Adthapong Visutyothapibal (1992–1995)

Adthapong Visutyothapibal was the first Thai student to come to Lindisfarne College and he quickly became an integral part of the College, getting involved with sport, music and boarding responsibilities. At the time, there were only two other Asian students both from Hong Kong at Lindisfarne.

Aom recalls that his father came to New Zealand looking for a school for his son and he particularly wanted one that was far from any tourist attractions and major cities. When he came to Lindisfarne, he knew that he had found the right place. Mr Smith, the Rector at the time, showed Mr. VIsutyothapibal around the school and was very amused when he asked to see the kitchens first but these passed with flying colours as did the rest of the school. The small class sizes and high academic standards were also appealing to Mr. Visutyothapibal.

When his father returned to Thailand, Aom had only one week to get ready for a new school in a new country. Aom has fond memories of his time at the College although everything about his first year here was challenging. He had never attended boarding school and could speak very little English when he arrived. The very structured boarding day from morning inspections to prep time and lights out was completely different from Aom’s life in Thailand and it took him six months to understand conversations and another six months to be able to respond in full sentences. There were a few senior boys who helped Aom through this difficult period and he is still in contact with them today. He also found that the best way to deal with the stress he faced was to get involved with sport and music and he spent hours and hours practicing both.

He was particularly successful at badminton, representing the school for several years. In 1995 when he was captain of the badminton team, they were undefeated and earned a place in the Long Room. The greatest contribution that Aom made to the school was in the area of music and for this he earned music colours for three years running and won the award for Best Music Item in both the 1993 and 1994 House Music Festivals. In the 1995 Chronicle he received high praise from the music department: “Adathapong Visutyothapibal has been delighting interested listeners at the college for three and a half years now. His development as a musician has been quite outstanding and he has made a valuable contribution to music in the college by participating regularly in the Chapel Ensemble, House Music Festivals and in Grand Concerts. By example, he has done much to motivate our other musicians”.

Aom completed his time at Lindisfarne with the significant musical achievement of earning a distinction in Grade 8 from Trinity College. Aom recalls that Mr Smith, the Rector, often listened to him practise in the hall: “Many evenings I would see Mr. Smith walk into the assembly hall and sit at the bench near the main door and listen to me playing the piano. He loved listening to Mozart! He always clapped his hands before leaving. I practised on the grand piano, which was off limits to students, but Mr Smith never gave me a detention!” Aom’s achievements weren’t limited to the area of music and he was also awarded academic colours at the end of sixth form, the first Asian student to achieve this. In his final year Aom was invited by Mr Richardson to become a dormitory prefect, another first.

He also took up the challenge of doing oral communication and public speaking and took part in two school plays; “Lord of the Flies” (1993) and “Horseplay” (1994). Aom remembers many of the staff who taught him or mentored him at Lindisfarne including Mrs Sook Hua Lee who helped him with his English, Mr Stembridge who guided him through his first year in the boarding hostel, Mr Barry who never taught him but was always around to help and Mr Murray Smith and Mr Petersen who were also very supportive. He remembers Mr Smith, the Rector, in particular: “He was a firm and fair person, a great rector and a role model and he was the first person at Lindisfarne who could pronounce my full name correctly!” Despite achieving a great deal while at Lindisfarne,

Aom was obviously a typical teenage boy and like many boys before and since, he recalls standing on the Homestead Lawn for an hour for a now forgotten misdemeanour. He also remembers his last day at Lindisfarne and seeing the students leave the school while watching the sunset over the rugby field. After leaving Lindisfarne, Aom went on to study at Michigan State University and while working part-time in a restaurant he discovered an interest in the hospitality industry. This interest lead to a career in hospitality and he is currently the Food and Beverage Director at Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa.

Aom is still in touch with many of the boys he knew at Lindisfarne and considers that he would not be the person he is today if it were not for what he learnt and achieved at Lindisfarne. To boys still at Lindisfarne, he has some great advice; “Have fun, get involved, play sport, support others and be a proud student of Lindisfarne College.”