Archive #63/65: Cultural Highlights of the 2010's

The range of bands and musical groups at Lindisfarne seems to become more diverse with every passing decade. Speech and drama lessons attract consistently high numbers of students and this undoubtedly impacts on the excellent musicals that have been staged recently.

The Concord Symphonic Band maintained its record of winning gold and silver medals at every competition entered and this success was emulated by many of the other bands including the Concert Band, chamber music groups, rock bands and barbershop quartets. Several boys were chosen to play in national youth orchestras which gave them valuable musical experience.

At the start of the decade Marcus Jackson won numerous accolades and honours for both his flute playing and his musical compositions culminating in a chamber music group consisting of himself, Harry Grieg and two Iona girls winning the Hawke’s Bay Chamber Music Competition playing one of Marcus’ compositions. This group was later awarded the national award for best piece by a New Zealand composer and Marcus went on to win the Hawke’s Bay Young Musician of the Year. Drama has, for many decades, been an important part of the school programme but the level of performance reached a new height in the 2010s with the production of several excellent musicals, in collaboration with Iona and Woodford and directed by Mrs Kathy Atkin.

The first of these, Godspell in 2015 launched the stage career of Kawakawa Fox-Reo who has gone on from this promising debut to study acting at Toi Whakaari. The success of Godspell was followed with sold out performances of The Lion King Junior the following year. Mrs Atkin and Iona co-director Ms Lisa-Jane Easter surpassed even this achievement with the production of Les Misérables in 2017. This demanding production was superbly acted and sung by a large cast consisting of Lindisfarne boys and Iona girls with outstanding performances by Oliver Howlett and John Black as Jean Valjean and Javert.

In 2018 the College presented Evita with Woodford House, once again to sold out houses. Luke Merwood’s performance was the stand out Lindisfarne contribution. Over this period, College participation in the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Competition has seen a revival and several groups have competed with notable success. Two boys, Ben Black and Oliver Howlett had the honour of being selected to visit the Globe Theatre and various other prizes have been won including Best Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy which went to Oliver Howlett.

Debating continued to be strong at Lindisfarne with teams competing strongly in the regional debating competition. In 2013 the senior debating team not only beat Scots College in the annual exchange but went on to win the regional competition with an unbeaten record. Two boys, Luke Reisima and Callum Lo were selected for the Hawke’s Bay debating team and Callum was then chosen for the National Secondary School’s team, the only Lindisfarne student to date to achieve this.

The Kapa haka group has continued to thrive. In 2014 Reimana Johnson, who had done so much to develop this important aspect of the school, retired and the mantle of coaching the Kapa haka group was taken up by Pomare Sidney. He was further assisted by Robbie Dunlop who has helped Mr Sidney improve and develop the group.

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