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65 Years On
Saturday 18 October was the 65 Years
On Reunion. Bob Spark and Jim Hudson
were the key organisers for the reunion,
and it is so great to see this level of
engagement with the College
65 years on!
In the morning attendees arrived for a
tour of the College, like most reunions
many comment on the changes within
the College, however this group
were particularly blown away on the
developments that had occurred since
their 60 Years On Reunion in 2009. The
only building that was recognised was
Strowan House, and the new Boarding
Houses were certainly the envy of the
former boarders in attendance.
40 Years On
The College welcomed back the class
of 1974–1978 for their 40 Years On
Reunion 26–28 September. Friday
evening saw classmates reunite in the
Strowan House Staffroom for a cocktail
function. With the
Eagles Greatest Hits
playing in the background, attendees
laughed and shared stories whilst
viewing a collection of photos Allister
McPherson had put on display. The
committee of Allister McPherson, Tom
Norris and Albert Anderson, did a great
job in tracking down a large proportion
50 Years On
The class of 1964–1968 were back
at the College for their 50 Years On
Reunion 26–28 September. This reunion
was greatly attended with many
travelling from out of Christchurch to be
there. The Friday night cocktail function
saw smiles and laughter of recognition
and reunion. The Rector, Christine
Leighton and Old Collegians President,
Nick Letham addressed guests with
an update regarding the College at
present, and it was great to hear the
support surrounding current building
developments of the Chapel and Sports
and Cultural Centre.
On Saturday morning guests explored
through Strowan House, the Spiro
Centre and the impressive new
Boarding Houses. Ross Bisset’s
sheep herding skills offered some
much required assistance in guiding
the guests from one building to
the next, as everyone was enjoying
reminiscing and sharing tales of their
time at the College. Saturday evening
saw attendees arrive for the reunion
dinner in Strowan House. Pete Smith
provided an evening of laughter and
entertainment, as the masterful and
skilful master of ceremonies with Garth
Cartwright sitting very close to the
lectern, he seemed to be in the firing
line of many jokes and observations!
Michael Sidey, made a very emotive and
thought provoking grace, paying respect
to those classmates who are gone but
not forgotten. Francis Twiss entertained
with some of his reflections of the
past 50 years and Lyal French-Wright
made a brilliant toast to the College.
While the weather wasn’t favourable on
Sunday, lunch and drinks in the cricket
pavilion provided the perfect platform
to recap on the weekend that was, and
say farewell. A wonderful weekend of
celebration and reunion - bring on the
Centenary!
65 Years On Class of 1949–1953. Please visit oldcols.stac.school.nz for a full list of names.
of the class, and a great contingent
from Australia attended the weekend.
On Saturday morning a tour of
the College and morning tea was
available. Attendees enjoyed seeing
a staff photo which was taken during
their time at the College, this then
led to confessions of classroom
antics that had taken place, including
repercussions of late night escapes
for the boarders. Saturday evening
saw attendees return for the reunion
dinner in Strowan House. It was a fun
relaxed evening, with Tom Norris
making a thoughtful and entertaining
Toast to the College. Tom made some
interesting observations of key events
that occurred during the 1970s and
comparisons of costs during their time
at the College versus the present;
most notably the price rise in butter
and milk!
Everyone had a wonderful weekend
and most have already pencilled in the
Centenary weekend for another year
group catch up!
Later in the evening the year-group
meet at Russley Golf Course for the
reunion dinner. The evening saw
many fond memories shared and
observations of the College today.
Roland Burrows, Head of the Secondary
School, addressed the guests and
commented on how positive their
engagement as a year group was
towards the College.
50 Years On Class of 1964–1968. Please visit oldcols.stac.school.nz for a full list of names.