Newsletter - December 2007

12/12/2007

RD fuel card

As noted in the November newsletter, the Foundation has entered into a partnership with RD Petroleum which opens the way for a significant discount on petrol and diesel.

The discount is dependent on where fuel is purchased – but as an example petrol and diesel bought in the main centres will save card holders 5.625 cents per litre, purchases in the likes of Wanaka will attract a discount of up to 13 cents per litre, and for those filling up in the Coromandel the savings could be as high as 28 cents per litre!

All Old Boys, their families, work colleagues and friends are able to take advantage of this offer. There does not need to be a direct link with Otago Boys – so feel free to pass the offer on. The Foundation also benefits through a rebate from RD – so it’s very much a win/win/win situation.

Please contact Steve Davie (03/4778977, 027/4370335, info@obhsfoundation.co.nz) if you wish to receive the application forms.

Please note that while the BP letter which accompanies the delivery of the cards notes an annual card fee and transaction fees, these do not apply to the Foundation RD Petroleum cards. We also have the forms available now in .pdf form for those who have experienced problems in opening the earlier email delivery.

Foundation members

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

Ross Graham (1966-71) – Associate Fellow
John Fairmaid (1945-49) – Old Boys’
Stanley Johnson (1924-26) – Scholarship. This gift has been made by Stanley’s daughter Ainsley Johnson who lives in London in honour of her father. Stanley, who died in 1977, had many interests and Ainsley has asked the scholarship be used specifically to bring a Year 9 (3rd form) entrant into the school
John McCafferty (1947-51) – Friend. This is John’s second donation to the Foundation
North Canterbury branch of the Old Boys’ Society – Friend. This is the third donation made by the Christchurch-based branch
Graeme Joyce (1957-60) – Friend
1962 ’45 Years On’ Reunion – Associate Fellow
Geoff Eastgate (1927-30) – Friend. This is Geoff’s third donation to the Foundation
George Mason, who has offered a scholarship on behalf of his uncles Harold and Percy who attended Otago Boys’ in 1896-98 and 1905-06 respectively. This will benefit, from 2010, three leavers a year who are going on to study engineering at tertiary level

Pledges and donations now tally in excess of $770,000.

Annual Foundation golf tournament

* The third annual tournament will be contested at the St Clair course in Dunedin on Monday, 10th March 2008.

Sponsors and the prize list are currently being assembled and it’s certain the tournament will once again be a sell-out. This is a fun day out for Old Boys and their friends and colleagues and will be played under ambrose rules.

If you’re keen to play, please contact the Foundation office. Individual and team entries are being taken with the field already starting to fill.

Clarke Craw Ltd Scholarship

* The Foundation is delighted to announce Ryan Hammer (2003-2007) as the first recipient of the Clarke Craw Ltd Scholarship.

Ryan will study accounting at the University of Otago from next year with this scholarship reimbursing him for a large proportion of his tuition fees for each year as he works towards a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He will also be offered work at the firm during university holidays with a full-time job awaiting him at the end of his tertiary education.

Following an interview and selection process, senior partner at Clarke Craw Ltd Gavin Craw (1961-65) presented Ryan with his contract this week.

The scholarship forms part of a growing list of bursaries and scholarships being offered through the Foundation.

Already being administered are scholarships set up by our Patron Graeme Marsh (1947-51) to boys entering Otago Boys from Arthur Street School; the Superior Minerals Scholarship for boys wishing to study agriculture at Lincoln University – through Lawrence Alloo (1981-85) – which will be offered for the first time next year along with the Stanley Johnson Scholarship for a boy entering the school at Year 9 level (Stanley Johnson attended Otago Boys 1924-26 with the scholarship initiated by his London-based daughter Ainsley); and the Mason Brothers Scholarship for engineering students, as established by George Mason in honour of his uncles Harold and Percy who attended Otago Boys in the 1896-98 and 1905-06 respectively.

Dinner with Merv Hughes

* DVDs of October’s Foundation biennial dinner are available for purchase at a cost of $20.

The DVD features the full evening’s entertainment – magician Jonathan Usher, guest speaker Merv Hughes and the race call. If you wish to purchase a copy, please contact the Foundation office.

Lost contacts

* In recent times, we have had problems in contacting those Old Boys listed below – having earlier been more successful.

Any assistance in relocating them would be greatly appreciated:

Peter Wise (1963-67) – last known address in Worongary, Golf Coast, Queensland, Australia

Dr Richard Mercier (1964-68) – previously listed at Suite 3, Lyndon Court, Chartwell Square, Hamilton

School news

* Congratulations to the school’s Year 9 and 10 (third and fourth form) classes.

Utilising the theme ‘What can I do?’, the junior boys collected more than 1,100 cans for this month’s annual Christmas Food Bank appeal during a focus of two-weeks in the final term of the year.

* And a hearty congratulations to the athletes who performed strongly at the national Secondary School track & field championships in Wanganui last weekend.

On the winners’ podium were Kane Russell, who took out the junior boys’ javelin with a throw of 48.39 metres; William Scorgie, who won the junior boys’ 3,000 metres track race in a time of 9 minutes, 3 seconds; and the junior boys’ 4 x 100 metre relay team of Todd Johnston, Toby Flett, Dillon Todd and Kane Russell with a winning run of 45.10 seconds. The relay team’s time of 44.62 seconds in the heats bettered the national record of 44.73 seconds set by the 2000 Otago Boys’ team.

Otago Boys’ was omnipresent in the junior sprint finals with Todd Johnston finishing second in both the junior boys’ 100 and 200 metre sprints; Kane Russell filling fourth spot in the junior boys’ 100 metres, and Toby Flett finishing fifth in the junior boys’ 100 metres and fourth in the junior boys 200 metres. Dillon Todd was seventh in the junior boys’ 400 metre final.

Congratulations

* Celebrating milestone birthdays this month are –

Lawrence Alloo (1981-85) who will drink to his 40th on Thursday 13th. Lawrence is an Associate Fellow of the Foundation through his Superior Minerals scholarship;

Doug Harvie (1971-75) who turns 50 on Sunday 16th. Doug is a Old Boys’ Society member of the Foundation.

Geoff Davies (1961-63) who will signal his 60th on Sunday 23rd. Geoff is a Foundation Senior Fellow.

Don Johnston (1951-53) who turns 70 on Sunday 30th. Don is a Friend of the Foundation.

Our best wishes to them all.

* And a special day was celebrated late last month – with Len Kitching (1940-42) and his wife Alys heralding their 60th wedding anniversary at their home in Wellington. Len is a Friend of the Foundation. We wish Len and Alys many more happy years together.

* Dave Henry (1951-54), as noted in the Where Are They Now? column last year, has walked every one of Dunedin’s streets – no fewer than seven times and with less than 40% lung capacity.

In recognition of his efforts to improve his health, Dave has been awarded the New Zealand Asthma and Respiratory Foundation’s Supreme Achiever award, for people with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The award was presented by Governor-General Anand Satyanand at the Foundation’s biennial awards at Government House in Wellington in mid-November.

As well as walking more than 1,000 kilometres around the streets, Dave has also successfully contested the Dunedin Marathon twice and completed the Baldwin St Gut Buster. “Honoured and humbled’’ to receive the award, Dave was hopeful others with asthma and respiratory issues would also be encouraged to walk.

Dave is a Friend of the Foundation.

* When the currently well-groomed Colin Clarke (1969-72) was at school, he was told by the then-Rector Don MacLachlan he needed a haircut and would battle to make a mark in life.

Now the hotel director of the $275 million Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship, Colin returned to Dunedin for the first time in 25 years last weekend with the world at his feet.

After working at DB Wains Hotel, he shifted to Sydney and, after catering college, moved into hotel management, working in Sydney and the Gold Coast. He accepted an appointment as director of food and beverages at the Safir International Hotel in Kuwait in 1992, not long after the liberation of Kuwait, where among his guests were an elderly Red Adair, who travelled the world putting out oil fires, and many people engaged in rebuilding Kuwait.

In his five years there Colin estimates he catered for 50 official functions for the Amir at his palace. Food would be prepared at the hotel and transported by trucks. Samples would be tested and every piece of fruit scrutinised to ensure there were no blemishes. No expense was spared, but despite the lavishness of the food, the Amir only ever ate two green apples and two servings of yoghurt.

‘‘He had a few wives and 30-odd children. It must have worked for him, although he still died in the end,’’ he said.

Planning weddings, another of Mr Clarke’s tasks, was a logistical nightmare because the bride-to-be might hop on a plane and fly to London for a shoe shopping spree on the day he had arranged to discuss matters with her. Stints managing and helping to develop resorts in various places including Singapore, China, and Indonesia followed his Kuwait experience, before he was head-hunted for a cruise ship position with Royal Caribbean about two years ago.

As hotel director he has a staff of about 600 looking after about 2000 passengers. One of the most difficult aspects of his job is ensuring there are adequate supplies of fresh food. On a 16-day cruise, guests can get through nearly 10,000 litres of milk, 21,257 eggs and more than 3000kg of bananas.

* Wilfred Simenauer (1943, 1945-46), first featured in the Where Are they Now? column last year.

Wilf fled from Nazi Germany to New Zealand along with his brother Frank (1941-42) and became one of this country’s foremost musicians. He was sub-Principal cellist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1950 to 1953, was Principal cellist for Sadler’s Wells Opera & Ballet Orchestra from 1953 to ’55, while also deputising for the BBC’s Symphony Orchestra, the BBC’s Concert Orchestra and with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Wilf then went on to play for the Philharmonia Orchestra (1955-57); the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1957-60); the St. Martin-in-the-Fields Ensemble, where he was a Founder member and co-Principal cellist in 1959; and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Principal cellist) from 1960 to ’64. Upon returning to New Zealand, he was the Principal cellist for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra from 1965 to ’70; and the co-Principal cellist (1971-93). He also played as Principal cellist for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1970.

He has also been a regular soloist with the BBC, ABC and Radio NZ, and the New Zealand Chamber Music Federation, along with playing concertos in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Wilf was the solo cellist on the NZSO’s tour of Australia in 1974 with Kiri te Kanawa and Michael Houston.

Wilf has recently visited England to see hisnewly bornfirst grandchild, Tara, and was invited by his Kiwi tramping friends to join them on the "Alternative Coast-to-CoastWalk", from Arnside in the West - just below the Lake District,to Saltburn-by-the-Sea, just north of Whitby. The group covered the 184 kilometre trek in nine days.

During the visit Wilf celebrated his my 79th birthday with what he describes as the best fish and chips on the planet - Haddock, at Whitby.

After returning home Wilf completed the Tongoriro Crossing, starting at Mangatepopo, reporting that he survived - just!

Recent deaths

* We extend our condolences to the families of the following Old Boys –

Evan Raymond Wilson Nesbit (1936), died at the Montecillo Veterans’ Home in Dunedin on 12th November 2007, aged 86.

Jim (James Alfred Alexander) Hood (1956-57) BSc, MDS, FRACDS, FADM, FNZDA, died in Dunedin on 18th November 2007, aged 69. Jim was an Emeritus Professor of the Otago University’s School of Dentistry. He was also holder of the ED (Efficiency Decoration) for his service to the New Zealand Territorial Army. Jim was the father of David Hood (1982-86) and Lyndon Hood (1989-93).

Ivan James Alfred Stevenson (1941-41), died in Timaru on 20th November, aged 82.

Douglas Kirk (1975-78), died in Invercargill on 20th November, aged 46. Douglas was the twin brother of Ewan Kirk (1975-79).

John (Harry John) Grimsey (1974-76), died in Dunedin on 27th November 2007.

Bernard Charles Wanty (1940-44), died in Christchurch on 2nd December 2007.

Allan Duncan Mackenzie (1940-44), died in Dunedin on 6th December 2007, aged 81. Allan was the father of Duncan Mackenzie (1973), Angus Mackenzie (1973-75) and Duguld Mackenzie (1974-77).

* We also extend our sympathies to –

Tonio de Bono (1970) whose father Frank died in Dunedin on 27th October 2007.

Rod Stanley (1976-78) and Daryl Stanley (1977) upon the death of their brother Brent in Dunedin on 10th November 2007.

Trevor Beaton (1964-68) and Ernie Beaton (1948-52) upon the death of John, their father and brother respectively. John died in Christchurch on 13th November 2007.

Allan Cockburn (1959-63) and Neill Cockburn (1964-67) whose father Mick died in Dunedin on 17th November 2007.

Scott Graham (1967-69) and Warwick Graham (1968-70) whose father Ron died in Dunedin on 25th November 2007.

Raman Flawn (1974-78) whose mother Pat died in Dunedin on 29th November 2007.

Robin Bates (1969-70), Tom Bates (1996-2000) and Henry Bates (1998-2002) whose mother and grandmother Florence died in Ranfurly on 1st December 2007.

Martin Craig (1971-76) whose father Roger died in Dunedin on 30th November 2007.

Stephen Braid (1964-67) and Ken Braid (1970-72) whose father Ron died in Christchurch on 1st December 2007.

Peter Stechman (1954-56) whose mother Ruby died in Mosgiel on 3rd December 2007.

Steve Davie

Chief Executive