009 amounted to $909,880 compared to $526,442 the previous year. • The annual Foundation Sports and Cultural Awards Dinner took place on 6 November, 2008 and was another highly successful occasion for all those involved. This dinner was funded out of monies other than donations.
The Foundation received investment income including interest and dividends and a small gain on sale/redemption amounting to $60,510 for the year ended 31 March 2009 and this compared to $40,616 the previous year. The Year Ahead In essence, the new financial year will seek to further capitalise on the momentum beginning to build up from last year. We have a well resourced Development Office providing the platform for pursuing a culture of philanthropy at the College and the Foundation as the investment arm of that pursuit will continue to build the necessary scale in order to endow the school in the most appropriate fashion.
Overview The College’s Development Office is certainly beginning to make its presence felt as we implement the College’s strategy of staying in touch with its Old Boys and in many cases reconnecting them with their old school and of promoting with them, and past and current parents, a culture of philanthropy in support of the school.
The Foundation will continue with its policy of being the main funding provider for the College’s Sport and Cultural Awards Dinner held towards the end of the College year.
The Foundation’s role is to work alongside the various College communities and in the process act as the main repository for donations received from Old Boy, parents and friends of the school. The Foundation will invest those donations on a prudent basis for the ultimate benefit of the College.
Acknowledgements Finally I would like to acknowledge the valued contributions of my fellow Trustees; Messrs Andrew Allan, Wyn Beasley, Gary Girvan, Alan Langford, John Marshall, Roger Moses, Neil Quigley, Harvey ReesThomas and Bob Slade. In particular I would like to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of Alan Langford as the Foundation’s Treasurer, a position he has held for many years now. Alan has been instrumental in overseeing the development of accounting and other procedures to meet the developing needs of the Foundation. Gentlemen, it has been my pleasure working with you as we better position the Foundation for the important work ahead.
Governance In the best traditions of promoting a culture of continuous improvement, your trustees have embarked on a process of augmenting the skill set available to them and providing for succession as they carry out their role. Additional investment skills have been added around the board table and we will be seeking an Old Boy with an accounting background to round out our skill base.
Malcolm Johnson Chairman of Trustees
In addition key policy statements have been developed setting out the Foundation’s investment policy objectives, capital preservation and earnings distribution policy.
THE WELLINGTON COLLEGE FOUNDATION • Audited Analysis of Accumulated Funds for Years ended 31 March 2008 and 2009* Audited by KPMG Wellington
Endowment Fund
Building Fund
Annual Giving Appeal
Accumulated Funds brought forward 1/4/2007
-
-
-
2008 Donations received for a specific purpose 2008 Interest Income
436,360
57,588
99,778
42,183
1,780
4,868
700
Dividends Gain on Sale/Redemption Expenses and Grants Decrease in value of investments Total Accumulated Funds at 31/3/2008 2009 Donations received for a specific purpose 2009 Interest Income
59,368
104,646
42,883
222,587
230,353
44,177
12,153
16,843
2,143
Dividends Gain on Sale/Redemption Expenses and Grants
-5
-5
Annual Giving Appeal Grants
-12
294,103
351,837
40,191
Total Accumulated Funds 436,360 199,549
30,703
38,051
2,383
2,383
182
182
-131,263
-131,263
-18,820
-18,820
319,545
526,442 497,117
27,095
58,234
1,914
1,914
362
362
-114,280
-114,302
-49,000
Decrease in value of investments Total Accumulated Funds at 31/3/2009
Operating Fund
-49,000 -10,887
-10,887
223,749
909,880
* To receive a full copy of The Wellington College Foundation's audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2009 please contact; Graeme Steven, Development Director, Wellington College, PO Box 16073, Wellington 6242 • DDI +64 4 802 7698 Email g.steven@wellington-college.school.nz
70 • LAMPSTAND 2009
FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
Major Fundraising Campaign breaks $3 Million Thanks to the generosity of the College community and Miss Violet Dunn, our major fundraising campaign has received gifts, pledges and bequests totalling more than $3,350,000.
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. Miss Violet Dunn has given $1 million to the Building Fund and her $500,000 Bequest gift will be a major Endowment for the College.
$1.65 million has been pledged through the lunches and dinners hosted by Headmaster Roger Moses and myself for small groups of parents and Old Boys. Giving is entirely voluntary. Meal 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 $17 million for new facilities and an educational endowment fund for the College.
Building Fund Target $12 Million More than $1.9 million has been pledged to the Building Fund to date. Funds raised 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 – Target $5 Million Educational endowment funds, where gifts are invested and only the net income (after inflation-proofing the capital sum) are used, are a well-proven and powerful way for building a long term source of income for schools. $725,000 has been pledged to the Endowment Fund to date. 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 our Sponsors • FujiXerox - for printing fundraising brochures • Matahiwi Wines - for supplying wine for our fundraising meals in Wellington.
Thank you Donors Thank you to all our donors for their willingness to ‘go the extra mile’. The following list acknowledges new donors who have confirmed gifts from 1 July 2008 through to 30 August 2009. A full list of all donors to date is available on request. Graeme Steven • Development Director g.steven@wellington-college.school.nz Telephone: 04 802 7698
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 Campaign, between 1 July 2008 and 30 August 2009
A
Anonymous Donors (42)
F
Pupils & Staff of Form VI A, 1945 Thomas Aitken
Lewis Grafton
Lee Family
Jack Alexander
Graham Family
John Lidgard
David and Scott Archer
Alex and Janine Gray
Douglas Lingard
Calum Barrett
Stuart Gray
Bruce and Elaine Little
R Bernard
Carne Green
Simon Lockhart
Alexander and Emil Schroder
Blaschke Family
Conor and Casey Greive
Tom, Michael and Jonny Logan
Bruce and Janice Scott
Hampton Family
Logan-Treuren Family
Shillson Family
Tom and Robert Bradshaw
Barry Heir
Mary and Chris Lynskey
William Khan Smith
Bob and Patsy Brathwaite
Murray Higgs
MacBain Family
Stafford J Smith
Griff and Gus Bristed
Miranda Hill
Alan and Grenville Main
Barry and Elton Smith
P M R Browne
Nick Hill
Tim and Linda Marks
Matthew Stephen
Thomas, Charles, Carl, Harry, Frederick and Ross Buddle
Peter Hindle
McLeod Family
Don and Margaret Stewart
Hornabrook
Melville Family
Horsley Family
Karl Moresi
H
Robert and Subha Cable Alastair Christie PB and VF Clark Bill Cole Hayden Cripps Stephen, James and Pierce Day Jim Denton Darryn Doriguzzi Egan-Cockburn Family Dougal English
F
Michael Quinn
Thomas Langridge Family
Hughson Family
Graeme and Mary Fogelberg Brian and Norma Foley
M
N
Jeremy Rhodes Ernie Rosenthal R
Dr John C Ross Russell Family Ryan Family
S
R N Sadler Family
Rhys and Matt Summerell T
Eric C Tait
Neill Family
Neil and Pauline Thomas
Hunn Family
Michael Nelson
Thorndon New World
I
Graeme and Margaret Ingham
Stanley Newman
Andy Tie
J
Ron Jeffs
Andre Cantin-Buckley
E
Q
David Gifford
G
Buttner Family
D
D J Lamb Langdana Family
Bowkett Family
C
L
Hugh Fyson
Robin Aitken
B
Catherine and Steven Fyfe
O
Joblin Family K
Peter Keall
P
Arthur P Oliver
Trevor Tierney
Peter A Oliver
V
Jayashree and Raghavan Vinjimoore
Pacific Island Leavers 2008
W
Wan Family
R Kellahan
Jon and Elizabeth Pattison
Jack Wellington
Graeme Kickcaldie
Rohan Pattison
Wells Family
Soon and Jean Kong
K R Porter
Richard and Annabel Whinam
Dan and Liz Powell
Williams Family
Thank You!
John Prebble and Nicky Riddiford Robyn and Euan Purdie
Bob Wood Y
Stephen Yiavasis
Z
Michael van Zijl
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 71
FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
2008 Annual Giving Appeal raises $40,000 for the College Old Boys from throughout New Zealand and around the world, along with current parents have given more than $40,000 to the 2008 Annual Giving Appeal, launched in Term Four last year. Thank you to all our donors for your generous gifts to the College. More than $90,000 has now been raised from the 2007 and 2008 Appeals, and we will launch the 2009 Appeal in late October this year. We gratefully acknowledge and thank those donors who gave to the 2008 Appeal, listed alphabetically on the following page. The Board of Trustees has approved the allocation of $40,000 from last year’s appeal across the following four areas;
Teacher Scholarships Scholarships totalling $12,000 will be awarded this year to recognise and reward outstanding teachers – those who ‘go the extra mile’ in and outside the classroom. The $1,000 and $500 scholarships will assist teachers to take up professional development and refreshment opportunities, and bring new skills, materials and ideas back into the College.
Student Scholarships and Support $8,000 will be allocated to help students in need and high achieving students pursue excellence in the fields of learning, leadership, sport and cultural activities. Our goal is to help every boy succeed and reach his potential, irrespective of family circumstances.
Along with funds provided by College Mothers and individual College families and Old Boys, the Annual Appeal funds will be used to provide: • Academic support for study trips, purchase of study guides, and other learning support • •
Leadership support for boys attending Outward Bound, Spirit of Adventure and other leadership courses Cultural and Sports support for travel, equipment and other expenses
Technology Workshop Equipment Technology and Design students and teachers are already benefitting from the $10,000 given to help purchase new equipment for the recently upgraded Technology Workshops.
Wellington College is leading the way in technology teaching and learning with the installation of a computer-controlled laser cutting machine. We are among the first secondary schools in New Zealand to invest in this ‘cutting edge’ technology. College funds from annual parent contributions, international student fees and other Board of Trustees funding also contributed to the laser cutter’s total cost.
Archives $10,000 will help the College care for and
house our rapidly growing Archives, to protect the past and preserve the future history of the College.
These funds will help meet the cost of housing the Archives in rented space outside the College, and assist Archivist Paddianne Neely process and store new collections and meet the growing requests for information from Old Boys and the school. 2009 Annual Giving Appeal Launch in October
The College’s 2009 Appeal will be sent to Old Boys and parents in late October. This year we aim to raise $40,000 for; • Music - to purchase orchestral instruments and sound recording and editing equipment •
Teacher Scholarships
•
Archives
•
Student Scholarships and Support
We do hope you will support the 2009 Appeal, which will include an on-line giving option. Every gift is important to us - no matter how large or small. Every gift helps your school. Graeme Steven Wellington College Development Director
Above: Laser cutting machine demonstration, cutting letters from 6mm MDF. The machine can cut and etch a wide variety of plastics, metals, wood and paper, allowing students to quickly create and test working models in a wide variety of materials from their computer aided designs.
Left: Y13 Technology students Faolo Sagaga and James Mullan with Mr Karl White, Head of Department – Technology, and the new computer controlled laser cutting machine.
72 • LAMPSTAND 2009
2008 ANNUAL GIVING APPEAL DONORS A
Anonymous Old Boy Donors
34
Anonymous Parent Donors
16
1964-67
PB Howman
1967-71
J F J Newman
1940-43
P J Dawson
1955-59
H
C B Hunter
1978-82
N
W M Nicol
1941-44
C W Deacon
1950-53
Hunt-Owen Family
Parents
Niven-Dalli Family
Parents
G R Streeter
1939-43
J B Hutton
1945-46
J W O’Brien
1954-56
P A Sue
1979-83
2002-06
Steven Family
Staff
M R Deck
1950-52
N S Ames
1958-61
K T Dee
1941-44
Inoue Family
Parents
J N Oliver
1953-56
I R Sutherland
1941-43
1974-78
K G Douglas ONZ
1949-53
D C Isaacs
1942-46
O’Neale Family
Parents
B S Sutton-Smith
1938-40
M B Andrews
1945-48
R K Dreyer
1951-54
C J Isaacs
1944-48
Oosterbaan Family
Parents
P D Swallow
1980-84
K G Ansell
1947-50
N D Dyett
1927-31
D C Jarvis
1946-50
C Palamidas
1953-56
R D Sweetzer
1956-58
R Archibald
1946-48
J B Ede OBE
1944-48
N R Jefferson
1928-32
Parkes Family
Parents
B A Swift
1958-61
1951-54
K B Johnston
1971-74
L J Parkinson
1941-44
T H Syddall
1952-56
E
I
J
O
R J Steven S
1954-58
P
W R Atkin
1963-67
P J Edmondson
M W Austin
1949-52
L W Edwards
1936-37
P L Jones
1947-52
R O Partridge
1944-48
Tansey Family
Parents
J C Baddiley
1985-89
J B Ellings
1945-48
R A Josephson
1962-67
E P Percival
1946-50
I N Taylor
1952-55
D L Bade
1927-29
J M Elsby
1944-47
I R Kaywood
1942-44
W R Percival
1946-50
Taylor-Offord Family
Parents
D R Bailey
1952-56
D J Exley
1940-43
Keating Family
Parents
J P Petrie
1965-69
K L Thomas
1946-50
W A Bainbridge
1947-50
Fagan Family
Parents
P B Keesing
1943-47
D J H Phillipps
1969-73
N K Thomas
1944-48
1944-46
P J Farmer
1959-63
Kennerley Family
Parents
M J Pillar
1978-82
R J R Thornley
1962-66
Beattie Family
Parents
T Farrar
1944-48
Kerr Family
Parents
R B Pinel
1934-36
I R Tichbon
1951-55
D A Benge
2004-08
B Farrell
1947-51
A G S King
1961-65
K E Pledger
1951-55
I W Tisch
1969-73
Parents
PJ Fehl
1958-61
T D R Kirby
1971-75
T K Pledger
1983-86
D N J Todd
1952-56
I Kwok
1958-59
M J Q Poole
1938-41
J Toft
1938-42
A Bay
Bevin-Taylor Family
F
K
T
T N J Beyer
1950-53
Floratos Family
Parents
A J F Bishell
1950-53
G J Fraser
1993-95
D I Lamason
1947-50
Pope Family
Parents
J R Tripp
1943-44
1947-50
K J Frazer
1929-33
V A Langford
1960-60
K R Porter
1935-37
A J S Turner
1952-55
I A Borrin
1948-51
A T Freeman
1937-40
I K Lankshear
1935-40
B R Pratt
1963-67
S J Turnovsky
1954-58
I G Bourne
1945-50
E G Freeman
1941-45
J P W Leslie
2004-07
M J Prosser
1944-48
J Bown
1937-41
T E Frost
1968-72
K J Little
1950-53
M W Prout
1980-84
1945-49
M H Fyson
1961-65
Longuet Family
Parents
S R M Rajasekar
1997-01
Brian Family
Parents
J P Fyson
1964-68
Lynex Family
Parents
S Reed
1989-93
A J Brice
1973-76
G T Gardiner
1955-59
F J MacArthur
1998-02
R A B Ridding
1943-46
Walker Family
Parents
1929-31
W J P Macdonald
1940-43
J L Riseborough
1942-45
D H P Walpole
1945-49
J F E Borrell
B J C Bradburn
G
L
M
R
V
W
J M Tweed
1933-38
R L Vasan
1959-62
Vogt Family
Parents
E Waaka
1940-42
Brodie Family
Parents
A A Gawith DFC
F J Brooker
1931-35
Gawn Family
Parents
I D Mackersey
1939-43
J C Ritchie
1947-51
B E Ward
1948-52
D Brooke-Taylor
1942-44
L de V Gilbert
1931-34
A M Main
1948-52
K A Roberts
2002-06
G F Wardle
1950-52
Parents
B N Gillespie
1954-56
F K Martin
1944-49
D B Roberts
1953-57
R R Watchman
1943-46
Brown-Self Family
Parents
B Girdlestone
1963-67
K G Martin
1954-57
Roberts Family
Parents
J A K Waymouth
1968-72
R A Bruce
1954-58
D M Golding
1960-64
T B Martindale
1947-49
G B Robinson
1947-50
Webster Family
Parents
1965-69
Gollins Family
Parents
R A McCarlie
1939-42
S M Robson
1983-87
Welch Family
Parents
M Bruce-Smith
1963-65
J M Green
1960-64
R B McCorkindale
1949-54
T R Robson
1988-92
D V Weston
1962-66
A M Buick-Constable
1980-84
Green Family
Parents
B C McCormick
1948-48
W Ross-Taylor
1944-48
G C Weston
1939-42
1944-48
R D Greenwood
1983-87
J G McCulloch
1953-56
P D F Rumpit
1978-82
White Family
Parents
J E H Haldane
1947-51
W T McKeown
1956-59
P E Salt
1958-62
J H Whitwell
1962-63 1978-82
Brown Family
G Bruce-Smith
J C Burnett
C
R S Davey
T R C A’Court
M B Andrews
B
D
H
S
M R Burns
1964-68
A C Bycroft
1945-49
J G Halstead
1994-98
G W McLauchlan
1945-49
D B Scott
1951-56
A D Wilkinson
J A M Cave
1988-92
P A Halstead
1998-02
D J McLeod
1949-54
Scully-Sinclair Family
Parents
Wilkinson Family
Parents
P D Cenek
1970-74
S P Harrey
1964-67
J D McNamara
1998-02
P D Shallard
1986-90
D L Williamson
1939-41
W S Chapman
1957-61
A F Hassed
1955-59
E A McQueen
1949-53
C R Sheppard
1944-48
D J Wilson
1974-78
J W Chapman
1961-66
D I Hatfield
1971-75
T D Meech
1965-69
S P Sherring
1956-60
R A Wilton
1954-58
Cheah-Phee Family
Parents
Hendricks Family
Parents
A D Meek
1967-70
E J Sherring
1942-46
V F E Wong
1977-81
R S Cheevers
1961-64
T A Heron Family
1981-82
M O Mexted
1945-49
A H Shine
1968-72
H C Wong
1954-57
W E Chegwidden
1940-42
Hickey Family
Parents
Ryan Family
Parents
D B Silver
1940-43
Wong Family
Parents
1929-32
J F Mills
1952-56
C P Simpson
1944-49
S Chhotu
1961-66
R H Hicks
R J Wood
1956-60
G M Cleland
1945-50
N A Hill
1963-67
D J M Milne
1961-65
F M Small
1955-57
R M Wood
1928-30
W E Cole
1939-42
W L Ho
1998-02
M D Mistry
1988-89
E B Smith
1950-54
A B Wright
1953-58
1940-42
T Hobson
1954-57
R W Mitchell
1952-56
R A Smyth
1965-69
I P Wylie
1953-56
H N Cooper
1960-64
J S Hopkirk
1934-39
R J Morrison
1961-65
A L Solomons
1943-46
Corcoran Family
Parents
W C Hopper
1941-44
A J Morriss
1960-64
Sprott Family
Parents
B K Crocker
1947-51
R C Houston
1953-56
I R Murray
1957-61
A B Stace
1996-00
S J Cumming
1943-47
E L Howe
1950-54
J F A Newberry
2002-06
E T Stace
2001-05
Thank You!
G H Cook
N
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 73
WELLINGTON COLLEGE NEWS: FROM THE HEADMASTER A very warm greeting to Old Boys throughout the world. What a great and ongoing pleasure it has been to lead this great school through another momentous year. I would, at the outset, like to acknowledge the tremendous work done by our President, Bob Slade, his hardworking executive and the superb organisation of our WCOBA Executive Officer, Stephanie Kane.
We have enjoyed a number of memorable reunions – the 40 Years On of 1968, the 50 Years On of 1959, and the 60 Years On Plus of 1949. The latter reunion, bringing together nearly two hundred former pupils who had attended Wellington College before 1949, was a truly memorable occasion. Old friendships were rekindled and many stories told. It was particularly pleasing to have Frank and Greta Crist in attendance at both the 50 Years On and 60 Years On. Frank has been – and continues to be – an inspiration to so many, young and old alike. It has been another great year for the College. We won the most New Zealand Scholarships in the country (115) in the national examinations,
the second time that Wellington College has achieved that success in the last four years. Our athletics team regained the McEvedy Shield in a titanic struggle with St Patrick’s (Town). The 1st XV won Quadrangular Tournament in Nelson for a record seventh straight victory and won the Wellington competition for a record sixth year in a row. The 1st XI Soccer team won the local competition again, our Softball team were runners-up in the National Secondary Schools’ competition, and our Senior A Tennis team were once again semi-finalists at the National Championships. On the cultural front there have also been some stellar successes. Our Jazz Band won the National Secondary Schools’ competition in Tauranga, our Chorale won a silver award at the 2008 ‘Big Sing’ and have qualified again for the finals in Dunedin. Our ‘Stage Challenge’ team won the national competition, a wonderful success with entries from over two hundred schools throughout the country. On the philanthropic front, Wellington College raised more than any other school in the ’40 Hour Famine’ ($61,000). As recent Old Boys will attest, a sponsored ‘fun run’ is a much more effective way for us to raise money than going without food for 40 hours!
As we enter the last term, there is much to anticipate. The 40 Years On reunion this year will be for the Class of ’69. These gatherings are always tremendous fun and a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends. For me, they are a real highlight in the year. I encourage any Old Boys passing through Wellington to drop in and say hello. Roger Moses Headmaster
2009 Head Prefect, Karl Moresi (left) was unaminiously elected by staff and peers to lead the College this year. Karl, is the College’s first Samoan Head Prefect. Aside from his Head Prefect duties, Karl is a member of the College’s Chorale and Barbershop Quartet. He was also in the award-winning Stage Challenge production and a World Vision leader. Karl is also goalie for the 1st XI Football team. At the beginning of 2009, he represented New Zealand at the Hague, Netherlands at the Model United Nations Conference. Next year, Karl is off to England for a Gap Year and his long-term goals look to a career in either politics or commerce.
$500,000 And Counting
In March 1998, the then Governor General and Old Boy, Sir Michael Hardie-Boys, Headmaster, Roger Moses and Head Prefect, Chris Lendrum ran the first lap of the inaugural World Vision Runathon around the Basin Reserve. That year the school managed to raise over $11,000. The aim for that year was not just to raise money for the World Vision 40-Hour famine, but to build awareness among the College community and to see if we could run the length to South Africa. That year the students shattered that goal and ran the return distance to South Africa back again.
Much has changed since the inception of the Runathon. The main purpose of the event is to still raise money for the people in Third World Countries, but to also build awareness and educate the College and its community about the plight in these places. The entire student-body is now divided into teams and they compete against each other by earning points for every dollar their team earns and how many laps they complete in the course of the 40 hours. Each team is sponsored by a corporate sponsor and the team with the most points at the end wins the coveted Lendrum Shield. The Runathon is still student led, by six chosen Y13 students called the Super Six, that organise, motivate and advertise for the event. In the 12 years since Wellington College started the Runathon, we have raised over $500,000 for World Vision. In 2004, the College raised the most a school has achieved for World Vision, which was $72,577. For that year, 2007 and this year 2009, we were again the school that raised the most funds by any school for those respective years.
74 • LAMPSTAND 2009
2010’s World Vision is already in full motion, with the Super Six organising the event for March 2010. They are busy organising corporate sponsors, merchandising, and many other aspects that make a successful Runathon. If you are interested in donating funds, sponsoring a team or finding out more information regarding the World Vision Runathon. Please do not hesitate to contact either myself or the Super Six at. Runathon2010@gmail.com. Benjamin Lau (1995-98) • World Vision Runathon Convenor
WELLINGTON COLLEGE NEWS
Jacob Diggle
At the start of 2009, our roll hovered around 1550, including a Year 13 of 330! Like the pattern being replicated throughout the country, it appears that many senior students are seeing the importance of gaining NCEA Level 3 or alternatively, establishing clear career opportunities through such pathways as the Gateway Programme. While such a large cohort places great pressure on our facilities, we are delighted that Wellington College retains such a high proportion of students for five years. Ironically, our school ‘shape’ is now that of an inverse pyramid where we have significantly greater numbers in Y13 than in Y9. In just six years, the size of our Y13 has increased by over one hundred students. Clearly, a major change has occurred in the way that the importance of education is viewed, both at secondary and the tertiary level. The courses that we offer in the senior school must likewise reflect the increasing diversity evident in our student population. The NZ Scholarship Examinations are regarded as the pinnacle of academic achievement for secondary school students. They require great dedication from teaching staff and candidates alike. Therefore, we were thrilled to learn that Wellington College had gained 114 Scholarships in the 2008 examinations, 19 of which were at Outstanding level.
This number is greater than any school has achieved in the previous history of these examinations (St Cuthberts won 106 NZ Scholarships in 2007) and, is the highest of any school in the country in 2008. To put the achievements of these students in some perspective, Wellington College won the most Scholarships in New Zealand in 2005 with 85. To achieve 29 more Scholarships this year is outstanding.
Particularly pleasing is the fact that NZ Scholarships were won by 57 different students in 19 different subjects. Our coDux of 2008, Jacob Diggle, gained a Premier Award (worth $10,000 a year for three years) by being one of the top ten students. Hunter Douglas and Robbie Fyfe earned Outstanding Awards (worth $5,000 a year for three years) by being in the next group of 47, and 13 other
Asim Abdulhamid
Hunter Douglas
students won Scholarship Awards (worth $2,000 a year for three years) for winning three Scholarships or more. These results are testimony to the reality that large numbers of our students are able to achieve at the elite level by specific target-setting, determination and inspired teaching. It was a thrill to be able to acknowledge the achievements of these students and those who had gained an Endorsement with Excellence in NCEA Levels One, Two and Three, at our Scholars’ Assembly held on 26 February. We were addressed by prominent Old Boy, businessman and entrepreneur, Alan Gibbs (1953-56), whose lively message challenged us all to question the status quo. Alan is the creator of the Aquada, the amphibious sports car which was driven across the English Channel by Sir Richard Branson. It was a pleasure having Alan Gibbs back to his old school.
Congratulations went to Asim Abdulhamid, who achieved NZ Scholarships in Accountancy, English, and Calculus and an Outstanding Scholarship in Chemistry and was our co-Dux along with Jacob. Asim is currently at Otago University, enrolled in the Health Science first year course, the top 10% of which are offered a position in the Medicine 2010 course to which he aspires to. If all goes according to plan, he should be out into the real world by the time he is 25 having completed Med. School and beginning a career as a radiologist. Jacob Diggle, (NZ Scholarship in History, plus Outstanding Scholarships in Art History, Classical Studies, Drama and English). Jacob has been accepted into the University of Oxford Corpus Christi College to read History and Politics (starting in October, 2009, waiving his $45,000 grant to attend a New Zealand University). Hunter Douglas achieved NZ Scholarships in Art History, Latin and Calculus, Outstanding Scholarship in Classical Studies and English. Hunter, who was Deputy Head Prefect at Wellington College last year, is one of two New Zealanders to pick up a Robertson Scholarship, enabling him to study engineering at one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. The scholarship, valued at more
Robbie Fyfe
than US$200,000 (about NZ$350,000), is for four years' study at Duke University in North Carolina. Hunter said he planned to complete a science degree in civil and environmental engineering. The scholarship includes tuition fees, accommodation and board, a laptop computer and funding for research during the summer break. Excerpt from The Dominion Post Boys about to catch up with top scholars Girls can do anything but boys are catching up in the classroom at the highest level. Late maturity and competitiveness may explain why boys are narrowing the academic divide when it comes to Scholarship exams.
The head of a successful all-boys college says single-sex education better serves boys because their self-belief is not dented by seeing girls win more awards. Girls consistently outperform boys at all three levels of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement, but latest Scholarship figures show the top male pupils are fighting back. Wellington College Headmaster Roger Moses said boys responded better to competitive situations, whether it be raising money for World Vision, whether it be in sport. Scholarship exams, as opposed to the growing internally assessed component of NCEA, suited boys’ competitive streak. I think also there’s an element of boys maturing later. Girls tend to be better organisers. I think boys respond more often to short, sharp challenges. Boys are competitive in spirit. They enjoy exams rather than the standards-based model [of NCEA]. Boys responded better in an all-boys environment that encouraged them to aim for the top and believe in themselves. In a co-educational environment they constantly see girls or young women going up to receive awards. It is actually a put-down to them in their thinking. That’s excluded in an all-male environment, he said. To earn a Scholarship, pupils sit a competitive examination and it is financial reward for the top performers. Slightly more than 3000 Scholarships were awarded last year.
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 75
WELLINGTON COLLEGE NEWS
Stage Challenge: Wellington College National Champions Stage Challenge ‘Take the Plunge’ It was hugely rewarding and a real accomplishment for the Stage Challenge team to be awarded first place in the national competition. Over 200 schools entered with over 17,000 students participating. This is the first time a boys’ school has won the competition.
The comments of one of the judges were particularly apt. She said that the cameras showed that every one of those 100 dancers on stage was totally committed – every one of the 100 faces displayed energy, enthusiasm and pure enjoyment. This is a real feature of Wellington College Stage Challenge (now in its seventh year). All students from Y9 to Y14 know they are an important cog in the wheel and their performance reflected this.
This year’s performance told the story of a young boy’s quest for love, the demons that held him back and the inspirational figures in history who inspired him to do as they did; Take the Plunge. A real feature of the performance was the vitality and originality in each of the groups: the menacing dreadlocked demons, the uber-cool leather jacketed James Deans, the Obama support crew and their charismatic leader, the first men on the moon lead and the robots of the technology revolution created by the crazy scientist. The boys performed with the energy and enthusiasm we have come to expect from a Wellington College Stage Challenge performance and displayed a skill level that seems to leap up every year. Although they beat Wellington Girls’ College, last year’s national title holders, by the narrowest of margins, they certainly deserved their first place.
Race Unity Speech Competition Wellington College entered four students in this prestigious competition. Initiated in 2001 by the New Zealand Baha'i Community to commemorate Race Relations Day, and open to all students from Years 11-13, the Race Unity Speech Award is supported by the Human Rights Commission, New Zealand Police, and the Office of Ethnic Affairs.
Rayhan was invited to deliver his winning speech at the NZ Diversity Awards at Te Papa. This was a very prestigious event, attended by many dignitaries including the Race Relations Conciliator and the Governor General – this was a great honour and his standing ovation is a reflection of Rayhan’s talent for public speaking and ability to connect with his audience.
Rayhan Langdana (Y11) was one of the two successful College speakers to win the Wellington Regional Finals and he then proceeded to the New Zealand semi-finals in Auckland in April. Rayhan’s speech was about being a good neighbour and making people feel welcome. He talked about how the small things matter such as being welcoming to a new neighbour and he proposed the idea that the path to racial prejudice being eliminated is long and we are only a few paces along it. But seemingly small things like being welcoming to your new neighbour can make a world of difference not to just them, but to you as well.
From the semi-finals, Rayhan went through to the finals and won the competition. This is a first for Wellington College and not only was Rayhan the first male to win since the inception of the competition, he was also the first Y11 student to do so. As a result of this, 76 • LAMPSTAND 2009
JAZZ FESTIVAL Over Easter, the Wellington College Big Band travelled up to Tauranga for the National Jazz Festival.
The band had a very intense four-week buildup to the competition and committed themselves to striving for the highest standard and senior students led sectionals and extra practices, and all members were extremely focussed throughout the lead up to the Festival. The band performed the compulsory piece (I Remember Cliff ) and presented three polished own choice pieces: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, The Shadow of Your Smile, and Senor Blues.
The highlight of the four day tour was when the band’s regular hard work and desire to present an excellent musical show was deservedly rewarded with first place in this prestigious secondary school Jazz Competition. This is the first time Wellington College has won a National Jazz title.
Visually, the show was stunning with an impressive set and fantastic costumes.
This year’s performance was truly studentdriven and was led by four young men, who between them, had an excellent set of creative, visionary, practical, organisational and leadership skills. Sam Lawson, Andrew McIndoe, Harry Wright and Hugo Dobson did an outstanding job and can feel very proud of the way they directed 120 of their peers and the awesome show they created, from scratch. The boys had great support from the College community which was helpful in so many ways and for which we are very grateful. Stage Challenge 2009 was very much a collaborative effort and all members of the team can feel proud for their part in this win.
DEBATING Carlos Carbonatto-Bowkett (Y13) and member of the College’s Senior Premier A Debating team, has had an excellent year in debating as a member of the three-person Wellington team which won the recent national debating competition. The final, after an demanding weekend of eleven debates for each team, was a prestigious event held in the Legislative Chambers in Parliament. Carlos prepared intensively for the competition, over a number of months and has become a far more competent and confident debater.
Song Writing Jesse Sheehan (Y13) again this year made it to the top five of the Play It Strange national Song Writing Competition. The final was held in August in Auckland and for the second year, Jesse was awarded second place for his song Cake and Love and Wine. Jesse also has made it into the National Rock Quest Finale as a solo act. He is one of six secondary school musicians to be selected nationally and will be competing at the finale in September in Auckland. CHORALE The College’s Chorale received a bronze medal in the National Big Sing Competition. Even though they were disappointed to not equal their silver-medal success of 2008, they are still the top secondary school male choir in the country.
WELLINGTON COLLEGE NEWS
Sporting Stars on our Horizon
Gareth Kean Swimming
At the NZ College Games, five Gold Medals and Two Silver. At the Junior Pan Pacific Champs, two Gold Medals including NZ Open Men’s Record in the 200m Backstroke. Selected for the NZ Men’s Swimming Team for the Oceania Champs and achieved a Bronze.
Ryan Tinkle Athletics
Newly appointed Deputy Principal, Gregor Fountain (1986-90) [second left] joins fellow Old Boy and Deputy Principal Robert Anderson (1969-73) [left] on the Lima Sopoaga Senior Management Team. Also on the team are longRugby & Touch serving staff members Dave Ashby [second right] and Captain of the 1st XV, Vice Mike Pallin [right]. Captain of the Hurricane’s Secondary School Team, Member of the 2008 and 2008 NZ Secondary Schools’ Team.
At the NZ Secondary Schools Championships, Gold in Senior Hammerand Silver in Senior Discus. At the NZ Track & Field Champs, Gold in U20 Hammer and Gold in U17 Hammer. Member of the NZ U19 Touch Team. Dominion Post College Sport Athlete of the Year
Named ‘Male Swimmer of the Series’ at the Trans- Represented New Zealand Tasman Series. at the 2009 World Youth Championships in Sudtirol, ASB Emerging Sportsman Italy. of the Year. Dominion Post Swimmer of the Year.
Adam Pye Waterpolo
NZ Secondary Schools Team. NZ Junior Men’s Team for the World Champs. Dominion Post Waterpolo Player of the Year.
The new Language Centre opened at the start of 2009, incorporating eight classrooms (two were funded by the Board of Trustees and College Mothers), staff workrooms, and a audio-visual/video conference room. The twostory block at the top of the drive is a much welcome resource for the College and the Language department. The College’s Language curriculum now includes Maori, French, German, Chinese, Latin, Japanese, English as a Second Language and the newly introduced Spanish classes. Subscribe to the College’s monthly Collegian Newsletter and receive up-to-date news and events of Wellington College. See page 99 for details.
Our Auckland Old Boys support a Trip of a Lifetime I was privileged to set sail on the Spirit of Adventure in April and this was with great help from the Wellington College Old Boys’ Auckland Branch, and for this I would like to thank them very sincerely. The weather was amazing and I had an awesome time. I have gained skills and friendships that I will treasure for the rest of my life and I’m sure the other trainees will too.
As I travelled up from Wellington, I was able to spend one night earlier on the boat and met half of the other trainees in a very low key first night aboard the ship. We sorted out our bunks and talked about what we thought might happen over the next ten days. After the Auckland kids had come aboard and the final goodbyes had been said, we were off. The next ten days were a blur of activity and excitement, the unknown and the thrilling. We learnt all the ‘ropes’ of the ship and slowly progressed to our goal of sailing the ship unattended. We sailed across to Great Barrier Island and went tramping and had a bonfire on the beach. The list of stimulating activities is endless but it was the company that made it so memorable. My favourite was day was the trainee day as I was elected second mate and with the Captain and first mate we planned and executed a perfect day of sailing. I really enjoyed jumping off the bow sprit and using the yard swing. Once again thank you very much and I hope that many more Wellington College boys receive this opportunity. Nick Scannell (Y13 Prefect)
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 77
Letters, feedback and news 60 Years Plus Reunion Feedback
I
wish to congratulate you and all concerned on providing such an entertaining and illuminating day-long 60 Years Plus Reunion. The day was jam-packed but carefully timed, and I’m sure all concerned learned a great deal and appreciated the great heart that the College is in.
So many facets added to this – the music, the buildings, especially the Library, the rows of computers – forty to a room! The Assembly, singing and the conduct of our guides, all culminating with the dinner with the toasts that captured the traditional spirit that brought these elderly, really Old Boys back. No wonder the Headmaster was honoured. I enclose a cartoon done by a member of my extended family to poke some borax at my crowing.
[Bob is the grandfather of rower Nathan Twaddle, who together with Old Boy George Bridgewater, achieved a bronze medal at last year's Olympics].
RB (Bob) Twaddle • 1939-41 Hawkes Bay
The report of the prize giving ceremony, by Mr Justice Chapman, stated (at pp 6-7) It seemed fitting that he should address a word of encouragement not only to the boys who had gained prizes, but to those who had not been so successful. The brilliant boys were always to be commended, of course, but he reminded them that the world’s game was not always played by the foremost boys; it was the foremost men who played the game. Personally he had never been a brilliant success in school, and he felt that he owed his position in life to the fact that he had early recognised his limitations, and compensated for these by putting in 25 per cent more work than his brilliant fellows. From talks with old school mates at the Reunion, it was clear that many of the boys from 6 Remove and other ‘B’ stream forms had achieved most of their goals. The fields were diverse, and included, accountancy, armed services, business, external affairs, farming, government administration, geology, law and law reform, medicine, meteorology, sport, surveying, sheep breeding and wool technology, the teaching profession, and veterinary science.
The current web site for Wellington College has a mission to inspire students, to develop their talents to reach well beyond the ordinary, to strive for personal achievement and to become productive citizens. We had no knowledge of such things as computers, web sites and mission statements. But we did have a desire to succeed, and, the few talents we displayed were general encouraged by the teaching staff. I believe the ‘B’ stream boys of our day, with their perseverance, rugged determination and the necessary additional effort (referred to by Mr Justice Chapman 100 years ago), have made the grade.
_______________________________________________________ n his address at the Reunion Assembly, the Headmaster, Roger Moses made reference to ‘B’ stream boys. He said that they had the capacity to achieve at least as much, if not more, than ‘A’ stream boys and frequently did so. I was sitting next to an old friend and class mate of Form 6 Remove who became an Associate Professor of Pathology. He turned to me and said how true this was; that he had found it to be the case with many of his medical students. I later had a brief chat with the Headmaster who said that history supported this view of ‘B’ stream boys.
I
The day after the Reunion, I was going through some old College publications (the Freemans had attended the College since before 1900) and found a copy of The Wellingtonian dated May 1909.
78 • LAMPSTAND 2009
EG (Eric) Freeman • 1941-45 Perth, Western Australia _____________________________________________________ hat a wonderful surprise awaited me last Friday when I cleared the mailbox. I was ‘blown away’ at this magnificent Reunion photo and calendar which you had sent me. I really feel quite speechless, still!
W
The College Calendar is very interesting and the photos of the College (September and November) show the College as I knew it and which means a lot to me.
I really enjoyed attending the Reunion and meeting many other Old Boys of my vintage. The weather didn’t matter one bit – it can happen anywhere. When we did a tour of the College I’m sure we all felt or many of us, anyway, like lost souls, as it was all quite strange to what we remembered! This was how I felt. Nothing stays the same forever and it’s great to see the progress that the College has and is continuing to make for the future. I attended the College in 1940-42 when my
parents were transferred to Dunedin and have lived ever since in the south, mainly Dunedin until my retirement in Christchurch.
I meant to mention on the day of the Reunion how impressed I was with the courtesy, respect and helpfulness of the various boys I spoke to. A very big ALSO, being given a standing ovation by the boys as we all filed out of Assembly that morning is something I will never forget – it brought tears to my eyes. It made me feel so proud to be part of it all. The College is certainly in very good hands with Roger Moses at the helm. In closing, I thank you again for all you have done on behalf of the College.
GH (Graham) Cook • 1940-42 Canterbury _____________________________________________________ espite my minimal experience in planning and management, there is no doubt in my mind that the design and execution of the 60 Years Plus Reunion was a genius of application to the best principles for which you have my, and no doubt the attendees, heartfelt thanks.
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My first step into Firth Hall, Friday morning, was followed by the realisation that my words could hardly be heard by those to whom they were addressed, signifying an enthusiastic reactivation of friendships remet. It did not seem to matter who you were nearest to, regardless of knowing them or not, there was always something in common to have discourse over – sometimes at great length. What truly amazed me was how well everyone seemed. It would appear, we who have survived serious ill health over the period, came through and have contributed to a wonderful and fascinating era. Without doubt thanks must also go to the boys and masters of the school who, to us, were fun to mingle with and very respectful. As I was guided through the school viewing the modern approach to education, I wondered what I would concentrate on out of the diversity of careers open to children today. Having no idea what I wanted to be, except a cow farmer, on leaving school found this not to be and followed my younger brother to Wellington where I found the Lands and Survey department finally becoming a photogrammetrist mapping New Zealand and its outlying islands. This was a ‘Cinderella’ like experience, a career which spanned 40 years of sheer enjoyment, but about which few today would appreciate the intricacies and technologies of creating a map, material from which today, is available through IT facilities such as ‘Google’. It would be interesting for you to contemplate say the originating of the TV weather maps. With happy heart I await news from you regarding the planning for a Firth House reunion next year. Obviously this grand network of Old Boys is helped vastly by you and your capacity to communicate, certainly Roger Moses appeared to be most aware of
letters, feedback and news this and said so.
PJH (Peter) Stewart • 1945-49 Wellington _____________________________________________________ ust a wee note to convey a big thank you to you for all the work you have been doing that made the ‘60 Years Plus Reunion’ the rip-roaring success it was.
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The Friday at the College sparked lots of old memories, but more importantly, showed the great success of the College. The calibre of the senior boys warmed our hearts and gave us all great hopes for the future of our wonderful country. It is so sad that the press continue to report only on bad things when there is so much good going on right here with our senior school. Many, many thanks for what you are doing.
BL (Bruce) Purdie • 1943-47 Wellington _______________________________________ 60 Years Plus Memories
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ircumstances have conspired against me to attend the 60 Years Plus Reunion, however I think the concept is wonderful, and I’m sure the function will be an enormous success. I thank you for your preparatory work on my and everyone else’s behalf.
Do you know that I wondered for many years why I was always so pleased inside myself that I attended Wellington College and then (about 20 years ago) it suddenly came to me. A sense of fairness pervaded the College in my days there. That was it – and it was more than enough to make me feel good all the following years.
I’d like to record here my thanks to AH (Hylton) Parker (1943-45) who was of my time at College and who arranged with your Office, the recording of my details some ten years ago. Hylton has been of other help to me, as indeed he would have been to other Old Boys. I thank him through this letter. By the way, the magazine is a great production. I love it.
I read a few months ago of the passing of WA (Billy) Goldstone – a classic character and a top class half back. I played outside him a couple of times for Old Boys. TP (Peter) Brice (1943-45) Auckland _____________________________________________________ appreciated notification of the 60 Years Plus Reunion and am regretting that I was unable to attend. I trust that the event went as well as you all would have wished.
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Thank you also for the copies of my records which you sent on. Those were happy days, memories of which I so much value. My time at the College was of course during WWII and our daily routines were very different from those your pupils experience today. For example every Monday morning at Assembly, the Headmaster would read out the list of Old
Boys and Masters who during the previous week were either killed or missing in action. As the years went by this would include many of the senior boys with whom we had associated.
When Pearl Harbour had been attacked and New Zealand faced the prospect of invasion, troops were billeted in our classrooms and we were dispersed to the four corners of Wellington. My class finished up in the dance hall attached to the Catholic Seminary behind St Mark’s Church. I remember the Deputy Head, ‘Tibby’ Brodie lining us up on the first day to make clear his expectations for our behaviour. While you are over here you will see men dressed in black suits. Some will be Fathers and some will be Brothers but you will address them all as Father because it is better to call a Brother Father than to call a Father Brother. Until I became a school principal myself I never appreciated what a magnificent piece of organisation this must have been. When the periods ended the staff hopped in their cars and drove to their next class. In those days we had a cadet battalion and every Friday we dressed in our khaki uniforms with brass buttons and socks which had no feet but tucked into our shoes and in the afternoon practised our military drills. Once a year we had barracks week when every day was fully committed to our drills which were completely organised and run by the senior boys. The programme culminated in a route march lead by the officers (the staff) to Oriental Bay and back to school. On a hot day and wearing coarse uniforms which left red welts on the neck and arms this was not exactly a picnic but we suffered in silence in those days. The nearest to rebellion came one year when on the return march the battalion was halted and stood at ease outside the Swan Hotel in Cambridge Terrace, while the officers, with broad grins, went inside for refreshment. There was certainly a mumbling of discontent within the ranks on that day. Hopefully student pranks are still a commodity with which we contend. I remember the time when a group of bright sparks put alarm clocks in half the school classroom cupboards. When these operated they sounded very similar to the electric bells used to signify the change of periods. Set to ring ten minutes before the designated time meant that half the classes moved to change and half did not. The confusion was magnificent to behold and thoroughly appreciated by all except those in authority. RJ (Ron) Hicks • 1941-44 Hawkes Bay _____________________________________________________ am not very proud of the incident which I am about to record, but do so as it may bring a smile to the face of some old boy who may remember it. The prank occurred on the last day of the school year (probably early December) 1931, the year of the Napier earthquake.
situated in a block of rooms, arranged end to end sitting on trestles. The reason for this was a temporary measure to allow for reconstruction of teaching space later in the same area.
The day was quiet with no definite school work organised, so the situation was such as to be ideal for schoolboy mischief, so together with a mate from the same form 4B, we climbed up into the ceiling of the block of rooms and crawled along to the manholes in each room, armed with the rubber reservoir from a fountain pen, which was popular at the time, and squirted ink over the books of boys who were sitting underneath. During this activity the master on duty for the day happened to be ‘Toothbrush’ Jones, and he caught us in the act and reported the prank to the Headmaster, who at the time was the late WA (Bill) Armour. We were sent to his waiting room and kept there without lunch while the rest of the school was closed and the students were sent home. If my memory serves me right, we were later called into the Headmaster’s study, after a period of languishing in the waiting room for about two hours, and after being admonished as only ‘Bill’ could do and receiving six of his best on our bottoms, ‘Toothbrush’ Jones spent most of the waiting time within the vicinity of the Headmaster’s study with a funny smirk on his face.
The interesting test for me was that I was to attend the annual prize giving in Firth Hall on the same evening, to receive the AB Withers Science prize for top marks for science during the year, and who should present me with the prize but the Headmaster. He had a twinkle in his eye when he handed me the prize of three books. Thank you also for your letter with reference
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During that year, I was a student in room 4B,
LAMPSTAND 2009 • 79
Letters, feedback and news to the College’s 60 Years Plus Reunion I did appreciate receiving the documents about it and have given much thought to attendance.
The last time I was able to attend the College celebration was the Centenary and I enjoyed that very much.
Regrettably, owing to my present physical condition of disability I am wheelchair bound, and will not be able to attend the celebrations and tender my apology for my absence, but will be pleased to receive any information about its activities. I have also enclosed two photographs which you may like to use to confirm my presence as a student at the Wellington College between 1928-30.
One has been taken as part of a gymnastic pyramid outside the gym block and I am marked with a X. The second one is of me again as I am now with two carers, in a rest home.
Dr NR (Norris) Jefferson • 1928-32 Otago _____________________________________________________ e met and talked briefly at a recent WCOB get-together in Auckland, and as discussed please find my old form exam papers covering my years at College 1940-42 (3B, 4B, 5B). They are exactly as they were when I originally bundled them up for storage in 1943. I have not disturbed them but hope they are in satisfactory condition.
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During the ‘Japanese scare’ in 1942 when the army took over the College for the first term, the professional 5th form was quartered at Wellington Technical College. The rest of the forms were split amongst St Patrick’s (Town) Old College, St Mark’s School and Wellington East Girls’ College (3rd formers only). This upset our normal roster of Masters and was rather off-putting for pupils with matriculation looming in November.
Masters are well remembered for various reasons, and come to mind fairly readily. However, the one who will always be remembered by me as the best by far was the inimitable ‘JC Cuddie’! I can still see him striding into the classroom with gown flapping over his tweed jacket and remember the immediate control that he exercised over all present. No one took any liberties with ‘JC’. We had him for Maths and Science in 4B and 5B and he always arrived complete with his 3ft rule (and piece of string in his pocket) for drawing diagrams on the blackboard. His cyclostyled notes distributed after lessons were very much a feature. ‘JC’ represented to me, more than any other master, the tradition and pride of the College and what it meant to us to be part of it. To hear him on parade with his ‘A’ Company during Cadets was also something. FG (Jerry) Janson • 1940-42 Auckland
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oing through my photo albums, I have found a few that may be of interest. The snow scene is the summit of Mt Holdsworth in the Tararuas, 1943. I am on the right, centre is Wellington College boy John Roberts who became a professor at Victoria University. Other person was ‘Albie’ Vincent - but I can’t remember if he was a Wellington College boy.
During 1942 and 1943, a few of us at the College regularly went on our own into the Tararuas often tackling extraordinarily tough and difficult routes in appalling weather. We went in all seasons in the days before accurate forecasting, radios, mobiles and rescue helicopters. When things went wrong we were on our own. Someone had to walk out to get help - and that help came on foot. The pictures of the stretcher show 16-year-old College boy, Peter Josephson, being carried out through the upper Tauherenikau gorge by a team of rescuers in March 1943.
Peter and I had been attempting a difficult and rarely traversed Tararua southern crossing from Kaitoke to Otaki via the semi-trackless Winchcome Ridge. Above the bushline on Mt Hector we were forced by a violent storm to abandon the crossing and retreat into the Tauherenikau gorge. In the extremely steep descent to the gorge in the dusk through subalpine scrub, Peter slipped into a near vertical ravine, smashing his kneecap - among other injuries. It took me six hours to get down to him and drag him to safety on a tiny bit of level ground where we camped in the bush for the night. Next day I set out to get help. I just got through the gorge in the nick of time as heavy rain began to bring down a brown flood torrent. Late that second afternoon I reached a hut in the Tauherenikau Valley where some trampers and hunters were packing up to go home. They all immediately turned round and set off back with me to rescue Peter. However the gorge was now impassable and we were forced to bypass it and make an exhausting detour 3,000-ft up to the bush line where, in driving rain, we had to camp for the night before descending next morning to the river. Following flags I had left to mark the route up a series of side-creeks, we reached Peter around midday. The historic faded picture I
took shows him lying there with the rescue team. The other two show the difficult carrying operation through the gorge. The stretcher was made from tree branches between which Peter’s sleeping bag was slung. It took two days to get him out. Today a satellite phone call and a chopper would have had him out on the first morning! I have lost touch with Peter who went on to become a very successful businessman who owned the menswear company, Keans Jeans. As an aside, what a wonderful and very efficient job you did organising that splendid reunion of such an amazing number of survivors of that WW2 era at the college. Congratulations. I actually knew only two other old boys - and one of them I hadn’t met for 66 years!
Looking through my photo album again I’ve found another picture that will probably interest you. It’s of two of the women teachers who came to work at the school in 1943. I’m attaching a tif copy. Unfortunately I have no record of their names - but perhaps someone will be able to identify them. ID (Ian) Mackersey • 1939-43 Auckland
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aving just received my copy of the 2008 Lampstand and seeing a photo of John Mills reminded me that there is a small tale which may interest you. In the late 1930s, a small village named Matahina was built in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, about 50kms from Whakatane. It was there to service the Whakatane Board Mills forest of the same name and consisted of thirty company houses, a single men’s camp, a hall and a two-teacher school plus a few other houses belonging to the Railways and the Kauri Timber Company. A rather unique factor about this village was that it housed six Wellington College Old Boys during its existence. They were the late Norman Pulley, his son Christopher, brothers John and Rod Mills, Peter Anderson and myself. The village has gone now. JD (John) Crowther • (1944-47) Auckland _____________________________________________________ t strengthens my hand to do something I’ve been meaning to do for several years -and join the Association.
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I was only two years at Wellington College before my civil servant father took promotion to Palmerston North and I transferred to Palmerston North Boys’ High School for three years. It was an inferior institution to my judgment, lacking the ‘soul’ and reverence of Wellington College.
Our excellent Lampstand rings all sorts of bells for me. I note one correspondent recalls the assemblies with the Memorial Window fired by the sun - truly inspirational! How sad that the rebuilding turned the school’s back on that magnificent stained glass.
(the best newspaper I ever worked on). He eventually moved on to other things.
The Lampstand refreshes so many memories, and updates so well on Wellington College’s outreach programme. One wonders at the stamina of Roger Moses and his team recruiting the support of Old Boys around New Zealand and the world. Marvellous work!
I was fortunate to be one of those hosted at Peter Vautier’s Hamilton home not very long ago for a very pleasant cocktails muster of 25 Old Boys. Roger cheered us on, and we all recognised how fortunate the College is in its leadership. Another of those attending was Neil Shewan. Neil, Peter and I are members of Hamilton’s Claudelands Bowling Club, and if any peregrinating Old Boy bowlers in need of a bowling ‘fix’ care to join friendly Claudelands Club members in a roll-up you’ll be warmly welcomed. We’ll lend you suitable bowls. To Wellington College, by all means lumen accipe et imperti - you’ve been doing it so well for so many years! RJ (Roy) Burke • 1946-47 Waikato
A bit about themselves
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Derek died some years ago. I remember him well. Derek lived next door to me in Khandallah and was perhaps three years ahead of me at College. He gave me my (then) traditional initiation - fiercely grasping a handful of left nipple and leading me painfully around the old quadrangle. How could one forget!
came to Melbourne, Australia in 1970 and co-founded The Colonials’ an Anglo-Irish Folk Band, and we were a big success, with TV shows and the accolade of winner of Battle of the Bands in 1971, held at the Myer Music Bowl. I have travelled to Europe, the UK and America quite often as a solo artist, finally staying put in Melbourne having worn out my passport! Playing the guitar and singing has been the grand love and occupation of my life, although a brief dalliance with corporate life left me with stab marks in my back! While I have recorded on many albums, it is only recently that I completed my own CD called Blink. The values we collect and nurture in life are the compass by which we steer. I've gone wobbly enough times to know that, and looking back is never as much fun as going forward with resolve and good humour. My website www. richarddoctors.com tells more. My thanks to Wellington College for a genuinely valuable education. It’s really pleasing to recognise and value the role of a good school.
Too, I noticed in Lampstand reference to well regarded former headmaster Seddon Hill. Some may have made the connection with a photograph of one Nick Hill in nearby pages covering the 1967s reunion – Nick is that headmaster’s son. Nick (who I understand caused his dad some frustration) became a bright young journalist on The Evening Post
I graduated from Wellington College in 1962. Despite a rather mediocre academic record up to that point, I went on to get a BA in Physics and a Masters in Electrical Engineering. After working some 40 years in the fields of medical research, aerospace life support, and industrial instrument design, I have slowed down to a four-day work week. The work continues to be very enjoyable and I’m not ready for cold-
In the Lampstand, there is reference to Wellington College funding one-and-a-half sledge dogs for an Antarctic expedition. I think that would have been Ed Hillary’s ‘dash to the pole’ expedition. A National Film Unit cameraman on that expedition (he was a member of the ‘polar dash’ team) was Derek Wright, a Wellington College Old Boy.
A couple of years ago, I revisited Wellington College to explore those hallowed places. It was the first time I’d been there since I left in 1947. And I discovered the quadrangle had disappeared, as had so many other things; they moved on in the name of progress.
RB (Richard) Doctors • 1962-67 Melbourne, Australia _____________________________________________________ or what it’s worth, here is a thumbnail sketch of ‘My Life After Wellington College’...
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turkey retirement.
Anita, my wife of 40 years is a retired social worker. She spends time with her friends and when the weather permits, she works on her several gardens. Year round, our Ohio backyard is a diversity of colour and wildlife. My preference in fair weather is get into my glider and join the hawks and eagles soaring aloft. We have a son and a daughter, and one grandson. My academic and professional profiles can be found on www.linkedin.com. I also have an entry in www.oldfriends.co.nz
RB (Roger) Fells • 1958-62 Ohio, USA _____________________________________________________ am still writing mostly travel stories for Caravan World magazine here in Australia, even though I am going on 70. Denyse, my wife has retired from her General Practice and now writes a Healthwise page for the same magazine. It is the leading RV magazine in Australia and the New Zealand equivalent, MCandD (Motorhomes, Caravans and Destinations) belongs to the same group.
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They have reprinted some of my articles, and the June issue of MCandD has my story on El Questro in the Northern Territory in it.
Denyse and I travel for around six to eight months each year to different parts of Australia in our caravan, seeking out interesting places. I also take videos to complement my stories. These are put on the www.caravanworld.com. au website, so if readers are interested they can go to this website and click on videos to see our stories. Currently we have Possum Park on and The Grampians appears shortly. Take a look yourself; you will see what we look like in person. We meet quite a lot of Kiwis on our travels, but have yet to meet anyone from Wellington College.
TM (Tony) Allsop • 1953-56 Mackay, QLD _____________________________________________________ bit of news from me. I completed my LLM at Cambridge University in June 2008. I received the BRD Clarke Prize for the top overall performance on the LLM and the Chancellor’s Medal for English Law (a discretionary award given to recognise exceptional performance in English law subjects), as well as topping two of my four subjects - International Commercial Litigation and Restitution - for the latter of which I received the Gareth Jones Prize for Restitution. In addition, I received the Lyndon-Stanford Prize and a Leonard Coling Scholarship from my college, Sidney Sussex College.
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MC (Martin) Smith • 1993-96 Auckland _____________________________________________________ have been working at the University of Washington here in Seattle, where I have been a Professor of Economics for the last 20 years or so.
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Letters, feedback and news The recent big news for me was that I was back in Wellington earlier this year to receive an honorary Doctorate of Literature from Victoria University, where I graduated in 1962. I also gave one the graduation address at one of the ceremonies. Professor SJ (Stephen) Turnovsky • 1954-58 Washinton, USA _____________________________________________________ ust to let you know that I was awarded the Leontief Prize in Economics, in November 2008 (its full title is, Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Understanding). Established in memory of Nobel Prize winner Wassily Leontief, its first recipients were JK Galbraith and Amartya Sen. I am now currently writing furiously about the global slump.
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Professor RH (Robert) Wade • 1958-61 England _____________________________________________________ retired in June, 2009 (again) from my last position at the National University of Singapore, and now living in Canberra working at Pacific & Asian History, Research School of Pacific & Asian Studies, Australian National University.
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Emeritus Professor AJS (Tony) Reid • 1952-56 Canberra, Australia _____________________________________________________ t will be small surprise to anyone that knew me to learn that I ended up working in the IT industry, initially in support, service-desk and network management roles, and more recently as an Infrastructure Design consultant. The one substantial departure from this career was during 2005 when I travelled to Canada on a working holiday for the year. I happened to get chatting with an electrician who needed some help installing equipment and wiring for a submarine he was helping to build. I went with him to ‘just to have a look’ and help run a few cables, and suddenly it was nine months later and I was going out on sea-trials on submarine that was about 90 feet long, rated for 300m deep, and worth about USD$50 million. Shortly thereafter (Microsoft Cofounder) Paul Allen took delivery of his latest expensive toy and after a little bit more skiing and travelling around Canada, came back to New Zealand, moved to Auckland and got back into the IT industry.
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NFE (Nathan) Gracie • 1991-95 Auckland _____________________________________________________ hanks for the invitation to update my details. Perhaps some of the really Old Boys might be interested. In my retirement in California I have returned to my first love of music. About 12 years ago I founded a music publishing company called Cantus Quercus Press (that’s Oak Song Press for you Latin-challenged types). We specialise in music, mostly of living composers, for choirs whose repertoire includes classical and neo-classical style works. I now have the distinct pleasure and honour of representing 50 composers from 18 different countries with a catalogue of nearly 300 works including many of my own. Among
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recent premieres have been a new set of Songs From The Dead Sea Scrolls. I am continually grateful to the great Harry Radford in whose orchestra I played for five years at Wellington College, who encouraged my juvenile efforts and even performed them before the whole school. World music leads one to be proficient in many languages in order to work with musicians from other countries, and with some 150 translations of lyrics under my belt from eight or nine languages I reflect with gratitude on the excellent foundation that was laid by teachers like ‘Foxy’ Sutton (Latin), ‘Loony Mac’ MacAloon (French) and LB Quartermain (English) — who was far too intimidating to have a nickname (at least one spoken aloud). I still play the piano and organ in public concerts and recitals and learn something new every day. Anyone interested can check me out online at www.cantusquercus.com. The Rev Dr HW (Wilbur) Skeels • 1951-55 Thousand Oaks, California _____________________________________________________ n February this year, I moved to part-time status and semi-retirement from my position as Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Chief of Endocrinology at the VA Medical Centre, Baltimore. My wife, Jennifer, also a physician, who I met during my training in Oxford is also now moving into retirement. We have two sons who are academic gastroenterologists (one at the Johns Hopkins Hospital here in Baltimore and the other at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston).Our oldest son is a stockbroker in Virginia. They are all married with two daughters each (six grand-children). Our daughter lives in London and is to be married there in October to an Englishman she met at a Twickenham rugby match! I am very sad to note the number of my contemporaries who made a major contribution to the NZ scene and have passed on including Tony Ellis, Chris Beeby, John Beck, Dick Heron (head-master’s son) and life-long friends, Peter Kemp, Colin Deacon and Bernard Treister.
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Professor BPM (Bruce) Hamilton • 1949-53 Maryland, USA _____________________________________________________ quick word to say that I appreciate the work that you are doing for the Old Boys. I appreciate my annual magazine, and look forward to the next one accordingly.
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My news is pretty much same old same old, as I have my contract extended here until the end of 2012. WADA continues to advance and enhance the fight against doping in sport, with a good deal of success in 2008 noteworthy by the number of athletes (more than 70) who did not go to Beijing because they tested positive in advance, and the successful programme run in Beijing. The latter will probably lead to a silver medal for Nick Willis in the 1500 meters through the gold medallist testing positive for Cera. This substance is one that we have been able to detect within one month of it going on the market due to a collaboration or co-operation with Roche pharmaceuticals. Otherwise, life here in Montreal remains busy and intriguing.
JD (David) Howman • 1962-66 Montreal, Canada _____________________________________________________ was pleased to read that 2009 Lampstand is on the stocks, to launch in a few months time. We have not moved since September last year: in fact we have lived in The New House since July 1988, and hope that Elizabeth and I will live for a while yet.
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News of 4A, 1941. We hope to see Doris and Peter Macdonald when they arrive shortly. In July, we hope that Fay and George Gair will stay in our home for two nights, and then leave for Cornwall, getting back to London next week in time for a mini-reunion lunch in July in the RAF Club, Piccadilly with the Gairs, the Macdonalds, Graham Joplin’s widow Helen, Elizabeth and me. I gave invitations for the lunch to Craig Burrell and Peter Whittle, but there was no reply from the former. If you had any news of Burrell, please could you copy this to me? An email yesterday from Peter Whittle sadly said: Concerning the London gathering on 17 July, I am truly grateful, David, but cannot manage it - all that week is going to be committed in one way or another. I am sure that you and Elizabeth will have a great time with old classmates, and I wish you every joy. Remember us to George and to Helen Joplin - we may be seeing Peter and Doris MacDonald later.
George Gair’s email said: You may or may not be aware, but I thought I should let you know that Roger Moses, our Headmaster at Wellington College, was awarded Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. I’ve dropped him a note of congrats. We were not aware, but think Roger thoroughly deserves the honour. Elizabeth said to me: He is one of the honourable men”. I concur fully.
For four years after my stroke, a Speech Language (SL) therapist comes each week, and I attend SL therapy groups in Devizes and Chippenham in alternative weeks. Elizabeth is working all hours in the garden, getting ready for a function, if the weather is kind, we hope 30 to 40 people of the SL groups will come to see the flowers, and have an English tea. Paddianne Neely took photos of the garden when she and Don stayed with us in 2008. I will send her photos to show how the garden is progressing this year; and hope to get photos showing the pergolas finished next year. I continue to write, but slowly. My article Intelligent Design? is to be published in SIS Review next month, and other papers are progressing. However, for the first time this year I yesterday cut all five lawns in one day; so this life in the old man yet!
Dr D (David) Salkeld • 1942-44 Wiltshire, England _____________________________________________________ hen I received an email inviting Old Boys who lived overseas to make a contribution to Lampstand I reviewed the suggested topics, Academic, The Arts, Business, Sporting. Sporting! I think I was probably born with poor hand-to-eye co-ordination. All ball sports
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letters, feedback and news were beyond me. My general clumsiness visits me almost daily. I still remember painfully years ago when the airline of my employment insisted that the ground engineers have some simulator exposure on the aircraft they were being trained to fix. Forget about the take off, my trouble started getting the 767 from the aerobridge to the end of the runway. Never mind, said the instructor with a facial expression I shall forever remember. Deciding that I couldn’t sit around contemplating my non-selection for the All Blacks I took up sailing. Not Americas Cup stuff but dinghy sailing where a bang on the head and capsizing are more than possible.
Although then in my mid forties, I found myself sailing a Laser, a single handed Olympic class dinghy. One sail, unstayed bendy mast and a lot of fun. In club races on the harbour I got an occasional first on handicap and over many years a trophy or two.
In 2007 I shocked the local sailing fraternity by going to the World Laser Masters Championship in Roses, N.E. Spain. There were 340 competitors from all over the world. The racing, way out in the Mediterranean was held over eight days in varying conditions with the onshore bars, restaurants and weather all excellent. I was pleased with 44th place in my division and happy for my club colleagues, three of whom became world champions. In the long Sydney summer as I turn my little fibreglass boat at the top mark and face down the harbour, the sun has made the sky an intense blue and the chop on the water a sparkling diamond. In the near distance is the city skyline, the Opera House and the Bridge.
My inability to catch a ball has faded into insignificance when compared to the joy of my late found sport.
DA (Dene) Bergman • 1954-56 Sydney, Australia _____________________________________________________ retired from the Australian National University in 1990 as Emeritus Professor in Prehistory. Academic honours include Foreign Member, US Academy of Sciences (1985); Fellow, Australian Academy of Humanities (1986); Elsdon Best Medal, New Zealand (1990); Distinguished Economic Botanist, Soc. for Economic Botany, USA (1992); Fellow, Linnean Society, London (1996). Degrees: BAgrSc (Massey, 1946), MAgrSc (Massey, 1947); DSc (Auckland, 1975).
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Career summary: 1948-66 Crop Research Division, DSIR, New Zealand (Plant Breeder); 1966-80 Bishop Museum, Hawaii, USA (Ethnobotanist); 1980-90 Australian National University (Prehistory).
My years at College were 1937-41, last Form 6C. My lone accomplishment - in that year (or any other) was the S. Eichelbaum Prize in English, a leather-bound volume, The Poetical Works of Milton, that I even read!
I do look forward, however, to receiving my first copy of the Lampstand, and news of identities otherwise lost with the passage of time. Professor DE (Douglas) Yen • 1937-41 California, USA _____________________________________________________ thought you might be interested in ‘where are they now’ information on Old Boys.
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Currently I am a retired Physics Professor living in Maryland, USA doing scientific writing. My newest book, co-authored with two professors at the University of Mainz, is Volume II of Charged Particle Traps will be published early next year by Springer. Volume I appeared in 2005. The second edition of a successful book on atomic clocks entitled Quantum Beat came out in 2007. Dr FG (Fouad) Major • 1942-45 Maryland, California ( I was enrolled as “Majais”, before the name was officially changed) _____________________________________________________ retired from a Chair in Geography at the University of Hong Kong more than a decade ago but continue to reside and research in Hong Kong. Now an Honorary Professor in both the School of Humanities and in the School of Biological Sciences, I continue to research in several fields.
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One involves the long-term monitoring of soil erosion under varying land use conditions. This has shown that the practice of annually harvesting plants for fuel from hillsides in southern China is sustainable at for at least a decade. Fire brings a short burst of erosion but because the vegetation recovers quickly in HK’s very rainy environment - roughly equivalent to Fiordland’s - erosion is not sustained, at least not unless fires are frequent.
I am also working on the group of primitive plants called Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). This has shown that compared with bare soil surfaces, those colonised with these organisms have two or three orders of magnitude less erosion than those surfaces. I am also trying to find ways of speeding up the growth of these organisms on concrete surfaces such as are ubiquitous in the HK environment. A coating of algae, hopefully followed naturally by colonizing mosses and ferns, will be aesthetically more pleasing than gray, or worse, painted concrete. Another long-time interest is agriculture in Southeast Asia (a region on which my book People, Land and Economy is a standard work). Since academic funding in this field has largely dried up since retirement, I have turned my activities to understanding the historical geography and environmental aspects. Amongst other things, I oversee a large and expanding on-line data-base on the subject. Outside the University, I continue my interest in choral singing and also play double-bass in two orchestras, one at the University of Hong
Kong. A concert performance of Puccini’s La Boheme was a recent highlight.
With grandchildren in Singapore and Wellington as well as in Hong Kong, I regularly support the airline industry in visiting them. Visits to the College have not been on the agenda for many years. I cannot bear to see the barbarous destruction of the old Main School and maintain that money should have been found, somehow, to bring the building up to modern safety standards. After all, it was done at my other alma mater, VUW.
Professor RD (Ron) Hill • 1948-52 Hong Kong _____________________________________________________ hat a delight to receive your invitation to attend the WCOBA 60 years Plus Reunion.
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I will not be able to travel from Florida USA for this very special event, but will be thinking of those of my classmates who decide to do so. Grant Preston-Thomas, comes to mind, and I’ve been in touch with John Taylor, now in Queensland. I’m wracking my brains to recall more names: Phillipps - 2 l’s and 3 p’s, thank you sir, as we spelled our name to Jock Griffin for roll call! My six years at Wellington College gave me a great head start in my pursuit of my favourite subject - Chemistry. Upon completion of my MSc at Victoria, I was so fortunate in being invited to continue studies at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) under the direction of fellow Kiwi Alan MacDiarmid. I earned my PhD from Penn in 1961. My most recent return visit to New Zealand was in April-May 2005. Now, at age 77, I find such lengthy travel venues to be ‘hard work’. Dr LGL (Laird) Ward • 1946-50 Florida, USA _____________________________________________________ his is to let you know that I am a resident in Auckland. I suffered a stroke six years ago, and am slowly getting back to normal.
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In the 1980s I served on the Auckland Committee of the WCOBA, and helped secure ‘Horse’ Bradley and Frank Crist, well known teachers at Wellington College, to come up to Auckland to share a few laughs. I worked as a journalist for 35 years, both in radio and television, and spent two years working as a Press Secretary for a Minister.
At the time of my stroke, I was associate editor of the NZ Golf Gazette, a free magazine issued to all clubs. I played three times a week, and at age 58, I was on a nine handicap. I played at Gulf Harbour when it occurred. Oh dear! PCD (Peter) Downer-Kingston • 1958-62 Auckland _____________________________________________________ started teaching at Wellington College under unusual circumstances. I was about to start my third year at Victoria but didn’t have the finance to see myself through full-time, having rejected an Education Department bursary
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LAMPSTAND 2009 • 83
Letters, feedback and news ever held at the College; catching a group of three boys behind the bike shed when they should have been in the final assembly for the year; sometimes taking a junior class outside for an English lesson which frivolity upset Norm McAloon; acting as MC at a school dance; attending some very interesting sessions with colleagues in the Cambridge Hotel of a Friday night, occasionally bringing a rare car - an AC Sports - to school which always attracted an audience and having midday meals in the Firth House dining-room.
which would have bonded me before I knew whether or not I was suited to teaching.
Chance intervened. My ‘varsity friend Dick Heron told me that his father, Alec Heron, wanted to offer me a fulltime teaching position at the College. The Headmaster had no doubt done some homework and decided that, even at the age of 20, I would be able to acquit myself in the classroom. As a result, Bruce Crowley an experienced primary teacher who had also served in J Force, and me, split a block of classroom teaching and physical education (PE) between us. Having only junior forms to prepare for meant that I was able to gain two more units INDOOR BASKETBALL A TEAM ~ 1958 towards my BA degree.
Standing: JN Allison, WT McKeown, JA Harper, JC Patterson
I had senior (Upper VI) forms for PE Sitting: JE Delahunt, GJ Pohlen (Captain/Coach), Mr T a few of whom I had played rugby (Manager), DS Sumner (VC), DC Taan Front: CJ Symons, PR Stannard against when I was in my last year at Scots College. But few, if any, of them time was split and the side with the most runs tried to give me a hard time. Playing senior won. Frank Crist, Snow Burnett, Ray Michael, rugby player (for Poneke) also helped. Some Dick Campion and I formed the core of the fifth formers had me on. The first pupil I caned - side which had either the ‘middle ground’ or along with about a third of the class who chose ‘the bay’ as its home pitch. I coached the 2nd to ‘wag’ my PE lesson was Brian Hastings. [I XI for several years. Years later, while secretary later bowled to him without success in a Staff v of the Wanderers Cricket Club, I played games 1st XI match. He went on to become a very fine with or against some of the same players of the Test batsman.] The next time the class turned era - including Rob Mitchell, John Marshall, out I ran them over Mt Victoria, and back, at Bruce Heather, Gary Allen and Jack Perkins. speed. The message got through occasionally I also played two games for Wanderers against bringing a rare car - an AC sports - to school the 1st XI. which always attracted a curious audience; and there were no more absentees. I took a senior grade rugby side (the boys told me the result on Monday as I played myself I made plenty of mistakes as a novice teacher on Saturdays) and was asked by Grahame but was grateful for Alec Heron’s support (he Pohlen to manage (not coach as the game was could be a real martinet when he chose) and relatively new to me) the senior basketball team the help I received from senior staff including when the sport was first played competitively Frank Crist, Jack ‘Inky’ Deighton, Eric ‘Fanny’ between schools. Grahame dwarfed me in the Flaws, ‘Chook’ Holmes, Ray ‘Micky’ Michael and team photo and I recall him looking down on Don Ramage and also from younger colleagues, the Springbok lock, Classen, when a ‘Boks’ John ‘Snow’ Burnett and John Northern. group visited the College in 1956. I went to Auckland Teacher’s College for a year and then returned to Victoria in 1958 for fulltime study for my MA. Two weeks before my crucial final exams in November, Mr Heron called me back because he had suddenly lost one of his staff, Gerry Auton. It was a bit of a risk, but Alec took two English classes himself to lighten my teaching load a wonderful gesture. I passed all my ‘varsity papers, received my salary throughout the Christmas holidays and managed a trip to Australia on the strength of that.
I think I initiated a major change in College tradition by calling as many boys as possible by the first name. It seemed ridiculous to address a boy as ‘Williams, JB’ if there three of that surname in a class (as sometimes happened). Taking half the school for PE helped as I was able to relate to the boys in an easier manner than in the more formal classroom situation. During the mid 1950s, a staff cricket team competed in the President’s Grade. We played the forerunner of limited-over cricket; the
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Influenced by Richard Campion and John Dowick who had revived interest in drama, I produced the English-spoken part of Richard Sheridan’s comedy, The Critic. The boys had tremendous talent. I also had a small part in Nola Miller’s production of MacBeth which we played ‘in the round’ in the College Hall, ie with the audience sitting on either sides of the performers. At least the Wellington College audience didn’t roll Jaffa’s up and down the floor, as happened at Naenae College. I enjoyed one particular 5th form class. Under the rigid grading system, none were expected to pass School Certificate. I taught them English, Geography and History and five passed the exam. Many years later, one of the class stopped me in Tauranga; he had gone primary teaching and had gained a degree and was gracious enough to say that I had given him the initial impetus to do so.
Other random memories; taking over from Frank Crist as the starter at the athletic sports; being a judge at the last bouts of boxing
Eventually, because of the requirement to do ‘country service’ I left for what turned out to be a 13-year stint of teaching in three secondary schools in Fiji. I still receive royalties for a Donnelly geography text co-authored there in 1968, now in its fourth edition. I later taught at Whakatane High School before quitting teaching to become a research officer in the External Intelligence Bureau, now the External Assessments Bureau. I went back to Fiji on secondment to the New Zealand High Commission, 198083, and eventually took early retirement in Ohope. I took up golf and fished for trout in the delightful Bay of Plenty rivers. I have met only a few College pupils here (Graeme Paull, a prefect in my last year and now a retired chemist) but would be pleased to receive email. TA (Terry) Donnelly • 1958-61 Bay of Plenty • terrydonnelly@xtra.co.nz RECOLLECTIONS
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hat a marvellous record of past and current events involving the College and its Old Boys. You have really done us proud with this edition of the Lampstand.
As an Old Boy, I always read the obituaries - a not unnatural thing to do when you get to three score years and ten (to quote the bible), and it is always with a tinge of sadness to read the names as well as the accounts of things that happened at the College many years ago. How I regret not having appreciated when I was at College the importance of those years and the doors that would open and the instant friendships that evolved from having been lucky enough to attend Wellington College.
LJJ (Leith) Peddie • 1951-55 Hawkes Bay _____________________________________________________ any will recall fondly the cricket coach and Latin teacher 'Bernie' Paetz. His form-room was (in my day at least) upstairs in the East Wing of the main building, overlooking the Armoury. In an extreme economy of neckwear, Bernie wore for years at a stretch the same bright red tie, and boys formed the suspicion that he simply left its immaculate Windsor knot
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letters, feedback and news unmolested each night, taking the whole rig off over his head; anyhow, the tie developed some 'weathering' after some years, so that when it 'rode up' from his waistcoat during unusual exertion, a 'V' appeared demarcating the normally sheltered lower regions of the tie from the parts normally out in the weather above the waistcoat. During wintry weather he would teach from the window side of his classroom, leaning/ half-sitting against the wall straight over the hot-water radiator. The highly creative oboeist/troublemaker Richard 'Raz' Wilton (1954-58) went to the trouble of fabricating a small wooden seat, to sit on the radiator, secured by wooden pegs which fitted snugly down behind the metal about 6". Raz simply placed this comfort-station one lunch hour just where Bernie habitually sat, knowing it would be appreciated. The horizontal top of the seat bore the carved-in label 'Hiberni Paetz'. The world 'hiberni' was known to us as 'winter quarters' (for J. Caesar's army while on forays in Gaul). Bernie was unable to sustain his normal deadpan manner when first he arrived at his window position to behold this anonymous gift; he smiled graciously. If the affection of pupils and colleagues is any yardstick, JR (Jimmy) Cuddie dominates the educational field. How many hours did that man work? I can recall him leaving Wellington College at 5.00pm, having taken extra classes for examination candidates and going to teach at ‘Night Tech.’ and ‘Enting’s’. No matter what the pressure, he was always courteous and approachable. No-one, in my memory, set himself higher standards of service in his chosen profession. NL McLeod (pp. 87-8) in ‘Wellington Prospect survey of a city 1840 - 1970’, ed. N. L. McLeod & B. H. Farland, Hicks Smith, Wellington 1970.
Dr LRB (Robt) Mann • 1954-58 Auckland _____________________________________________________ y name is Alex Shah. I graduated in Upper 5 while Mr Hill was Headmaster in 1969. I left New Zealand because at the time New Zealand was to recognise The People’s Republic of China (PRC) instead of Taiwan, The Republic of China (ROC). My father being the Ambassador from ROC made a quick decision to send me and my siblings back to Taiwan.
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I lost contacts with many good friends. One in particular is a Mr Dennis S (Sydney) Cole, whom was a special friend (6A), but sadly whom I have not been able to make contact after I moved on from school to school. I would be more than grateful, should the Old Boys Association provide me with a lead of his whereabouts. Maybe he is in Auckland, or aboard; nevertheless should you know anything about him, please forward my email address to him. We have much to talk about. AH (Alex) Shah • 1968-71 Taiwan, ROC hleshah@ms77.hinet.net
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hank you for sending me the copies of the 2007 and 2008 Lampstand. I appreciate your taking the trouble to track down my address through my sister Julia in Wellington. I imagine there were a few Old Boys who enjoyed finding out something of what happened to me from the item you published.
JM (John) Millen • 1951-55 British Columbia, Canada www.denmanconservancy.org www.denmanconservancy.blogspot.com _____________________________________________________ have subsequently checked on the internet (first-time view of your activities) and found I had missed the Class of 1959 Reunion. On catching up with the photographs I knew a lot who attended. My apologies for not being there. I attended the Hutt Valley Rowing Club reunion in 2007, so I do get to New Zealand when the occasion warrants it.
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In the meantime I had been going through my jumbled records and thought that stuff I had on Firth House may be interesting. I took the trouble to scan the Firth House photographs of all the inmates 1955-59 with type-copied captions of names and also separate year lists in alphabetical order taken from the captions. These, plus other photographs including some of us out on the loose, I have put on a disk, including also a bit about my history with a recent photograph. I will include this with my 1959 school cap (F Bronze Lamp H), three published books and a CD-ROM of an earlier book (New Guinea Patrol donated to Wellington College 1973) and will forward these to the archivist Paddianne W Neely. Of course I have now caught up with the planned Firth House Reunion 30 April 2010. I should like to be there.
MD (Martin) Kerr • 1955-59 Queensland, Australia _______________________________________________________ am pleased to hear of the developments and the vision for my ‘Old’ School’.
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The College was instrumental in my development. It is a pity that neither my father nor my son had the benefit of a Wellington College input in their lives. Family circumstances resulted in my father (Pat) attending Nelson College (we had some lively dialogue in our family at Quadrangular Tournament times) and by the time my son (Hamish) reached secondary school age we were living in Australia.
My great-great-grandfather, the Rev. Thomas Buddle, was a Wesleyan missionary, arriving in North Auckland in 1840. Consequently, the Buddle family was mainly Auckland based because that was where Thomas and Sarah spent most of their lives. However, Wellington featured in their lives. They lived for a period in Wellington. In 1872, Thomas was on a committee of supporters of the affiliated [Wellington] College development. His son, Charles Frederick Buddle attended Wellington College from 1870-73 and the
latter’s son Charles Bell (Carl) Buddle attended from 1900 to 1901. Another grandson of Thomas’s, Harry, my grandfather, preceded me in 1894 to 1895 and his younger brother Frederick Charles Buddle attended from 1895 to 1896. Harry returned to Auckland, studied law, and then returned to Wellington to establish the law firm now known as Buddle Findlay. This is how I came to be born in Wellington and to attend Wellington College.
Dr JR (Ross) Buddle • 1955-59 Auckland _____________________________________________________ wish to attend the 40 years on in 2011. Any side meetings or events will be of interest to me as well. Can you keep me posted?
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I was looking through old papers and noticed WCOB article just below one on my great grandfather GC Fache (OBE). I am trying to get him inducted in the NZ Sports Hall of Fame, so compiling news articles; anyway here is his and Old Boys articles from papers past
Evening Post March 5 1910 The annual meeting of the Wellington College Old Boys’ Club was held last evening. Mr Neil Galbraith presided, and about fifty members were present. The annual report (already published) was adopted. Mr J Murray was elected a life member of the Club. Votes of thanks were accorded Messrs FN Abercrombie (hon. secretary) and John Thompson (hon. treasurer) for their work during the year. It was decided to commence practice matches on Saturday, 12 March. The election of officers resulted as follows President, Mr TS Ronaldfcon; vice-presidents, Messrs GC Fache, JP Firth, N Galbraith, VR Meredith etc... MG (Mike) Milne • 1971 Canada _____________________________________________________ am writing to inform you that my father, Brian Stonehouse, of Oakfield, Park Road, Willaston, Wirral, England, passed away on 22 December after a short illness, he was 69. He often spoke of the few years he spent at Wellington College and was delighted to return to the 50 years on Old Boys Reunion with my mum.
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Rachel Stonehouse (Miss) _____________________________________________________ thought I should advise you so the records can be noted, David E Hollands (1951-54) died on 25 August, aged 69.
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In the past six months before his death, he wrote his autobiogaphy titled Reaching My Potential which is available through his son at: blair@mosquito.net.nz
David’s webpage covering his journey over the last six months, after discovering he had cancer, is on the web at www.neutral.co.nz/ healing.htm EL (Les) Howe • 1950-54 Auckland
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Letters, feedback and news NON OMINIS MORIAR (TY)
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he TY was added to the Memorial Hall by someone who abseiled the Hall in 1961-62. Naturally the establishment were mortified. It was in honour of Moriarity of the Goons. It also brings to mind the film Life of Brian, in which John Cleese delivers his memorable Latin lesson Romans Go Home. Another memory of my time at Wellington College was the caning habits of the Headmaster ‘Fish’ Heron in 1959. I got caught in my wet togs running around the school baths. He marched me down to his study and gave me six cuts on the backside with my head against the doorknob with great gusto, I never forgot this but I didn’t ever run around the baths again.
- was a cheerful character, a friend at Karori School, in the Hockey Club and in our recruit days in 1939, when we were in the same platoon. Because of his height, during training, we would say keep your head down, Sid! On 2 July 1942, he was one of a few casualties in a successful Battalion attack on an Italian unit. Brian Phillips, a solicitor from Eastbourne, was always calm in a crisis and a most capable and popular member of my ‘I Section’, a handpicked group (I was then the Intelligence Officer). He was also a first grade five eighth.
On 9 July 1942, he was killed by a bomb from a Stuka dive bomber. I was not far away. On 15 July, I fell into bad company and was captured.
ABSIT INVIDIA
RM (Bob) Wood • 1928-30 NSW, Australia _____________________________________________________ was interested to read the Dominion Post's front-page story on Tuesday about Tom Paul and Miss Violet Dunn.
single word, on page 74 of the otherwise superb Lampstand 2008, has thrown me into confusion and despair. How could it be allowed, in the magazine of the Old Boys’ Association of my College? ‘Foxy’ would never have countenanced it, and neither would ‘Flash’, ‘Q’, ‘Bernie’, ‘Mickey’ or ‘Loony Mac’. Indeed, ‘The Boss’ himself might well have denounced it at Assembly.
The story did not have all the details about Tom's fatal crash although they might possibly be in the article in the College magazine mentioned by the newspaper.
DJ (Denis) Young • 1959-63 Queensland, Australia
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The substitution in print of a word relating to an image or statue (usually of the Orthodox Church), for an altogether different term pertaining to a form of Greek architecture, is worse than misleading; for this very architecture - in the shape of our lamented Memorial Hall - is now the subject of an appeal for its restoration. Furthermore, the word that replaced the correct one has in recent years been cheapened and bastardised to the point that its use should be prohibited. ‘IONIC’, please; not ‘iconic’! JM (John) Rhodes • 1954-58 Wairarapa
Nemo sine vitio est - from the Editor! TK (Thomas) Paul
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he story of Violet and Tom in The Lampstand with the good news and the sad news was well told and of great interest.
It was of particular and somewhat poignant interest to me because, in the small section of the Honour Board shown in the article, in addition to ‘Paul TKK’ was ‘Phillips RG’ and ‘Plant SA’.
Both these men were in the 19th Infantry Battalion and were killed within about a week in 1942 in the desert and were my good friends. Sid Plant, known as ‘lofty’ - he really was tall 86 • LAMPSTAND 2009
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Three years ago I wrote a book called Night After Night - New Zealanders in Bomber Command in which I had two or three similar stories - women who had lost fiancés and never subsequently married. Sad stories. I mention the book as background.
Just in case they are not, they might be of interest to you. Likewise some information that I've recently discovered quite independently. Tom's details appear in Errol Martyn's threevolume For Your Tomorrow.
Vol 2 notes that Tom's aircraft crashed on a high level bombing exercise on the night of 3/4 January 1944: 11 Operational Training Unit, RAF (Westcott, Buckinghamshire - 92 Group). Wellington 1C Z8793 - apparently struck a balloon cable at 0200 and fell into Brockhurst Woods, adjacent to Farnham Common, three miles south of Slough. Only one of the six crew survived, injured. Tom was buried on the 10th in the same churchyard as his grandparents, at St Oswald's, Durham. His two countrymen rest at Northwood, Middlesex. Pilot instructor: NZ41525 Wt Off Thomas Keith Paul, RNZAF - Age 26 2nd pilot: NZ421358 Sgt Arthur Lawson Coulter, RNZAf - Age 23 Wop/Ag: NZ426153 Flt Sgt Jack O'Callaghan, RNZAF - Age 21 Prior to a serious flying accident in May 1942, Tom had seen six months operational service with 207 Sqn, RAF. (The other two dead on the aircraft were not NZers).
An addition to Vol 2 says: Paul, TK, etc – Tom had earlier survived serious injury on the night of 24/25 May 1942, when his 207 Sqn Lancaster crashed during a training flight. The
sole survivor was air bomber Sgt C W Estcourt, RNZAF, whose brother, Kenneth Trevor Estcourt, died on 30 May 1943 while flying with 90 Sqn, RAF.
Martyn's Vol 3, just out, with biographies of all the NZ air dead listed in the first two volumes, has this entry for Tom:
PAUL, Warrant Officer Thomas Keith.* NZ41525; b Wgtn 30 Sep 1917; Ed: Wgtn Coll; furniture salesman - Kenners Ltd, Wgtn. NZ Army/TF (5th Bty NZA) 2 yrs; RNZAF Levin/ ITW as Airman Pilot u/t 19 Jan 41, 4EFTS 2 Mar 41, 2FTS 12 Apr 41, Pilots Badge [wef 25.5.41] & Sgt 5 Jul 41, att RAF & emb for UK 22 Jul 41, 3PRC 2 Sep 41, 10OTU (Whitley) 16 Sep 41, 207 Sqn (Manchester - 14 ops, Lancaster - 3 ops) 22 Nov 41, ser inj in trg flt crash 24/25 May 42 [hosp until 16 Jul], Bottesford 16 Jul 42, 26OTU (Wellington) as staff pilot 17 Aug 42 [SSQ 8-18 Dec & 3-14 Jan 43], 11OTU Wellington) 6 Nov 43, kaa 4 Jan 44. Durham (St Oswald's) Burial Ground - K.56, Co. Durham, England. Son of Thomas & Margaret Isabelle Bone Paul (née Savage), Normandale. Note: * birth reg as Thomas Keith Kay Paul. He should not be confused with Pte Thomas Keith Paul, 25 Bn 2NZEF, also of Wellington, who died in Italy 28.11.43. [phot. TWN 1.7.42 & 1.3.44]. From all of this a perhaps fuller picture of TK Paul emerges and I trust the information is of some use to you and the College. The Vol 3 entry shows that Tom flew 14 ops on Manchesters and just three on Lancaster’s. 207 Sqn converted from Manchester’s to the new Lancasters about April 1942.
Martyn has done a huge amount of research in producing his books and other Wellington College Old Boys who lost their lives serving in the Air Force in WWII will be included. Could I be so bold as to suggest For Your Tomorrow is a series the College might like to consider for its Library?
Quite independently of all this and before I discovered that Martyn had done an addition in Vol 3 about Estcourt, the survivor, I found him by chance. His son, now chief photographer of the NZ Herald, is an old acquaintance. He recently read my book and phoned to say that he had enjoyed it and so had his father who had flown on bombers. From the call it emerged that his Dad had survived a training crash - the sole survivor. His pilot was Tom Paul. Mr Estcourt is 91, well, and living in Hamilton. I have already made arrangements to take my tape recorder and talk to him next time I'm in Hamilton. I do hope all this is of some help.
Max Lambert Wellington • maxlambert@paradise.net.nz CAN YOU HELP?
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t may be the sort of thing that drives you bananas, or you might enjoy the background.
letters, feedback and news I want to find out what is known about AN (Alex) Wilson, who came from Seatoun and was at school about the same time as me, 1944-48.
He went on to a career in science, a PhD in the USA. Spectacularly, he and I think three other young graduates set out from Chicago, drove to somewhere in South America (Rio perhaps), shipped the vehicle (a big US station wagon, I think) to Capetown, drove north through Africa, crossed the Med., drove through Europe and, lo and behold, he showed up one day (probably about 1958) in Sandbergs Bokhandel, Stockholm, where I was working as a retail bookseller in the English section of the large Foreign Department. Anything you can do would be much appreciated.
IL (Ian) Free • 1944-48 Auckland, i.g.free@xtra.co.nz _____________________________________________________ am wondering if you would be able to help me please. I am researching my family history and wondered if you could give me any information about Frederick Moncrieff Batten (1937-39).
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I know he was born on 27 February, 1922 to Sidney George and Janette Batten (nee Clark) from Paraparaumu, Wellington. He attended Paraparaumu High School and Wellington College and later worked as a clerk with Social Security Department in Wellington. He enlisted with the New Zealand Army Territorial Force in June 1940. He embarked for the United Kingdom on 30 January 1941. He died on 5 December 1944 when his aircraft stalled on approach for a practice landing on an aerodrome dummy deck, hit a bridge and was burned out. He was buried on the 7th at Arbroath in Scotland. I would love to know more about him. Are you, or is anyone in the Old Boys Association able to give me any information about Frederick?
I am writing from Harlow, Essex, England and have been researching my family history for nearly two years now. I have been in touch with two people from the Navy who were able to send me a photograph of Frederick in his uniform and some information of his navy career. Mrs Mary Warner, England bobmary2@hotmail.com _____________________________________________________ am researching my Cable family who came to Otago in 1866.
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A second generation member of the family was Roy Cable, son of William, and I understand Roy commenced at Wellington College in 1907. I wondered if you might be able to supply me with any notes you may hold in your database regarding Roy please. The three older brothers all were the son of W Cable and all came from Clyde Quay School and
lived in Levy Street. Alex was at the College from 1905-06, James, only for one year 1899 and same for William – 1894. Obviously they all had a job to go to with their father.
Alex died in 1921 at sea, he was a merchant seaman, of the bad flu. He is buried in Capetown. James, William and Roy all continued working for their father company William Cable and Co later Cable Price and then Cable Price Downer. James (Jim) was Chairman of the Board. William died in 1962. James and Roy both died in 1970, all in Wellington.
William Cable took over AG Price in 1949 then Downers in 1954. The company was broken up again in about 1988 by then owners Brierleys. They were originally in Kaiwarra in 1908 before they built the new factory on the same site. Now the Spotlight shop is on the site, although front of building has been removed. Cable Street was named after their father William.
Allan Steel asteel@ihug.co.nz _____________________________________________________ here is an important NZ biological restoration project underway which intends to do an honorarium in our father's name later this year. I'm sure it will be a noteworthy news story. Therefore, I would be very pleased if you could provide me with any information, or direct me to any former student biographical sites, where I might access more information.
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My father, the late NZ journalist, Edward W Scott, (1918-21) aka as 'Ted Scott,' who was born in 1904 in Reefton, and although he spent most of his adult life as a journalist abroad, he grew up in the Palmerston North, and Wellington areas, where his father served as constable. Our father always proudly stated that he 'attended Wellington College.' We're hoping you might provide us with further information. In the 'old days' of the manual typewriter, one of his claims to fame from newspaper typesetters was that Ted wrote error-free editorials! Perhaps he learned that skill at Wellington College!
Ted left NZ as its lightweight champion boxer circa 1925, the career he used to take him abroad, where he trained in Paris under Leon See. Although he left NZ in the '20s, he remained well-known and proud New Zealand citizen. He retired from his journalist and NBC news broadcasting career after spending fiveyears in Cairo, Egypt reporting on the 6-Days War!
He was good friends and long-time supporter of other NZ journalists at home and abroad, namely Bernard Deitrich (the Haiti Sun); Keith Berry and Reece Smith (Wellington Post); NZ Radio director, Ian Cross; and good friend, Don Grady (Christchurch Star), who wrote a fullpage obituary about him which was published on page 5, Saturday, October 28, 1989, which I have.
Upon his return trips to New Zealand, Ted spent time on the South Island with his late brother, Alan Scott, was a well-known propietor of the Canterbury Hotel, Lyttleton, until the late 1960s - early 70s.
Janice G. Scott Cocoa Beach, Florida • ms-mayor@cfl.rr.com _____________________________________________________ am trying to trace a Robert Allan Cameron who I think went to Wellington College around about 1890. He late became Dr Robert Cameron and set up the first X-Ray unit at Wellington Hospital.
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Robert Allan Cameron (born 10 November, 1876) started at Wellington College in 1891.
He came from Tenui, aged 15 and was a Boarder from 1891-1892. He left at the end of the first term in 1894 to become a medical practitioner (as per the records but no record on where he went to study). He was the son of Allan Cameron of Rewa Rewa, Tenui (as per the register). That’s in the Wairarapa I think. An Xray tube was in operation at the Hospital by 1903, housed in a tool-shed and operated by Dr Ewart. In 1903, Dr Robert A Cameron commenced practice in Wellington and he had his own Xray plant. He gave advice to Dr Ewart on the emerging technology, and in 1906, the Hospital purchased new Xray equipment. Dr Cameron was appointed Honorary Radiologist in 1912, by which time the Xray equipment was housed in the old children's ward, this having been vacated when the new Children's Hospital was opened. Dr Cameron resigned in 1921. Norman Cameron • normanc@xtra.co.nz _____________________________________________________ write as an Old Boy of the College and at the urging of my grandchildren to seek information about my father, also an Old Boy.
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Alfred Herbert Kirby, born 3 February 1894, gained a Junior National Scholarship that entitled him to two years secondary schooling. He took up the scholarship, perhaps during 1907-08 and was a student at the College, though perhaps for only one of the two years. At all events, he was listed among the Old Boys who had served during WWI on the marble slabs that graced the old Memorial Hall.
I am hoping to establish when he attended Wellington College and, if the details are still available, his home address at the time and the details and dates of other schools he had previously attended. His father was James Herbert Kirby.
May I add that my father was taught at the College by Mr TI Brodie, a memorable teacher, known affectionely among the students as ‘Tibbie’. Some 40 years later, ‘Tibbie’ taught me. RV (Richard) Kirby • 1944-49 Hawkes Bay
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OBITUARIES Wellington College and the Old Boys’ Association extends its sincere condolences to the friends and families of those listed below for whom the the Association has received notification of death since the 2008 Lampstand. • An obituary is included the following page(s).
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Abel, Alan Julius B: 1919 D: 23/08/08, Palmerston North WC: 1933-34 19th Armoured Reg, 2nd NZEF, KEV Adams, John Lewis (Dr), MD, MBChB, FRACP, FRCP B: 1917 D: 18/04/09, Lower Hutt WC: 1931-34, Firth House Major WWII Akel, Richard Nicholls (Dr) B: 1916 D: 14/02/06, Whakatane WC: 1933-36 RNZAF ALLEN, Kelvin George B: 1925 D: 22/01/09, Masterton WC: 1940-41 ANDERSON, Jeremy Neil (Dr) MSc (Epid), MD, FRANZCP B: 1953 D: 23/02/05, Melbourne WC: 1965-66 ARMOUR, Alexander Hugh B: 1915 D: 01/09/08, Lower Hutt WC: 1928-32, Firth House Cpt 25th Batt, 2NZEF ARNOLD, Gregory Craig B: 1944 D: 13/03/09, Palmerston North WC: 1957-61 ATKINSON, Norton Stockley B: 1918 D: 16/01/09, New Plymouth WC: 1932-33 Flt Lieut 612 Squad RNZAF BAKER, Edward Wilkinson (Ted) B: 1934 D: 21/08/08, Auckland WC: 1947-49 BARROWMAN, Duncan Keith B: 1966 D: 29/05/09, Cook Islands WC: 1979-81 BEEDELL, Brian Alan Lloyd B: 1934 D: 25/08/08, Wellington WC: 1947-50, Firth House BIRCH, Charles Jack B: 1921 D: 22/06/09, Levin WC: 1935-38 Sgt. RNZAF BOYER, Murray Grenfell B: 1931 D: 24/05/09, Thames WC: 1944-48 BRAND, Graham B: 1928 D: 07/10/08, Waikanae WC: 1941-43 BREINGAN, Graham Neil B: 1937 D: 05/07/09, Nelson WC: 1951-55 BREWER, Blair Vincent B: 1929 D: 01/04/09, Lower Hutt WC: 1944-47 BRIGGS, Joel Edgerton B: 1936 D: 20/05/09, Hamilton WC: 1949-52 BURR, Richard Grant B: 1976 D: 23/12/07, Nelson WC: 1993 CAMERON, Hugh Alexander B: 1926 D: 14/03/09, Blenheim WC: 1941-44 CAUTY, Desmond Anderson B: 1925 D: 07/09/93, Auckland WC: 1938-40 COATES, Dod Eric Percival B: 1922 D: 09/11/08, Auckland WC: 1937-39
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COMPTON, Peter Eric B: 1926 D: 28/11/08, Auckland WC: 1940-42 CROCKER, Brian Keith B: 1933 D: 24/01/09, Auckland WC: 1947-51 CROMIE, Neville B: 1933 D: 17/10/08, Waikanae WC: 1946-49 RNZAF CROWDER, Brian Arnold B: 1941 D: 18/06/09, Wanganui WC: 1955-57 CUNNINGHAM, Ian Richard William B: 1922 D: 26/07/09, Auckland WC: 1935-37 DANIEL, James George B: 1930 D: 21/12/08, Queensland WC: 1945-48, Firth House DAWSON, Allan Stewart B: 1913 D: 07/02/09, Carterton WC: 1927 RVM, Div. Signals, 2NZEF DEACON, Colin William B: 1936 D: 18/05/08, Cambridge WC: 1950-53, 1st XI, 1st XV 1953 DEAN, Thomas Hardinge (Tom) B: 1940 D: 07/01/09, Sydney WC: 1954-58 DENNIS, Gordon Joseph B: 1926 D: 19/11/08, Blenheim WC: 1941-43 DOLLIMORE, Gordon Henry B: 1929 D: 01/10/08, New Plymouth WC: 1943-47 DOWDALL, Robert Jubal B: 1928 D: 09/03/09, Napier WC: 1942-45 Wellington/NZ Hockey Rep. 1954 DYETT, David Lloyd B: 1921 D: 29/11/08, Wellington WC: 1935-1938 EDMONDSON, John Michael B: 1935 D: 07/05/09, Auckland WC: 1948-51 EXLEY, Robert Ross B: 1937 D: 04/06/03, Lower Hutt WC: 1952-55 FAIR, Alan Derek (Dr) OBE, MB ChB B: 1921 D: 21/01/09, Auckland WC: 1933-34 J Force, 2NZEF FANNIN, Robert Daniel (Bob) B: 1938 D: 28/08/09, Palmerston North WC: 1953-55 1st XI Football 1953-55 FERGUSON, Gavin James Cracroft (Gus) B: 1921 D: 09/07/09, Havelock North WC: 1934-39, 1st XV 1939 Former Headmaster of Hataitai School FITCHETT, Ashton John (Dr) OBE, MBCHB, FRCGP B: 1926 D: 11/10/08, Wellington WC: 1939-41 FLANNERY, Ross John B: 1945 D: 2008, Eketahuna WC: 1959-62 FLAUNTY, Albert Alfred (Alby) B: 1913 D: 18/08/08, Lower Hutt WC: 1926-27 FOOTE, Arthur Richard B: 1937 D: 16/06/09, Paraparaumu WC: 1952
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FRY, Warwick George B: 1937 D: 15/11/08, Wellington WC: 1951-57 GAPES, Ross William B: 1923 D: 03/08/08, Auckland WC: 1938-39 GILLIES, Alfred William (Bill) B: 1917 D: 12/07/09, Palmerston North WC: 1931-35 GOLDSTONE, William Arthur (Bill) B: 1925 D: 28/01/09, British Columbia WC: 1939-43, 1st XV 1940-43 (C) Firth House HALL, Eric Ogilvie (Emer. Professor) PhD, MSc B: 1925 D: 29/07/09, Hobart WC: 1939-44 HART, Kenneth William B: 1929 D: 14/08/09, Lower Hutt WC: 1943 HAYWARD, Edwin Alfred (Ted) B: 1933 D: 09/03/08, Tauranga WC: 1946-50 HAYWARD, Ronald Hamilton (Dr) MBCHB, PhD B: 1927 D: 16/06/09, Texas, USA WC: 1941-45, 1st XV 1944-45 HENDERSON, Murray James B: 1928 D: 13/10/08, Wellington WC: 1942-45 HERCUS, Ian McCallum B: 1943 D: 04/08/09, Wellington WC: 1956-60 HODGSON, Ernest Ralph, FNZEI B: 1922 D: 17/11/08, Palmerston North WC: 1934-39 HOLLANDS, David Edwin B: 1938 D: 25/08/08, Auckland WC: 1951-54 HUGGETT, Au(baine) Lucien Travers B: 1949 D: 20/12/08, Otaki WC: 1964-66 JOHNSTON, George Ian B: 1923 D: 10/07/09, Otaki WC: 1936-39 JOPLIN, Graham Frank (Professor) B: 1927 D: 04/12/07, England WC: 1940-44 KEEGAN, Brian Martin B: 1931 D: 03/04/09, Palmerston North WC: 1945-46 KERRY, Peter Ellis B: 1941 D: 2008, Wellington WC: 1955-58 LARGE, James Richard B: 1919 D: 1984, Lower Hutt WC: 1933-34 LAYBOURN, James Rennick B: 1923 D: 11/06/09, Hamilton WC: 1937-39, Firth House RNZAF F/Sg NAV/B LEONG, Michael Philip B: 1976 D: 00/05/09, Auckland WC: 1989-93 LEWIN, Phillip James B: 1962 D: 12/08/08, Wellington WC: 1973-76 LYND, Gordon Henry B: 1938 D: 27/05/09, Wellington WC: 1952-54
MacLEAN, Alastair Keith Bertram B: 1925 D: 00/10/08, Hamilton WC: 1940-44, Firth House MAITLAND, Robert Grosvenor (Bob) B: 1928 D: 31/08/09, Taupo WC: 1942-45 MALISHKIN, Vasily (Basil) B: 1954 D: 12/05/09, Perth, WA WC: 1967-72 MANSFIELD, Bruce Dickson B: 1930 D: 17/01/09, Lower Hutt WC: 1943-47 MATTHEWS, Ian B: 1957 D: 01/02/09, Wellington WC: 1970-73 McCARDLE, Graham Douglas Claude B: 1931 D: 10/08/09, Napier WC: 1948-49, Firth House McDERMID, George Vivian B: 1925 D: 08/09/08, Wellington WC: 1939 McGIVEN, David B: 1925 D: 07/01/09, Whangarei WC: 1943, Firth House McKEICH, Alexander Edward B: 1937 D: 15/07/09, Perth, WA WC: 1951-53 McKENZIE, Donald Hunt B: 1928 D: 13/09/08, Wellington WC: 1942-45 • MEXTED, Graham George B: 1927 D: 09/03/09, Wellington WC: 1940-43 MOORE, Stanley Osborne B: 1914 D: 30/07/09, Picton WC: 1928-31 MOREY, John Arthur B: 1925 D: 30/06/08, New Plymouth WC: 1940-42, 1st XV 1942 MORGAN, Ross Lindsay B: 1927 D: 06/04/09, Auckland WC: 1942-44 MORRIS, Roger Lyall B: 1949 D: 20/05/09, Auckland WC: 1967 MUGGERIDGE, Donald Cameron B: 1947 D: 00/03/08 WC: 1960-64, Firth House MULLIGAN, Arthur Henry George Beatty B: 1916 D: 03/07/05, Wellington WC: 1930-31 RNZAF F/O MURDOCH, Ian Hector B: 1928 D: 15/09/08, Kapiti Coast WC: 1941-42 NEES, Arthur B: 1918 D: 10/12/08, Tauranga WC: 1931-33 NEWMAN, John Frederick James (Pete) B: 1925 D: 23/04/09, Tauranga WC: 1940-43, Firth House, 1st XV 1941-43 NEWPORT, Roger William B: 1928 D: 20/11/08, Wellington WC: 1944-47 • O’BRIEN, John Edward (Jack) B: 1931 D: 26/01/09, Taupo WC: 1945-48, 1st XV 1947-48 PAEWAI, Lui Tatere B: 1928 D: 04/03/98, Dannevirke WC: 1946, Firth House, 1st XV 1946 PETERSON, James Bannatyne (Tim) B: 1926 D: 05/06/09, Sydney WC: 1940-42
OBITUARIES PIPER, Paul Neil B: 1927 D: 05/10/08, Auckland WC: 1940-43 • POOLE, Marcus John Quenton, ONZM B: 1925 D: 16/06/09, Waikanae WC: 1938-41 POWNALL, Mark B: 1924 D: 06/03/09, Levin WC: 1936-40 RNZAF • PRINCE, Paul Alexander B: 1938 D: 30/06/09, Wellington WC: 1952-54 QUINN, Roger Oswald B: 1937 D: 27/10/08, Wellington WC: 1952-54 • RAMAGE, Donald James B: 1923 D: 29/05/09 WC: 1947-62 (Art Master) NZ Army, 25th Bat, 2NZEF Italy REDWARD, Charles Mervyn B: 1917 D: 14/10/08, Kapiti Coast WC: 1931-34 RNZN REEVE, Huon (Brian) Francis O’Brien B: 1922 D: 02/10/08, Wellington WC: 1937-39 First Leiut. RNZNVR NZD3698, NVA ROBERTS, David George B: 1922 D: 29/05/09, Kapiti Coast WC: 1935-38 ROBERTSON, Ivan James B: 1921 D: 03/08/09, Waikanae WC: 1936-37 4th RMT, NZ Army
RODLEY, John Kenning (Jack) B: 1927 D: 06/11/08, Lower Hutt WC: 1941-43, Firth House ROWE, Glen Thomas (Tom) B: 1932 D: 15/03/09 WC: 1947-49 SALISBURY, Douglas Percival B: 1928 D: 14/01/09, Taupo WC: 1942 SAYWELL, Desmond Montague B: 1927 D: 28/04/09, Auckland WC: 1942-46 SCHWASS, Paul Lewis B: 1963 D: 11/06/09, Wellington WC: 1977-1980 • SHIRER, William Copland (Bill) (Dr) MBCHB, FRCS, FRACS B: 1927 D: 06/09/09, Wellington WC: 1942-45, Prefect SIME, Kenneth B: 1916 D: 2008, Wellington WC: 1930-34 SLATER, Basil Vernon Dillon B: 1924 D: 26/09/08, Wanganui WC: 1939-41 SMITH, Arnold Edward B: 1920 D: 14/07/09, Havelock North WC: 1934-36 RNZN SMITH, Colin Joseph B: 1929 D: 18/08/08, Raglan WC: 1944-45, Firth House STONEHOUSE, Brian Henry B: 1939 D: 22/12/08, England WC: 1955-57
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SUTTON, John David B: 1957 D: 05/08/08, Wellington WC: 1971-75 SWADLING, Harry Campbell (Rev, Dr) B: 1935 D: 02/10/08, Wellington WC: 1948-52 SWEETMAN, Gordon James MacLean (Jim) B: 1924 D: 18/08/09, Thames WC: 1939-41, Firth House, 1st XV 1941 TAYLOR, Robert Thomas (Bob) B: 1943 D: 17/08/09, NSW WC: 1956-59 THOMPSON, David Harlow B: 1932 D: 22/01/09, Hamilton WC: 1945-46 THOMPSON, Thomas Milne (Tom) B: 1926 D: 15/10/08, Putaruru WC: 1941-42 TING, Stanley James (Jim) JP B: 1935 D: 25/05/09, Lower Hutt WC: 1997-04 (Master) TODD, John Douglas (Dr) MBChB MRACP FRACP, FRCP B: 1920 D: 19/11/08, Kapiti Coast WC: 1933-36 TREISTER, Bernard (Dr) MB MRCP FACC FRCP B: 1937 D: 01/12/06, Melbourne WC: 1950-54 TURNER, Michael Joseph, JP B: 1940 D: 06/07/09, Porirua WC: 1953-54 UNDERHILL, Alan Philip B: 1929 D: 01/04/05, Auckland WC: 1943-45
VINCENT, Albert Oliver (Albie) B: 1928 D: 29/08/09, Masterton WC: 1941-43 • WATCHMAN, Rex Robert B: 1930 D: 26/02/09, Blenheim WC: 1943-46 WATSON, John Anthony B: 1940 D: 07/08/09, London WC: 1953-58 WATTS, Edward Baden (Ted) B: 1921 D: 15/09/08, Auckland WC: 1934-37 WILLIAMS, Donald Rupert B: 1926 D: 28/04/09, Wellington WC: 1940-42 WILSON, Melvin William B: 1932 D: 23/07/09, Tauranga WC: 1947 WILSON, Stuart James B: 1917 D: 17/07/09, Feilding WC: 1930-33 19th Armoured Reg. WOODWARD, Ian Pearson B: 1947 D: 15/01/08, New Plymouth WC: 1961-65 YOUNG, Graeme Watson B: 1936 D: 21/08/08, Stratford WC: 1949-52 • YOUNG, William Lambert (Bill) The Hon. CMG, JP B: 1913 D: 14/07/09, Wellington WC: 1927-29 Territorials, NZEF 2nd Div.
The following Obituaries have been provided to us or have been sourced from varying newspapers and similar publications. If you can assist us by adding to them or sending us details for those who we do not have an obituary for, we would be most appreciative. Adams, John Lewis B: 1917 D: 18/04/09 WC: 1931-34, Firth House Relieving HS, Palmerston North Hospital for three months in 1940, HS, Wellington Hospital 1940-42. Medical Registrar, Wellington Hospital 1946. Postgraduate studies in London 1947-48, attending the National Heart Hospital, the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases Queen Square, the London Hospital and the Central Middlesex Hospital. General practice in Miramar 1948-52. In August 1952, moved to specialist medical practice at Kelvin Chambers, taking over the practice of Dr J Roberts Boyd who had retired. Senior Physician, Silverstream Hospital 1954-60. Senior Visiting Physician, Wellington Hospital 1960-62. Assistant Visiting Physician, Wellington Hospital 1962-66. Senior Visiting Physician, Wellington Hospital 1966-82. Retired from all private practice in 1991. Akel, Richard Nicholls (Dr) B: 1916 D: 14/02/06 WC: 1933-36 Richard Akel loved flying, golf, and the land - and as a doctor and paediatrician he touched many Eastern Bay of Plenty lives. During his time in Whakatane he made an amazing contribution, not only to medicine but to a huge range of other organisations and causes. His passion was for the education and health of children; many people were recipients of his kindness and generosity. He didn’t blow his own trumpet. He was from a generation of service.
Richard grew up in Wellington where, after attending Wellington College with his two brothers, he studied medicine for five years at Otago University. He returned to Wellington and the capital’s hospital for his final training year. He then moved to New Plymouth, where, in 1943, he met his future wife, Lillian, a nurse at the hospital. That same year, Rickard joined the RNZAF. He spent three years as a medical officer overseas on Norfolk Island, and at the air force base at Mt Maunganui. He moved to Whakatane after the war in 1946. During this time, the baby boom was in full swing and Richard travelled to Murupara, Nukuhou, Kutarere, Matahi, and Waiotahi to deliver them. He travelled great distances and had a penchant for big, fast American cars. In 1953, Richard went to England to undertake postgraduate studies at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. His medical involvement in Whakatane was immense. He worked for about 20 years at Whakatane Hospital as a paediatrician, was in charge of the children’s ward for a time, helped to train nurses, was a patron of the Stroke Club, and was the police and ACC doctor. He served as president of the Bay of Plenty branch of the New Zealand Medical Association for two terms and was secretary for a time. He was also the honorary Agricultural and Pastoral Show doctor for many years. Aviation was a passion and his interest in aero medicine meant he provided medical care for air force personnel and civilian pilots in the area. Richard loved golf, playing until he was 88, and he was passionate about rugby. He also loved the land, especially dairy farming and agriculture - an interest he developed through his wife, a farmer’s daughter, and his association with farmers. He donated a block of land to Edgecumbe College for horticulture, one of the first to be accredited in New Zealand, and he established a family orchard at Edgecumbe which he enjoyed visiting in later life.
ANDERSON, Jeremy Neil (Dr) B: 1953 D: 23/02/05 WC: 1965-66 Jeremy Anderson, a founding member of the BMJ’s editorial board, was a man of broad interests, both professionally and personally. A psychiatrist, epidemiologist, health services researcher, and eloquent advocate for evidence based health care, he was also known for his eclectic tastes in music, poetry, art, and literature. He was also a proud father, devoted husband, generous friend, and a fine chef and bon viveur, with a well exercised sense of humour and a wardrobe boasting an impressive range of colour. Jeremy was a citizen of three countries—the United Kingdom, where he was born and later returned to work and study; New Zealand, where he spent most of his childhood and studied medicine; and Australia, where he and his family moved in 1994. He was the elder of two sons of vice admiral Sir Neil Anderson, the chief of the New Zealand Defence Staff from 1981 to 1984, and Barbara Anderson, an acclaimed author. His father’s work meant that he moved often as a child. He studied at Auckland Medical School from 1970 to 1976. It was also at medical school that Jeremy first met his partner, Heather Buchan, who also went on to become a great advocate for evidence based healthcare. Romance did not blossom for another several years. They married in 1986, before moving to England. There Jeremy’s interest in health services research and epidemiology flourished. He managed the team for the Assessment of Psychiatric Services (TAPS) study from 1986-91, investigating the clinical outcomes of psychiatric hospital closures. In 1991 Jeremy and his family returned to New LAMPSTAND 2009 • 89
OBITUARIES Zealand, where he was appointed senior lecturer in the department of psychological medicine at the University of Otago, Dunedin, and helped establish the first psychiatric emergency service on the South Island. His interest in evidence-based health care and clinical epidemiology developed during the early 1990s, and he served on the Cochrane Collaboration’s international steering group from 1994 to 1996. From 1994-98 he was director of adult psychiatry at Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne, where he drove major reforms. In 1998 Jeremy became founding director of his brainchild, the Centre for Clinical Effectiveness, at Monash University and the Southern Healthcare Network, which quickly developed in size and reputation. He was appointed interim director of the Monash Institute of Health Services Research in December 2001. He steered the institute through a difficult period, and is remembered by staff as someone who believed work should be enjoyable. Jeremy’s disappointment at not being offered the institute’s directorship was no secret. However, he was delighted to be appointed foundation professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Melbourne in mid-2003. In May 2004, less than a year after starting the new job, Jeremy was diagnosed as having colon cancer. It had metastasised. With a dedication that impressed colleagues, he continued academic and clinical work until November 2004, scheduled around chemotherapy. He died five days after his 52nd birthday. Jeremy is survived by his wife, Heather Buchan; his children, Zoe and Joe, his parents, Neil and Barbara; and his brother, Piers, a general practitioner in Auckland. ARMOUR, Alexander Hugh B: 1915 D: 01/09/08 WC: 1928-32, Firth House Alex Armour attended Wellington College from 1928 to 1932. Alex was the eldest son of former headmaster WA Armour and the first of the four Armour brothers to attend the school. Alex was an A stream student throughout his time at Wellington College. He was also a talented sportsman. In the sporting arena he excelled at swimming, being a senior champion, in distance running, heavy-weight boxing and was an accomplished member of the 2nd XV for two years. (Incidentally both his son Bill and grandson Andrew were members of that team in later years). In 1932 as a 16 year old, Alex left College with a scholarship and attended Victoria University where he studied law graduating with Masters Degree in 1938. During his time at University he became the NZ University heavy-weight boxing champion and was awarded a University Blue. He was also a member of the University senior rugby team. Rugby was real passion of Alex and following university he had a brief representative career playing for Marlborough in 1937 and Wairarapa in 1939. A highlight of his was playing for NZ Army team v Wellington in a game at Athletic Park shortly before his overseas posting; both sides contained a number of All Blacks. In addition in 1938 he was selected for the NZ Universities team that was to go to Japan but this was cancelled because of the outbreak of war. For a short while after the war he coached a Victoria University team. At the outbreak of war, Alex enlisted in the army and was commissioned as an officer with the 25th battalion before being posted to Egypt. Shortly before leaving New Zealand on his final leave, Alex married Joan Mackenzie, a Wellington Dentist. Their marriage lasted for 68 years ending only on Alex’s death. In 1941, Alex was sent to Greece. Facing overwhelming odds the NZ and Australian forces were no match for the Germans and during the retreat, Alex
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became separated from his unit. For six months thanks to help from some Greek villagers he evaded the Germans. During this time he was befriended by some Greek monks who hid him in a monastery. Eventually he was caught and spent the rest of the war in POW camps in Italy and Germany before being liberated in 1945. On his return home, Alex resumed his legal career with the Wellington firm then called Leicester, Rainey & McCarthy. He became a partner in 1948 and a senior partner in 1965 of what then became known as Rainey, Collins, Armour & Boock. Cyril Boock and the late Dick Collins were both Old Boys of Wellington College and High Court Judge, Sir Thaddeus McCarthy was part of this firm. When television began in NZ, Alex and a group of business colleagues set up one of the first television rental companies in NZ. Alex went on to hold a number of Directorships and was chairman of General Finance and Group Rentals. Alex continued to take an active interest in the school after leaving. The family ties were continued with son Bill attending and daughter Jenny Mainwaring teaching at the college for 17 years. His three grandsons also attended the school and he would try to watch them play rugby whenever the opportunity presented itself. Alex is survived by his wife Joan and his daughter Jenny Mainwaring and son Bill, ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren. ARNOLD, Gregory Craig B: 1944 D: 13/03/09 WC: 1957-61 Greg Arnold was a long-time colleague to many at Massey University and, in latter years, as a statistical consultant at Landcare Research, and was known as an excellent applied statistician. His greater interest was in the ideas themselves on which the statistical applications were based. He was Secretary-Treasurer of the NZ Statistical Association from 1967-69. Greg kept quite fit by regular tramping trips and riding his bike to work. It came as a shock to hear that he had contracted cancer. Although he was only given six months to live, his struggles continued for over a year. Instead of withdrawing into himself, he was very open and shared his ups and downs with friends and family. After each regular visit to the specialist, he sent out an email outlining the good or bad of his medical state so friends could rejoice or grieve together. Greg carried on his statistical consulting at Landcare Research for three days a week so he could spend time together with his wife Barbara. They did many things such as walking the Milford Track, travelled to India and, another time, to Australia. Greg had a number of other interests such as his lifelong involvement in church choirs and other choirs. There was a strong consensus from friends and colleagues that Greg was a gentle man, cheerful and positive with a ready smile. No-one could remember any time when he was nasty, irritable, rude or sarcastic. Yet, he was never weak but just got on with living a good and fruitful life. Greg is survived by his wife Barbara and three sons. BARROWMAN, Duncan Keith B: 1966 D: 29/05/09 WC: 1979-81 Duncan Barrowman should have been playing rugby in the Cook Islands at the Golden Oldies tournament in May this year - he had been looking forward to for months. Instead, his family and teammates met his body at Auckland Airport after the 43-year-old truck driver was run down - possibly
deliberately - by a drink-driver in Rarotonga. Teammates with Duncan at the time of the crash said they were walking back from a pub to their hotel on Friday night when the man drove his truck into Duncan. The players said the man had been asked to leave the pub earlier after he became aggressive towards them, but Duncan had not been involved in the incident. Duncan’s father, Don Barrowman, said that his son had been absolutely devoted to his four children. Mr Barrowman said his son had always loved rugby and had been involved with the Manukau Rovers for four years. He had put a lot of time into his role as the club's junior delegate. He had been involved in the club management before being talked into playing as a hooker in the over35s side two years ago. Duncan is survived by his wife Mani and four children. CROWDER, Brian Arnold B: 1941 D: 18/06/09 WC: 1955-57 The tributes flew in following the death of Brian Crowder. Brian was an outstanding swimmer in the pool, sea and surf in the 1960s. He was a national swimming and surf champion, captain of the NZ Surf Lifesaving Team (and a member in 1972) and winner of numerous sea swims. Brian was a stalwart of Wellington waterpolo featuring in many of the tough battles between the Wellington, Maranui, University and Hutt clubs. He used his speed well and had an excellent quick shot off the water. In 1963, Brian (then with the Maranui Club) was the first to swim from Kapiti Island to Paraparaumu Beach. He played for Wellington (provincial team) for many years and was a senior player in the successful 1966 NZ Universities team which toured Australia (as well as being the swimming captain in that team). Brian was also selected in The Rest team which was customarily picked at the conclusion of each National Championship to play the NZ team. In 1971, Brian joined Hutt and played a major part in their supremacy in the Ryan Cup, when it was a knock-out contest – including wins against Maranui, Waitemata and, in the final in Dunedin, Beckenham-Sockburn. This was Hutt’s first NZ Championship win since 1959. Brian had a great memory for people and events. He always told a good story. Many of these were based on his fun times with various waterpolo teams and trips, including playing in Sydney with the University club and in Auckland with the Newmarket/Waitemata clubs. And he took great pride in the achievements of his sons, Robbie and Peter. Robbie was in the NZ Waterpolo team which competed in the World Championships in Rome in 1994. Brian was a personality. Whether his place was secured through such competitive battles as in the surf, in the waterpolo pool or through being chained naked to the Taj Mahal in Courtenay Place on his stag night (dare it be said – by water polo mates) it might be hard to determine. DAWSON, Allan Stewart B: 1913 D: 07/02/09 • WC: 1927 Allan Dawson chauffeured five prime ministers, and the Queen. His favourite, Walter Nash, treated him like a son, and Allan thought the kindly and ageing Labour leader, prime minister from 1957 to 1960, was the bee's knees. He was guarded about Her Majesty. She never uttered a peep in her limo during the six weeks the newly crowned monarch and Prince Philip toured New Zealand during the summer of 1953-54. His credentials were first class. He had been on good terms
OBITUARIES with Michael Savage, the Labour prime minister, and his successor Peter Fraser, New Zealand's wartime leader. The National Party's first prime minister, Sydney Holland, liked him so much that he lent him his Kapiti beach house so Mr Dawson, his wife and daughter could have a holiday. Allan was the Public Service Garage's senior driver and prime ministerial chauffeur for a decade till 1960, when he moved indoors to a desk job at the garage. As a chauffeur, he was also called on to ferry important visitors. Alan learned to drive when he was 16 as part of his first job. After a year at Wellington College, he became a boarder at Nelson College when his father died; his mother, needing the money another earner could bring in, moved from Spring Creek in Marlborough to Island Bay and brought her boy with her. He was found a job with the Post Office, and started his working life as a telegram boy, with the added duty of raising and lowering the flag at the Chief Post Office in Featherston St. His career turned when he was assigned to the Public Service Garage which, from its foundation in 1920 till its role was taken over by the Internal Affairs Department in 1980, was part of the Post Office. He learned to drive vans, trucks and small cars, and was appointed to the ministerial roster in 1936 when his passengers included Mr Savage and Mr Fraser. When he retired in 1970, he took a job as a messenger at Government House. He continued driving long into retirement and remained a confident driver of his preferred make, Citroens. DEACON, Colin William B: 1936 D: 18/05/08 WC: 1950-53 Of one of the North Island’s ( New Zealand ) really popular Golden Oldies Cricketers, as evidenced by the 150 or so who farewelled him. Colin Deacon’s early school days were spent in Wellington, where he excelled both academically and on the sports field - in 1st XI Cricket and 1st XV Rugby, as well as being a sprinter of some note. His and the family’s arrival in Cambridge, where he spent some 30 years was via Rotorua and in all three venues he advanced his skill ( and reputation ) as an architect. His Cricket talents did not suffer either! ‘The Deak’ was not only a founding member of ‘The Cambridge Antiques’, but as an ardent Golden Oldie accepted the position of Area Co-ordinator, a task he carried out in the usual meticulous, competent way. Golden Oldies recognised Colin’s all round input and presented him with an appreciation award, which Colin accepted in the usual quiet manner – not overlooking the input of his wife Elspeth and those of his club-mates. Colin William Deacon was ‘Mr Dependable’. DEAN, Thomas Hardinge (Tom) B: 1940 D: 07/01/09 WC: 1954-58 Tom was a resident in Karori during his College years but was from Australia and returned there just days after completing his fifth year at Wellington College. He was a very loyal Old Boy coming across from Sydney where he lived and worked to attend reunions in 1992 and 2008. People always enjoyed relating to Tom with his genial and easy-going nature and, being very tall, it was easy to look up to him, with some boys giving him the nickname ‘Long Tom’. He will be remembered with great respect and affection.
After returning to Australia, Tom completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Sydney University before getting a job in the asbestos industry for two years. He then earned his passage to England by working on a ship and again found employment in the asbestos industry. After much travelling, he worked his way back to Australia via South Africa. He saw the emerging problems associated with the asbestos industry and so switched to the mechanical side of designing chemical plants for the next 23 years. This formed the core of his career, which covered a wide field including ethanol derivatives, vinyl acetate, plasticisers and syngas. He then turned to the petroleum industry getting involved with plant reconditioning and the production of polyethylene and polypropylene. Eventually, he found interesting work with Shell on the mechanical supervision of plants for removing sulphur and benzene from fuels. Tom’s first wife, Penny, died in 1973 after just four years of marriage. Their daughter, Jessica, was joined by two other siblings, Jeremy and Phoebe, from his second wife, Maureen, whom he married in 1976. She and the children survive him after he lost his battle with cancer in 2009. Robert Bruce has had some written some kind words about Tom including this account of how Tom appears in a class photo with a very black eye: I'm sure we can all remember our friendship with Tom. I can recall one incident when I gave him a shiner but accidentally. This happened when playing basketball in the quad one lunchtime. I think it was my elbow that jammed into Tom's eye socket when he bent to grab the ball. The rather flash shiner would have been forgotten long ago but is on the photographic record for on the following day our class photographs were taken. FAIR, Alan Derek (Dr) B: 1921 D: 21/01/09 WC: 1933-34 Derek Fair had recently returned to New Zealand from his home in Japan. He left Wellington College in 1934 for Feilding High School and was a bright student who played rugby and enjoyed learning to ski. However it was his passion for photography that occupied a good deal of Derek’s spare time in his teens: with characteristic thoroughness he even established his own darkroom. Photography became a lifelong interest. In 1938, Derek won a National University Scholarship - the first ever won by a student from Feilding Agricultural High School. From 1939–40 he attended Victoria University, joining the Debating, Photographic, and Football Clubs and becoming a member of the Capping Book Committee. Derek began his next university year at Otago University where he was to complete his medical studies. He continued to pursue his extracurricular interests during his time at Otago. He was an active member of the Photographic Club, appointed News Editor of the student journal Critic, and later Associate Editor of the paper. Derek stood for presidency of the Student Union, was a committee member of the International Affairs Society, and selected NZU Press Bureau Correspondent. He graduated MB ChB in 1944. In 1945 Derek completed his internship at Auckland Hospital and in 1946 sailed to England to work for six months at Great Ormond Street Hospital where he gained a Diploma in Child Health. In those days of post-war reconstruction there were many options for young doctors eager to assist and to see the world. Derek spent time as a Medical Officer with J Force in Japan (2NZEF) and there were European postings at Lister Hospital Hitchin Herts and Hertford British Hospital, Paris. From Paris to Geneva, where Derek worked for the International Refugee Association, one of his duties was to screen immigrants wanting to make a new life in New Zealand.
During the Korean War, Derek worked with the UN Civil Assistance Corps in Korea and then as Medical Officer with the UN Korean Reconstruction Agency in Pusm Seoul. In 1953 Derek made the decision that was to set the course of his life for the next 54 years. He had been invited to join the medical practice of Dr Bernard Rosenberg who had stayed in Tokyo throughout the War. Derek accepted this offer and they were later joined by a Scot, Dr Gren Wedderburn. Together the three doctors established the Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic. The Clinic treated and cared for the increasingly cosmopolitan foreign community of Tokyo. Derek attended both paediatric and adult patients and gained a reputation as a skilled and caring doctor. As the years went on, patients included a considerable number of visiting artists and dignitaries. Derek enjoyed the challenges offered by the practice and was always the soul of discretion about his more celebrated patients. In 1977 Derek was awarded the OBE for medical services to the foreign community in Tokyo. Derek maintained his interest and enthusiasm for his chosen profession throughout his life. He assisted in the establishment of a Japanese-run clinic for Japanese patients towards the end of his career and acted as a consultant and advisor for this clinic even after his retirement from the Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic in 2004. When Derek’s health failed in his last years, he returned home to New Zealand. FITCHETT, Ashton John (Dr) B: 1926 D: 11/10/08 WC: 1939-41 Ash Fitchett was a Brooklyn GP for 32 years. It goes without saying that he assisted hundreds of residents at their births, attended them in childhood, in their teens, as they became parents themselves and, when their lives drew to a close, did his best to ease the passage of their last days. A lanky and good-humoured individual with a pronounced sense of duty to his patients, Ash was a neighbourhood doctor who not only made house calls day and night. He followed his patients to hospital, visited them when they returned home, and monitored their conditions long after their afflictions had subsided or vanished. He practised from rooms built at the front of his house in Ohiro Rd. Its position had the added benefit of convenience for an important member of his staff: his wife, Ruth, was practice nurse and administrator while also attending to family duties. Ash was a product of Wellington College, Victoria University, and Otago University's medical school, from which he graduated in 1952. In 1955, he opened his first rooms in rented Brooklyn premises before having a home and rooms built nearby. When I qualified there was no special training for general practitioners, he said on his retirement in January 1990. We learned on the job. Ash sat on numerous medical boards, training boards, advisory committees, was a member of the NZ Medical Association, and a lecturer in medical practice. By 1965 he was a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners, and nine years later a member of its New Zealand equivalent. He was made a fellow of the NZ College in 1977 and was an influential figure in the movement to establish the RNZ College of General Practitioners, of which he became member No 1. In 1994 he was made an honorary fellow, the College's highest award. If that wasn't enough, he also found time to be LAMPSTAND 2009 • 91
OBITUARIES divisional surgeon for the St John Ambulance Brigade, he chaired Scout groups and Wellington College's Parents' Association, its Board of Governors and community health organisations. He also founded the Brooklyn Community Trust, which provided holidays for children of needy families. He was made an OBE in 1984. Ash suffered a stroke a week prior to his death. He is survived by his wife, their two daughters and son. GAPES, Robert Francis (Bob) B: 1931 D: 06/10/07 • WC: 1945-49 Bob, a former Canterbury University Blue in Fencing, graduated with a BE (Mech) and later completed an ME Mech. The position of Chief Castigator and Crime Crusher was established at College House (Canterbury University) in 1953 by Bob and has been held by a returning member of the House ever since. Bob worked for A&G Price Ltd, having meanwhile married Margaret MacFarlane whom he met when she was at Bishop Julius Hostel. He and Margaret moved to Auckland in the early 1960s. In 1969 he began work with IBM holding appointments in Chicago, Munich, and Auckland. He later practised as a consulting engineer, arbitrator and mediator. Bob’s professional interests were wide: experience in arbitration and mediation led to membership of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of NZ, and his appointment as a Commissioner of the Environment Court. He served as President of the Auckland branch of the Institute of Engineers, and President of the Auckland branch of the Wellington College Old Boys’ Association. Bob was father of four children. Bob Gapes was a gentleman, and a gentle man. Bob’s older brother Mac Gapes (1936-41) lives in Christchurch. GOLDSTONE, William Arthur (Bill) B: 1925 D: 28/01/09 WC: 1939-43 • Firth House Born in New Zealand, Bill immigrated to Canada with Beth and their sons in 1955. An avid rugby player in New Zealand, Bill continued playing and coaching Rugby in both Vancouver and Calgary for many years. Bill is survived by his loving wife Beth (married 61 years), and his sons Bruce (Sydney), Greig (Penticton) and Neil (Calgary); two grandsons, two grand-daughters and a great-grandson (residing in Auckland). He is also survived by his brother Roger in NZ. Billy attended Wellington College as a boarder at Firth House. He was a fine half-back and moulded himself on Danie Grover the Springbok Captain and half-back who toured New Zealand in 1937. He introduced the dive-pass and Billy was obviously infatuated with this method of delivery, because he made his mark at College with exactly that method. He became the 1st XV half back in 1940 as a 4th former, which was entirely unknown in those days, particularly as the 1st XV only played two colleges in Wellington – Silverstream and St Pat’s Town, and its other games were in the 3rd Grade Open Competition, which was the feeding block for the Senior Competition. In other words, the 1st XV played against players ranging in age from 18 years up to 24 years or more. It was a very tough grade. Because of his dive-passing action he began to suffer head injuries and concussion. The College applied and got permission for him to be allowed to wear a cut down version of a crash helmet. The helmet made especially for him was a bright yellow colour and it gave him the necessary protection. Billy devoted himself to his rugby
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and this is shown by the fact that in 1941 he was in the VC class. Tommy Beard, the 1st XV Coach ranked him as the finest half-back he ever coached or knew. (Tommy Beard taught at the College for 27 years and coached the 1st XV for 17 years with great success). In 1942, Billy was in V Removed, Captain of the 1st XV, Head House Prefect, and also a School Prefect. In 1943, he was again Captain of the 1st XV, Head House Prefect and Head Prefect of the School. I became closely associated with Billy that year, as I was Hooker of the 1st XV, and every lunch hour we had scrummaging practice against the Headmaster’s garage by the West School. Tommy was a very large, heavily built man and he used to place himself against the garage and we packed down against him. This gave him a great view of scrummaging. Because of this intense training Billy and I became very good friends. That year, under Billy’s captaining, we defeated Silverstream in the main game at Athletic Park for the first time in eleven years. Thousands of people crowded the ground, and the curtain-raiser was between the NZ Navy and the US Marines. The whole of the western bank at the Park was packed with thousands of Marines. It’s a sight I will never forget. The game was attended by the Governor General Sir Lord Newall, and Billy introduced us individually to him. In 1943, Billy was company Sergeant Major of ‘C’ Company. Also that year he was Captain of the College’s Athletics Team for the McEvedy Shield, competing against 14 colleges from the Wellington Region. He represented the College in the 120 yards Hurdles and came second. In 1944 he joined Shell Oil Company and joined the Old Boys’ Rugby Club, going immediately into the Senior Team. He also became the Wellington Representative half-back, a position he held until he retired from playing. I last saw Billy in 1967 when he came over to Wellington for the 100 years celebrations of the College. He was a great half back and was a very easygoing and friendly person. M I (Morris) Deterte, (1941-45) HARDING, Edward Litton Telford B: 1931 D: 08/08/07 WC: 1945-50 Ted Harding was born in Petone and received his early schooling at Chilton St James in Lower Hutt, at Wellesley College, and subsequently at Wellington College. After graduating from Otago Medical School in 1957 he worked as a house surgeon and registrar in Wellington and Hutt Hospitals where he met Clemency Mirams, a nurse. They married in 1961. In 1962, they travelled to London, where Ted worked in the Royal Masonic Hospital. On returning to Wellington in 1964, Ted joined the late Paddy Delany in Johnsonville and Ngaio. Ted was a member of the RNZ College of General Practitioners, was Treasurer for 15 years, and was admitted as a Fellow of the College in 1988. He was in active practice, mainly in Ngaio, for 42 years until retirement in 2006. He was a popular family doctor who enjoyed his contacts and relationships with his patients. Chief among his interests were fishing, sailing, and music. Friends and family will miss his impromptu jazz piano performances. In 1995, Ted was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After a relapse early in 2007, he died at Mary Potter Hospice, Wellington.
Ted was the fourth link in a family chain to practice medicine in the capital. His great-grandfather, Robert Harding, was born in Belfast, and graduated in Dublin. He arrived by the HMS Miranda in 1861, and having practised in Auckland, took part in the siege of Gate Pa in 1864 (after which he was decorated), and treated miners’ maladies in the early settlement of Waikouaiti - he went to Wellington, where he set up a ‘comfortable’ practice. Robert Harding’s son, Harold WL Harding (1887-1884), was dux of Wellington College in 1884. He qualified in England, and established a practice in Petone, where he worked for 40 years, attending maternity cases on a bicycle, for, as he said, ‘speed’. His Petone practice was taken over by his son, Dr Jack T Harding, a paediatrician whom older doctors will remember. Ted is survived by his wife; three children, Jeremy, Rachel, and Elizabeth; and nine grandchildren. Ted’s grandson is a current student of the College. HAYWARD, Ronald Hamilton (Dr) B: 1927 D: 16/06/09 WC: 1941-45 Ron Hayward died in June 16, in a Temple, Texas hospital. He graduated from Wellington College in 1945 and Otago Medical School in Dunedin in 1951. He was a resident surgical officer in 1955 at Dunedin Hospital, becoming a Fellow of the College (the youngest at that time) and also did a Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He received the Alumni Award for Meritorious Research and his PhD in surgery from the University of Minnesota and completed his training in cardiothoracic surgery. In 1964, he accepted a position at Scott & White Clinic in Temple and began a new field of cardiac surgery for the institution. He became the head of Department of Surgery, 1976-1989, and was elected to the Clinic Board of Directors. He served as a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Texas A&M College of Medicine, 1979-1989. He formally retired from practice in 1993. He wrote a book on the many archetypal Concepts held by the human kind titled: Mind, Self, and Spirit. Exposing Immortal Images. Survivors include his wife Elizabeth of nearly 48 years; three children, Maureen Venable, Whitney John Hayward and Jennifer Bates; and five grandchildren. HODGSON, Ernest Ralph B: 1922 D: 17/11/08 WC: 1934-39 Ralph Hodgson was appointed as a Senior Lecturer in Physics within the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Physics by Massey University of the Manawatu in 1960. Prior to coming to Massey, Ralph had spent his early childhood in Wellington, first in the city itself where he was into everything and developed a passion for electronics, ham radio and wanting to know how things worked. His teen years were spent in Eastbourne across the harbour from Wellington. It was while living in Eastbourne that Ralph developed a liking for sailing, which was to continue for the rest of his life. Ralph attended Victoria University of Wellington and graduated with an MSc (Hons). Ralph’s OE in the 1950s was spent in England working at Harwell, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Establishment. Upon his return, Ralph worked at the University of Otago before being appointed to a Senior Lecturer position at Massey. It was a daunting task to be the only physicist within the Department. Appointments of Junior Lecturers
OBITUARIES soon eased the workload along with a technician. Ralph had a passion for lecture demonstrations which helped to explain the physical principles he was lecturing. Ralph was the inspiration for getting Science Fairs up and running in Palmerston North, originally at the Centennial Pavilion in the Square then at Queen Elizabeth College and more recently at the Convention Centre. He was also Chief Judge at a number of Fairs in Hawke’s Bay, Bay of Plenty as well in Palmerston North. In 1970, Ralph started up the Physics Teaching Fellowships with the purpose of bringing senior High School Physics teachers into the Department for twelve months. This enabled them to come up to speed with how first year students coped with the course work and more importantly how well prepared they were for attending university after leaving High School. As previously mentioned, Electronics was another of Ralph’s passions which gave him an opportunity to meet with similar minded people from around the Central North Island. Ralph took on the duty of Chairman of the Central North Island Branch of the NZEI for several years before becoming the National Chairman with the National Committee of the NZEI being based at Massey 1983-1986. Ralph was elected to a Fellowship of the New Zealand Electronics Institute for his work in supporting electronics and education. Ralph retired in 1983 to spend time doing what he liked best, working on his yacht parked in his driveway getting it ready for sea, attending various university courses and socialising with friends. Ralph Hodgson can be looked upon as the Father of Physics at Massey University; he worked hard to establish the discipline and devoted a considerable amount of his time to helping students and staff no matter what time of day or night. HOLLANDS, David Edwin B: 1938 D: 25/08/08 WC: 1951-54 David initially qualified as a land surveyor (winning the Fulton Award) and then went on to qualify as an engineer, attending Canterbury University from 1959–60. His early experience was in civil and geotechnical engineering, but he was exposed to a variety of projects as Partner at multidisciplinary consulting practice Brickell Moss Rankine & Hill from 1969-82, and a Management Committee member of the Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand from 1978-79, and he became familiar with most aspects of building, landuse and infrastructure. In 1982, he set up his own practice, working from his home in the North Shore. His practice evolved into a specialist consultancy in dispute resolution, offering facilitator, mediator, conciliator, commissioner, arbitrator, adjudicator and trainer services to deal with construction, environmental and other commercial issues. He served as Chairman of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers’ Dispute Resolution Task Committees from 1991-95 and was a member of the Council of the Arbitrators’ Institute of New Zealand from 1994-95. David’s overseas work experience included two years in Palo Alto in the United States, eight years in Melbourne, Australia, and several months in Hong Kong. He enjoyed passing on his knowledge and skills, and mentored many younger colleagues. For 20 years, he ran training courses in construction contracts (particularly NZS 3910) at the University of Canterbury and elsewhere. He generously offered his writing and his dispute resolution methodologies on his web site, a practice that reflected his confidence in what he did.
David was highly respected professionally and was a good friend to many of his colleagues. Consistent with his hardworking approach to life, he completed and published his autobiography Reaching My Potential just a few weeks before he passed away. His book is available through his son at:- blair@mosquito.net.nz. David's webpage covering his journey over the last six months, after discovering he had cancer, is on the web at :- http://www.neutral.co.nz/ healing.htm JOPLIN, Graham Frank (Prof) B: 1927 D: 04/12/07 WC: 1940-44 Graham was Wellington born and bred, and attended Island Bay School and Wellington College, where his father was a master and Old Boy. He graduated from Otago Medical School in 1951 - a high flyer in a high flying year. House jobs in Wellington led to academic posts (including Professor of Endocrinology) at the Postgraduate Medical School (Hammersmith Hospital, London) where he had a distinguished career. Graham was a meticulous clinician who believed in the value of careful observation and how this would lead to a better understanding of how disease behaved. As a result, he published a long series of papers in international journals which literally established modern endocrine treatment. People flocked from around the globe to visit the Unit that he and Russell Fraser established at Hammersmith Hospital. His patients always did exceptionally well, simply because he listened to (and examined) them so carefully. The team he led was of the highest standard because he put such weight on effective education and maintaining the strongest esprit de corps. He was a very kind man, worked tirelessly and frequently entertained his team at home - his charming wife, Helen, had been his ward sister. Shortly before retiring he sadly developed severe Parkinsonism which eventually left him incapacitated and needing institutional care, and from which he died. Final memories are of a quiet self-effacing man who made an enormous contribution to endocrinology, but who always put people first - family, colleagues, patients. He was a role model and it is very difficult to be as good, hospitable, funny, and as fond of orchids as Graham. LEWIN, Phillip James B: 1962 D: 12/08/08 WC: 1973-76 Philip Lewin was a highly regarded diplomat and business lobbyist who played an unsung role in advancing the free trade interests vital to New Zealand’s economy.
Trade in 1985. He studied Russian before his first overseas posting to Moscow, where he watched the disintegration of the Soviet Union. From 1996, he spent three years as head of NZ’s trade and economic section in Washington DC. He left the ministry in 2001 to head the Wellington chamber, where he was succeeded by fellow former diplomat Charles Finny. We’ve lost someone who had real strengths, the sort of strengths we need for our economy, Mr Finny said. Former National Prime Minister Jim Bolger, who was ambassador to the US while Philip was posted to Washington, said he was a major asset. Phil was an outstanding Mfat officer with his encyclopaedic knowledge on international trade policy and its many and challenging complexities. Phil was just a master at that. As a person, he was a wonderful friend, and a great colleague of mine in Washington and we enjoyed each other’s company here in Wellington on many an occasion. MEXTED, Graham George B: 1927 D: 09/03/09 WC: 1940-43 Graham Mexted’s son, Murray, achieved greater fame both as a player and a Sky TV comments man. But in his own right Graham Mexted was accomplished, too, and in the late 1940s to mid 1950s had a worthy career as a Wellington representative and, like his son, as an All Black No 8. It was a measure of Graham’s qualities that he gained a place in the Wellington representative side from a senior B club, Tawa. His first major game for Wellington was against the Lions and so well did he play he was brought in as a replacement for the unavailable Jack McNab for the final test of the series at Eden Park. That was to be Graham’s only test match, though after playing for the North Island in each of the 1950 and 1951 seasons he went on the 1951 tour of Australia. He failed to win test selection but played in five matches in which he scored five tries. In 1952 Graham’s only matches for Wellington were for the B team and it may be significant that for the 1953 season Graham moved to a senior A club based in Wellington city, Athletic. The switch of clubs coincided with what probably was Graham’s best ever season in first class rugby. He had a full season in the representative A side and was in the side which lifted the Ranfurly Shield from Waikato and defended it for much of the 1953 season until being overwhelmed by Canterbury. In 1981 Murray Mexted was also in a Wellington side which lifted the shield from Waikato and to make the father-son double even more complete it was Canterbury which ended the later Wellington shield run.
He was probably best known as chief executive of the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce (2001-04) and head of economic development agency Positively Wellington Business (2005-07). While he did much to promote business and economic development in those roles, his greatest contribution was his far less publicised career as a diplomat.
Graham’s form in 1953 was rewarded with an extensive run in that season’s trials. He played in four of the matches held to help pick the touring side for Britain and France, including for North Island B against South Island B in the curtain raiser to the interisland match. But against some stiff loose forward competition he missed the final cut to 30 players. He made his All Black debut on 29 July, 1950 against the British and Irish Lions in Auckland aged 23.
Philip took a lead role in the 1999 free trade agreement with Singapore – a building block of New Zealand’s freetrade network – and was adviser to Trade Minister Philip Burdon in 1994 when he signed the Uruguay Round Final Act, also a milestone.
Graham, who played 38 matches in all for Wellington, received only three matches for the province in 1954. But he appeared in five first class matches that year for Centurions, having another game in 1955 for the club for whom he had first played in 1949.
Educated at Wellington College and Victoria University, Philip was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford’s Balliol College before he started as a desk officer at Foreign Affairs and
Graham, who ran a family motor business in Tawa, soon resumed his association with the local club, coaching the senior side for many seasons and serving as an LAMPSTAND 2009 • 93
OBITUARIES administrator, including a term as president. Graham’s grandson Hilton is a current student at Wellington College. O’BRIEN, John Edward (Jack) B: 1931 D: 26/01/09 WC: 1945-48 Jack O’Brien was born in Wellington, educated at Brooklyn Primary School and Wellington College. In life, Jack came across as larger than life itself. With his passing aged 77, he will be remembered as a man of huge generosity, amiable disposition, a great raconteur and a person totally wedded to the world of the thoroughbred horse. Born in 1931 when the world was in a state of financial despair, it is a perhaps ironic that he left it when a changed world teetered on the brink of a matching disaster. In such times optimism is the ultimate consolation and in terms of optimism Jack O’Brien had it by the bucketful. Throughout life he religiously walked on the sunny side, deftly leaving his mark on the lives of people, not just from North Cape to the Bluff, but also on the shores of many distant lands. It was almost a given that on joining the workforce it would be with the family trucking business, J O’Brien & Co Ltd – this business was involved in all facets of carrying including being the largest horse transporting business in NZ. It was an O’Brien truck which transported the great Phar Lap to Wellington Port on his epic journey to America for lasting world fame and the tragic loss of his life. A photo of the great horse being hoisted aboard by O’Briens remains one of the iconic treasures of New Zealand racing. Jack’s first love was horses which came from his grandfather and father who had 300 draft horses in the company stables at Thorndon hauling freight and who also raced many thoroughbreds in their lifetimes. At aged 22 years Jack was appointed Judge at the Hutt Park Trots, a position he held for ten years. In later years when Jack was at the helm of the family business he amalgamated it with three other prominent NZ transport operators to establish Freightways. During his time as a Director of Freightways, he started Armoured Transport in NZ (now known as Armourguard), Sea Freightways and Daily Freightways. But, Jack had always wished to return to return to his first love, and in 1976 was to establish, along with wife Kay, Sovereign Lodge Stud at Ohau, near Levin. New Zealand breeders had traditionally bred stayers, however, Jack’s stud slogan was “breed for speed” and he specialized in breeding sprinter milers. Among the many stallions to stand at Sovereign Lodge, the most successful were Otehi Bay and his champion son Kingdom Bay. Kingdom Bay was raced in later years by Jack and he achieved several group wins on both sides of the Tasman and was NZ Champion Three-Year-Old. When Kingdom Bay then went to stud he became Champion Sire of Two-Year-Olds and twice became New Zealand’s Champion Sire overall. During Sovereign Lodge Stud days and as President of the Wellington Racing Club, Jack’s vision of a Magic Millions Race and corresponding yearling sales at Trentham, became a reality. He served for many years as Committeeman and President at the Wellington Racing Club and later achieved Life Membership. In 1997 Sovereign Lodge was dispersed and he and Kay retired to Taupo. The trademark O’Brien welcome mat went with them and they continued to offer the warmest hospitality to all who called. The only thing which took precedence over friends was family. Jack supported his children and grandchildren in all their endeavours. Jack was a great supporter of Wellington College, he himself having been a forward in the 1st XV for three years and played Senior 1st for WCOB for many years. He was often seen on the sideline supporting sons and grandson at Wellington College matches. While in
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business he donated significant funds for the building of the new music room at the College. Jack is survived by his wife Kay, daughter Judith and sons John (WCOB 1969-1973) and Deen (WCOB 1971-1975), eight grandchildren (Grandson Mark Lindsay WCOB 19972001) and one great grand-daughter. His youngest son Philip (Prefect Firth House) died in 1984. PIPER, Paul Neil B: 1927 D: 05/10/08 • WC: 1940-43 In August, 2008 marked the end of an era for skiing in New Zealand. Paul founded Pipers Ski Tours in 1966 and for many of the 42 years of operation was the leading ski tour operator in New Zealand. Starting from a Wellington base, he expanded to the bigger Auckland market competing vigorously with Slalom Tours for market share. Most weekends saw a Bonicci coach from Wellington and two from Auckland accompanied by couriers who looked after the skiers and helped out with lodge duties as well as some instruction on the skifields. The successful business formula was established and was copied by others who saw an attractive business opportunity. Pipers Ski Lodge was put together with typical Kiwi ingenuity, based on five re-located railway houses all pushed together to form the nucleus of what became a substantial ski lodge. Pipers was famous for its social atmosphere and Saturday night parties. The ski season typically started at Queen’s Birthday weekend with a champagne tour to get things going even if the snow was thin on the ground and finished at Labour weekend with another champagne tour to celebrate the end of another winter season. Ever optimistic, even in adversity, Paul was always the first to report Whakapapa snow falls – the snow is falling, come this weekend – his famous ads in the New Zealand Herald would pronounce and keep going right through the winter. The business flourished and Paul was able to purchase Kings Court in Ohakune, which his daughter Louise ran until hard times after the 1987 market crash meant they had to quit and concentrate on the National Park lodge. His son Brent managed the National Park lodge leaving Paul and wife, Joan free to do the marketing and bookings from their Auckland base. Even though there was fierce competition for ski tour business, Paul always saw the need for a consortium approach to promoting Whakapapa where the competing interests were combined and was active in promoting tours at Australian as well as New Zealand ski shows. With the changing times and people seeking more independence, the tour business slowly came off the boil, so new avenues were explored. Paul was soon running golf tours to fill the gaps. Family members Bruce and Dianne took over the management when Brent moved north and, as current owners, have further widened the business into self-drive and school group programmes meaning the business is now operating on a year round basis. Born in 1927, Paul had an exciting and full life. His funeral was attended by many of his large family of 10 children from two families, grandfather of 27, great grandfather of 10 and over 250 friends and colleagues. Many stories large and true were told. Many recalling Paul’s exuberance to life, blind faith in himself, a hard taskmaster at times but always devoted to his family. His wife, Jean says they plan to assemble a display in the National Park lodge as a memorial to Paul. He said recently he would like to be remembered for introducing the many thousands to the sport of skiing at Ruapehu.
POOLE, Marcus John Quenton, ONZM B: 1925 D: 16/06/09 WC: 1938-41 While his public face earned him national respect and a royal honour, Marcus Poole also shone in his family circle. Marcus served as Dannevirke Mayor and as a member of the Maori Land Tribunal. He displayed a wry sense of good humour, unfailing good manners and was generally regarded as one of the country's foremost legal minds dealing with Maori land laws. When he was young, he was a keen harrier and enjoyed taking part in the Wellington to Masterton relay, He would always ask to do the run up the Rimutakas. He also enjoyed gardening and with his wife, Joan, and enjoyed and supported classical music. Marcus grew up in Khandallah during the Depression and was the second youngest in a family of eight children, learning first-hand what it meant to go without. The first new thing he owned was a bicycle saved for when working after school delivering milk and later newspapers. At Wellington College he liked to sit at the front of the class, a habit that cost him dearly when he was hit in the face by flying glass during an accidental explosion in a chemistry class. His eye had to be removed and for the rest of his life he had a glass eye and then an eye patch. Throughout his long life, Marcus retained a strong, quiet faith, which he put to work in service to his community, profession and family. As deputy mayor of Dannevirke in the 1950s, he was thrust into the top role when the mayor suffered a heart attack. He served with distinction for the remainder of the term, but was later defeated at the polls. Undeterred, he sought other ways to serve in his church and the community. He was appointed to the Anglican Church Synod. There he became a champion of reform and worked hard for church union. His commitment to the legal profession was also strong. He loved the intellectual challenge of the law and served at the bar for more than 50 years. He worked hard within the agriculture and transport industries, many sporting bodies, the Dannevirke Bridge Club, the Forest and Bird Society, Amnesty International and with wife Joan as a child sponsor. In Dannevirke he was a partner in the firm Dorrington, Poole and Partners and served as the town's coroner. His legal expertise was widely sought by industry, local government and eventually national government when he was asked to help review the performance of the local Crown Health Enterprise. However, it was in Maori land law that he truly excelled. His first taste of this work came as a law student at Victoria University when he worked part time for Maori land-law specialists, the Morison Spratt law firm. Later in Dannevirke he assumed control of his legal firm when senior partner, Percy Dorrington, died during the hearing of a major Maori land law case. Although only 25 at the time, he continued the case and won. This not only earned him great respect in his profession but helped him become top-polling councillor at the next local body election. In the late 1970s, he was appointed to the three-member Royal Commission on the Maori Land Courts, to represent his profession alongside jurist, Sir Thaddeus McCarthy, and kaumatua, Rangi Metekingi. In 1999, his service to the community, the church and his profession was recognised when he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
OBITUARIES He and wife Joan raised four children who presented them with eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
late 1970s that he set up what are now considered to be the country’s leading textile design courses.
PRINCE, Paul Alexander B: 1938 D: 30/06/09 WC: 1952-54
Don spent much of his career during the 60s exploring industry, technology and progress - themes very different from the regionalist landscapes popular at the time.
Paul, a long time member of the public relations industry passed away in June.
His love of the outdoors was also reflected in his works with environmental themes. As well as painting, he did industrial design, textiles and graphic art. He also worked in the carpet industry in which he won the 1960 Wellington Festival Design competition. He also won awards in the Printed Wool Fabric Design Competition and the Graphic Art Competition.
Paul was born and educated in Wellington. He began work as a journalist with the Evening Post and then learned his real journalism skills at the feet of George Abbott, then editor of the Wanganui Chronicle. Paul returned to work at the Evening Post. He joined Eric White & Associates and became its Wellington manager. He left there to join David Brett before forming Paul Prince Associates in the mid-80s. He retired from that in 1995. He joined the PR Institute in January 1968 and was elected a Fellow in October 1982. No doubt much was said at Paul’s funeral, much was also said at a “do” for him held by the Press Club in Wellington in November last year. Prince’s reputation for having short arms and long pockets was legendary. He decided to subscribe to The Independent because you could get a free Swiss Army pocket knife. Berryman sent him a personally addressed knife with a long piece of string attached to the loop to ensure it doesn’t get lost at the bottom of some of the longest pockets I have ever known! Paul thought it was very funny and recounted the tale against himself on many occasions. A former staffer of Paul’s for ten years remembers him as someone who didn’t suffer fools gladly, and who wasn’t afraid to share his views about the fool with the fool. But as someone to teach you the trade of PR consultancy he had very few peers. RAMAGE, Donald James B: 1923 D: 29/05/09 WC: 1947-62 (Art Master) Former Art Master and more recently a Napier artist, Don Ramage, who set up the country’s leading textile design courses was educated at Napier Boys’ High School, Victoria University and Wellington Art School. He studied painting and environmental design at the Instituto d’Arte in Florence; was a Member of the Society of Industrial Artists and Designers (London); the winner of 1960 Wellington Festival Carpet Design competition, together with the Printed Wool Fabric Design competition and the Graphic Art competition. Don began New Zealand art history studies at Victoria University before joining the Army as an 18-year-old during World War II. While on the battlegrounds of Europe he captured scenes around him in watercolours. In an interview with Hawke’s Bay Today last year he said his sketchbook was like his camera. After the war, Don spent a few weeks at a Florence art school before returning home where he continued his training at Wellington Technical College while studying part-time towards his master’s degree. During his evening print-making classes, he worked alongside leading figures in New Zealand modernist illustration, including George Woods and Ken Hassel. For him, the challenge of printmaking was a matter of working out a personal problem of visual expression and then realising it in a concrete form, he said. On completion of his training he took up a position as art master at Wellington College until moving to the Wellington Polytechnic School of Design (now Massey University). It was during his time as head of school in the
After retiring from a 35-year teaching career in 1981, he moved back to his home town of Napier in 1991 with his wife, Joan. Don then turned his attention to rug making. Last year his work was recognised by the Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery in an exhibition titled Don Ramage: Steel Jungle. He dedicated the exhibition to Joan, who died in 2007. Reports from two Old Boys; Dave Halliday and Ted Percival, both said that a large number of Old Boys (both local and from out of town) as well as fellow master, Frank Crist who was close friend of Don attended Don’s funeral to pay their last respects. Don had selected Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise as the final hymn for his service – a favourite hymn from the old College Song Book and the Old Boys present gave it full voice. SHIRER, William Copland (Dr) B: 27 D: 6/6/2009 WC: 1942-45 Bill, left Wellington College in 1945 for Victoria University for pre Med before moving to Dunedin to complete his medical studies. Following an internship at Wellington Hospital from 1953 1955, Bill moved to London for further training before returning to Wellington as a Cardiac and Vascular Surgeon. From 1964- 95, Bill was Consultant General and Vascular Surgeon and pioneered Vascular surgery from infancy to its own speciality. He was Founding Chairman of the NZ Society Vascular Surgery. From 1995 to 2000, Bill went into private practice at Wakefield Hospital and was a Foundation Committee Member of that Hospital. Before his illness, he assists at Wakefield Theatre and ran a clinic for leg ulcers for the Home of Compassion as well as researching leg ulcers and the efficiency of Leg Calf Pumps. Bill’s father was WF (Bill) Shirer was at Wellington College from 1911-15 and graduated from Otago Medical School in 1923 and worked as a house surgeon at Wellington Hospital until he took over a practice in John Street, Newtown. The Shirers lived above the surgery from 1924 and Dr Shirer snr ran a large solo practice. In 1946 he was attending 250 deliveries a year and seeing 60-70 people a day. The constant intrusion on the Shirers’ private lives and the desire to experiment with what was then a new concept – a group practice – led them to move house. The upstairs was turned into a flat and the downstairs became John Street Doctors, Wellington’s first group practice. His son, Bill Shirer, studied the practice for his medical school thesis. Bill’s Class of 6A 1945 had 16 in the class; five received scholarships, five were on the credit list. Five became doctors (all surgeons); Ivan Cheer in Optical, Ron Hayward in Cardiac, Ray Windsor also in Cardiac, Frank Kwok in ENT and Bill of course in Vascular. The Association has received some moving correspondence from fellow classmates; in particular Bob Balchin who has been in communication between the classmates of Bill and subsequently Ron Hayward who passed away a few days later.
Bill’s son Will attended the College 1967-71 and his two grandsons Oliver 1998-02 and Thomas 2001-04 became the fourth-generation of Shirers to attend the College. SWADLING, Harry Campbell (Rev, Dr) B: 1935 D: 02/10/08, WC: 1948-52 Harry Swadling was a Wellington city pharmacist whose name was not made in a dispensary but in a pulpit. The Rev Dr Swadling, as he became when he exchanged his white coat for clerical garb, was a clear-thinking, insightful liberal who worked for the unity of the church, was known for his expertise in biblical scholarship, and carried his faith into life and service. He attended Owhiro Bay Primary School, then South Wellington Intermediate and Wellington College. Trained first in pharmacy, he worked at Bishops Pharmacy in Lambton Quay, and then ran his own business as Karori West Pharmacy. In surf lifesaving he trained a junior team, served on club and Wellington district committees and was a qualified judge. As a pharmacist, he served on the Wellington Pharmacy Guild and was active in promoting Project Concern, a medical overseas aid service. However, after travelling with wife Irene, he surprised his friends by following a call to the ordained ministry of the Presbyterian Church. His studies included Bachelor of Arts, Victoria 1970; bachelor of divinity, Otago 1972; and doctoral work at Strasbourg, where he wrote his thesis (synopsis in French) on the topic Sin and Sinlessness in the First Epistle of John. He graduated a doctor of religious sciences in 1977. An article based on his thesis was published in the Scottish Journal of Theology 35 (1982), at a time when few New Zealand theologians were published overseas. His service as a minister included appointments at Duntroon, North Otago; Mt Albert; Victory Square in Nelson; and Khandallah. Of his priorities in parish ministry he wrote: creative worship for all ages; systematic visiting through careful administration; a serious attempt to take biblical study seriously and apply findings to the contemporary world. It was this mix of intellectual rigour and deep personal relationships that endeared him to those he met in both church and community. Alongside the parish work, he was a marriage guidance counsellor, industrial chaplain to the DSIR in Auckland, and the senior denominational chaplain (Presbyterian) on the Defence Force Chaplaincy Board. Within the church, he served on the joint committee on church union, the personnel committee, student assessment committee and was moderator of the Wellington Presbytery 1998-99. Personal interests included surf lifesaving (in earlier years), skiing, tramping and travel. He and Irene made trips to many parts of the world, most recently to the Outback of Australia this year. He was a keen member of the Rotary Club of Wellington North for the past 14 years, serving on many committees, especially as convenor of the scholarship committee. Harry Swadling remained an active scholar almost to the end. A man who was always passionately ecumenical, for many years he taught a New Testament paper for the Ecumenical Institute of Distance Theological Studies. His funeral was held at St John's Church, Willis St, with, appropriately, both Anglican and Presbyterian clergy officiating. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Irene, three children and seven grandchildren.
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OBITUARIES TAYLOR, Robert Thomas B: 1943 D: 17/08/09 • WC: 1956-59 Bob Taylor was an unassuming radio announcer whose rich delivery was favoured by the retired set in Moree, a country town in northern New South Wales. For the long-time, Sydney band leader and important figure on Wellington band stands in the late 1950s, Moree seemed an unlikely destination. When he arrived there by train after a 650km journey from Sydney in 1994, he said he wondered what the hell he had struck. Moree, a quiet rural town of 10,000, is an agricultural service centre 100km from the border with Queensland. Bob, whose roots were cosmopolitan, had seen nothing like it. He had answered an advertisement for a radio-announcing job. The quality of his voice during a telephone interview won him the job. To his astonishment, he grew to love the town. Its smalltown courtesies and the heart-warming reaction of its listeners would have helped. His listeners got an assured and mature delivery and an announcer with an astonishing knowledge of the contemporary music canon of the prethrash and screech era. What his audience did not know in 1994 was that the new bloke on the radio was a musician from Titahi Bay who in Sydney had matured into a producer, a performer, an arranger, conductor and a band leader, and that he had been making a living from music since he threw in his job as an HMV backroomer in Wellington to become a fulltime musician. Bob, raised in Titahi Bay and schooled at Titahi Bay Primary School and Wellington College, was the eldest son of tinsmith Sam Taylor and his wife Margaret. In 1958, he became a piano-playing member of The Tornados, one of Wellington’s seminal rock and roll groups of the time. His credentials were significant. The Tornados recorded their first record on the Tala label at Levin in 1961. The Goofus track on the A side got radio air time. They were on their way. They were signed to a recording contract with HMV, were heard on 2ZB and further afield, played to packed houses and dance halls and had a Unviox electric piano which gave them a voice no other group in town could afford. When the group moved to Sydney in 1963 and changed their name to The Kiwi Four, they were quickly noticed. They had television dates and recorded as well with RCA, played the leagues club circuit and became the backing band for veteran rock and roller Johnny Devlin, the pantssplitting vocalist from Wanganui and headline act. Accounts differ as to the signing. An Australian report says Devlin poached Bob; the reality, says former Tornado Barry Coupland (1954-57), was that Devlin got the whole fourpiece band under the name The Devils with the proviso that they could continue their own work whenever Devlin was not performing. The arrangement worked well, and Bob, who could sight-read and play at the required tempo, was an essential component of the band’s success. Word spread about Bob’s piano prowess, and when the band split in 1966 he was eagerly sought for session work and live performances. By 1967 the Bob Taylor Trio was building a strong profile in Sydney. Touring New Zealand, he added 17 musicians and called the group the Bob Taylor Orchestra. The trio joined British star Helen Shapiro in Surfers Paradise for a weekend, and stayed a year, followed by a year in Melbourne. In the early 1970s he assembled The Ensemble, a six-piece unit to play six months in Osaka, Japan.
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For almost 25 years after that, Bob was an acclaimed bandleader and musical director in Sydney, playing long stints at various clubs, including eleven years at Hornsby RSL, and winning Star and Mo awards. His rich and mellow stage commentary became as popular as his playing.
David was ‘handy’ in many-faceted ways. He could puzzle his way through problems. He was exceptionally good with his extensive armoury of workshop tools. At Newstape (the audio news service for Waikato’s blind) he was a popular newsreader and also a subeditor.
Bob later joined Ol’ 55, led by Frankie J Holden, playing on their triple- platinum debut album Take It Greasy, chorally arranged their Number One gold single, Rockin’ Christmas, produced their top-20 hit Summers Night and accompanied them at several concerts.
Some years ago, Hamilton Probus looked around its membership for a secretary. They found David. He did an exceptional job, even in the last months of his illness.
Bob wrote literate and informed record reviews for Encore magazine for many years and notes for album anthologies for the likes of comedian Stan Freberg. His jazz programme on 2RES commanded a sizeable audience and awakened something in him. At Moree, Bob became an afternoon announcer, presented shows for aged, indigenous and other audiences, conducted and sang with the town choir, A Special Blend, and appeared in dramatic productions and for local charities. A loner most of his life, in Moree, Bob finally had an audience that permanently embraced him. Health problems dogged him in recent years. He was last in New Zealand in March, 2008 for a four-day 50th anniversary reunion of the original Tornados at Levin. From Barry Coupland: My wife Pauline, Kevin (Drummer) and I just returned from a memorial function for Bob at the Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club in Sydney last weekend. The event was recorded audio and visual-wise and this (warts and all) recording will be available soon. I played lead and bass guitar with the Tornados, and of late, have been trying to recover some of the "old" abilities. If you google ashack - you should hit on Andy Shackleton's web site. This NZ site contains much of the memorabilia of NZ bands and musicians including a "tribute" page to Bob. THOMPSON, David Harlow B: 1932 D: 22/01/09 WC: 1945-46 Forty-five years ago, engineer David Thompson supervised the huge continuous concrete pour for the Benmore Hydro spillway. It took 48 hours without pause. David was sleepless and alert for the whole process. Several weeks ago the hydro authorities elected to lower water level behind the dam; they spilled 950 cubic metres of water per second over the spillway. It was hidden in mist when the water hit the concrete baffle at the bottom. Hundreds watched the spectacle, and television cameras were there. David, who played a major role in the spillway’s construction, missed it. He was in his final hours and died on January 23. He was 76. For years as an educator, David was known as ‘Mr Concrete’. For 28 years he taught civil engineering and fluid mechanics at Waikato Technical Institute (later renamed Wintec). Concrete in all its forms was his forte – what he didn’t know about concrete was not worth knowing. Technology was his thing and at the Technical Institute he was the first to recognise the potential of computers in engineering. When nobody else in his department was remotely interested, David took the one computer into his office, poured over its manuals, and learned computer languages at Waikato University. He led the way at Tech. He was a ‘hands-on’ engineer, strong on theory but also strongly practical. He made things work. He never wasted. His first-rate home workshop had much storage space for things that ‘might come in handy one day’. Those things included old weatherboard and a door left over from a home building project. Now you see them before you, made into his casket, said son Andrew at David’s St Peter’s Cathedral funeral. I guess you were right all along, dad.
In childhood David was an altar boy in his church. Abiding faith never left him. He became a licensed lay minister, for 40 years was a member of the St Peter’s Cathedral community, and was a member of the St Peter’s Cathedral vestry. He served on the Synod and was People’s Warden. Cathedral Dean Emeritus Keith Lightfoot sums it this way: David’s God was not God-in-a-box marked ‘Sunday’. David encountered God not only in worship but also through his loved ones and all his various activities, whether it was by being in the Computer Club, or Probus, or doing carpentry. David was born in Christchurch, one of two sons of Helen and Frank Thompson. When he was five the family moved to Eastbourne, near Wellington. He attended the local primary school, then Wellington College. They moved to Christchurch where he attended Christchurch Boys’ High School, then Canterbury University, graduating with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in 1956. He opted for the RNZAF when time came for compulsory military training. There may have been an element of rebellion, for he beat Whenuapai RNZAF Station’s coinoperated laundry facility. David manufactured a coin with a retrieval system – it could be withdrawn after it kicked the machine into action. He probably still has that coin somewhere, says Andrew. His engineering career started with a Canterbury firm building bridges. He joined the Ministry of Works in 1957 and one of his early jobs was surveying for the Maniototo Irrigation Scheme. Dorne Bond, a young nurse from Western Australia, and David found themselves face-to-face in Christchurch at the wedding of a mutual friend. It obviously seemed a good idea, for a year later, in 1958, they too were wed. David sold his precious Ford V8 car to raise capital for Dorne’s engagement ring – surely a measure of true love. Engineer and long-time friend Barry Butcher says one of David’s memorials is the Lake Tekapo water level recorder. It is frequently on television (looking thirsty) when lake levels are low and hydropower shortages threaten. David left the Ministry of Works in 1966 to work as a concrete engineer for Ready Mix Concrete, Waikato, says Barry. He switched to Waikato Technical Institute in 1968. He was ‘Mr Concrete’ not only to the students but also amongst fellow staff members. David is remembered for his years of professional accomplishments. He was always a gentleman and was always loyal to his students. A life member of the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand, David attended the retired engineers’ function last November despite his illness. The tumour that killed him was caused by exposure to asbestos in a factory job as a teenager, earning funds towards his education. The terminal condition was diagnosed 19 months ago, but David carried on with Newstape, helping others for all that – a special brand of generosity. David is survived by Dorne, daughters Joanne Wheeler and Christine Thompson, son Andrew, and six grandchildren. Roy Burke
OBITUARIES TING, Stanley James (Jim) B: 1935 D: 25/05/09 WC: 1997-04 (Master) Jim Ting taught in Wellington and Lower Hutt boys secondary schools for 47 years. The young minds that orbited through his classrooms ran into the thousands. Jim was noted for his empathy with teenagers. That did not make him the matey type or a soft touch. Jim’s specialty was mathematics. His patience was infinite. He unlocked countless confused minds so that abstract problems could be resolved with certainty. Half the fun, he said, was delivering the tools. He was invariably successful, and when he wasn't he remained courteous to youngsters for whom numerical constructs defied even his best efforts. His influence was substantial, not solely because the mysteries of maths dissolved in his classrooms, but also because there was not a shred of meanness or condescension in him. Surprisingly, his career in education was a second choice. When he passed his science degree at Victoria University at the end of 1955, he had set his mind on pure science and became, for two years, a laboratory technician with Shell-BP- Todd, which had stepped up its exploration work and research facilities. However, the tedium of lab work was excruciating, Jim said, and he turned to teaching in 1958. He was on familiar ground. His school of choice was Rongotai College; he was an old boy, having enrolled at the college's intermediate school in 1946, staying on through his secondary years. The former student became head of mathematics, taught general science and chemistry, and was later deputy principal and acting principal. After a break, he was appointed, in 1997, to the staff of Wellington College. He brought with him not only his teaching gifts, but his respectful yet firm way of dealing with teenagers, and his considerable coaching skills. He had been a flanker in Rongotai College's first XV and then coached the team when he was there. He was made coach of Wellington College's 1st XV after sharpening the skills of the school's U75A side in 1997: in that season, the U75As were unbeaten in their 15 matches, posting 614 points with just 49 against. Jim was at the College until 2004, when he tired of the commuting from his home in Lower Hutt to the city. He took a job at St Bernard's College at Lower Hutt, where he taught maths and managed the 1st XV. Jim bridged what are now referred to as ethnic boundaries. He was a Kiwi who acknowledged his Chinese ancestry and was justifiably proud of it and the struggles that went with settling in a new land. He was a Mason and senior grand warden of his lodge, and a prominent member of the Tung Jung Association of New Zealand as well as a marriage celebrant and a Justice of the Peace. TODD, John Douglas (Dr), B: 1920 D: 19/11/08 WC: 1933-36 Educated at Wellington College, Victoria and Otago Universities Awarded the John Tinline Scholar in English in 1940 and was a Tutor in English, Victoria University 1941. His academic qualifications also included a BA 1940, MA Hons 1941. HS/HP, Wellington Hospital 1952-53, General practice in Miramar 1954-56. He was Clinical Assistant in General Medicine, Cardiology and Hypertension, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh 1957. Visiting Physician, Cardiology
and Hypertension, Wellington Hospital 1958-78. Relieving Physician, General Medicine, Calvary Hospital 1963 and 1965. Visiting Physician, Hutt Hospital 1966-85. Consultant Physician in private practice, Wellington 1959-85. For some years after retiring from hospital posts, he continued working as a Consultant Physician at the Waikanae Health Centre TREISTER, Bernard (Dr) B: 1937 D: 01/12/06 WC: 1950-54 Bernard Treister was born in Wellington. He attended Otago University School of Medicine, before graduating MBChB from the University of New Zealand in 1960. He did his internship at Wellington Public Hospital in 196162, and his residency in general medicine, paediatrics and cardiology in 1963-64. It was this period which ignited his interest in paediatric cardiology. In 1965, he travelled to the UK to join the Cardiovascular Research Unit at the Royal Post Graduate Medical School in London, and the following year, extended his training in the Department of Cardiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He became an instructor in medicine at Stanford University in 1969, and in 1970, was appointed cardiologist at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Bernard was made a Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1966, a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology in 1971, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1982. He was a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians and a Fellow of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. His early training in paediatric cardiology evolved into great expertise in the area of adult congenital heart disease. He was appointed Director of Cardiology at Austin Hospital, Melbourne, in 1973, and continued his association with Austin Hospital, as a sessional cardiologist, and a senior associate in medicine at the University of Melbourne, until his death. His interests were eclectic, and he published extensively, in both paediatric and adult cardiology. He had deep empathy, great compassion, and genuine interest in his patients as people. He was an extraordinarily wise and astute clinician. His was the voice of reason and logic in medical meetings with his peers. He had great depth of knowledge in world affairs, and in particular in Sino Russian and Middle Eastern politics and culture. He was intrigued by the stock market, which he studied assiduously. He had great interest in movies, and was extremely well read. He was a renowned collector of pens, watches and antique medical instruments. Bernard was, by nature, an engaging raconteur with a mischievous irreverence. He is survived by a wife and two children who loved him, and a large group of friends who admired and respected him, and now miss him greatly. WATCHMAN, Rex Robert B: 1930 D: 26/02/09 WC: 1943-46 Rex Watchman will be remembered as someone who gave of himself to help build a healthy and vibrant community. Rex, 78, died after the car he was travelling in hit a train at the Kinross Street level crossing in Blenheim. His death will be felt widely throughout the community. Rex was involved in a large number of local groups in the 21 years since he and wife Audrey moved to Blenheim from Christchurch. Audrey Watchman said her husband of 55 years was a good husband and father. He just loved being involved.
He liked helping to make someone else's life easier, she said. A retired telephone technician, Rex was a member of the Marlborough Community Hospice, Blenheim South Rotary Club, Alzheimer's Society, IHC, Marlborough Community Food Bank and the Salvation Army. He was also chairman of the first Marlborough Community Hospice trust committee, helped to set up the Marlborough Community Youth Trust, and was involved in the council imitative Turnaround Marlborough for young people. He won the Marlborough Civic Honour for outstanding community service in 2001, and the Paul Harris Fellow Rotary award for service in 1998. He had been involved with Rotary clubs around New Zealand since 1975. Rex and Audrey had three sons, Mark, Greg and Stuart. He was a Dad to be proud of - he was always there for us. He never turned anyone away, Greg Watchman said. He got a lot of satisfaction out of helping people. Stuart Watchman, a doctor in Wairau Hospital's emergency department, said most of the older people in the hospital knew of his father: We are all going to miss him. He still had lots of time left. He said his father had a good sense of humour, was very tolerant and was known as a person who could get fundraising money out of anyone. He was also a keen writer of letters to The Marlborough Express, usually about social issues. Rex was a keen golfer, and loved gardening and watching sport. YOUNG, William Lambert (Bill) B: 1913 D: 14/07/09 WC: 1927-29 Bill Young was a Tory grandee, one of the early members of the National Party which was formed in Wellington in 1936. He was a stalwart of the Muldoon Government in which he became Minister of Works and Development for six years to 1981. From that favoured position, after he had lost his Miramar seat held for 15 years, he went on to become a capable and affable NZ High Commissioner in London. It was, as The Evening Post editorialised at the time, an out-of-theblue but popular appointment. In a political scene that had been marked by increasing bitterness and personality clashes, Bill had remained the same warm, friendly and outgoing 'Bill', qualities that would be of advantage in his new diplomatic role. He had been a diligent MP and was conscientious in his London posting, one which he said he had never, in my wildest dreams imagined would cap his career. He went at a fortuitous time, when New Zealand was regarded as a good little colony having responded to Britain's plea for support in its Falkland Islands war. His main aim was to prepare the way for political emissaries from New Zealand as they argued for continued access for New Zealand agricultural products in the face of a European Commission proposal to slash the butter quota. Many considered Bill’s choice of bride one of his greatest achievements, as Joan came from a prominent Wellington political family - her grandfather (Sir John Pearce Luke) and great uncle had both been local members of Parliament and Wellington mayors; at the time, the marriage was considered strategic, with its linking of two city dynasties. Joan Young was his secret weapon - charming, unassuming, stylish and immensely capable; key skills in a marginal electorate and later used to New Zealand's advantage in London. The posting was a partnership with Joan, his help mate and LAMPSTAND 2009 • 97
OBITUARIES great love throughout their long marriage. She fitted in to the diplomatic circuit with serenity. For her, the posting capped a life bringing up five achieving children and supporting a husband who had, when she met him, been recovering from war wounds inflicted by a bomb in Egypt. Bill, a fourth generation New Zealander, was an only child with an incident-filled life from birth. His parents were both teachers who, after their marriage, had been posted to Ngawha Native School in the Bay of Islands, where his father was headmaster and his mother first assistant. When his mother went into labour with him she was taken over rough, unsealed roads by horse and buggy to the nearest hospital, Kawakawa, 27 kilometres from Ngawha. He spent his first eleven years at Ngawha, attending his father's school, where he was one of the only European pupils. At the time it was standard practice to teach written and spoken English so Maori pupils could take their place in New Zealand and the world. He later regretted that he, like his fellow pupils, was not encouraged to speak Maori. But he recalled his father singing nursery rhymes in Gaelic and he was expected to speak French at meals, or go without food. In the bookcase were German, Greek, Latin and Italian dictionaries. One of his early memories was the visit of Lord Jellicoe, as governor-general of New Zealand, to nearby Ohaewai. Bill was about six and was allowed to go back to his mother when he burst into tears when meeting the governorgeneral. More than half a century later on his London posting he was to meet Lord Jellicoe's son, George, who
spoke at Bill’s final New Zealand Day dinner, and learn that George had accompanied his parents on that trip to Ohaewai.
to stand for National for the Miramar electorate, which had been a Labour stronghold for years for Bob Semple and then Labour Minister Bill Fox.
By the time Bill was 12, his father's health had failed and his mother returned to Wellington with her son, whom she had always planned to send to Wellington College. He attended Wellington College from 1927-29, years which he admitted were "not illustrious", largely because he had not tried hard. He was, though, fine at English, French, science and the study of electricity.
He reduced Fox's small majority but was unsuccessful. He stood again in 1966, scraping in to Parliament with a majority of 146. Nearly 10 years later, after National's landslide victory of 1975, he became Minister of Works and Development and 12th in seniority in the new National cabinet. His elevation came partly because of his lifetime interest in construction and his knowledge of the development of hydro-electric power. In opposition he had been spokesman on roading and women's rights. He was a strong advocate for the completion of the Wellington motorway and continued to extol the benefits of a second Mt Victoria tunnel until his death.
The Depression was looming when he took a job with Murray Roberts Ltd, stock and station agents, where he stayed for 16 years, his time broken by war service from 1940-42. He and fellow members of the Star Boating Club decided to join the Wellington regiment as a group, and he left Wellington with the 2nd NZEF in 1940 on the Nieuw Amsterdam. It was in Egypt that he was wounded, one of the only survivors of his bombed workshop section. His hearing was badly damaged and he was eventually invalided back to New Zealand. In 1946 he joined Beggs, a musical instrument, radio and electrical company. He became general manager of manufacturer retailer Radio Corporation of New Zealand (1956-66). He had always been interested in politics and was a superb debater and public speaker. In the early 1960s he considered an approach to stand for mayor of Wellington, but instead jumped at the chance in 1963
He was defeated in 1981 by a youthful Peter Neilson in a virtual takeover of the region by Labour. He was past retirement age, at 68, but had obliged Rob Muldoon by standing again. The pleasure of serving in London followed. In 1991 he was awarded the CMG for public services. It was, he said, the highlight of his career. Away from the political arena he had done much community work. He was president of the Star Boating Club for many years and a patron of the Company of Musical Players. He belonged to the Tararua Tramping Club, was a councillor of the Automobile Association of Wellington and of the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association.
WELLINGTON COLLEGE FOUNDATION THE SECOND BERNARD FREYBERG MEMORIAL LECTURE This biennial lecture provides the community and friends of Wellington College with an opportunity to commemorate distinguished Old Boys of the College. This year’s lecture will be given by Old Boy Douglas Mudgway [1936-40], former colleague and recent biographer of the man who, as head of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, played a pivotal role in placing men on the Moon just 40 years ago:
PICKERING Dr William Pickering, ONZ KBE returned often to his old school, most recently to open the refurbished Gifford Observatory shortly before his death in 2004. The lecture will be delivered in the Assembly Hall of Wellington College on Wednesday, 14 October 2009, 5.45 for 6.15pm Light refreshments will be provided before the lecture. RSVP [for catering purposes] to hmo@wellington-college.school.nz or Tel: (04) 802 2523 ALL MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF WELLINGTON COLLEGE ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND 98 • LAMPSTAND 2009
WELLINGTON COLLEGE & WCOBA MERCHANDISE FOR SALE Keep up-to-date with College news Old Boys may be like to subscribe to The Collegian (the College’s monthly newsletter) to acquaint themselves with current news of the College and forth-coming events. Each issue is full of news from the Headmaster, the Head Prefect and the Board, plus extensive coverage on our Arts and Sporting activities (and of course the considerable success achieved in both areas by our students), plus news on academic results, international students and the Old Boys’ Association. The Collegian can be emailed to you each month or read on our website (free of charge) or you can receive a posted copy ($25.00pa - NZ only). Please complete the enclosed feedback form to order your subscription. Back copies can be read on our website: www. wellington-college.school.nz (About Us/News/Collegian).
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LAMPSTAND 2009 • 99
WELLINGTON COLLEGE OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION NOTICE BOARD DATES TO note
october 16 - 17, 2009 class of 1969 reunion • november 6, 2009 class of 1999 reunion • november 13, 2009 wellington WCOB get-together • november 18, 2009 auckland WCOBA get-together • march 2, 2010 mcevedy SHIELD • march 26-27, 2010 class of 1960 reunion • april 23, 2010 COLLEGE anzac service
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• april 30 - may 1, 2010 firth house reunion • june 2, 2010 wcoba agm & traditional • july 26 - 28, 2010 quadrangular @ wanganui •
FULL DETAILS OF THE ABOVE EVENTS ARE CONTAINED WITHIN THIS ISSUE. AS OTHER EVENTS ARE CONFIRMED, WE WILL PLACE THEM ON OUR WEBSITE AND VIA EMAIL.
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