PRESIDENT'S WORD
A year to celebrate, a year to remember and a year to plan. The year’s major focus was on the 75th Jubilee celebration held at Silverstream during October. Members of the Association and the Committee were actively involved for planning and organising this most successful event which brought together many generations of our old boys. It was extremely pleasing that the events were well planned and organised and even more pleasing that all of the events were very well attended. For the organisers, however, many anxious moments were spent in trying to get people to register sufficiently early so that appropriate venues, catering and events could be put into place. Our focus now turns to planning the 125 year celebrations of Town, New Zealand’s first and oldest catholic boys college, which are schedule for 2009/10 The Committee were also foremost in organising the usual round of events, including sports days and the Annual Dinner, which was held on the shortest day of the year. Whilst numbers were down on some previous years, this was to be expected given the rather chilly evening and planned attendances at the Silverstream Jubilee. The Dinner will return to it’s usual October date in 2007. Where is the Association in 2007? Well, we strive and simply must plan for some regeneration, particularly those actively involved with the work of the Committee. We must plan for succession and we must seek the greater involvement of more recent old boys to ensure that the aims and objectives of the Association, in fostering the College’s traditions and sense of belonging and community amongst past old boys and present students, continues. Our membership does continue to grow and slowly we are starting to see younger old boys becoming more involved. Again, this does not seem to be until they themselves have sons about to enter the College and often after an absence of any connection with the College for 20 or so years. The Association has the opportunity, given the vast numbers of old boys, to develop substantial community networks for the benefit of both those involved and of the Colleges. The Association does continue to make substantial donations to each of the Colleges to be used for projects identified by the Rectors and which are in keeping with the aims and objectives of the Association. Once again, I simply must thank each and every member of our Committee who continue to give time and effort to the ongoing work of the Association. Chris Mccarthy |
Old Boys Association Scholarship
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