Newsletter - January 2007

16/01/2007

Foundation members

Since the December newsletter, the following Old Boys and connections with the school have made pledges or donations and have been registered as Members of the Foundation –

Jim Nelson (1954-59) – Old Boys’

John Judge (1967-70) – Old Boys’

Lloyd Butler (1929-33) – Friend

Bryan Dick (1946-50) – Friend

Professor John Ryan (1942-47) – Old Boys’

George Malcolm (1934-37) – Friend

Maurice Mee (1935) – Friend

School news

In a break from tradition, the Head Boy and his Deputy have been named well in advance of the school year getting underway.

Taking the reins for 2007 will be David Thompson as Head Boy and Jae Pyun as his Deputy. We wish them well in their endeavours and leadership roles during the year.

Where are they now?

* Readers of the Otago Daily Times in early-January may well have come across the photo of the Dunedin Quiz Kids who, in December 1951, were preparing for the South Island finals of the Dominion-wide Quiz Kid contest.

All four of the boys in the photo were or would become pupils at Otago Boys' High School.

Paul Aubin (1949-53) went on to graduate with a MA (Otago) before embarking on a long secondary teaching career with service in Te Awamutu, London, at Otago Boys' and King's High School.

Charles Croot (1950-54) also graduated with an Otago MA (Honours, English) before his teaching career at Kaikorai Valley High School. Charles was also a well known local television, radio and print personality before his death at an early age.

Ken Price began at Otago Boys' in 1952 and at the time of writing the Foundation has no further knowledge of his activities or whereabouts.

Brian Merrilees (1952-56) is currently Emeritus Professor French at the University of Toronto. He was Dux in his final year, has an Otago University MA, a Docteur de l'Universite (Paris), worked for the French government in Paris and was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2002. Brian also features in the Where Are They Now? link on the Foundation's website.

There is no news on how the boys performed in the 1951 finals. If anyone has a recollection of those results, the Foundation's newsletter would be pleased to publish them.

Annual Foundation Golf Tournament

A reminder – the second annual Foundation tournament, again with Colin Strang Financial Services as the major sponsor, will be played at the St Clair course in Dunedin on Friday, 2nd March.

Team (four-player teams will be charged $140) and individual (at $35 per player) entries are now being taken with this cost covering green fees, pre-tournament barbecue and the prize list.

The tournament will be played under ambrose rules.

If you’re keen to be involved, please contact the Foundation office on 03/4778977 or 027/4370335.

Congratulations

* Former Otago High School Old Boys' Society secretary Marj Higgs celebrated 50 years of marriage to her husband Dennis in late-December with their golden anniversary continuing a family trend.

Marj's maiden name was Teasdale with all five of the family now having marked such a milestone.

Her sisters Dorothy and Iris, and brothers Bruce and Jack have all enjoyed long and happy marriages - Marj and Dennis being the lucky last.

The pair met at a Town Hall dance and married on 22nd December 1956.

Dennis is a former factory manager at Cadbury, while Marj combined a role as a Builders' Trade Union secretary with her unstinting service to the Old Boys' Society.

* Mike Kernaghan (1969-73), won his third national bowls title in Dunedin in early-January, snaring the pairs' crown with Dave Archer.

Having retired three years ago when he was appointed as the chief executive of Triathlon New Zealand, Kernaghan made a return to partner Archer in his old home town. He had previously won the national singles title in 2001 and 2002.

Kernaghan, representing Auckland's Onehunga Club, and Archer (Taieri) beat Sean O'Neill (Kia Toa) and fellow Otago Boys' Old Boy Paul Girdler (Leith, 1977-80) 14-13 in a tense final.

Kernaghan is a former national league football player and is currently employed as assistant chief executive of Soccer New Zealand.

Recent deaths

Sidney Nicol Fyfe (1944-46), died in Dunedin on 10th December 2006.

Arthur Reginald Hanna (1931-33), died in Auckland on 12th December 2006, aged 89.

Vaughan Maurice Howlett (1981-84), died in Dunedin on 18th December aged 39.

Denis William Gourley (1945-1950), died in Porirua on 21st December 2006, aged 75. Denis was a commercial artist for much of his working life, having graduated with a Fine Arts degree from Canterbury University.

Charles Hislop (1937-40), died in Blenheim on 26th December 2006, aged 81.

Pang (Lang Fook) Kaan (1946-1948), died in Dunedin on 27th December 2006. Pang was a member of the Kaan family, famous as fruiterers in and around the city. He is the brother of the late Joe Kaan (1944-1945) and Don Kaan (1950-1953).

Keith Alfred Harbott (1948-51), died in Dunedin on 30th December 2006.

Roger Lacy Dunnet (1950-55), died in New Plymouth on 3rd January 2007, aged 70. Roger was a retired veterinarian, having graduated with a BVSc (Sydney) and was a member of the Royal College of Veterinarian Surgeons.

We also extend our sympathy to –

Gerald Agar (1973-76) and Richard Agar (1976-78), whose father Michael died in Dunedin in 14th December 2006.

David Waddell (2002-06), on the death of his uncle Keith Munro in Dunedin on 17th December 2006.

Wayne (1975-79), Darryl (1987-91), Chase (1999-2003) and Callum French (2001-03) on the loss of their father and grandfather Allan on December 21st 2006.

Lucas Lormans (1995-98), on the passing of his father Jeff in Christchurch on 21st December 2006.

Randall Garthwaite (1971-73), on the death of his father Ewen in Christchurch on 24th December 2006.

Graeme (1955-57) and Trevor Fergus (1963-66), on the death of their mother Dorothy on 2nd January 2007.

David Ellis (1947-49), whose mother Joan died on 5th January 2007.

Steve Davie

Chief Executive