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The Otago Boys' High School Foundation
PO Box 11,
Dunedin, New Zealand
Tel +64 3 477 2546
Fax +64 3 477 5468
April newsletter –
Foundation members
* Since the March newsletter, the following Old Boys and connections with the school have made pledges or donations and have been registered as Members of the Foundation –
Pledges and donations have now passed $950,000.
1958 Reunion
* Plans are well advanced for a 50th reunion of the intake of 1958.
This gathering will be held in Dunedin over the weekend of 12th to 14th September this year and further details are available from Bob McKillop (rmmck@xtra.co.nz or at 04/3849800).
As of today, 131 of the 197 boys who entered the school that year have been traced.
The organisers would be delighted to receive information for any of those still ‘missing’. You can check who those Old Boys are by viewing the Class Lists on the website’s home page or by contacting the Foundation office (03/4778977, info@obhsfoundation.co.nz)
Congratulations
* Twelve years, more than 18,000 hours of voluntary work and 6,000 plants after Lester Harvey (1946-47) first set out to beautify the Mosgiel rail corridor, he has been named Fonterra Environmentalist of the Year.
Lester received the inaugural award from Fonterra and the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Society at a recent ceremony at the Beehive.
His efforts in cleaning up a railway embankment stretching five and a half kilometres from Riccarton Road to Wingatui resulted in him being chosen from many other volunteers involved in the society’s 50 regional programmes. He also received a cheque for $5,000, on behalf of the Mosgiel Rail Corridor Trust.
Lester has chaired the trust and co-ordinated its work programme since it was established in 2000, with close links to Keep Dunedin Beautiful and the Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board.
Fonterra environmental manager Adrian Pyne said that dedicated volunteers such as Lester played a vital role in making our communities cleaner and safer places in which to live and work.
For the past 12 years, Lester has worked more than 25 hours a week on the project. More than 280 cubic metres of soil have been deposited to level the ground and more than 6,000 decorative plants and trees, the latter including natives and flowering cherries, have been planted. This has transformed the appearance of a previously unkempt-looking area beside a main tourist bus route and Wingatui station, the latter used by overseas railway visitors.
Lester says he was ‘‘greatly humbled’’ by the award and reflected on when fellow Mosgiel resident Brian Miller and he had started the clean-up project in 1996.
Much had since been achieved, thanks to extensive support from many people and organisations, including Work and Income community workers, community probation service workers, service clubs, residents, the trust, Ontrack, the Dunedin City Council and the community board, he said.
He hoped the award would encourage the city council to include the area in its annual maintenance programme.
* Cricketers Tom Rutherford and Ciaran McMeeken, along with assistant coach Ken Rust (1967-71), are nearing the end of a trip they will never forget.
They have been involved with the Christchurch Willows’ team’s tour of India, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and arrive home after three weeks away on April 15th.
The team was selected after the national under 17 tournament in Napier and what they’ve seen and where they’ve been will make the next interschool trip to Christchurch or Invercargill seem just a little tame.
After contesting the Spirit of Development tournament in Chandigarh in India with selections from England, Sri Lanka and India, the team has travelled to Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman for two games and to Dubai for the final two matches of the most marvellous excursion imaginable. While en route from India to Oman, the team had time in Agra to view the Fatehpur Sikri, built by emperor Akbarin in 1569, along with the world renowned Taj Majal, completed in 1630.
* It is often a place of solemn oaths and admissions, but in mid-March, the High Court in Dunedin resounded with lighthearted banter and laughter interspersed with reflections on an illustrious career in the law.
The occasion was a valedictory sitting, marking the retirement of Justice John Hansen (1957-62), a Friend of the Foundation.
The judge said he experienced a ‘‘deep sense of nostalgia’’ in court as he relived fond memories of his time studying and practising law in Dunedin and the interesting cases and characters he had encountered.
He also talked about his move to Hong Kong in the late 1970s where he worked in several legal roles, including magistrate, coroner, and Master of the Supreme Court, and his return to New Zealand in 1988 to work as High Court Master in Christchurch.
Included in an often lighthearted speech, he also noted changes to the legal profession. Quoting from a folk blues song he said lawyers should attempt to ‘‘keep their clients out of court as much as possible’’.
However, this common-sense advice contrasted with the practice of many lawyers involved in contemporary civil cases whose approach often led to an inflexible, ‘‘entrenched’’ position detrimental to the client and the profession.
He also commented on the cost and delay associated with many cases, and touched on the importance of the Legal Issues Centre, established last year, at the University of Otago. The centre would examine the efficacy of the contemporary dispute resolution process; a system he believed effectively ‘‘disfranchises most of the community’’.
Justice Hansen said his experiences reinforced his belief in the importance of judges ‘‘keeping their feet on the ground, and having an understanding of the wider community’’.
The make-up of the profession had also changed, and this was evident at many admission ceremonies he presided at where women outnumbered men.
Dunedin Queen’s Counsel Colin Withnall noted that as the first president of the Otago branch of the New Zealand Legal Association, Justice Hansen played a leading role in an organisation which galvanised the then ‘‘staid and conservative’’ Law Society of the late 1960s to reform.
Justice Hansen has recently been in the news as the International Cricket Council Code of Conduct commissioner, presiding over the Harbajhan Singh appeal in Australia.
* Father-and-son combination Richard (1966-71) and Nicholas Madden (1995-99) played a significant part in the royal ‘‘thanksgiving service’’ for the late Sir Edmund Hillary, held in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, earlier in the month.
In front of the Hillary family, the Queen and other dignitaries, 26-year-old Nicholas presented a solo written by his father, who is choral director at the University of Otago’s Knox College.
The piece, for organ and choir, entitled How Beautiful Are the Mountains, was written by Richard five or six years ago as a wedding anthem for friends.
Nicholas, a tenor ‘‘lay clerk’’ in the St George’s Chapel choir, introduced his father’s music to the choir’s musical director, who chose it for inclusion in the thanksgiving service.
The service was held at the chapel because Sir Edmund was one of its 25 Knights of the Garter and Wednesday’s ceremony included the ‘laying up’ of the banner bearing his coat of arms.
Nicholas began singing in the St Paul’s Cathedral choir in Dunedin when he was six and had been a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir. Like his father, he had also been a member of the University of Otago Capping Show sextet. He left Dunedin for a position at Ely Cathedral in 2003 before winning a place in the St George’s Chapel choir in September, where he performs six days a week. He has sung for the Queen twice, including a solo on one occasion.
Dunedin bass baritone Jonathan Lemalu (1989-93) also sang at the service.
Interschool
Results from the final summer interschool of the term against Timaru Boys’, played at home:
Tennis
Otago Boys’ seniors 7, Timaru Boys’ seniors 7
Otago Boys’ juniors 8, Timaru Boys’ juniors 4
Cricket – 1st XI
Timaru Boys’ 143 (Kane Russell 3/14, Hayden Miller 2/22) and 78 (Hayden Miller 4/24, James Ferris 3/9)
Otago Boys’ 118/9 declared (Hayden Miller 25*) and 115/3 (Ciaran McMeeken 37, Hugo Inglis 26)
Otago Boys won by seven wickets.
Cricket – Colts
Otago Boys’ 264 (Sadit Reza 52, Blake Ponton 64)
Timaru Boys’ 89 (Ricky Black 3/21, Greg Croudis 3/24, Kayne Wadell 2/15)
Otago Boys’ won by 175 runs.
The winter interschool dates for 2008 are:
28 May vs Southland Boys’ (home)
18 June vs Christ’s (home)
25 June vs Timaru Boys’ (away)
4 July vs King’s (away)
23 July vs Waitaki Boys’ (away)
5 August vs Christchurch Boys’ (away)
Gillette Cup cricket
Otago Boys’ will again contest the annual national Gillette Cup cricket series in Palmerston North in December.
After a comfortable victory over Dunstan High School, Otago Boys’ struggled to get past a moderate King’s High tally before easily accounting for Kavanagh College in the southern region final.
The team’s results were –
versus Dunstan High School:
Otago Boys’ 300 (Callum Wardell 124, George Spittle 59, Daniel Duke 39)
Dunstan 79 (James Ferris 5/31, Tom Rutherford 2/6)
Win to Otago Boys’ by 221 runs
versus King’s High School:
King’s 140 (Daniel Duke 4/24, Hayden Miller 4/30)
Otago Boys’ 142/9 (Hugo Inglis 24, Matt Hunter 24)
Win to Otago Boys’ by one wicket
versus Kavanagh College:
Otago Boys’ 271/9 (Ciaran McMeeken 76, Hayden Miller 30)
Kavanagh 55 (Blair Soper 4/17, Hayden Miller 2/8, James Ferris 2/14)
Win to Otago Boys’ by 216 runs
Maadi Cup rowing
* More success for super coach Fred Strachan with the Otago Boys’ High School under-16 double sculls combination of Joe Latta and Robert Mears winning a gold medal at last week’s Maadi Cup national secondary schools rowing regatta at Lake Ruataniwha.
The crew was in third spot at the 1000 metre mark and was still trailing with 250 metres remaining. With 200 metres still to row the pair were half a length down but lifted its stroke rate and blasted past Te Kauwhata High School to take the gold medal by a healthy margin.
Mears and Latta are two 15-year-olds from South Otago farms and board School House. Strachan believes both have the talent to go on to be future New Zealand representatives.
Milestone birthdays
* Celebrating a milestone birthday in recent times has been Bill Moore (1931-36) who marked his 90th on March 29th. Bill is a retired Presbyterian minister who lives in Wellington.
Lost contacts
In recent weeks the Foundation has lost contact with the following Old Boys (the bulk of whom initially operated hotmail email accounts) and any assistance in determining their current whereabouts would be appreciated –
Damon Anderson, United Kingdom (1992-94)
David Christensen, Hong Kong (1970-73)
Brayden Hill – Omakau (2002-05)
Joshua George – Dunedin (1996-96)
Fraser Miller – Dunedin (2001-05)
Thomas Greer – Dunedin (finished school in 2007)
Sean Gillespie – Waitahuna (1995-99)
Ee-heng Lim – England (1994-97)
Benjamin McDonald – Dunedin (finished school in 2007)
Blair McLanachan – Dunedin (1996-99)
Kirk Stevens – Brisbane (1985-89)
Michael Cameron – possibly Australia (finished school in 2006)
Mayuresh Prasad – last whereabouts unknown (left school in 2007)
Peter Donnelly – Melbourne (1970-74)
Recent deaths
* We extend our condolences to the families of the following Old Boys –
Raymond Neale Jack Hanlon (1963-66), died in Dunedin on 12th March 2008.
Murray Cecil Ramsay (1952-53), died in Geraldine on 14th March 2008, aged 69. Murray worked as a stock agent with Dalgety NZ Ltd, then as a lamb drafter with CFM and PPCS for 30 years in and around Geraldine. He then assisted with his wife’s real estate business. Murray was the brother of Ron Ramsay (1950-52).
Hugh Humbert Chisholm (1930-33), died at his home in Purakanui on 25th March 2008, aged 91. Hugh was the father of Laurie Chisholm (1957-61).
Doug (Douglas Richard) Leckie (1936-37), died in Dunedin Hospital on 25th March 2008, aged 85. Doug was the brother of the late Keith Leckie (1934-35).
John James Grimshaw (1944-45), died in Christchurch on 1st April 2008, aged 78. John was the brother of the late Thomas Grimshaw (1935-36).
Arthur Harold Barth (1930-34), died in Christchurch on 7th April 2008, aged 91. Arthur was a retired University of Canterbury lecturer.
* We also extend our sympathies to –
Barry Marston (1977-79) whose father Jim died at Dunstan Hospital, Clyde on 10th March 2008.
Fraser Mitchell (1936-37) whose wife Betty died in Mosgiel on 12th March 2008.
Neville Markham (1963-68) whose mother Lorna died in Dunedin on 14th March 2008.
Bruce Hellyer (1956-58) whose father Phil died at Ross Home in Dunedin on March 17th 2008.
Ken Warburton (1959-63) whose mother-in-law Joyce McNeill died in Dunstan Hospital, Clyde on 18th March 2008.
Brent (1980-84) and Martin Cardno (1981-84) whose mother Joyce died in Dunedin on 18th March 2008.
Don Johnstone (1951-53) whose mother-in-law Betty Robinson died at Fulton Home in Dunedin on 22nd March 2008.
John Armstrong (1952-55) whose mother-in-law Helen Norton died in Dunedin on 25th March 2008.
Barry Robb (1966-70) whose father-in-law Alex Hughes died in Dunedin on 27th March 2008.
Ross Dennison (1976-79) whose father Frederick died in Dunedin on 30th March 2008.
Lynn McGregor (1964-66) whose father Ian died in Dunedin on 1st April 2008.
Gavin (1966-69) and Bryan Murray (1968-72) who mother Miriam died in Dunedin on 2nd April 2008.
Geoff Shirley (1966-70) whose mother Ella died in Dunedin on 1st April 2008. Ella was the widow of the late Doug Shirley (1932-37).
Ross Fodie (1982-85) whose mother Margaret died in Melbourne on 4th April 2008.
David Forsythe (1950-53) whose wife Julene died in Wellington Hospital on 6th April 2008.
Bill McKenzie (1977-78) whose father Farquhar died in Christchurch on 8th April 2008.
Steve Davie
Chief Executive
