70th Celebrations a Weekend to Remember

He Motutapu, he whare wānanga 
He whare wānanga, he māra toa i whakatupuria hei ara ngākau ki te ao 
A sacred isle, is a house of learning
A house of learning is a garden to grow warriors
for they are the highway to the heart of the world.

- Sir Joe Williams (1975-1979)

PHOTOS

Over the last 70 years, Lindisfarne College has built up a proud heritage and has produced some outstanding men who have made a major contribution to society. So it was with considerable anticipation, that the College approached this significant anniversary. The organising committee from the Old Boys Association along with the marketing department and the College management put in hours of planning and preparation to ensure the success of the weekend planned to mark this important milestone. Notable among the organisers was Mrs Jacqui Pearse whose organisational skills steered everyone and everything in the right direction.

One of the highlights of the celebrations was our special guest, Sir Joe Williams (1975-79) who spoke on numerous occasions across the weekend. Sir Joe has had an illustrious career leading up to being appointed a Supreme Court Judge  and being knighted in 2020 for services to the judiciary. Despite heavy demands on his time, Sir Joe was involved in all aspects of the celebrations and gave several different but equally entertaining and thought-provoking speeches. We are extremely grateful to him for his on-going commitment and service to the College.

The celebrations kicked off on Friday morning with a special school assembly  to honour 27 former head prefects who have contributed significantly to our history. At this assembly, Sir Joe reminded us of the importance of belonging to a community such as Lindisfarne and the sense of loyalty, service, and leadership it brings. Friday night’s cocktail party was the most popular event of the weekend and it was wonderful to see close to 300 of our community join us for the festivities. Visitors were greeted at the door by staff members with over 30 years tenure at the College and it did not take long for the reminiscing and laughter to start. Old Boys gravitated towards their year groups  and greeted old friends for the first time in many years. Stories were swapped, connections re-kindled and memories compared. It was, as identified by Rector, Stuart Hakeney, “Like a grand family reunion”.

Of particular note was the large group of Old Boys from the 90s who gathered at the reunion. Many of them had been encouraged to attend by Matt Carney and were present at  several events over the weekend. Numerous Old Boys came long distances including from Australia, the South island, Auckland and Wellington. Hundreds of old boys, former staff members, and those who’ve served on our College Council and Parents & Friends committee came along to celebrate their connection to Lindisfarne College. Former Head Boy, Atanas Dimitrof who travelled from Australia, even brought some of his grandchildren with him to show them his “old school”. Tours of the College led by current students occupied Saturday morning while photographs were taken and the jazz band played on the Homestead lawn. Lunch was attended by over 160 Old Boys and special guests and Sir Joe Williams once again made his audience laugh and think in equal measure. 

Sunday’s proceedings opened with a breakfast for past and present Te Whāiti
Scholars in the College dining room to celebrate 50 years of the Te Whāiti
Scholarship. Sir Joe and other speakers reminded those present that they had an opportunity to create a more closely-knit community to support Te Whāiti scholars of the future just as they had been supported. The celebration weekend concluded on Sunday morning with a chapel service and morning tea. 

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, enjoyed by all involved. For current students of the College it was an opportunity to see the impact that Lindisfarne has had on so many lives. In his end-of-year speech, current Head Boy William Duncan related how he had escorted four first-day pupils of the College around at the celebrations: