The inaugural King’s High School Charitable Trust dinner, hosted in Dunedin last Saturday night, was a resounding success.

In acknowledging the meteoric rise of King’s in the last decade, the dinner also outlined the plans to build an 80-bed hostel on school grounds with the Charitable Trust launching into a major fundraising campaign to see the first sod turned in 2021.

Almost 200 Old Boys, wives and partners, parents, uncles, former Rectors and Teachers, King’s Senior Management, staff and Board of Trustees representatives and supporters of the school gathered for an entertainment-packed evening of nostalgia and celebration, and a peek into the future.

The King’s and Queen’s He Waka Kōtuia group started the night in spectacular fashion, this was followed by a stirring address by the Rector Dan Reddiex. Visionary businessman Wayne Wright (1959-1962) told us a smidgeon of his story (the successes and the failures treated with equal humour) while the world’s best ocean swimmer Philip Rush (1977-1980) regaled the audience with some of his exploits in conquering the English Channel, Cook Strait and Lake Taupo.

Pianists Trent Zhang (Yr 13) and Emmanuel Keane (Yr 9) were  applauded for their recital during the main course, as was Ben Horlock (Yr 11) who performed two of his own songs in a solo performance of genuine class.

Glen Denham (1977-1982, Head Boy in 1981 and 1982) then reduced the audience to tears of laughter with his reminiscences of school days, his International Basketball career and his satirising of his fellow guest speakers. Glen also had a more serious message about education and society in the early-21st century.

After a 25-draw raffle and quality auction, Chris Fennessy (1984-1988, Head Boy 1988) closed the night in spectacular fashion with an international-calibre performance before being joined by Max Beal (2013-2017, New Zealand’s Top Drama Student 2017) for a powerful and show-stopping duet.

It was a wonderful night of salutation … and plans are already underway for the 2019 dinner which is scheduled for Friday, 18th October.