Newsletter - March 2007

11/03/2007

Annual Foundation Golf Tournament

The second annual Foundation golf tournament was hosted in perfect conditions on Dunedin’s St Clair course on Friday, 2nd March.

A near capacity field of 96 enjoyed mild and calm conditions, which were a far cry from last year’s Force 10 southerly, with scoring much improved as a result.

Staged again in association with Colin Strang Financial Services as the naming rights sponsor, the tournament saw Old Boys – young and older – mixing it up with a number of friends and colleagues from other schools around the region as rivalries from yesteryear were reignited for a few hours prior to a congenial after match function.

It was especially pleasing to host Professor Brian Merrilees (1952-56), Emeritus Professor of French at the University of Toronto, who has committed to making it back to New Zealand to play in next year’s tournament. Maurice Matthews (1960-65), now based in Timaru, also entered a team; Dave Cochrane (1965-69), also based in Timaru represented Steve Little (1968-69), who had sponsored a hole through the Royal Hotel; and Scott Ede (1998-2002) brought a team in from Central Otago – and those fellows certainly enjoyed themselves.

The winners of last year’s inaugural contest, Kiwi Mortgage Market Ltd, again took top honours. Playing off a handicap of 6.375, the KMM team shot a net 53.625, almost four and a half shots better than last year’s winning effort.

Second this year was the Hope & Sons team (55.375, playing off a handicap of 7.635) and third spot went to the National Bank (Business Banking) quartet (56.125, playing off 4.875).

The Foundation is indebted to Colin Strang Financial Services, all hole sponsors and to those involved in the provision of prizes. Sponsoring holes this year were: Radio Dunedin, Sharpies Golf Otago, Larnach Castle, ABN AMRO Craigs, Taylor McLachlan, Brooker Travel, Harvie Green Wyatt, Cableways Tavern & Liquorland, Kiwi Mortgage Market Ltd, The Brothers Boutique Hotel, Hope & Sons, Clarke Craw, Otago Daily Times, GS McLauchlan & Co, The Royal Hotel (TImaru), PriceWaterhouseCoopers, National Bank (Business Banking) and HRV Otago Southland Ltd.

Our prize sponsors were: Radio Dunedin, The Brothers Boutique Hotel, Sharpies Golf Otago, Cables Tavern & Liquorland, The Usher Group, DB Breweries, The Customhouse, Konica Minolta and Leith Liquorland.

School news

* Wednesday was a red letter day for the school’s Rector, Clive Rennie, with his election as the Chairman of the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Sports Council.

The Council is made up of Principals who represent regional Principals’ Associations and whose function is to oversee and act as guardian of the heritage and values of secondary school sport for all students.

It is the first time since the councils formation in 1992 that the Chairman has come from the South Island. Mr Rennie has been a member of the Council for seven years, first representing Canterbury (1998-2000) and Otago since 2002.

* A team of 50 staff and pupils took part in the 2007 Relay for Life in late-February, raising well in excess of $2,000 for the Otago branch of the Cancer Society.

The relay, where several thousand participants walked, ran or crawled their way around a grass track on the Highlanders’ training ground at Logan Park over a 24 hour period, generated somewhere close to $300,000 for cancer research with all money raised staying in the province.

This year’s event was especially meaningful with Otago Boys’ staff and pupils able to celebrate the successful treatment for cancer last year of Rector Clive Rennie and Sue Jones, from the school’s office administration team.

Those involved also remembered former staff and administration members who lost their individual battles with the disease – Peter Warwick (1985), John Adamson (1998), Alan Coldicott (2005) and Heather Spicer (2006).

* The first interschools of the year have been contested, Otago Boys' hosting Christ's College in late-February and Waitaki Boys in early-March.

Results against Christ’s were:

Golf - 10 nil to Otago Boys'.

Tennis - 27-1 to Christ's.

1st XI cricket - a four wicket win to Christ's. Scores: Otago Boys' 138 (Hayden Miller 29, Ben Main 24) and 214 (Ciaran McMeeken 80, Hayden Miller 24); Christ's 175 (Tom Rutherford 4/48) and 178/6 (Ferg McRae (3/53).

And against Waitaki Boys’:

Tennis – 15 -6 to Waitaki

1st XI cricket – an eight wicket win to Waitaki. Scores: Otago Boys’ 110 (George Spittle 32) and 194 (Tom Rutherford 40, Ferg McRae 33); Waitaki Boys’ 237 (Blair Tarrant 3/59, Hayden Miller 2/18) and 74/2.

2nd XI – a 102 run win to Waitaki. Scores: Waitaki 20 (Connor O’Fee 6/9) and 257; Otago Boys’ 112 and 60.

* The Parents Association will stage a Silent Auction on Friday, June 15th.

This event will be staged in the Shand with funds raised to go towards the upkeep of the school van and various school resources.

Tickets (at $5) will be available from the school office over the next few weeks, and both entertainment and refreshments will make the night well worthwhile.

Foundation members

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

Peter Rollo (1967-69) – Old Boys’

Doug Harvie (1971-75) – Old Boys’

Lyndon Hope (1984-88) – Old Boys’

Lindsay McLachlan (1970-73) – Fellow

John Sanders (1968-72) – Old Boys’

Old Boys’ bowls

The annual Old Boys’ versus King’s lawn bowls tussle will be played on the Tainui greens on Wednesday 4th April with reporting time set at 1p.m.

Whites are to be worn and the fixture will go ahead, wet or fine.

Those interested in playing should contact Bill Butler on 03/4675667.

Old Boys’ news

Terrific news this week with the naming of three former pupils in international sporting selections.

Greg Henderson (1990-94) will ride for the T-Mobile professional road cycling team in this year’s Giro g’Italia, this tour second only to the legendary Tour de France in prestige and as a test of endurance. Greg, already a world track champion, has generated a number of podium finishes for T-Mobile and is rated highly on the pro circuit.

The tour begins on the island of Caprera on May 12th and finishes in Milan on June 3rd.

And rowers Hamish Bond (1999-2003) and Carl Meyer (1995-99) have been named in the New Zealand coxed four for the world championships in Munich in August. Hamish, Head Boy in 2003, will stroke the four.

Both have excelled internationally in recent times with the four seen as a definite medal contender.

Where are they now?

* Jonathan Hyslop (2003-04) has taken a different pathway to most of his fellow leavers and it’s just as well he enjoys a crowd.

At the start of last year Jonathan began studies at the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Perth, Western Australia where he successfully completed a Discipleship Training Course.

This comprised a three-month lecture phase with an international speaker teaching on a new topic each week. After the three months in the classroom, Jonathan was then posted on a four-month outreach phase where he was dispatched to downtown Cairo, Egypt’s biggest and busiest city which has a population of more than 11 million. Cairo is actually the most populated city on the African continent.

His team was involved in helping out with community development, in local churches, teaching English and assisting at an orphanage, where a large colourful mural was painted in the children’s dull playing area.

After a four-month stint working back in New Zealand, Jonathan is now back in Perth on the YWAM staff involved with a Discipleship Training Course of 107 students from all around the world.

He is also involved in a two-year Basic Leadership School which will see him leading teams on mission trips to various countries, India being the first port of all later this month. Jonathan will be based in Hyderabad (population of more than seven million) and heading out on various ventures from there. He leaves Perth for India at the end of March with the posting for three months.

Additional information about Jonathan’s pathway can be found on the Perth YWAM website on: www.ywamperth.org.au/ypdts/ and old school mates can contact him on his email address - Pablo.blue@gmail.com

* Old Boys John Sanders (1968-72, Associate Fellow of the Foundation) and Richard Morgan (1969-73) are hard at work training for this month’s senior World Curling Championships in Canada.

John, who farms at Matangi Station near Alexandra, was part of the 2005 senior team (50 and over) which was the first senior selection from these shores to win a match at world championship level. That team, in fact, took four games at the champs in Scotland and was extremely close to playing for a medal. The match against England, dropped by a solitary shot, ended those chances.

For Richard, who farms near Omakau, the trip will be his first in the senior ranks.

The 2006 event will be contested at the Thistle Curling Club in Edmonton, Alberta with New Zealand up against Canada, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Ireland and Finland. Two matches are scheduled each day scheduled with the first against Switzerland on 26th March.

While much of the funding required for the trip has been raised by the players, Merino New Zealand has assisted by way of supplying the players with dress jackets and pure merino wool Icebreaker playing gear.

The team leaves in the next few days and will have a week’s training in Vernon, British Columbia.

* Wallace Woodley (1950-1954) - QSO, MusB(Hons), BMus(London), FTCL, ARCM, LRAM, ARCO, LRSM, FIRMT - lives in Christchurch where he is in demand as a teacher of Piano Performance and Theory of Music.

During the latter years of his attendance at Otago Boys’ High School he was the school pianist. Four years of music study at Otago University followed, in the course of which he won the Charles Begg Scholarship in Music and the Jennie Macandrew Prize, before he graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree (with Honours) and was appointed for a short time to the staff of the Music Department as a Part-time Assistant Lecturer.

In 1959 Wallace was awarded a three-year overseas scholarship at the Royal College of Music in London, the Robert Parker Memorial Bursary (from the New Zealand Music Teachers’ Registration Board) and a two-year New Zealand Government Music Bursary. During his time at the RCM he studied piano performance, teaching and accompaniment, organ, harpsichord, conducting and composition, and gained a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of London. He served as Piano Accompanist for the RCM Choral Class, and was President of the RCM Christian Union. In 1961 he was awarded the Robert Ffennell Prize for musical excellence and was appointed a member of the Teaching Staff of the Junior College. In that year also, Novello & Co published one of his compositions, a four-part anthem for women’s voices.

During the years 1955-1962, Wallace was awarded eight separate professional music diplomas: in Piano Teaching, Piano Performance, Piano Accompaniment, Organ and Composition.

In 1962 he was awarded the Philip Neil Memorial Grant from Otago University and undertook some part-time classroom teaching of music at Cray Valley Boys’ Technical College in Sidcup, Kent.

He returned to New Zealand at the end of that year and took a position on the staff of Riccarton High School, Christchurch, as a specialist in music, remaining there for two years. From 1963-66 he was a member of the teaching staff of the Christchurch School of Instrumental Music and Organist/Choirmaster at Upper Riccarton Methodist Church. That same year he began a period of nine years as Piano Accompanist for the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, and in succeeding years provided the harpsichord continuo part in 23 annual performances given by the RCMS of Bach’s St Matthew Passion (most broadcast nationwide).

He became a Registered Music Teacher in piano, organ and theory and began a career in full-time private music teaching in 1965. Since then he has taught over 750 pupils at all levels with 285 successfully completing various diplomas and 77 becoming registered music teachers. His students have won many national and local awards and prizes.

In the mid-1960’s he was accorded the status of National Accompanist for the NZBC, and in 1971 the status of National Artist.

The Durham Street Methodist Church, in May 1967, appointed him Organist/Choir Director, a position he has held now for 40 years. Under his direction, the choir has made a number of commercial recordings and the church services have held a national profile on radio and television.

Throughout the past four decades, he has served the interests of music teachers and music in the community as a member of local and national committees. From 1968 to 1978 he was President of the Christchurch Society of Registered Music Teachers and was elected a Life Member of the Society in 1980. During the years 1986 to 1994 he was President of the Institute of Registered Music Teachers of New Zealand; in 1986 he was elected a Fellow of the Institute; in 1995 he was elected a Life Member of the Institute. When the Examinations Board of the Institute was constituted in 1993, he was appointed Principal Examiner and oversaw the introduction and early history of the Institute’s Diploma (DipIRMT). He retired from that responsibility in 1997, but has continued to examine for the IRMT Examinations Board from time to time.

For twenty-one years from 1970, Wallace was a member of the Executive of the Christchurch Civic Music Council, serving as Chairman from 1981 until 1989 and being elected a Life Member of the Council in 1990. For many years he was active as convenor of the committees organising the National Concerto Competition and the early fund-raising for the Christchurch Town Hall’s Rieger Pipe Organ (opened in 1997).

As an examiner of practical performance for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music from 1991 until 2005, he visited more than 70 venues around New Zealand and undertook a tour in the United Kingdom in 1996.

In addition to teaching, being an organist, a choir director, and an examiner, he has been regularly employed as a recitalist and accompanist on piano, organ and harpsichord, a conductor, a lecturer, an adjudicator, and a composer.

In June 2003 he was appointed a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order (QSO) for Community Service.

He married Beverley (née Chirnside, also from Dunedin) in 1964 and the couple have three children and seven grandchildren.

* Roger Pitchforth (1955-56) - MNZM, BA, LLB, MBA (Hons) FAMINZ (Arb/Med) FCIArb Arbitrator, Adjudicator and Mediator – spent just two years at Otago Boys’ High School, leaving at the end of his fourth form to finish his secondary education at Christchurch Boys High.

Roger completed a law degree at Victoria University and was practising in the Wairarapa (Carterton) during the 1970s.

In 1979, he began a university career at Massey University, starting as a senior lecturer in Business Law before establishing the Dispute Resolution Centre in the early 1990s. During his time as the Director, the Centre provided an internationally recognised programme for the training of arbitrators, mediators and latterly adjudicators.

Roger has written articles, books and provided conference papers on dispute resolution in America, Europe and Asia.

For the last 15 years he has been practising as an arbitrator and mediator, and over the last few years, an adjudicator. He is a Fellow of the Arbitrators' and Mediators' Institute of New Zealand and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK). He is a past President of the Institute.

In 2006 he was awarded an MNZM for services to dispute resolution. Roger retired from the university in 2006 as an Associate Professor and is now in practice as an arbitrator and mediator.

He can be contacted at arbmed ltd, P.O. Box 1536, Paraparaumu Beach 5252. Email: roger@arbmed.co.nz, ‘phone 0274 491 272

Recent deaths

Raymond Charles Barnes (1938), died in Alexandra on 3rd February 2007.

Stuart Masterton Buckley Boyd (1930), died in Wanaka on 14th February 2007, aged 91. Stuart lived for much of his life in Port Chalmers and Dunedin and was a keen skier, being a former manager of national teams.

John Gregory Dew (1944-47), died in Waikato Hospital on 14th February 2007, aged 76. John worked for much of his life as an agent for farm machinery companies and had paid his Old Boys’ Society subscription less than a week before his death.

David William Trainor (1949-54), died in Christchurch on 19th February 2007. David spent much of his working life in the insurance industry. He was a very fine swimmer and water polo player - swimming for Otago between 1949 and 1953, winning a number of championships, and as a water polo player he represented the province for a decade from 1952 and was selected to trial for the proposed New Zealand team for the 1960 Rome Olympics. David also played rugby to Otago under 21 level.

Martin Peter Rutherford (1965-68), died in Dunedin on 22nd February 2007.

Harold Joffre Tyrie (1929-32), died in Maude Hospital, Christchurch, on 22nd February 2007, aged 91. Harold represented New Zealand at the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney where he finished 6th in the 440 yards track final. He was a three-times national 440 yards champion (1935/36, 1938/39 and again in 1939/40) and also represented Otago in two representative rugby matches – the first in 1938 and the second in 1941, playing out of the Southern Club in Dunedin on both occasions.

Brian Michael Anthony Hey (1942), died at Dunstan Hospital on 27th February 2007, aged 78. For many years Brian was the New Zealand Cement Holdings quarry manager in Dunedin.

We also extend our sympathy to –

Chris Mustchin (1977-81) and Bruce Mustchin (1979-83) whose father Bill died on 23rd February 2007.

Brian Arnott (1979-84) and Andrew Arnott (1983-87) whose father-in-law Doug Legg died on 28th February 2007.

Luke Brammall (1995-98) whose brother Matt died in an accident on 1st March 2007.

John Tisdall (1980-84), James Tisdall (1985 -89) and Patrick Tindall (1987-91) whose father Bob died on 2nd March 2007.

Norcombe Barker (1982-86) whose father Barry died on 2nd March 2007.

Hans Kraak (1971-73) whose father John died on 3rd March 2007.

Roger Kan (1947-52), Neville Kan (1949-53), Reginald Kan (1951-53) and Desmond Kan (1958-62) whose father Wing Kai Kan died on 5th March 2007, aged 103.

Dale McEwan (1988-92) and Brent McEwan (1998-99) whose brother Michael died in an accident on 5th March 2007.

And an apology to David Ellis (1947-49). I noted in last month’s newsletter his mother Joan had died in early-January. Joan was in fact David’s wife. Once again I apologise for the error.

Steve Davie

Chief Executive