Greetings from St Bede’s College.

About a year ago the Headmaster of St Peter’s Auckland and I had a conversation about the prospect of an annual between our 1st XVs.

This duly happened on Wednesday, and St Bede’s won the first game 12-10. St Peter’s were the national champions last year. A cup was donated by St Peter’s and after discussions, two significant rugby identities from each community were deemed worthy enough to be honoured by their names inscribed on the cup.

Brian Dunne, who is a Bedean, played for the 1st XV in the 70s, and has coached every year of his teaching career which began here in 1983. He has coached the 1st XV in the 1990s, and is presently coaching the 3rd XV.

The late Peter Watt is the St Peter’s name. An old boy of St Peter’s, he became a Christian Brother and taught at St Tomas’ here in Christchurch, during the 70s.

In the 1980s he returned to St Peter’s, and coached rugby for many years, despite losing an arm in accident while transporting a rugby team to a tournament in the North Island. In his later years he worked for the College’s Foundation.

Last night we hosted a fundraiser for the Marist Rugby Club, St Thomas’ and St Bede’s Rugby. Six hundred attended and a number of well-known rugby personalities including Wayne Smith and Gilbert Enoka. Bishop Paul Martin also entertained the throngs, and Ben Harris generously offered his services as the MC for the evening.

Tonight the Arts Faculty stage ‘The Mad Soirée’ which will feature a number of music and drama items, and also on display, will be an art exhibition. This faculty await the re-opening of the Performing Arts Centre, and they are to be commended for staging such events in makeshift temporary facilities.

Sixty boys will receive sacraments at a school mass next Thursday at 9.30am which culminates a programme we began earlier in the term. On Wednesday night, ten boys will be baptised or received into the church.

The Board of Trustee Elections have been finalised and an induction for the new members will take place at the first BOT meeting on Monday. Details are as follows:

• Robert de Roo - Acting Chairperson (re-elected Parent Representative)
• Paul Visser - Parent Representative (re-elected)
• Debbie Bahrnes - Parent Representative (new)
• Melinda Baillie - Parent Representative (new)
• Shane O’Brien - Proprietors’ Representative
• Erin Kreft - Proprietors’ Representative
• Trish McKendry - Proprietors’ Representative
• Nola Kilpatrick - Staff Representative (new)
• Mac Williams - Student Representative
• Justin Boyle - Rector
• Gerry Davidson - Senior Management
• Marilou Crequer - Minutes (CES)

Scheduled stop-work meeting - Tuesday 25 June

Next week on Tuesday 25 June, the teaching staff who are a part of the union will be involved in a scheduled stop-work meeting. Students will therefore be released at the end of period four, but the College will remain open to those boys who wish to be supervised by non-union staff.

Until next week.

Justin Boyle