I could write a book about the great Andrew McCarthy. His exploits are legendary. He arrived in 1988 and had an instant impact on the school.

"God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next... I have a part in a great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons ..."

Blessed John Henry Newman

I could write a book about the Great Andrew McCarthy. His exploits are legendary. He arrived in 1988 and had an instant impact on the school. He was proudly British and had an amazing childhood, travelling and living in different countries because his father was a career soldier. He spoke often of his upbringing and the wide education in life that it provided. He was a whole different kettle of fish compared to the Head of Science, Pat James. At that stage, he was teaching in the original labs of Marist and St Mary’s.

In the early 90’s, Andrew gained new labs when St Patrick’s School moved to its new site, next door.  He was a “packrat'' when it came to physics equipment and items of interest. Sadly, many of these items have become illegal to use in science departments. His senior biology field trips were awesome as he always managed to get students very wet, but they came back raving over their discoveries.

Andrew was a great Master of Ceremonies, spending many years running our school assemblies, quiz nights and school promotions. He would wind the students up and get them participating in all manner of presentations. He went out of his way to celebrate their successes and had a group of reporters feeding back items of interest. Every year he had a new ‘Tinkerbell’ to run the overhead projector.

Some will remember his whole-school rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In". It was loud and raucous, but had even the quietest student joining in. The sing-along assemblies with Brother Humphrey at the piano, were very highly successful. When the Brothers were leaving, Andrew wrote an adaption of the ‘Jamaican Farewell’. We practised before Brother came and pretended, we hadn’t. One of the students was charged with asking Brother to play the song. Brother Humphrey was so delighted when he realised the words we were singing, was a farewell from John Paul and Greymouth.

Andrew was a rugby fanatic, especially when it came to the World Cup. During the lead up to the competitions, we learnt so much about rugby, geography and national anthems of participating countries. The Welsh National Anthem was a favourite.

I was with Andrew when the news of the Cave Creek tragedy broke. The Grey Star arrived in the workroom and Andrew took one look and headed to the hospital. Then came the news that no one wanted to hear. Cathy and her fellow reckers had met with a devastating accident. Andrew was a grieving father and a crusader for the families. He spent many weeks at the hearings and spoke at length about the information. With his physics knowledge, he explored the findings and turned it into a teaching topic.

Andrew’s generosity was legend. He provided a safe place for the youth of the town to meet, get support and socialise. He became an advocate for youth at risk, often being called to the police station to help young people deal with the system. No one knows of how many breakfasts, lunches and dinners he provided for our students. Many of them were unaware that it was Andrew doing the paying. For many years, Valentine’s Day flowers would appear for the ladies on staff. It was several years before we realised it was Andrew brightening up our day. Books, stationary, camps, nothing was allowed to stop students from gaining the best education Andrew could guarantee. He put his money where his mouth was.

Since the café opened at the Polytech, Andrew has been one of their best customers, often shouting friends and colleagues a coffee in payment for a good debrief!

Retreats were Andrew’s playground. He loved cooking at his beloved Runanga Club for the different year groups and often took one or two of my Home Economics students to be his go-fers, teaching them the finer points of catering for hungry boys. His menus were simple but plentiful and he never charged for the hours of prep and added ingredients he used. I still see Andrew walking out of the kitchen with a stainless steel serving dish to collect up the cellphones for the day….not that there was great coverage at the club, but he wanted to ensure that they were on Retreat to talk to God, not their mates elsewhere!

Andrew taught RE. No! Andrew lived RE. He taught Year 9 Gregorian Chants and greeted them in Latin. He enthused Year 10 with stories of the Crusades and gave amazing life lessons to Year 12 in his Loss, Death, Grief and Dying unit. Sometimes a science lesson would break out, sometimes it was social studies, but always there was God. Andrew is remembered for his Year 12 Palm Sunday Passion readings, his showing of The movie Jesus Christ Superstar, and his un-politically correct way of teaching. His faith was deep and his enthusiasm for saints led the school on a mighty journey. He wanted students to be passionate about their faith and tried many different ways of encouraging them to participate.

Andrew hated bureaucracy. On several occasions, Andrew had a cake made that showed his disdain with officialdom. The staff recognised the ”joke” but it went over the head of the visitors. However, he was a very strong member of the PPTA and would use his knowledge of bureaucracy to ensure that his colleagues got a fair deal.

Over the last few years, I spoke often to Andrew about whether he should retire. His workload was minimal but he enjoyed being of use to the school, and the day to day contact with the students. He clashed with some, both staff and students, cajoled others, challenged some with his stories but he was always thinking of how he could help to inspire. He celebrated “his” success stories, whether it was our sporting champions, our celebrity stars, or our hard working locals and parents. You always knew where you stood with Andrew.

Rest in peace dear friend, I know you, Harold (Leask) and Julie(Hughes) will be reminiscing about John Paul days, over a Miner’s Dark and a good curry.

So I’ll finish with Andrew.mccarthy@johnpaul.ac.nz here Lord, reporting for eternity.