Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association

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Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association
Rock Runner
The magazine of the Rathkeale Old Boys’ Association
                                                          Volume 24
                                                      December 2019
Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association
Editorial                                                                                                                        Rathkeale Old Boys’ Association
GRANT HARPER (1967-71)                                                                                                           GRANT HARPER (1967-71) - President

T                                                                                                                                W
          he findings of the             Over the years, Rock Runner                     ROBA Executive &                                      ith hindsight, 2019        the day which resulted in a win to      dinner at the Masterton Club.
          questionnaire sent out         has sought to offer something                                                                         has been a successful      the College – their second victory
          to Old Boys earlier in         for everyone. In doing so, I am                 Regional Committee                                    and productive year,       against ROBA over the past decade.      As the year drew to a close, further
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  functions were held in the Wairarapa
          the year proved to be          grateful to those who feed through              Representatives                                       one that hopefully has
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  in association with a Wairarapa Bush
          both interesting and           suggestions and the articles                                                            further enhanced the effectiveness of    Queen’s Birthday weekend heralded
informative. Whilst no organisation      which fill our pages, and which                                                         the Old Boys’ Association.               another round of Decade Reunions        match and in Wellington in late
can expect to be all things to all       hopefully help to maintain our                                                                                                   and again reinforced the fact that      November. Others are planned for
                                                                                          John Taylor        Patron              At the heart of ROBA, the Executive      this is a welcome opportunity for the   early December in Christchurch and
people, it was excellent to gain much    connectedness to the school and
positive feedback and to know that       to each other. Further suggestions               Grant Harper       President           has worked hard and with purpose         rekindling of old acquaintances. The    late December in Melbourne. The
the efforts of the Executive are well    and contributions will always be                                                        to achieve the various goals set by      1979 Facilitators, Stephen Foster and   Executive is aware that such events
                                                                                          Edward Cox         Vice President/
received by many.                        welcome.                                                            Secretary           the Strategic Plan. Key office holders   Peter Hausmann, take the prize for      need to be strongly encouraged and
                                                                                                             Wellington          have remained unchanged with             attracting Old Boys from all around     a concerted effort to activate Old
The experiences of students at any       Certainly, as Old Boys we are a                                                         Edward Cox (1983-1987) as Vice           the world to what was a very special    Boys in the South Island will occur
                                                                                          Scott Andrew       Treasurer
school vary greatly and Rathkeale is     diverse bunch. Recent attendees at                                                      President/Secretary, Scott Andrew        weekend. The efforts of the other       in 2020.
                                                                                                             Wairarapa
no exception. All Old Boys will have     the Decade Reunions represented                                                         (1989-1993) as Treasurer and             facilitators are also acknowledged:
things in common, but there are          a wide range of interests, lifestyles            Blair Ewington     Executive/          Blair Ewington (1984-1988) looking       Lawrence Cheetham (1969), Sam           In keeping with tradition, this year’s
many other aspects of school life that   and occupations in many countries                                   Facebook/Database   after Most/Facebook. Fortunately,        Hepburn and Rupert Handyside            Founders’ Day was held in late
are not universally shared. Some         and yet all blended as one, once back                               Wairarapa
                                                                                                                                 Stuart McKenzie (1979-1982) and          (1999) and Bevan Saywell (2009). We     August (Rathkeale’s Foundation
loved their College years and others     inside the gates. This edition of the            Richard Donworth Executive             Richard Donworth (1982-1986) have        now look forward to the 2020 event      plaque was unveiled on School
did not. For some, sport or boarding     Rock Runner contains some of their                                Wairarapa             remained on the local committee          with some anticipation and thank        House by Sir Bernard Fergusson
were highlights but for others they      stories and hopefully will inspire                                                      where they are joined by Tristan         those facilitators who stepped into     on August 20th 1963). Old Boy
                                                                                          Stuart McKenzie    Executive
are best described as nightmares.        others to contribute in similar ways                                                    Armitage (1992-1994) and three           the role some months ago.               Clive Akers, ONZM (1967-1971),
                                                                                                             Wairarapa
                                         in the future.                                                                          young bloods, Jock Cameron (2007-                                                was this year’s guest speaker and
Not surprisingly, the Rock Runner                                                         Jacob Smith        Executive
                                                                                                                                 2011), Jacob Smith (2006-2010) and       In the regions, successful gatherings   was well-received by an attentive
will sometimes struggle to be            Grant Harper                                                        Wairarapa                                                    have been well-supported.               audience as he spoke about his
                                                                                                                                 David Pereira (2007-2011). From
all things to all people. As the         Editor                                           Jock Cameron       Executive           afar, we have enjoyed regular feed       Auckland Old Boys were joined           school days, involvement with the
questionnaire revealed, some want                                                                            Wairarapa           into our Skype meetings from David       by their St Matthew’s counterparts      New Zealand Rugby Museum and
more about the school in 2019 while                                                       Tristan Armitage   Executive           Aitken (1979-1983) in Auckland           early in the year when an excellent     his ongoing life as a significant
others are only interested in news of                                                                        Wairarapa           and Julius Capilitan (1997-2000) in      evening at the Parnell Tennis Club      author and historian. At the same
their cohort.                             ROCK RUNNER 2019
                                                                                                                                 Wellington. Also helping at regional     was attended by John and Sarah          assembly, Dr Angela Kelly was
                                                                                          David Pereira      Executive                                                    Taylor, Bruce and Gwen Levick,          made an Honorary Member of the
                                          Editor: Grant Harper                                               Wairarapa           level are Terry Brailsford (1969-
                                          Typing: Mary Fisher                                                                    1973), Dwayne Smith (1994-1998)          Martin and Sara O’Grady, Grant          Old Boys’ Association following ten
                                          Publication Preparation: Shelley Hancox         Julius Capilitan   Executive           and Michael Caulton (1973-1977) in       Harper and well over one hundred        years of service to the College. In
                                          Design: Pete Monk                                                  Wellington
                                                                                                                                 Auckland, James Treadwell (1983-         past students. We hope the presence     the middle of the year and with the
                                          Printing: Greenlees
                                                                                          David Aitken       Executive           1987), Hamish Gibbs (1979-1983)          of SMOGA will be ongoing at other       assistance of James Treadwell (1983-
                                          Photography: Thanks to all the members of                          Auckland            and Dan Druzianic (1979-1983) in         gatherings in the future.               1987), the Association administered
                                          our school community who kindly supplied                                                                                                                                a questionnaire which sought to
                                          photographs for this edition of Rock Runner.    Terry Brailsford   Auckland            Hawke’s Bay, Simon Manthel (1978-        Hawke’s Bay Old Boys gathered
                                                                                                                                 1979) in Manawatu, George                                                        canvas Old Boys’ thoughts and
                                          Cover Image: Stephen Marsh & Procure            Dwayne Smith       Auckland                                                     on the side-line of the Rathkeale/      ideas about ROBA and its operation.
                                                                                                                                 Pottinger (1969-1971) and Sam            Lindisfarne winter fixture in
                                          CONTRIBUTIONS                                   Michael Caulton    Auckland            Johnson (2001-2005) in Canterbury.                                               We were grateful for the extent to
                                                                                                                                                                          Hastings at the end of July and later   which people responded and look
                                          The Editor thanks all those who contributed     Jamie Treadwell    Hawke's Bay         Their willing participation is           retired to Jarks for a very convivial
                                          articles and images to the Rock Runner. We                                             gratefully received. We also                                                     forward to implementing some new
                                          are always glad to receive relevant material    Hamish Gibbs       Hawke's Bay                                                  few hours.                              initiatives in the future.
                                                                                                                                 acknowledge the on-going support
                                          for future magazines. This could include
                                          articles, names of likely contributors and      Dan Druzianic      Hawke's Bay         of the Principal.                        Another significant gathering took      The 2019 Leavers’ Dinner in late
                                          obituaries. These should be sent to:            Simon Manthel      Manawatu                                                     place during the winter when the        October was addressed by Old Boy
                                                                                                                                 The year began with the annual           rugby team that toured Britain and
                                          oldboys@rathkealeoldboys.org.nz
                                                                                          George Pottinger   Canterbury          cricket match between the Old                                                    Stuart Sexton who focused on the
                                                                                                                                                                          Europe in 1989 regrouped after          disabled and resulted in another
                                                                                                                                 Boys and the School. Again, we           thirty years and spent an enjoyable
                                                                                          Sam Johnson        Canterbury                                                                                           very good intake of new Association
                                                                                                                                 are grateful to Shay O’Gorman            weekend together on the 1st XV
                                                                                          Philip Harcourt    United Kingdom      (1988-1992) for his organisation of                                              members.
                                                                                                                                                                          side-line, in old haunts and over
Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association
The launch of a new ROBA website
in October was another major step
forward and we will welcome Old
                                                                                                       Rathkeale Board of Trustees
Boys’ ability to update their contact                                                                  Chairman of the Rathkeale College Board of Trustees George Murdoch
details online in the future. I
anticipate that this will become a                                                                     reports on the Board's work in 2019.
vital kernel within the life of the
Association going forward.

                                                                                                         G
The value of the MOST data base                                                                                      reetings from the Rathkeale        Rathkeale as ‘Gert’, retired as Matron of
continues to increase markedly                                                                                       Board of Trustees. It is fair      Rugby House. Although she was a reluctant
and owes much to the input of                                                                                        to say 2019 has been a year        participant, Gert was given a fitting farewell
Blair Ewington as he chases down                                                                                     of challenges at Rathkeale         at Rathkeale in the middle of the year.
missing contact details. The number                                                                                  College.
of active email addresses has now                                                                                                                       Last year I mentioned that the Trinity
neared 2000.                                                                                           In January, the Government released              Schools Trust Board had developed a
                                                                                                       its Review of Tomorrow’s Schools.                comprehensive program to address the
Perhaps because of the relative                                                                        Proposals in the review have far reaching        capital development requirements across
youthfulness of most Old Boys,                                                                         consequences for the education sector and,       all the Trinity Schools. Unfortunately, this
our investment in Notice, Match                                                                        in particular, State Integrated Schools such     plan was thrown into disarray when final
has been of minimal worth this           ROBA Executive Members Richard Donworth and Stuart McKenzie   as Rathkeale. To me, the review creates          engineering reports on the Trust House
year. However, the passings of Pat                                                                     another bureaucracy to take over a number        Auditorium showed it was well below
Lee (staff), Craig McBride (staff),                                                                    of the functions of existing Boards of           the required building code standard for its intended use and had to
Finn Yeats (ROBA), Gary Harwood                                                                        Trustees. Of real concern is the potential       close immediately. Subsequent engineering work has shown there
(ROBA), Zac Patterson (ROBA),                                                                          for these changes to override the Board’s        is significant structural work required to bring it up to standard.
Andrew Voss (ROBA), Robert                                                                             and school’s ability to deliver on its Special   This substantial and unforeseen cost has necessitated a major
Jennens (ROBA), Ted Dashfield and                                                                      Character. The Rathkeale Board, along with       reprioritisation of the capital spend across all sites over the next five
Frederica Hamilton during the year                                                                     hundreds of others, made a submission            years. Despite this, the reroofing of School House has been completed
are acknowledged.                                                                                      on the review following the consultation         and the renovation of Repton House is still planned to proceed in the
                                                                                                       period; the final shape of the proposed          next 12 months. In addition to this, plans are being developed for the
Financially, the Association is strong                                                                 reforms is still to be determined.               long overdue upgrade of day student facilities on the campus. The
despite its reliance on Leavers’ subs                                                                                                                   required reprioritisation has, however, resulted in a rethink of the
as the sole source of income. That                                                                     On a positive note, there remains strong         scale and design of the new gymnasium and how it will fit within the
strength has enabled the Executive                                                                     interest in Rathkeale College as a provider      financial constraints we now face.
to institute an annual Old Boys’                                                                       of an holistic educational experience for
Scholarship to the College. It will                                                                    young men. This interest has led us to           The closure of the auditorium, whilst necessary, created huge
only be available to sons of Old                                                                       apply to the Ministry of Education for an        disruption to the running of the College and I commend the staff and
Boys.                                                                                                  amendment to our Integration Agreement           the students for the way they have adapted to not having access to
                                                                                                       to allow an increase in our boarding roll to     this key facility.
The Ruamahanga Restoration Trust                                                                       better accommodate this demand. At the
is closely aligned to both the College   Ross Hunt and Lawrence Cheetham
                                                                                                       time of writing, we were still awaiting their    A recent highlight for the College was the Ordination and Installation
and the Old Boys’ Association. We                                                                      response.                                        of Waitohiariki Quayle as the Second Bishop of Te Upoko o te Ika.
acknowledge their enthusiasm                                                                                                                            This event created history as Bishop Quayle became the first Maori
and commitment to the future                                                                           Rathkeale Principal Martin O’Grady is now        woman and first New Zealand-born woman of any denomination
of the special environment that                                                                        in his second year at the helm and with          to become a Bishop in New Zealand. The event proved to be a great
is Rathkeale and the Wairarapa.                                                                        the support of the Board is implementing         opportunity to strengthen our ties with the Anglican Church and to
                                                                                                       changes within the school and how we             showcase Rathkeale College on a spectacular Spring day to a large
Suffice to say, ROBA, guided by                                                                        market ourselves to prospective students         audience from all over New Zealand.
its strategic plan and enhanced by                                                                     and their families. Change for many of us
the enthusiasm of many members,                                                                        is challenging, as we have to leave behind       As we go forward into 2020, I am reminded of the increasing
remains a valid and increasingly                                                                       the familiar things we know and embrace          challenges we face in preparing our young people to navigate the
vital organisation.                                                                                    the challenges of the unknown. The               challenges and pressures they face growing up in today’s society. To
                                                                                                       Board is confident that these changes will       do this we have to continue to evolve what we deliver and how we
Grant Harper                                                                                                                                            deliver it. It is a challenge I strongly believe Rathkeale College is up
President                                                                                              enhance the way we deliver the curriculum
                                                                                                       in the future.                                   for.

                                                                                                       On the people front, this year we said           George Murdoch
                                                                                                       farewell to a longstanding servant of the        Chairman, Rathkeale Board of Trustees
                                                                                                       Rathkeale establishment. Lenora White,
                                         2019 Decade Reunion Friday evening.
                                                                                                       better known to many who boarded at
Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association
Principal’s Report                                                                                                         The Executive
Principal MARTIN O'GRADY shares his thoughts on the past year at Rathkeale
                                                                                                                           We profile some of the men who serve you on the ROBA Executive.
College.

I
      t is a pleasure to write my second report for the Rock Runner                                                        Jacob Smith (2006-2010)
      which signals that I have spent almost two years at Rathkeale

                                                                                                                           J
      as Principal. Certainly, this year many things are starting to
      look and feel more familiar and I have enjoyed meeting more                                                                acob, a proud Wairarapa man through and
of the ROBA community at various events around New Zealand.                                                                      through, has grown up on a longstanding
                                                                                                                                 family farm just south of Martinborough. Son
The Decade Reunions this year were a very enjoyable experience.                                                                  of 1982 Head Boy, Pete Smith, Jacob was always
Many Old Boys made the comment to me that it was their first                                                                     set to come through Rathkeale College. After a
time back at their old school. It is nice to know that events like the                                                     colourful education at Martinborough School, Jacob
Decade Reunions provide an opportunity for Old Boys to return to                                                           found himself boarding at Rathkeale for the extent of
their old College. In every case, they were thrilled at the way the                                                        his college days.
school was progressing and many were astounded at how much
the trees had grown! For some, this had special significance as                                                            Jake enjoyed immersing himself in many of the
they had actually planted them in the late 1960s and early 1970s.                                                          differing facets of school life at Rathkeale. He was
                                                                                                                           a keen sportsman and enjoyed his time with both
Someone once said that the one constant in schools today is                                                                the 1st XI cricket and 1st XV rugby. He relished his
change. This has been particularly noticeable this year at both a                                                          time in the boarding house with like-minded peers
New Zealand national education level but also within our school                                                            and was proud to become Head of Repton House
as we seek to gain improvements for the teaching and learning of                                                           under Deon Van Deventer. However, his proudest
our students.                                                                                                              achievement was the opportunity to lead the School
It has been heartening to experience an increase in demand for                                                             as Deputy Head Boy in 2010.
places at Rathkeale College and this will see us start next year with                                                      On leaving Rathkeale, Jake headed for a Gap year
a significant increase in our roll and most of this increase has been                                                      at Paarl Boys’ High School in Paarl, Western Cape,
in boarding enrolments which is particularly pleasing.                                                                     South Africa. He found the culture and people
I am constantly amazed by the talents and achievements of our                                                              absolutely amazing, as was the level of school rugby
current students and trust that our Old Boys are aware and proud                                                           and cricket he was a part of coaching.
of their achievements. Outstanding results across academia, sport        Boys can achieve.                                                                                            move were the many friends, family and activities the
                                                                                                                           He arrived home after a year away with his heart set       beautiful Wairarapa has to offer. Whilst he has been, in
and the performing arts continue to bring us an enormous amount          I am excited by the drive and enthusiasm of       on attending Lincoln University to study Agricultural
of pride. Added to this are recent successes by our Old Boys which                                                                                                                    his own words, too useless to drag the footy boots back
                                                                         the ROBA committee. They are genuinely            Science and to begin his journey towards following in      on, he has thoroughly enjoyed coaching the Rathkeale
are well reported in Gravel, the ROBA Facebook page and this             committed to advancing the College and            his father’s footsteps as a farmer. Unfortunately, prior
publication. This all adds to the fabric of the school and gives us a                                                                                                                 U15 White side to a semi-final position and got a lot
                                                                         bring a special and unique perspective to the     to his departure south, the Christchurch earthquakes       out of contributing to the next crop of “Good Rathkeale
great sense of value and pride in the College.                           College—a perspective that all successful         occurred and Jake re-evaluated and quickly found           Men”. He also turns his hand at social cricket where his
As our College becomes older so will the importance of the ROBA.         schools in New Zealand have. My wife Sara         himself studying Agricultural Science at Massey            team,“The Mighty Coasties”, featuring many other Old
I would like to pay tribute to the members for their ongoing             and I feel very fortunate to be associated with   University, Palmerston North, where he eventually          Boys have been back-to-back champions for the past
support of the College, in particular the ROBA Executive led by          Rathkeale College and look forward to 2020        graduated. It is a move he certainly doesn’t regret.       two years. Hunting, fishing and socialising take up the
President Grant Harper and Secretary Edward Cox. Often, at the           with real excitement.                                                                                        majority of his other spare time.
                                                                                                                           Looking to add a few more strings to his bow before
end of a long and busy day, these gentlemen put aside many hours         Martin O'Grady                                    turning his hand to farming back in Martinborough,
in the evening to meet from all around New Zealand and plan and                                                                                                                       Jake joined the ROBA Executive, along with two of his
                                                                         Principal                                         Jake has been happily employed as a Forage and             peers from their flat, Jock Cameron and David Pereira. He
organise events for the benefit of all Old Boys. I trust that they                                                         Cropping Advisor by H&T Agronomics for the
know that their efforts are appreciated by all of us.                                                                                                                                 enjoys working with a good mix of Old Boys from many
                                                                                                                           last five years since graduating from Massey in            different professions on the committee and cites been
I particularly enjoyed the visit this year from Mr Clive Akers on                                                          2014. He has worked around various regions of the          able to encourage the younger generation of Old Boys to
Founders' Day. He spoke to our current students about his time at                                                          North Island, engaging and interacting with clients,       partake in some events as one of his main drivers.
Rathkeale and then his experiences and achievements over the rest                                                          building his knowledge and enjoying many differing
of his life. Many of the boys were struck by his humility, and his                                                         farm systems.
gifting to the school of two of his most recent books was certainly                                                        Jake arrived home in the middle of 2017 to become
special. I look forward to meeting many more Old Boys like Clive                                                           the local rep for H&T. The main drivers behind this
Akers who can show our current students what Rathkeale Old
Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association
David Pereira (2007-2011)                                                                                                             Jock Cameron (2007-2011)

D                                                                                                                                     J
             avid — pictured below, standing on the                       In 2012, he moved south to Dunedin and spent three               ock Cameron grew up on the family
             far right— is one of the new faces on the                    and a half years studying Applied Science and Sport and          farm in the Wairarapa. Before
             ROBA Executive, having strayed into last                     Exercise at the Otago Institute of Sport. This culminated        Rathkeale, he attended Hadlow
             year’s AGM.                                                  in a Bachelor of Applied Science and Level Four Sport            Primary School for four years and
                                                                          and Exercise.                                                    was destined for Rathkeale, as his late
His relatively recent school days had him living                                                                                      father, Hamish Cameron, was an Old Boy.
in Cranleigh and being Deputy Head of Blake. He                           By 2015, he was back in Masterton and flatting with
cherished the opportunity to lead the school haka                         fellow Old Boys, Jock Cameron and Phil Tuoro. For a         Jock started as a day boy but then switched
and relished his time with the 1st XV and 2nd XI                          period, he worked for Trade and Commerce assisting          to boarding at Cranleigh House in his
cricket. He also served as Chapel Prefect.                                young people who had abandoned the conventional             second year after the family farm sold and
                                                                                                      school system. Four             he moved further up the Whangaehu Valley.
                                                                                                      years in retail with the        With a big change in lifestyle, the boarding
                                                                                                      Power Shop preceded             house was the perfect fit at the time and
                                                                                                      his current employment          meant he could be more involved with
                                                                                                      with the Ministry of Social     the school by getting stuck into numerous
                                                                                                      Development.                    sporting codes and his studies. He had the
                                                                                                                                      honour of becoming Deputy Head of his
                                                                                                      David is enjoying his time      boarding house in his final year and playing
                                                                                                      on the Executive and was        for both the 1st XV rugby and the 1st XI
                                                                                                      central to the Old Boys’        cricket.
                                                                                                      gathering that coincided
                                                                                                      with the Wairarapa Bush/        With family roots deep in agriculture, this
                                                                                                      Horowhenua Kapiti rugby         would be Jock's area he would explore            At work in the Rathkeale yards.

                                                                                                      match and has even found        further, as he finished College and went
                                                                                                      time to occasionally assist     on to Massey University. He managed to
                                                                                                      with coaching rugby at          gain the Beef and Lamb Scholarship and the
                                                                                                      College.                        Sydney Campbell Scholarship for all three
Old Boys gather at the Wairarapa Bush vs Horowhenua Kapiti Rugby match, 2019                                                          years while he completed a Bachelor of Agri
                                                                                                                                      Commerce, majoring in Farm Management.
                                                                                                                                      University was a real highlight for Jock and
Tristan Armitage (2007-2011)                                                                                                          he is glad he continued playing rugby there
                                                                                                                                      and furthering his studies in Palmerston

T
                                                                                                                                      North while making lifelong friends.
               ristan Armitage has been a Financial
               Adviser for the last 10 years and is a                                                                                 In Jock's final year he was offered a job with
               director/shareholder of Umbrella Group                                                                                 John Griffith & Co Ltd back here in the
               (Formerly AMP) in Masterton.                                                                                           Wairarapa as a livestock agent. This was a
                                                                                                                                      good fit as it was where he did the practical
 Prior to working in the Financial Advice industry,                                                                                   work for his university papers. He has been
Tristan spent many years in the hospitality industry                                                                                  working with the company for almost five
as a manager and owner. He also worked for three                                                                                      years now and is well entrenched in the
years as a Business Development Manager at Coca                                                                                       Wairarapa community. Jock is the school's
Cola.                                                                                                                                 stock agent for our few farming hectares
                                                                                                                                      and really enjoys helping the students draft
Locally, Tristan is a committee member on both                                                                                        the stock on the property and teaching them
The Masterton Club, which is one of the oldest                                                                                        about grading prime stock.
clubs in New Zealand, and The Masterton Racing
Club. His favourite pastimes are experiencing                                                                                         Jock continues to play rugby and plays for
hospitality (from the other side of the bar), binge-                                                                                  Gladstone rugby club senior As. Along with       Jock and his sister Emma.
watching the odd TV series and racing and breeding                                                                                    playing, he has taken on coaching and this
thoroughbred racehorses.                                                                                                              year coached the Rathkeale green junior
                                                                                                                                                                                       connections to the school Jock has become part of the Rathkeale
                                                                                                                                      rugby team along with fellow Old Boy Scott
Tristan and his partner Rebecca live in Gladstone                                                                                                                                      Old Boys' Executive and is enjoying being further involved with
                                                                                                                                      Day.
with their greyhound and chickens.                                                                                                                                                     connecting Old Boys back to their roots as he has, which he has
                                                                                                                                      Along with work connections and coaching         found very fulfilling.
Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association
Your Feedback: ROBA Online Survey Results                                                                               Decade Reunions
O
            ne of ROBA’s goals for           function of ROBA is to keep             in 2019;                           Reunion events and gatherings continue to take place at Rathkeale and beyond.
           2019 was to conduct an            members in contact with the
                                                                                 •   are prepared to spend good
           online survey of members.         College, closely followed by
                                                                                     money to attend a ROBA
           We wanted to know                 social events with each other
                                                                                     dinner with a speaker—the
           what members wanted               and networking. Supporting the
                                                                                     average price you are prepared
ROBA to achieve as an organisation.          school financially was ranked
                                                                                     to pay is $63;
Therefore, in August this year we            significantly lower than those
conducted our first ever survey—             first three functions;              •   overwhelmingly want
that we know about—and we were                                                       communications from ROBA to
                                         •   want to hear about other Old
delighted with the results.                                                          arrive by email. That may have
                                             Boys. You want to hear what
                                                                                     been self-selecting, given this
ShapeFirst, a little background.             other members are up to,
                                                                                     was an online survey delivered
ROBA’s vision includes being                 what they have done since
                                                                                     by email, but it reinforces
an energetic and sustainable                 they left school and the special
                                                                                     that the greatest number of
organisation that most former                interests they have followed.
                                                                                     members will have the greatest
Rathkeale pupils want to belong to           School events came third. We
                                                                                     number of interactions with
and, amongst other things, to be a           were interested to note that
                                                                                     ROBA online.
network to benefit Old Boys.                 there was still a significant,
                                             although much lower, interest in    The written answers by
To achieve our goals we have
                                             reading summary of Old Boys’        respondents provided a wide range
adopted a strategic plan—currently
                                             committee meetings!;                of views about what members
2019 to 2022. The plan has an
                                                                                 liked, and did not like, about our
“audacious goal” of having 75%           •   enjoy reading our regular
                                                                                 current annual program of events.
of Old Boys engaging with the                newsletter Gravel—over 87%
                                                                                 There are also interesting, and some
Association once every three                 answered that they read it.
                                                                                 telling, comments about members’
years by 2025. That would be                 Along with this Rock Runner
                                                                                 experiences and memories of school
approximately 1000 Old Boys                  publication, Gravel is our second
                                                                                 life. The most consistent theme was
per year and would represent a               way of communicating with Old
                                                                                 members wanting to hear about the
significant increase from now,               Boys;                                                                         Old Boys from 1969, 79, 99 and 2009 returned to College for Decade Reunions at Queen's Birthday Weekend.
                                                                                 people they were at school with.
depending on your definition of
                                         •   want to communicate with
interaction. To achieve that we                                                  The ROBA Executive reviewed the
                                             other Old Boys, yet over 20%
needed to check what our members                                                 survey results with great interest.
                                             of respondents said they
want and what will make them                                                     We will repeat the survey each
                                             had no contact with other
engage with us.                                                                  year to see whether what we are
                                             members. While at first this was
                                                                                 doing meets with the approval of
With that in mind, we got to work.           surprising, it may reflect that
                                                                                 members. As we plan events and
James Treadwell, a committee                 being an online survey, many
                                                                                 communications, we will check that
member and dab hand at online                of our members who are not in
                                                                                 they reflect what members have
surveys, designed the question               contact with their school friends
                                                                                 said they want in the survey.
structure and sent it to all our             were still willing to receive
known accurate email addresses—at            information from ROBA;              With the commissioning of the new
that stage approximately 1750. We                                                website and electronic publishing,
                                         •   do not always hear of ROBA’s
were unsure of the likely uptake,                                                there are new possibilities in the
                                             social events, with 28% saying
but the first measure of success was                                             future. It may be that the Rock
                                             they had not;
the participation rate: there were 494                                           Runner you receive in years to
respondents meaning that almost          •   have quickly become aware of        come will have content tailored
a third of members that we have              the annual Decade Reunions as       to your cohort of members and
contact with completed the survey.           ROBA’s flagship event, with 75%     feature stories about the people you
When emails can be so quickly                answering positively that they      are most likely to know from school
ignored, it was heartening that so           knew of the event;                  days.
many took the time to complete the       •   support the granting of need-       Thanks again to everyone who
survey.                                      based scholarships above the        completed the survey. We look
The key themes from the survey               current $2000 annual Old Boys’      forward to hearing from you again
responses include that you:                  Entrance Scholarship which is       next year.
                                             being awarded for the first time
•   think that the most important                                                Ed Cox
Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association
1989 Rugby Tour Reunion
It all began in 1987 with the germ of an idea promulgated by the coach of the 1st XV that perhaps
consideration could be given to an overseas tour.

A
           lready fixtures had been
           confirmed with teams
           in the South Island for
           that season but this was
a vastly different proposition.
Michael Fisher, the coach, wanted
to tour the UK and also arrange a
fixture in Europe. This was a quite
revolutionary idea as at that time
teams did not travel as often as they
do in 2019.

One firm resolve was agreed to
and that was that the boys would
actively participate in fundraising
                                                                                                                                        The Tour Team Thirty Years On
and parents would be asked to
contribute a minimum amount
if there was a shortfall. The first
stage was to organise matches                                                                                                           a result of the casual nature of the
and this was no simple task in the                                                                                                      programme it was not definitively
                                          Left to Right: Murray Owles, Matthew Wilton and Joe Nutting
days before email. Michael Fisher                                                                                                       determined how many would turn
drew heavily on the network of                                                                                                          up.
schools which had established
                                          Although the early starts were                        with excitement. The success of the     On the Friday night a nervous
links with Rathkeale through staff
                                          challenging both for the boys and                     tour is another story but suffice to    wait was rewarded as 22 of the
exchanges and tutorships. Once the
                                          for the staff who had to make sure                    say that what followed in June 2019     original team of 25 burst through
basic outline of the tour had been
                                          that the “pickers” were on time and                   is testimony to that.                   the entrance of the Masterton Club
confirmed the gaps were filled in
                                          reasonably awake before they were                                                             where the function was being held.
from referred establishments.                                                                   Some of the former team had
                                          let lose in what they irreverently                                                            Thirty years on, those young men
                                          called “the killing fields”. Other                    maintained close friendships and
One Rathkeale parent was Mick                                                                                                           who had toured together were now
                                          ventures included the painting of                     a casual conversation prompted
Williment who volunteered to use                                                                                                        in middle age with families, living
                                          a church which would have been                        one of the group to take up the
his expertise in sport travel to assist                                                                                                 all over New Zealand and indeed
                                          profitable if one of the boys had not                 suggestion and organise a thirty year
the enterprise by using his contacts                                                                                                    the world, but nothing had changed.
                                          fallen through a skylight which had                   reunion. This time all it required
to organise airline travel, heavily                                                                                                     “Man hugs” were the order of
                                          to be replaced and resulted in a very                 was some research to register the
discounted for the large group, and                                                                                                     the evening and nick names were
                                          small deposit to tour funds.                          email addresses of all the group and
in addition coach travel in the UK                                                                                                      revised. The intervening years fell
                                                                                                three emails in total. The response
and over the Channel to France and                                                                                                      away as the reminiscing went on
                                          In spite of some minor setbacks,                      was phenomenal and enthusiastic.
Switzerland. Mick’s input enabled                                                                                                       into the small hours.On the Saturday
                                          the camaraderie that the various                      One of the recipients said he usually
a budget to be put together so with                                                                                                     evening, a video of the tour and
                                          activities engendered was priceless                   disregards such emails but this was                                             Left to Right: Stuart Denton and Brian Speedy
a goal of $50,000 the fund raising                                                                                                      some of the games was put up on
                                          and later the team talked about the                   different and nothing would have
began.The word was put around                                                                                                           a big screen for the sheer delight of
                                          positive benefits of this time and                    kept him away.
that the boys were willing and                                                                                                          all and the weekend ended with the      The Team
                                          how the group became cohesive
indeed keen to undertake any task                                                               The organisation of the weekend was     group planning to meet again in 2
                                          working toward a common goal.                                                                                                         Campbell Twist (C), Fergus Rutherford (VC), Brendon Judd,
that would result in a profit for the                                                           deliberately kept casual and a Friday   years. The hiatus of 30 years was too
                                          Finally, in mid-December 1989,                                                                                                        Brian Speedy, Euan Percy, Andrew Burnett, Daniel Dobson,
tour. Some of the activities were                                                               evening “meet and greet” followed       long.
                                          the time came for 25 young men to                                                                                                     Jeremy Gray, David Crowley, Joe Nutting, Matthew Wilton,
highly successful and $20,000 alone                                                             by a visit to the school and a small
                                          leave for this great adventure. All                                                                                                   Richard Pickering, Murray Owles, Robert Sarfati, Guy Uttley,
was raised by picking asparagus on                                                              ceremony handing out the Jerseys
                                          the preparation had been completed                                                                                                    David Hume, Bill Francis, Marcus Kynoch, Stuart Denton, Wade
a daily basis early each morning for                                                            to the Fifteen of 2019 and finally
                                          the fitness regime undertaken and                                                                                                     Peryer, Nick Bolton, Guy Didsbury, Struan Buchanan
two months.                                                                                     a dinner on the Saturday evening
                                          whatever lay ahead was anticipated
                                                                                                were the only organised events. As
Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association
Decade Reunions
Peter Hausmann (1975-1979) shares his thoughts on the importance of old friendships and school
reunions.

T
            he class of 1979 held its                                            obviously gone through, or were
            reunion in June attended                                             still trying to consider themselves at
            by over 50 Old Boys.                                                 the right age to be having a midlife
            While I have some close                                              crisis, based on the number who had
friends from my days as a border                                                 motorbikes, specialist cars and even
at Rathkeale, it’s fair to say that I                                            helicopters stashed away.
like many of our year group have
not been a great fan of reunions,                                                Friday night ended for some of us
basically attending almost nothing                                               around 3am after we were spurred
since I left school.                                                             on by some very good whiskey
                                                                                 which Albert King brought with him
I therefore didn’t ever think I’d                                                from Singapore. Saturday included
be a key organiser of such an                                                    a tour of the school and lunch, and
event. However, noting there                                                     a dinner for our year group at the
are a number of Old Boys who                                                     “Horse Shoe”.
are no longer with us, when the
Rockrunner highlighted it was                                                    Once we were over the initial
our decades reunion this year, I                                                 shock of meeting each other, what
contacted Hamish Sims who has                                                    was notable was the speed with
been a friend from our first day at                                              which old friendships were again
school to discuss how we could see                                               established. Many of us commented
                                         Inevitably momentum caused the          on how easy it was to reconnect
if there was interest in a reunion.      numbers to swell such that the idea
He thought it was a great idea and                                               and relate to people who essentially
                                         of not attending meant you’d be         we had not seen for years. I’m not
kindly stated                            missing out. We had some Old Boys       surprised however, as many of us
“You sit on your backside (an            making sterling efforts including       spent the formative teenage years of
unkind reference to retirement) and      Rob Staples, Mike Rees, and Ross        our lives living together.
so does Foster so the two of you         McKay travelling from Australia,                                                 Back Row:     Paul Ashford, Albert King, Peter Hausmann, Tom Clark, Ross Hunt, John Fitzgerald, Greg Wilson, Nick Chilvers,
should organise it”.                     Ross McCulloch making the trip          I ended my career having been a                        Adrian Denniston, Dave Collier
                                         from Perth (sometimes considered a      shareholder and Exec Director/           Third Row:    Clive Holmes, Chris Spencer, Murray Smith, Hamish Aitken, John Tombleson, Rob Staples, John Draper, Tim Coombs, Nick Bush
The 1979 year group has been             part of Aus) , Albert King completed    CEO of a Health Service provider         Second Row:   Chris Lander, Graham Lowes, Ross McKay, Chris Mathieson, Simon Manthel, Brian Bendall, Steve Foster, Neil Saban,
                                                                                                                                        Dave Harrey, Tony Flipp
consistently poor at attending any       a 17,000 kms round trip from            in New Zealand. As a result I am         Front Row:    Stuart Gibson, Craig Foote, Mike Rees, Pete Warren, Don Smith, Hamish Sims, Bayden Wilson, Ross MacCulloch, Simon Capes,
ROBA events. In fact for many of us      Singapore, and Clive Holmes an          very conscious of the level of mental                  Tim Morgan, Jeremy Logan
it was the first time we had seen each   18,000 kms round trip from New          health issues affecting men and          Absent:       Dave Nelson, Craig Foster
other in 40 years. Stephen Foster,       York.                                   women of our age, with 1 in 8 New
Adrian Denniston and I initially                                                 Zealand men experiencing serious
had an uphill battle convincing Old      We met on the Friday night at the       depression during their lifetime,
Boys to attend. After the first round    Solway bar before heading out           and 75% of suicides in New Zealand
                                         to drinks at the school. It would                                                Our generation is not generally good          why we had not done so earlier. As             friends who didn’t make it this time,
of phone calls less than a dozen                                                 being men. During the process
                                         be fair to say that after not seeing                                             at the use of social media, which             a result of the reunion, there are a           such that old friendships continue to
agreed to attend the reunion, but                                                of contacting Old Boys it became
                                         each other for 40 years, many of                                                 means at times old friendships                range of catch ups / phone calls /             be re-established.
through the use of belligerent and                                               obvious within our own year group
                                         us had changed, with some of the                                                 haven’t been maintained. And yet              emails and events occurring between
repeated phone calls and a cunning                                               there are some who didn’t attend                                                                                                      If you are an Old Boy or Old Girl
                                         chaps being “broader”, and there                                                 I can state that what I thought was           our year group, none of which
plan publishing lists of those not                                               due to such health issues.                                                                                                            and like me and most of the class
                                         was a proliferation of a frugal and                                              going to be a difficult task, ringing         would now be taking place if we all
attending, the procrastinators were                                                                                                                                                                                    of 79, you haven’t made the effort
                                         somewhat streamlined “grey rinse”       Of course attending a school reunion     and contacting Old Boys, was in fact          had not made the effort to attend
eventually entrapped. We found it                                                                                                                                                                                      to attend a reunion, I’d recommend
                                         hair style, opposed to the long locks   isn’t going to address these issues      a very enjoyable one.                         the reunion. There was also a call
helped that when someone stated                                                                                                                                                                                        that for a small amount of effort the
                                         of the 70s.                             but reunions are a powerful way to                                                     for another reunion to occur but not
they’d consider attending, we                                                                                             For many who attended the Class                                                              return is very worthwhile.
                                                                                 reconnect with old friends. For me                                                     waiting another 10 years.
published the list with their names      It was also notable that there seemed                                            of 79 event, the opportunity to
down as having agreed to attend!                                                 the reunion was a demonstration of
                                         to be a number of Old Boys who had                                               re-establish old friendships was              My hope would be that at the next
                                                                                 the importance of communication.
                                                                                                                          fantastic and left many wondering             reunion we can reach out to old
Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association
School House Renovation                                                                          A Runaway Success Story
2019 has been a big year for the iconic Rathkeale Homestead and, as the year draws to a close,   Stephen Marsh Racing is a name synonymous with the New Zealand Racing Industry and is
visitors are quick to notice the changes that have taken place.                                  presided over by Rathkeale Old Boy Stephen Marsh (1994-1997).

W                                                                                                G
               ork started last                                                                             rowing up in Woodville          In 2005 he branched out on his own         Another big turning point was
               summer with the                                                                              as the son of Master            and in 2008 went on to establish           Sofia Rosa winning the AJC Oaks in
               demolition of the                                                                            Trainer and Melbourne           Marsh Racing in Cambridge, a town          Sydney in April 2016. The following
               distinctive water                                                                            Cup winning Jockey              that claims the best training facilities   2017-18 season featured 64 wins and
tower, its associated ramshackle                                                                 Bruce Marsh, it is not surprising that     in New Zealand, and arguably               the 2018-19 season an impressive
outbuildings and the old double                                                                  Stephen’s inherited love of horses         Australasia. Stephen is currently an       97 wins. Things continue to go
garage. There were a number                                                                      was already obvious during his             A Class trainer employing a staff          from strength to strength and this
of reasons for their removal,                                                                    school years                               of 34, and boasting world class            season has already clocked up 25
including earthquake assessment.                                                                                                            training facilities, including horse       wins, which currently places him
The former wash house, which                                                                     Stephen admits that he was very            treadmills, walking machine and            second on the National Trainers’
Old Boys may remember as a                                                                       pleased to escape from Rathkeale at        horse swimming pool.                       Premiership. He also won this year's
hobbies hut for School House                                                                     the end of his College years but is                                                   million dollar New Zealand Derby,
boys or as the OP shed, has been                                                                 also quick to describe his school days     Over the past few years, Marsh             our most prestigious race.
reroofed and upgraded and is                                                                     as some of the best years of his life to   Racing has enjoyed increasing
now home base for the school                                                                     date.                                      international renown. In 2013, Ruud        Stephen’s pride in Marsh Racing
cleaners. The adjacent area has                                                                                                             Awakening won the million dollar           is tangible and his enthusiasm
                                                                                                 His training career began in 2002 in       Karaka Millions, the richest race in       infectious. His is a good name to
provided additional parking with      Off with the old and on with the new.                      partnership with his father and over       the country for two year olds and          watch out for, on and off the track.
a new double garage at the back                                                                  a three year period the partnership        one that took Stephen and his team
of the residence. The whole area                                                                 enjoyed a series of high profile Group     to the next level. At that stage they
is now screened by new wooden                                                                    1 victories with Russian Pearl in the      had forty horses in work and that
fencing and planting.                                                                            Bayer Classic, Hail in the Zabeel          has now grown to a remarkable 210
Later in the year the old Welsh                                                                  Classic and Play On in the Magic           on his books, with 110 in training at
slate that had arrived from Tinui                                                                Millions Two Year Old Classic.             any one time.
Station Homestead in 1925, was
removed from the entire building
and some kept for posterity. It
has been replaced with a similar
looking synthetic product that
looks very smart.

Indoors, the staff residence has
had a major makeover with
much gutting, new double-
glazed windows, extensive
ducted heating system, new
bathrooms and a whole new
                                      The end of the old water tower.
kitchen. Elsewhere in the
building a new kitchen has been
installed adjacent to the foyer for
entertaining purposes.

With the building reaching its
centennial year in 2025, it is good
to think that it has received a
significant and long overdue face
lift.

                                      A new perspective on a familiar old building.                Stephen Marsh at work in Cambridge.
Rock Runner Volume 24 December 2019 - Rathkeale Old Boys' Association
Music to our ears                                                                                                               Old Boys Cricket XI vs School
The world has changed since Ruth Eckford first taught music at Rathkeale in 1981 but                                            We report back on the now traditional annual fixture between the Old Boys and the school 1st XI.
fundamentals remain the same.

R                                                                                                                               T
        uth Eckford (nee Osborne)      Rooms – cold,                                                                                       he now traditional annual
        arrived at a relatively        concrete                                                                                            fixture between the Old
        youthful Rathkeale             block cells - to                                                                                    Boys and the School was
        College in 1981 to teach       Winchester                                                                                          played in January. As
music and to conduct the Chapel        and then                                                                                 always, the school batted first and
Choir and Orchestra.                   upstairs to                                                                              posted an excellent total of 201 for
                                       School House.                                                                            6 off their 40 overs. The school was
In 2019 she is still the accompanist   There are                                                                                always in command, with their first
for the combined Rathkeale and St      many more                                                                                3 batters getting runs. School captain
Matthew’s choir, Viva Camerata,        pianos around                                                                            John McKenzie—son of Old Boy Stu
and conductor of the Rathkeale         and much                                                                                 McKenzie—set the tone, playing
Concert Band and the St Matthew’s      more musical                                                                             shots all around the wicket in an
Orchestra.                             equipment                                                                                attractive 49. Jake Jonas at the other
                                       available.                                                                               end was steady holding up an end,
So not much has changed, or has it?
                                       Keyboards,                                                                               making a patient 53. Gus Borren
As Ruth observes a great deal          amps,                                                                                    followed John and he too played
has changed. Music classes have        computers and                                                                            his shots, scoring 50 in reasonably
                                                                              Conducting the College Orchestra in the 1980s.
moved from the Lecture Theatre         sound mixers are no longer special                                                       quick time. At some stage the Old
to Winchester and then upstairs to     items.                                                                                   Boys were staring down the barrel
                                                                              wait for new music to arrive by
School House, where the Form 3                                                ‘snail mail’ is no longer.                        of 240/250. Good bowling from Tim
                                       Ruth has gone from hand writing
boarders used to sleep.                                                                                                         Lucas (3-23) and the other dibbly
                                       extra music parts to either using
                                                                              A small army of itinerant music                   dod bowlers, and the Old Boys
The music practice rooms have also     a computer to arrange parts or to
                                                                              tutors offer a wide range of tuition              managed to pull back the soaring         Alistair Boyne in good form.
moved from the Rugby Changing          having eprints sent to her. The long
                                                                              although sadly the skirl of the                   rate.
                                                                              pipes is rarely heard these days.
                                                                                                                                The Old Boys never really got
                                                                              However, she believes that the                    themselves up with the rate and
                                                                              real essence of teaching and                      consistently lost wickets at key
                                                                              developing musicians has not                      times. While many made starts,
                                                                              changed at all. She still wants her               no one really managed to score a
                                                                              musicians to go out into the world                substantial score to threaten their
                                                                              and to be brave enough to join a                  total. Anthony Sprowson played
                                                                              choir or play for a musical or join               some nice shots and Michael
                                                                              the local brass band or concert                   Tosswill and Duncan Didsbury also
                                                                              band, where everyone is welcome                   looked good while at the wicket.
                                                                              to participate and ability or age is              Alistair Boyne (Tora), who opened
                                                                              no barrier.                                       the innings, was our mainstay and
                                                                                                                                kept us in the hunt. However, the
                                                                              Her time at Rathkeale has left her
                                                                                                                                Old Boys were dismissed in the final
                                                                              with a rich tapestry of memories
                                                                                                                                over for 182 falling 19 runs short of
                                                                              of shows, choirs, orchestras
                                                                                                                                the school’s total.
                                                                              and budding musicians who
                                                                              have much to be grateful to Mrs                   Overall, it was another enjoyable
                                                                              Eckford for.                                      day’s cricket. The Old Boys enjoyed
                                                                                                                                the spirit the game was played
                                                                                                                                in and this is a testament to the
                                                                              Rathkeale musical icons: Ruth Eckford and
                                                                                                                                approach and attitude of the school      Left to Right: Fergus Rutherford, Malcolm Wyeth, Shay O'Gorman and Richard Tosswill.
                                                                              Kiewiet Van Deventer still have plenty to smile   team, captain John McKenzie and
                                                                              about.                                            coach Neil Perry.
Guardians of the Forest
The forest giants of kahikatea and totara that dot the landscape in and around Rathkeale are living
treasures - gifts of nature - saved from the European axe and held in great esteem by local Maori
who once inhabited the podocarp forests along the Ruamahanga River. To this day, there are not
many among us that haven't stood in awe of Rathkeale's unique environment.

A
           ll the more reason for us   talked about at the 40th reunion         baseline monitoring to help count
           to respect these masters    of the class of ’78. Soon after that,    and determine existing numbers of
           of the forest and do as     with the support of local law firm       birds, lizards, rodents, native fish
           much as we can to protect   Gibson Sheat, the trust was officially   species and long-tailed bats within
and regenerate the surrounding         incorporated and is now registered       the area. In addition, the report
areas so that endangered native        as a local charity.                      lists how students can get involved
wildlife can once again thrive                                                  in predator trapping to help make
along bird corridors that have the     The trustees see an opportunity          the area predator free. The goal
potential to stretch the length of     to engage with Rathkeale and the         is to have the monitoring work
the Ruamahanga, from Pukaha to         wider community, working with            completed before the end of 2019
Palliser.                              local students, iwi groups and land      followed by an extensive trapping
                                       owners within the Wairarapa to           program to be in place by 2020.
The newly-established Ruamahanga       embrace environmental conservation
Restoration Trust exists for this      efforts.                                 For students, this undertaking
reason and there’s no better place                                              provides opportunities to get
to start than within the grounds of    In June 2019, the trust engaged the      involved in a range of curriculum-
Rathkeale College.                     services of John Bissell to prepare a    based activities that encompass
                                       scoping report that outlines a range     environmental science, data analysis
The idea for the trust was first       of options for engaging students in      and the use of technologies and
                                                                                media communications. As an
                                                                                                                                     Above: Year 12 student Noah Boyce planting harakeke for posterity in   Above: Environment Prefect Jurgen Schwanecke planting alongside the
                                                                                extra-curricular activity, there’s no                the College bush.                                                      new fitness staion on the Eco Trail.
                                                                                shortage of volunteers who are keen
                                                                                on trapping predators and planting
                                                                                trees
                                                                                                                                     protection of their nests, will be key to ensuring the gulls’          As Trustees, we can’t do all the work, but we can create
                                                                                In parallel to the monitoring and                    return and survival as an indigenous species.                          a framework to work from and we can help source and
                                                                                predator work, the trust has engaged                                                                                        provide finances and resources. We ultimately rely on
                                                                                                                                     The trust is also raising funds to help conserve the                   students, teaching staff, land owners and like-minded
                                                                                the services of Trevor Thompson to
                                                                                                                                     existing Eco Trail by removing weeds, deepening the                    community groups to help follow through with our
                                                                                help advise on how to best restore
                                                                                                                                     spring-fed streams as a habitat for mudfish and eels, and              goals. But we also rely on the support of Old Boys and
                                                                                and regenerate the old Canoe Reach
                                                                                                                                     attracting birds to these original wetland and forest areas.           Friends.
                                                                                stream and forest wetland areas
                                                                                between the existing Eco Trail and                   The biodiverse habitats around Rathkeale are invaluable                We therefore call on everyone within the Trinity Schools
                                                                                river. The medium to long-term plan                  as part of the school’s Land Lab program—providing                     network to engage in our cause in any way possible,
                                                                                includes planting natives around                     opportunities for student-led research in conservation,                including landowners along the Ruamahanga who can
                                                                                the old sewage ponds that act as a                   land management and clean water protection. In tandem                  help create pockets of predator-free bush and wetlands
                                                                                food source and natural habitat for                  with these efforts, the trust hopes to assist and encourage            that act as bird corridors and freshwater fish sanctuaries
                                                                                birdlife.                                            students to create new methods and technologies with                   between the Tararuas and the South Wairarapa coast.
                                                                                                                                     applications for sustainable farming and helping to
                                                                                Not far away, on the edge of the
                                                                                                                                     reverse global warming.                                                Just as seedlings grow into sturdy trees embraced by a
                                                                                Ruamahanga, are gravel banks
                                                                                                                                                                                                            healthy forest, we too have a chance to stand together
                                                                                that have been identified by                         The road ahead relies on the participation of students,                and protect our environment for future generations.
                                                                                DOC and local bird watchers as                       staff, volunteers and donors. Only then can the work
                                                                                nesting-grounds for the critically                   be extended into the wider community, to invite other                  The Ruamahanga Restoration Trust is a registered charity
                                                                                endangered black-billed Buller’s                     schools and interested community groups to use the Eco                 that engages in environmental conservation activities for the
                                                                                Gull. Predator trapping, along with                  Trail wetlands and bush areas for environmental science                advancement of education and other purposes beneficial to the
                                                                                careful monitoring of the gulls and                  research and study programs for the benefit of the wider               Wairarapa community.
                                                                                                                                     community.
                                                                                Left: Consultant John Bissell, Campbell McLean and
                                                                                Michael Birch on the Eco Trail.
From Golf Course to Land Lab                                                                                                                                                                    with what is happening, which
                                                                                                                                                                                                makes my job so enjoyable and the
                                                                                                                                                                                                discussions to be had so rewarding.
Head of Agriculture, Coadette Low, shares some developments in the school's agricultural science                                                                                                However, without the generous
programme and where things are going with agribusiness at Rathkeale.                                                                                                                            support of parents, community
                                                                                                                                                                                                members and businesses, none of
                                                                                                                                                                                                this would happen. They have
                                                                                                                                                                                                supported our vision and have
                                                                                                                                                                                                really helped the Agricultural

I
                                                                                                                                                                                                Science program here at Rathkeale to
      left New Zealand in 2007 as a
                                                                                                                                                                                                flourish.
      Massey graduate to work in
      South Australia. After eight                                                                                                                                                              The TeenAg Club is strengthening
      years of working in industry                                                                                                                                                              in numbers each year, and we now
and teaching, I joined Rathkeale in                                                                                                                                                             have one quarter of the school roll
2016. My first impressions were of                                                                                                                                                              as members. Many club members
Browntop in the paddocks, random                                                                                                                                                                have seen success, with events such
tree placements, and the ram in with                                                                                                                                                            as the NZ Junior Young Farmer,
the ewes showing a lot of interest.                                                                                                                                                             Future Beef Expo, Future Sheep
But the grass was green, and that                                                                                                                                                               Competition, Agrisports, Leadership
was a bonus.                                                                                                                                                                                    camps and modules, and training
                                                                                                                                                                                                days helping to fuel the passion that
That first year saw us lamb very
                                                                                                                                                                                                these young men have.
early—early enough that some of
the ewes were starting to ‘bag-up’                                                                                                                                                              With the introduction of the
at the start of May, which was very                                                                                                                                                             Agribusiness course in 2018 focused
noticeable as we were shearing                                                                                                                                                                  on after the farm gate, students
them on Open Day. Needless to                                                                                                                                                                   have the opportunity to learn the
say, the scanner that was booked in                                                                                                                                                             whole supply chain. The course
for June had a significantly reduced                                                                                                                                                            has four intertwined strands of
                                          Above: College Land Lab investigation
number of ewes to scan. It also                                                                                                                                                                 Innovation, Science and Technology,
meant that the lambing season                                                                                                                                                                   Management and Finance, and
seemed to go on forever. From 2017                                                                                                                                                              Marketing. All Agriculture and
onwards, we were very fortunate to                                                                                                                                                              Agribusiness classes are lucky to
have expertise and guidance from                                                                                                                                                                visit so many case study farms and
H&T Agronomics, and support                                                                                                                                                                     businesses, and to have so many
from Tulloch Contractors Ltd. and                                                                                                                                                               wonderful guest speakers, many
Wairarapa Weed Sprayers, all of                                                                                                                                                                 of whom have an association with
which allowed the pasture renewal                                                                                                                                                               Rathkeale, to help broaden their
program to get underway. Our                                                                                                                                                                    understanding of the industry. The
resident ewes were trucked out to                                                                                                                                                               big 3-day Year 13 ‘jam-packed full of
Jamie Clinton-Baker’s, and an Italian                                                                                                                                                           industry visits’ Mystery Creek trip
Ryegrass was put in at the start                                                                                                                                                                appears to be a highlight for many.
of Autumn. Once established, it
                                                                                                                                                                                                We are excited to see what 2020 and
provided a great feed for finishing.
                                                                                                                                                                                                beyond has in store for the Rathkeale
As part of the crop rotation, Hunter
                                                                                                                                                                                                Land Lab, with it becoming an
Brassica was placed in the late spring
                                                                                                                                                                                                even more predominant place for
in 3 out of the 5 paddocks, which
                                                                                                                                                                                                research, innovation, and teaching.
saw some great gains by lambs, not
                                                                                                                                                                                                Being able to share my passion for
to mention positives on soil fertility.   Left to Right: Archie Woodhouse, Joe Quinn, Liam Quirke and Federick Eschenbach
                                                                                                                                                                                                agricultural science with students is
With a forever-helpful stock agent in
                                                                                                                                                                                                the main reason I love my job. They
our corner, it has meant the flow of
                                          allowed the donation of lambs to the                  the program has gone from strength                                                              are the future. And if the attitude,
livestock on and off the property has
                                          Friends' Association for the annual                   to strength. The boys are involved                                                              effort and engagement of those I
been somewhat effortless over the
                                          Fete, and the monetary funding                        in all livestock husbandry, feed                                                                teach, or have taught, since being at
last 3 years. A permanent pasture
                                          of the Donald Family Scholarship                      management, and movement. They                                                                  Rathkeale are anything to go by, the
was sown in three of the paddocks
                                          annually.                                             have been excited to be an extra pair                                                           Primary Industries in New Zealand
in Autumn 2019. With the other two
                                                                                                of hands for any H&T trial work and
                                                                                                                                        Top: Agri Business students' Silver Fern Farms visit.   are going to be well looked after.
heading into crop rotation, it will       For an area of 5.5ha, we are able
be nice to get some ewes tupped in                                                              are always eager to see the results.    Middle: At the Miraka plant, Taupo
                                          to offer great experiential learning                                                                                                                  Coadette Low
2020. Revenue from livestock has                                                                The boys are thoroughly engaged
                                          opportunities here at Rathkeale, and                                                          Bottom: Rathkeale at Teen Ag Competition, Dannevirke.   Head of Agriculture
In vino veritas ...                                                                                                       Luke's Life Lessons
                                                                                                                          Luke Nottage (1981-1983), Professor of Comparative and Transnational Business Law, University of
Alastair Maling (1981-1983) is group winemaker and head of viticulture for Foley Wines, a group
                                                                                                                          Sydney, and Managing Director of Japanese Law Links Pty Ltd, shares what he learnt and did not
that includes Te Kairanga, Martinborough Vineyard, Grove Mill, Vavasour and Mt Difficulty.
                                                                                                                          learn from Rathkeale.

A
           rriving at Rathkeale in the   once it leaves the farm gate,                                                                                            Rathkeale was to think for myself.       three “Untruths” that Haidt detects
           5th form wasn’t the easiest   wine offered vertical integration                                                                                        I particularly appreciated Liam          among the American iGen (those
           for a teenager trying to      from the vineyard to the retail                                                                                          O’Gorman allowing me to skip             born since 1996) that go against the
           fit into an already well-     outlet, restaurant or table at                                                                                           his Economics classes towards the        lessons for life from mainstream
established environment. Although        home. This provided a point of                                                                                           end of 7th Form, mainly so I could       psychology as well as ancient
I didn’t appreciate it at the time,      differentiation and the satisfaction                                                                                     begin working through a first-year       wisdom literatures:
and on reflection wouldn’t have it       and accountability of seeing your                                                                                        university textbook. That not only
any other way, the large turnout of      product through to consumption                                                                                           helped me for exams and then             “what doesn’t kill you makes you
our year group at the Rathkeale/St       makes you strive to maintain that                                                                                        VUW study, it also got me used to        weaker” (so keep us safe at all
Matthew's reunion in 2014 reminded       quality level.                                                                                                           self-directed learning. That skill or    costs!);
me how strong those school bonds                                                                                                                                  passion is something I now try to
                                         Another benefit of a career in the                                                                                                                                “life is a battle between good people
are.                                                                                                                                                              encourage in my university students,
                                         wine industry, and one I hadn’t                                                                                                                                   and bad people” (rather than a
                                                                                                                                                                  who often come from schools that
A gap year followed by a B Com at        initially appreciated, is that it can                                                                                                                             battle within us);
                                                                                                                                                                  tend to spoon-fed pupils.
Lincoln University led to my first       take you all over the world. As such,
                                                                                                                                                                                                           “always trust your feelings” (rather
job with Wrightson in the Rural          I spent 8 years as a flying winemaker                                                                                    Yet I also tell university students,
                                                                                                                                                                                                           than engaging also our capacity to
Lending division. For the next five      based in London but traveling and                                                                                        especially rather highly-strung and
                                                                                                                                                                                                           reason).
years I moved between Wellington,        working in France, Spain, Italy,                                                                                         individualistic law students, that
Blenheim and Hawke's Bay and             Chile, Argentina, South Africa and                                                                                       they need to learn to collaborate,       In my case at Rathkeale, though,

                                                                                                                          I
whilst I loved the agricultural          California. Spending time in these      Maria as their Group Winemaker,                                                  sharing the knowledge and skills         I was probably the first and
industry, I still hadn’t found my true   countries, largely off the beaten       overseeing the winemaking and                  was surprised but grateful        each has built up. This is the reality   only student ever to be caned
passion or the job of my dreams.         tourist track, also meant meeting       viticulture programme for the                  when Grant Harper asked           of contemporary legal practice as        for blasphemy! There can be
                                         the locals and discovering the local    entire portfolio. It was an exciting           me to share some thoughts         well as academia—almost all my           downsides to thinking for oneself,
It wasn’t until I was selected to go     culture. These were wonderful           time and both Villa Maria and the              with other Rathkeale alumni.      16 books, and articles or chapters       or “speaking freely”! Over the
on a leader management course on         experiences that provided plenty of     New Zealand wine industry were           I graduated in 1983, had a gap          are co-authored or co-edited. They       years, I’ve kept exploring and
the ‘Spirit of Adventure’ that a life    challenges such as having to conduct    experiencing significant growth. As      year, then studied at VUW (BCA/         derive from projects crossing many       thinking about God, living in
changing career U-turn occurred.         an initial scoping meeting with a       a company we went from 500,000           LLB 1985-89, part-time PhD and          national borders, fields of law, and     countries that are mainly Muslim,
This triggered my first thoughts         prospective new winery in Spain in      cases to 1.5m cases as wine from         lectureship 1994-7) and Kyoto           disciplines.                             Buddhist and Christian.
about winemaking and the wine            French, as I didn’t speak Spanish       New Zealand became globally              University (LLM, 1991-3), before
industry.                                and they had no English. We also        renowned.                                teaching business and consumer law      A third thing picked up from             My spiritual journey may have
                                         encountered a couple of frightening                                              at Kyushu University (1997-2000)        Rathkeale was a sense of                 some parallels with that taken by
I immediately enrolled in an                                                     In 2015 I joined Foley Wines as their    and Sydney Law School (since 2001).     transcendence or the sacred. A book
                                         experiences, including nearly being                                                                                                                               William Wilberforce (1759-1833),
extramural course in winemaking.                                                 Group Chief Winemaker and Head                                                   by NYU moral psychology professor
                                         carjacked in South Africa.                                                                                                                                        who ended up getting England to
A year’s leave of absence from                                                   of Viticulture, overseeing all aspects   One thing I did learn from              Jonathan Haidt, “The Righteous           abolish the slave trade. First I got
Wrightson—I never returned—to            Whilst living in London, I studied      of winemaking from vine to bottle.       Rathkeale, though, is the importance    Mind”, argues that this sense is one     to know and see in action some
learn about the wine industry            for the Master of Wine (MW)             Foley Wines is listed on the NZX         of having a few really close friends.   of several basic dimensions that         devoted and caring followers of
included working a vintage in            qualification. After many hours         and over time has added five iconic      That brilliant musician and enfant      influence human judgements over          Jesus, including my wife Hisae.
Hungary before returning to              of study and wine tasting—not to        brands to its portfolio.                 terrible, Daniel Poynton, is one        what is right or wrong. It promotes      Then I started investigating
Lincoln University in 1994 to study      mention the amount of money spent                                                of them but I’ve also got to know       altruism, which he think is beneficial
                                                                                 It is a career that has taken me all                                                                                      intellectually the grounds for
Oenology and Viticulture as a            on wine—I became the 6th Master of                                               and trust key people through each       from the perspective of group-level
                                                                                 over the world, meeting wonderful                                                                                         their faith, as well as my own
Post Grad student. Being a mature        Wine in New Zealand and one of 240                                               university, work environment            evolutionary biology. If you are
                                                                                 people and providing continued                                                                                            doubts, which turned out to be not
student was certainly a different        in the world.                                                                    and church community I’ve               intrigued by Haidt’s research, try his
                                                                                 learning and constant challenge.                                                                                          particularly novel, such as how
experience to my earlier time at                                                                                          been involved in over the last          psychological test to see what drives
                                                                                 And just like school, I wouldn’t have                                                                                     can there be suffering or miracles,
university, with significantly less      In 2002, after eight years in London,                                            three decades. Developing deep          your own moral judgements. My
                                                                                 it any other way!                                                                                                         and quite simplistic. Then I started
time spent at the pub!                   my wife Nic and I decided that it                                                friendships is particularly important   review of his recent book on “The        to see God at work, in all sorts of
                                         was time to return to New Zealand.                                               in a world increasingly dominated       Coddling of the American Mind”
Why the wine industry? Firstly,                                                  Alastair Maling                                                                                                           contexts, and want to get involved
                                         We had left home with a couple of                                                by social media and fickle or           co-authored with former pastor Karl
it was an agricultural product,                                                                                                                                                                            in making things new and better
                                         backpacks and were now returning        B. Com, Post Graduate Enology &          transactional relationships.            Faase, outlines which drivers may
but unlike farming, where the                                                                                                                                                                              through originally bizarre ideas
                                         with two kids and a container load      Viticulture (Distinction), Master of                                             extend to Australia (and so NZ) for
product loses its individual identity                                                                                     A second thing learned from                                                      like caring for the disadvantaged,
                                         of household goods! I joined Villa      Wine (MW)
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