Kia ora, School. Please be seated.

I now invite Year 10 student Tay Barton forward to deliver today’s reading

Today’s reading comes from Second Corinthians, Chapter 4: Verses 8-9

We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.

This is the word of the Lord…….. (Thanks be to God)

Rectors Comments:  

Thank you, Tay. I would now like to welcome Year 9 Student, Keiran Johnstone, to do a drum performance.

Cultural Performance: By Keiran Johnstone.

Rector Comments:

Thank you, Keiran.

Tay’s earlier bible reading finished with “When we are knocked down, we get back up again. I’m going to read you a poem about that now. It starts with a man describing what he does when people tell him to give up and not try. It’s called “The Race” by D.H. Groberg.

“Quit! Give Up! You’re beaten!”
They shout at me and plead.
“There’s just too much against you now.
This time you can’t succeed.”

And as I start to hang my head
In front of failure’s face,
My downward fall is broken by
The memory of a race.

And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene;
For just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being.

II

A children’s race–young boys, young men–
How I remember well.
Excitement, sure! But also fear;
It wasn’t hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope
Each thought to win that race.
Or tie for first, or if not that,
At least take second place.

And fathers watched from off the side
Each cheering for his son.
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they went
Young hearts and hopes afire.
To win and be the hero there
Was each young boy’s desire.

And one boy in particular
Whose dad was in the crowd
Was running near the lead and thought:
“My dad will be so proud!”

But as they speeded down the field
Across a shallow dip,
The little boy who thought to win
Lost his step and slipped.

Trying hard to catch himself
His hands flew out to brace,
And mid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face.

So down he fell and with him hope
–He couldn’t win it now–
Embarrassed, sad, he only wished
To disappear somehow.

But as he fell his dad stood up
And showed his anxious face,
Which to the boy so clearly said,
“Get up and win the race.”

He quickly rose, no damage done,
–Behind a bit, that’s all–
And ran with all his mind and might
To make up for his fall.

So anxious to restore himself
–To catch up and to win–
His mind went faster than his legs:
He slipped and fell again!

He wished then he had quit before
With only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now;
I shouldn’t try to race.”

But in the laughing crowd he searched
And found his father’s face;
That steady look which said again:
“Get up and win the race!”

So up he jumped to try again
–Ten yards behind the last–
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought,
“I’ve got to move real fast.”

Exerting everything he had
He regained eight or ten,
But trying so hard to catch the lead
He slipped and fell again!

Defeat! He lied there silently
–A tear dropped from his eye–
“There’s no sense running anymore;
Three strikes: I’m out! Why try!”

The will to rise had disappeared;
All hope had fled away;
So far behind, so error prone;
A loser all the way.

“I’ve lost, so what’s the use,” he thought
“I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad
Who soon he’d have to face.

“Get up,” an echo sounded low.
“Get up and take your place;
You were not meant for failure here.
Get up and win the race.”

“With borrowed will get up,” it said,
“You haven’t lost at all.
For winning is no more than this:
To rise each time you fall.”

So up he rose to run once more,
And with a new commit
He resolved that win or lose
At least he wouldn’t quit.

So far behind the others now,
–The most he’d ever been–
Still he gave it all he had
And ran as though to win.

Three times he’d fallen, stumbling;
Three times he rose again;
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner
As he crossed the line, first place.
Head high, and proud, and happy;
No falling, no disgrace.

But when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer,
For finishing the race.

And even though he came in last
With head bowed low, unproud,
You would have thought he’d won the race
To listen to the crowd.

And to his dad he sadly said,
“I didn’t do too well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said.
“You rose each time you fell.”

III

And now when things seem dark and hard
And difficult to face,
The memory of that little boy
Helps me in my race.

For all of life is like that race,
With ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win,
Is rise each time you fall.

“Quit! Give up! You’re beaten!”
They still shout in my face.
But another voice within me says:
“GET UP AND WIN THE RACE!”

I’m not speak about the message behind the poem because I think it speaks for itself. Hopefully if you have some time at the end of period 5 your teacher will ask you what you took from the poem and how you can use the words to help you in your life.

We’re now going to sing Highways in the Heart.

Hymn: Highways in the Heart.

Thank you, please be seated.

I would now like to invite Year 10 student Liam King up to present this week’s Arts & Cultural report.

Cultural Report:

Junior Production

Last night was the evening performance of this year’s junior production play by students in years 7 – 10. This year’s drama piece was called Lindisfarne Legacy, Our Way, written by Ms Jeffery and based on articles and information from the Lindisfarne College Archives. The show portrayed the beginnings of Lindisfarne College from the planning stage and through to when it was opened in 1953. We learned about the life of a student at the time, the goals of the College, and it also told of the tough times during the second world war when the Herrick family lost three of their sons in battle, Dennis Brian and Mike Herrick.  A fantastic group of over 30 boys contributed to the production as actors, back-stage crew, lighting, and sound people. Thank you to Ms Jeffery for scripting the play, directing the show, organizing the costumes. Thank you also to Mrs Atkin for being Assistant Director This was a truly unique play and will remain a fantastic Lindisfarne College document for the future.

USA Music Tour

Recently six music students travelled to the USA on the USA Music Tour. I will now hand over to Dominic Goodenough to tell you about this.

Rector Comments:

Thank you, Liam and well done Dominic.  

I’ll would now like to invite Year 10 student, August Popadich, up to present this week’s sports report. 

Sports Report:

In Cricket
During the week, our Colts A cricket team competed in the highly prestigious and fiercely contested Seddon Cup. This tournament brought together some of the strongest Colts teams from across the Central North Island. The demanding 110-over-per-day format added layers of complexity to the games, requiring adaptability and endurance from all players.

The 13 players representing Lindisfarne College can be immensely proud of their skill, resilience, and stamina throughout the four days of cricket.

Day 1: The opening match against Francis Douglas Memorial College resulted in a dominant outright win by an innings and 104 runs.

Day 2: New Plymouth Boys’ High School proved a tougher opponent. The match ebbed and flowed over 105 overs, with momentum shifting between the two sides. Lindisfarne narrowly lost on first-innings points by just two wickets.

Day 3: Facing arch-rivals Whanganui Collegiate, the game was another intense contest. Both teams showcased exceptional skill and mental toughness, but Lindisfarne held their nerve. By sticking to simple, disciplined cricket, we secured first-innings points with a 40-run margin.

Day 4: The final match was against Palmerston North Boys’ High School in a shorter format of 30 overs per side. Batting first our top five all fired and set a daunting 183/6 off our 30 overs. This was always going to be a tough task for the opposition. Eventually Palmerston North Boys were dismissed for 128 for 10 wickets.

Congratulations to the entire team for their outstanding effort and determination throughout the tournament. Well done, boys!

Fergus scored an impressive 69 runs against Francis Douglas. Freddy contributed an excellent 52 runs in the same match. Congratulations to both players on these fantastic achievements!

Leo delivered a match-winning performance against Whanganui Collegiate, claiming an incredible 7 wickets. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement, Leo!

In Canoe Polo
Over the weekend, our team competed in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Junior Canoe Polo Championships. The boys played an impressive nine games over two days, securing victories in nearly all their matches. They recorded one draw against Hastings Boys’ and their only loss was to Otaki, who ultimately won the division.

Our school team achieved an excellent result, finishing third in the Division 2 competition.

A special mention goes to Ollie Fritchley, who was the second-highest goal scorer in the open grade and the top scorer in our division—a fantastic individual achievement.

The team demonstrated great teamwork and showed noticeable progress with each game they played throughout the weekend. Congratulations to the boys on their hard work and success!

In Mountain Biking
Last Saturday, the Hawke's Bay Mountain Bike Club hosted its annual Te Mata Peak Downhill competition, drawing participants from across the region. The three main schools represented were Hastings Boys’, Napier Boys’, and Lindisfarne College.

After an exhilarating day of competition, our team of eight junior riders and one senior delivered outstanding results:

In the Under 13-14 Category: 1st: Konna Schnell, 3rd: Taine Hemmingsen, 4th: Charles Burn

In the Under 15-16 Category: 1st: Noah Hemmingsen

Overall Results: 1st: Noah Hemmingsen, 2nd: Konna Schnell

These impressive results secured Lindisfarne College the overall victory, marking the first time we’ve triumphed over our rivals, Napier Boys’.

Congratulations to all the riders for their fantastic efforts.

Rector comments:

Thank you, August.

Next week is Camp week and I’ll come and see the Year 7 and 8s before you leave on Monday morning, but on behalf of the rest of the school we wish you an exciting and safe time away. Year 9/10s I will speak to about Camps after lunch on Friday.

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Yeer 10 student Oscar Brandon will now close our assembly in prayer.

Article added: Saturday 23 November 2024