Message from Chairperson of the Otago Boys' Foundation Greg Easton
This year, I was privileged to attend the senior prize giving for the first time since 1994, 22 years and 35 kilos ago! One thought I had was that I was up there on stage as a symbol of hope to all the skinny kids out there. But in all seriousness, what stood out for me, besides the extraordinary achievements of so many boys, was the strength of the relationships that had been formed between the boys and the staff. As each young lad staunchly walked up to the stage and across to receive their prize from the dean of their year, just about every one of them cracked a smile when they caught their mentor’s eye.
Rector, Richard Hall, speaks of wanting to be tall poppies; to be proud of your achievements and to stand tall. There was a lot of pride in the room, from students, staff and perhaps most of all, parents. Parents who had every right to be proud as the culmination of another academic, sporting or cultural year was celebrated. It is the pride I have in my alma mater that drives me to serve the Foundation. I have three young sons, all of whom I will let choose their own school, but if I can help in making Otago Boys’ stand out, I will. And, OK, there may be an element of lobbying behind the scenes too!
The Foundation has moved to a point where the administrative costs are a little over 2%, so it is in a far more sustainable form than we have had historically. The school has an ambitious new rector and halfway through this year an ambitious new board was elected to govern the school. There are some huge projects on the horizon and the Foundation will be there to assist in whatever way we can. The projects are of the scale that will require the entire OBHS community to be involved and there will be some innovative avenues opened up to allow such.
I ask all readers to cast aside their feelings towards various groups within the school and to act on their pride. A lot of a little goes a long way.
Wishing you and your families an enjoyable festive season.