Good afternoon, School. Please be seated. 

I’d like to invite Cultural Prefect Callum Wallace forward to deliver today’s reading. 

Prefect delivers reading 

Today’s reading comes from Philippians Chapter 4, Verse 8 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me — practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you 

This is the word of the Lord (thanks be to God) 

Rectors speaks   

Thank you, Callum. Today’s assembly is dedicated to the awarding of Cultural Colours, and I’ll speak about the importance of that shortly, but first, Director of Sport Mr Petersen will present a brief sports report and the last of our sports colours for 2023. I welcome our Clay Target Shooting Manager, Mr Harper, who is here to celebrate sports colours with us. I’ll now pass on to Mr Petersen. 

Sports Report 

RUGBY 

Congratulations to our four Lindisfarne boys, Hunter Reed, Spencer Bruce, Toby Ross and Robbie Lewis in this year's Hastings West Ross Shield team who represented our school during the holidays.  

Also a number of Lindisfarne young men participated in the Hurricanes Under 16 rugby tournament held in Hawkes Bay. 

Jack Workman, Will Baines, Charlie East, Charlie Sisam, Fletcher Mackay, Leo Kirkland and Manuel Vaiheilala represented the Hawkes Bay Under 16 Development team who came from behind in a thrilling game to win their final over Poverty Bay to claim the Saracens cup for the first time, a fantastic achievement. 

In the other division competing for the Don Broughton Shield, Will Turner, Angus Scott and Noah Rogers represented Hawkes Bay Under 16 A team and also made their final against Wellington Gold, another exciting game which was drawn 22 all, unfortunately no extra time is played in youth tournaments and a loss in pool play to this team meant the shield went to Wellington. 

Noah Rogers was fortunate enough to be selected for the Hurricanes Under 16 tournament team alongside 4 other Hawkes Bay players. 

A very successful campaign for Hawkes Bay Rugby and the young men from Lindisfarne. 

MOUNTAIN BIKING 

We had two competitions this Holiday.  The first one was the Manawatu Schools competition. 

In the Cross-Country Event 

Noah Hemmingsen came 1st in under 16 

Josh Bye came 3rd in under 14 

In the Enduro 

Noah Hemmingson came 2nd in u16 

Taine Hemmingson came 4 in u14 

In the Down Hill 

Charlie Wiffin came 1st u17 

Noah Hemminsgon 3rd u16 

Tennyson Wiffin 2nd u15 

Konna Snell 3rd u 14 

The second event was Nationals in Blenheim. We had one podium placing which went to Charlie Wiffin who came 3rd in u17. Noah Hemingson placed 4th overall in the points tally in U16 Male. 

FOOTBALL  

Ben Graney has been selected into the NZSS U19 trial to be held from the 24th-26th January 2024. This trial consists of matches against the NZ Maori team along with a North v South match. We wish Ben all the best for this trial as he attempts to join an elite group of footballers who have made representative honours, Harry Huxford, Reon Werahiko, Matt Gould and Todd Stembridge. 

SHOOTING 

During the holidays Lindisfarne entered 3 teams into the North Island and National Shooting Competitions with varying success across a number of disciplines and shoots. 

In the Team points Scores out of a maximum of 375, the ''A'' squad finished on 339, the ''B'' squad 304 & the ''C'' squad 330 placing two of our teams in the top 10 in 4th and 8th place. 

The combined scores for the 2 days DTL saw Will Lowry & Duncan Logan qualify for the Fish & Game regional team. Will's score also saw him selected for the North Island 5 man team who won the match against the South team. 

In the NZ Skeet Monty Cullwick shot 23/25, Will Lowry 21, Nathan Campbell 19 & Jonty Bothamley 18.  

Congratulations to the entire shooting squad who represented the school with pride and some excellent performances over the 3 days. 

The following boys have been awarded medals in the North Island Competition 

Will Lowry             North Island DTL Team & Regional Team 

Nathan Campbell   HOA Single Barrel 

Monty Cullwick       4th Single Rise 

Theo Dymock         2nd Single Barrel 

Jacob Mathers       3rd Junior  

Duncan Logan       Regional Team 

NZ Medal winners are: 

Monty Cullwick      North Island Skeet Team 

Gus Denton          3rd Junior Points Score 

Would the following boys please come forward to collect their medals from their respective shoots: Jacob Mathers, Theo Dymock, Nathan Campbell, Jonty Bothamley, Monty Cullwick and Gus Denton.  

Followed by the Shooting “A” Squad of Jonty Bothamley (captain), Will Lowry, Nathan Campbell, Josh Snijder & Theo Dymock for winning the “Killwell Postal Shoot” Trophy with a team score of 210/225 shots. 

SHOOTING COLOURS 

With the completion of the Nationals would the following boys please come forward to receive their colours Jonty Bothamley, Will Lowry, Nathan Campbell and Monty Cullwick. 

Jonty Bothamley  

Jonty has continued to perform well during all events this year as well as being selected as Captain of the squad in winning the Kilwell Postal Shoot. He has shown total commitment and dedication to the shooting team over the past 4 years.  

Will Lowry - Absent 

Will has competed strongly this year particularly in the Skeet event. Following the North Island DTL results he was selected in the North team who subsequently defeated the South team. He has competed in the ''A'' squad for 3 seasons. 

Nathan Campbell  

Nathan has also continued his good form this season. His best result from the North Island event was in taking the North Island Single Barrel Title. He has been a member of the ''A'' squad for 2 seasons. 

Monty Cullwick 

Monty's scores continued to improve this season in the ''A'' squad and in the North Single Rise he shot off to finish 4th. He also qualified for the North Island 3 man Skeet. Additionally, he was promoted back to the 'A' squad for the NZ DTL where he finished with a score of 99/115, 

End of Sports Report and Sports Colours 

Thank you, Mr Petersen, and congratulations to those young men.  

Please join me in singing the school song Highways in the Heart. 

Rector speaks 

Thank you, please be seated. Today we recognise those young men who have earned their Cultural Colours in 2023. We have a number of students to recognise and I won’t speak for long because I want the main focus to be on the wonderful things that Dr Kristensen is going to read out in the citations for each recipient.  

I will, however, remind you all about the huge impact the Cultural cornerstone can have on your lives if you are prepared to let it in.  

If you google “Why should I get involved in the arts?” or “why should I paint?” or “why should I play music?” or “why should I do theatre sports or act on stage” you will find thousands of articles that list the undeniable benefits. I’m not going to read out one of those lists of 10 reasons why you should get involved in the arts. You can do that yourself and you should because there are many great reasons. 

Instead I’m just going to share with you my opinion about just 3 reasons why you should get involved in the arts, based on my own experiences. 

1. First and foremost, it can be a lot of fun and in addition, a lot of fun with others. Now I know there are plenty of serious performing artists out there who may not enjoy practising their particular art form, just like a professional tennis player or golfer or a rugby player can burn out from too much sport, but for them it’s a job which is different - for most people it should be fun. It’s often something you do socially too, with others – think about when you join a band, the cast of a show, a choir, you are interacting with others and usually your having fun with them. 

1. Secondly, while the arts can be fun, they should also challenge you at just the right level for you. I’ve been playing around on the bass guitar for many years now. I’m not that flash because I don’t take formal lessons or practice according to strict routine, and I’m not practising for professional shows or anything, but I do occasional performances with very kind and forgiving audiences and so I do have to practise a little bit and it takes me out of my comfort zone and challenges me and it’s a really good habit to develop in your life to try challenging things that make you a bit uncomfortable. I’m not a natural musician, so it’s great for me to play a musical instrument because it stretches me and I know that’s good for me. And the cool thing is that when I practice and challenge myself and get good enough to perform, then I have fun, which takes us back to the first point. 

1. The third reason that you need to get involved in the arts is that you need to something creative to escape from all the work your brain is having to do to cope with your daily life. We are processing so much information through screens and our lives are so fast-paced, we need to get away from those screens and do things that get us moving and using the other parts of our brain that are to do with creativity. You might find in the future that you have really busy working lives and so you need to find fun and creative activities to switch off  from work. We can do that in other ways, too, mindfulness, meditation, exercise, but a great way to switch off is through the creative arts.  

1. This morning, I was talking to Mr Boston our guitar tutor and saying how I enjoyed having a jam on my little ukele bass and playing a bit of music and I said I thought it was good for me and he said “Well yeah, its good for the soul, isnt’ it?” His words, not mine. “It’s good for the soul. “ Now that wasn’t one of my 3 reasons but I absolutely agree with him and maybe that’s another perspective that motivates you to take that courageous step to becoming involved in the arts in the future. 

Now today we are acknowledging those students who are excelling in the creative arts. I would like to think that whilst they’ve clearly had to work hard to attain these colours, and perhaps at times the practice has been a grind, but as they come up and receive their colours for things like drama, music, public speaking, kapa haka, the technical work they’ve done in the arts, ask yourself whether you think they might have also had a heap of fun along the way, with their mates, been challenged in positive ways and whether these passion areas that they all have, have provided a wonderful escape at times from their academic work, jobs, screens and all the other things that fill up their lives. And maybe you can think about whether they would agree with Mr Boston that it’s been for their soul too. 

Thank you and I’ll now invite Dr Kristensen forward to present the 2023 Cultural Colours. 

Music 

Edward Harvey  Edward Harvey is a strong euphonium player in the symphonic band and jazz band and is often required to lead the bass end of the band. He does this with a great tone and he is always committed to what he needs to do. Eddie also performs with the Bay Cities Symphonic Band, and the Chapel band. This year Eddie was a soloist at the National Band Festival and was the dynamic lead singer in the jazz band. He always supports younger players well in rehearsals.  

Ryan Palmer  Ryan performs at a very high level on the drums and is a key member of the Jazztronouts, Jazz Band and Symphonic Band, and he has stepped in for Hawke’s Bay band The Bay Cities Symphonic Band.  Ryan is sincere and reliable in everything he does, and he balances his love for music and rugby excellently. He goes out of his way to help when the bands are on tour and leads by example.  

Marcus Gallagher  In 2023 Marcus excelled as a soloist improvising for the Jazztronauts, the Jazz Band, and the worship band. Marcus has developed his technique and musicianship well over the past two years, and he is performing at a high level. Marcus is a reliable and committed member of any ensemble that he plays in.  

Josef Oosthuizen - Absent As a violinist, Josef reached the HB Young Musician of the Year finals performing all his music confidently and concisely from memory. During 2023 Josef has continued to improve as high-level violinist at Lindisfarne College. Josef also plays the saxophone and is a dedicated member of the symphonic band and jazz band.  

Fergus Morunga Fergus is a confident piper who has regularly performed challenging solo pipe music at a high level at different events this year. Fergus is an outstanding leader and goes out of his way to mentor other boys in the band and help music staff with the organization and leadership of concerts and other major performances. Fergus embodies the excellent characteristics of what it means to be a great Pipe Major. Congratulations Fergus.  

Isaac Chou  Isaac performs at a very high level on the piano, violin, and xylophone. This year he was accepted into the NZ Symphony Orchestra Youth Orchestra, placing him as one of the top violinists in the country. His attendance at band rehearsals and Chapels is excellent, and he has performed high quality solos on the xylophone and piano throughout the year at various performances. We look forward to hearing from Isaac in the coming years.  

Technical  

Lachlan Wooldridge Lachlan has a very high level of knowledge of sound and lighting for events and performances, and he is passionate about Tech. This year, Lachlan has led the Tech Team well and has solved issues when these have arisen. Lachlan has invested a huge number of hours into school events such as House Music, Trio of Talents, Chapels and assemblies and he is 100% reliable. Thank you Lachlan for your dedication to everything technical at Lindisfarne College.  

Sam Young  This year, Sam has continued to gain a fantastic understanding of sound and lighting. Sam always. He has invested many hours into the set up of many school events including House Music, House Haka, Swimming Sports, Chapels and Assemblies. Sam is reliable and dedicated to this area of the school and he works tirelessly for the College. Thank you, Sam, for your dedication to Tech this year.  

Public Speaking   

Heremia McGarvey – Absent  In the Senior Maori Section of this year’s Manu Korero competition, the Pei Te Hurinui Section, Heremia was placed second equal in New Zealand, putting him as one of the top speakers in the country. Heremia has contributed to the Māori Dept significantly over the years, beginning NCEA level one te reo at Year 9, and completing all levels by Year 11.  

This year Heremia is Studying for his Public Speaking Diploma. He has regularly develivered outstanding  sermons at our College that relfect a high level of maturity and depth of thought. Heremia upholds the importance of his role as a tuakana in this group. Kōare i ārikarika ngā mihi ki a koe e Heremia. 

Kapa Haka 

Hopa Keelan Hopa is a fine young man who has contributed to the Māori Dept significantly over the years. Hopa began NCEA level one te reo at Year 9, completing all levels by Year 11. Hopa was a member of our first kapa haka which created history for Lindisfarne progressing through to Nationals in 2020. Hopa has shown consistent commitment to kapa haka and was an integral part of helping his house learn the school haka this year and lead the haka for Aidan house. A passionate kapa haka member who is a great example to the younger boys. Ka wani kē koe e Hopa, well done Hopa!  

Tama Heather Tama is a fine young man who has contributed to the Māori Dept significantly over the years. Tama began NCEA level one te reo at Year 9, completing all levels by Year 11. Tama was a member of our first kapa haka which created history for Lindisfarne progressing through to Nationals in 2020. Tama has grown to become a senior member of kapa haka and he interacts superbly with his peers and the younger students upholding the importance of tuakana teina amongst this group. Ka nui te mihi ki a koe e Tama.  

Paora Watene Paora is a fine young man who has contributed to the Māori Dept significantly over the years. Paora began NCEA level one te reo at Year 9, completing all levels by Year 11.  

Paora has been a consistent member of kapa haka and is a great example of someone who shows perserverance to continuously learn in the kapa haka space. Paora is a guitarist in kapa haka and upholds the importance of his role as a tuakana in this group. Koia kei a koe e Paora.  

DOUBLE COLOURS 

Callum Wallace – Music Year 13 cultural prefect Callum Wallace is a stand-out saxophonist in the symphonic band, jazz band, the Jazztronauts, and the Chapel Band. Wherever there is music, Callum is keen to engage and help with this. He is reliable, and his attendance throughout the year has been excellent. Callum brings energy, humor and a very high level of skill to everything he does in music and is supportive of the younger students in our bands. 

Callum Wallace – Drama Callum is a fantastic role model who has been actively involved supporting the younger boys in drama. This year he was able to use his talents to entertain us with his humorous interpretation of Fester in the Addams Family. This was a challenging role that he carried with huge conviction and sincerity. Callum performed this role around the Hawke’s Bay, including at the Performing Arts Concert in Term 3.   

DOUBLE COLOURS 

Te Ā Kruger-Taylor – Drama  Te A Kruger-Taylor is a talented young man who this year found his passion for theatre through playing the challenging lead role of Gomez in the joint production of The Addams Family with Woodford House. Te A committed himself to hours and hours of rehearsals and line learning. He danced, sang, and acted his way to a standard of excellence which wowed his audiences each night. He was a great role model for younger students in the show. Te A is currently studying for Scholarship Drama 

Te Ā Kruger-Taylor – Kapa Haka Te Ā is an outstanding naturally talented kapa haka leader who leads the group remarkably well. The skills and experience he brings to kapa haka are exceptional and he always performs with passion and excitement. Te Ā has been the main leader for kapa haka for several years now and has shown great leadership with house haka competition, teaching the haka and leading Durham house. Te Ā also leads the First XV haka. Koia kei a koe! Well done, Te Ā! 

TRIPLE COLOURS 

William Duncan – Drama William has had a very successful year in the world of theatre. William is a strong actor and singer and was a stand-out performer in the Iona College production of Chicago in which he played the character of lawyer Billy. He was a role model for other students when he worked hard as a chorus member for the Addams Family, encouraging others to do the best that they can.  William is completing his Speech New Zealand Diploma of Speech and Drama – he passed his last module with distinction.  

William Duncan – Public Speaking William has spoken excellently at assemblies this year when addressing the school and thanking guests to Lindisfarne College. He was placed first this year at the Lindisfarne College Impromptu Speech Competition, and he was the winner of the College’s Churchill Oratory prepared Speech competition. William puts a huge amount of thought into his speeches and delivers these with exactness and confidence.  

William Duncan – Debating In 2023 William continued to stand out as a top debater within our senior team. He debated locally as well as traveling to Scots College in Wellington and was one of the key members to bring home the coveted debating cup. Taking the lead from his predecessor, William organised skill sessions within the school for up-and-coming debaters at lunch time and encouraged other students to get involved in debating. He can always be relied on for input into debating and assists as an adjudicator.  

TRIPLE COLOURS 

Antoni Milewski – DRAMA Antoni is an asset to the drama department and is an inspiration to other students in whatever he does on stage. Antoni shone in his lead role of the character Amos in Iona College’s production of Chicago. In this year’s production of The Addams Family, his interpretation of the scholar ancestor was impressive. Antoni is an intelligent and hard working actor  He is currently completing his Speech New Zealand Diploma of Speech and Drama.  

Antoni Milewski – Debating Antoni is a debater who willingly shares his knowledge and insight. His planning and ability to explain his interpretation of various moots has always been appreciated. As a senior debater, he gave of his time to juniors and was always willing to host in-school debates to aid those who needed development. He participated in local competitions and made sure his voice was heard. 

Antoni Milewski – Music Year 13 cultural prefect and clarinetist Antoni Milewski leads the clarinet section in both the jazz band, the symphonic band, and the Chapel band. Antoni plays at a high level and always turns up to rehearsals organized and well-practiced. This year he also performed successfully in the HB Chamber Music competition. Antoni 100% reliable and leads by example.  

TRIPLE COLOURS 

Leo Guo – Debating Leo is a well-versed debater who tackles any moot with enthusiasm and focus. His keen ear has always meant his rebuttal is sharp and relevant. Leo was part of the senior team who tackled the HB Impromptu round post Cyclone Gabrielle and once again led by example. He aided junior debaters where possible and was generous with his time and knowledge. 

Leo Guo  - Music Leo is an outstanding pianist and trombonist who can perform both classical and jazz music at a very high level. He is a member of the symphonic band, jazz band, worship band, and Chapel band. Leo is also the pianist in the group The Jazztronouts, which has been hugely successful this year. His attendance at rehearsals and performances has been outstanding, making him an excellent role model.  

Leo Guo – Drama Leo has been a committed student of drama and performance since he began his years at the college. Leo performed outstandingly in this year’s production of The Addams Family, acting as Lucas. He is completing his Speech New Zealand Diploma of Speech and Drama and is presently sitting his final exam having passed his last module with distinction.  He received a nomination for the Excellence in the use of language and Expression Scholarship for this module.  

Rector speaks 

Congratulations to everyone who has been acknowledged today, I thank our guests once more for joining us on stage. 

Thank you all for the positive start you’ve made to Term 4. I told you it would whizz by and the first week certainly has, so lets continue to enjoy this celebration term and  and I’ll now invite Reverend Dunnett to close our assembly in prayer. 

Article added: Thursday 19 October 2023