As you might know my name is Hunter Kindley and as you might not know my middle names are Robert William named after my granddad Robert William Kindley who attended this school in 1929.

My Dad, Sheldon Kindley, also followed, enrolling at OBHS in 1973 and in 2008 as an eight year old I might as well have already began my schooling here. This is because in 2008 my oldest brother Thomas enrolled and shortly after, in 2010, my other brother Will followed. In 2013 after what felt like forever it was finally my time to attend Otago Boys' High School. I vividly remember Mum and Dad doing the right thing and encouraging me to go to any other open nights and like the stubborn person I still am I rudely refused immediately. In my mind Otago Boys' High School was the best and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. So, what does this all mean? Well it means that 88 years ago my granddad first walked through the archway and I am a 3rd generation student. It also means that I feel a real connection to our school and anyone who knows me will know how shockingly biased I am towards OBHS. Because of this it is sad to admit that as Year 13’s our time is quickly running out.

Time. After 13 years of schooling and 5 years at this great school I can confidently say I am beginning to grasp at least this one concept. The concept of time. Possibly best described by Nigel Chiruka in his last word at the beginning of the year when he stated; “You don’t realise how fast time goes until it has already passed you by”.

As my time at OBHS is quickly coming to an end this statement couldn’t be more true and the words “As the years go rolling by” in the school song are really beginning to make sense.

When I came in Year 9 it didn’t take long to feel the brotherhood that this place creates, the Year 9 beach day when Luke Hurdle was tipped on his head by Matatia remains a vivid memory. The much talked about Year 10 camp where as you now know George Gray ate a few too many kilograms of peas and under the waterfall we performed one of the worst renditions of the school haka ever to be seen also obviously stood out. Standing here now as a Year 13 I am glad that the brotherhood is just as prolific now than it ever has been in my time at the school. A bus load of boys trekking down to Southland to support the First XV and the Shave for a Cure event are merely two examples of what has been a great year. These five years truly are some of the best years of our lives.

Early this year many of you would have seen me hobbling around in crutches feeling sorry for myself after breaking my leg while playing cricket at the end of last year. Believe it or not, I am strangely grateful for my injury as it slowed down time for me and although it is a cliché, my broken leg made me appreciate the things in life that I never used to. Things such as doing fitness testing or simply being able to compete on the court or field alongside my best mates. The best part about my injury however was being able to appreciate every day here at OBHS. My life was much less hectic than usual and because of that I didn’t take any day for granted. Admittedly since then, now that life is back to normal I have sometimes slipped into taking my time here for granted but I try to constantly remind myself to appreciate every last moment.

To the Year 11’s you have an exciting year ahead, there is a step up but it is a welcome challenge. You are also finally not the youngest of the oldest and it is your turn to become leaders of our school.

To the Year 12’s you to have an awesome year ahead, it is now your school to run, you get more responsibility, more opportunity but the best part about Year 13 is you still have one year left to make your mark.

To both the Year 11’s and 12’s be sure to up hold the standards that the boys before you set and the younger boys after you wish to be apart of, just as I once did. There’s a reason why we go to school in a castle that overlooks the city. My brothers never gave me much advice when it came to school but the one thing they always said to me was to always make the most of my schooling days. I urge you to do the same.

Famous singer and old boy Jonathan Lemalu said at the beginning of the year; “Make the most of your time, make the most of your resources, but most importantly make the most of your friends”. So to the Year 13’s thank you for making my time here so great. We have had some great memories but more importantly I have made some lifelong friends. An OBHS mate will always be a brother to me, so good luck for whatever lies head and I look forward to catching up at a reunion in years to come as old buggars.

My recent cricket trip to India and Sri Lanka with the school emphasised the importance of time to me. As New Zealanders we are bubble wrapped in our own wee world down here. We wish away week days, saying to friends how we “can’t wait for the weekend” when millions of people over the world can’t afford to even think about the future as each day their only objective is survival. The touring party that visited India and Sri Lanka experienced this first hand, beggars throughout the streets who knew a foreigner like us could be the difference between eating or going hungry.

So, what is time to me? To me, time is often seen in a negative light so instead of dwelling on how little time we have left at school, put emphasis on making the next few weeks memorable. Learn to live life in the moment and make things happen today. Remember, these are the best years of your life.

The late Craig Sager was a highly respected sports reporter for 35 years however was best known as an NBA reporter who wore outgoing outfits and had a personality that matched. Only five months before he passed away he was awarded the Jimmy V Perseverance award at the 2016 ESPYs due to his ongoing battle against cancer. Sager left the world with the following thought; “Time is something that cannot be bought, it cannot be wagered with God, and it is not in endless supply, it is simply how you live your life.” Thanks.