Kia ora school, e noho please be seated. 

I’d like to invite Year 9 student Angus Gardiner forwards to deliver today’s reading. 

Today’s reading comes from James Chapter 1, Verse 12 

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 

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

Rector Comments: 

Thank you, Angus.  

Today, I want to share a poem that many people know, but it has an important message about choices, responsibility, and how the decisions you make shape your life. It’s one of my favourite poems. 

The Road Not Taken — Robert Frost 

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, 

And sorry I could not travel both 

And be one traveller, long I stood 

And looked down one as far as I could 

To where it bent in the undergrowth; 

Then took the other, as just as fair, 

And having perhaps the better claim, 

Because it was grassy and wanted wear; 

Though as for that the passing there 

Had worn them really about the same, 

And both that morning equally lay 

In leaves no step had trodden black. 

Oh, I kept the first for another day! 

Yet knowing how way leads on to way, 

I doubted if I should ever come back. 

I shall be telling this with a sigh 

Somewhere ages and ages hence: 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— 

I took the one less travelled by, 

And that has made all the difference. 

In this poem, Robert Frost describes a traveller who comes to a fork in the road. He stands there, thinking carefully about each path, wondering where it will take him. But he can’t walk both paths — he must choose one and commit to it. Later, he imagines telling the story of his choice and reflecting on how it shaped his life. 

The key idea here is that neither road was clearly better — both were good paths. What made the difference wasn’t which path he chose, but that he made a choice and committed to it. Frost is reminding us that life is full of decisions, and the choices we make — even small ones — shape the direction of our lives. 

Many people think Frost is telling us to always take the “less travelled” path, or to do something unusual just to stand out. But he actually points out earlier in the poem that by travelling on the path he had “worn them really about the same.” So one wasn’t necessarily more challenging than the other. 

Both paths were equally good. Frost is showing that what matters is not whether the path is unusual or challenging, but how you commit to the choices you make, and how you follow through on them. 

Often, both options are okay. You won’t always know which one is better until you go down a path. Once you make a choice, commit to it. Don’t waste energy wishing you could have taken the other path. Your choices — big or small — and the way you follow through, are what shape your life. 

At Lindisfarne, you face choices every day: 

• In your academics for example: As you get older you have to make more and more choices about what subjects you’ll study. Do I take Chemistry or Physics, Art or Phys Ed, History or Media? The poem is saying they’re all equally beneficial – the point is to make a choice and then give it everything in whatever courses you’ve chosen. 

• In sport: Do you play hockey or football? Basketball or rugby? Canoe polo or tennis. They’re all great sports – pick one and give it your all. 

• In the Christian Cornerstone: You have the choice to get involved or not. Do I turn up to help with nourish for Nil packing, the women’s refuge care packs work, the gardening jobs? Do I put my hand up to read a bible reading or a prayer in chapel. Or do I choose to do nothing? It’s a choice between doing something or remaining on the sidelines and leaving it to others to do the work. 

• And in the cultural cornerstone you have so many choices. The intermediates have to choose a cultural activity to get involved in and it might be vocal ensemble, chanter (which could turn into bagpipes), drama – the point is to choose one and give it your best shot. 

Even the small choices matter. Deciding to arrive on time, to complete your homework properly, to be polite, or to help someone in need — these choices build your habits and shape your character. Like Frost’s traveller, you can’t go back and redo every step — but you can make the most of the choices you make today. 

Sometimes, the consequences of choices aren’t obvious at the moment. You might choose to join a club, try a new sport, or talk to someone you’ve never spoken to before. At the time, it might feel small, even insignificant. But over months and years, those small choices add up, creating opportunities, friendships, and experiences that you might never have imagined. That’s the power of commitment. We will be acknowledging young men today who have been faced with a choice, and they’ve made a choice and followed through and today they’re going to be recognised for their commitment and achievements. 

So in closing, life is full of roads. You may not know which one is “right,”, which one is the “best” path, and sometimes the choice feels overwhelming. But what matters is that you choose, commit, and walk it with purpose. Step up, work hard, support others, and own your decisions. That’s how you make a difference — here at Lindisfarne College, and in the life ahead of you. 

So, when you next face a choice — no matter how small — remember Frost’s traveller. Look carefully, make your decision, and then walk your road with courage, determination, and pride. Even if the path is challenging, even if it’s not glamorous, your commitment is what makes the difference. That’s how the “difference” in your life is made. 

Every choice you make is a step toward the person you are becoming – the young man of character you’re becoming. Make your choices count. 

Please join me in singing the Hymn Guide Me.  

HYMN: GUIDE ME.  

Rector Comments:  

I will now invite Yr 9 Student, Sam Allen, forward to update us on the latest Arts and Cultural news.  

Cultural Report 

Guitar Recital On Monday, thirty-one of our guitar students that have lessons with Mr Boston performed at this year’s guitar recital. There was a great variety of pieces performed, including solos and group pieces. Congratulations to all of the boys that prepared for this and performed. It takes a lot of courage to perform to public, which is what these boys did so well. Well done also to Mr Doyle and Mr Hakeney who performed on the night. Thank you to Mr Boston for his contribution towards guitar this year.  

Churchill Oratory Finals  

Also on Monday were the finals of the Lindisfarne College Churchill Oratory prepared speech competition. Five juniors and five seniors had made it through to Monday’s final. The level of speeches this year was particularly high with both the both and delivery being excellent. In the junior section first place went to William Anderson. Second equal went to Theo Smith and Liam Pentreath. In the senior section, Liam King was awarded first place, second went to Niko Sawyers, and third to Matthew McPhail.  

Could William Anderson, Theo Smith and Liam Pentreath please come forward to receive their awards.  

Junior Performance Evening 

All the best to all junior performers who are playing at next Tuesday’s Junior Performance Evening in the auditorium.  

Have a great weekend. 

CULTURAL PERFORMANCE 

Peter Mitchell performing Santana’s Europa, accompanied by his tutor Mr Dave Boston. 

Rector Comments: 

Thank you, Peter and Mr Boston. And thank you Sam for your cultural report. I will now invite Yr 10 Student, Kiato Buxton, forward to update us on the latest Sports news. 

Sports Report  

Good afternoon school, it is my pleasure to read this week's sports report this week. 
 

In AIMS Games 

Swimming Wiremu Geary, Levi McEntee, Flynn Webber and William Kilpatrick competed in the swimming event, all of whom produced some personal best performances.  

Congratulations to Flynn Webber who received the sportsmanship medal. Please come forward to collect.  

Canoe Slalom
Our Lindisfarne paddlers had a fantastic campaign at the AIMS Games canoe slalom this week!  

William Kilpatrick claiming 1st place and Alby Redmond right behind in 2nd. Together with Ivan McLean, the trio secured 2nd place in the Year 7 team race. Oscar Fitness finished 5th and Leo Baker 6th. Their combined effort saw them take 1st place overall along with a Hastings paddler. With just five boys representing the College, Lindisfarne finished third overall. An incredible achievement at a national event of this scale. 

Canoe Sprint
Magnus jones (A-final), William Kilpatrick (B-Final), Alby Redmond (B-final), Wiremu Geary (E- final) and Ivan McLean (E-final) competed in the Year 7 event and the combined sores saw Magnus, William and Alby win the Year 7 teams Medal gold. Oscar fitness (B-final) and Leo Baker (B-final) competing in the Year 8 event secured the Combined team’s silver medal with Leo baker being awarded the canoe sport sportsmanship medal.  

Can Magnus, William, Alby, Oscar and Leo please come forward to receive their medals. 

Golf Jack Bernie completed in the golf competition, finishing 18th out of a field of 88.  

In Golf A huge congratulations to Year 9 student George Pogson, who last week competed in the National Age Group Golf Championships in Wellington. Playing in the U16 division, George showed great composure and consistency across the tournament. Going into the final round on Friday he was sitting in 9th place, and with a strong finish he climbed the leaderboard to claim a tie for 7th place. This is an outstanding achievement for a Year 9 student competing against older players! We also acknowledge Cordell Henare, who represented Lindisfarne in the U19 division. While the tournament didn’t go his way this time, with a tough round that saw him miss the final cut, we recognise the commitment it takes to compete at this level. 

In Tennis TJ North competed in the Eastern Grade tournament held in August and rounded off a great tournament winning his age group. 

Can TJ please come forward to receive his certificate. 

In Football The 1st XI, competing in the Lotto Premier tournament held in Palmerston North, came so close to securing wins in their opening two games but eventually lost to Shirley Boys (1-2) and Auckland Grammar (2-3). In both instances, the game was lost in the dying minutes. A third defeat against Macleans College, saw our boys relegated to the Plate section where they started with an outstanding victory over a very strong St Patrick’s, Town winning 5-0. Wednesday saw the boys take on Wellington College 1st XI in the quarter-final and a 0-0 draw resulted in a penalty shoot-out which we lost 4-5. On Thursday, the boys bounced back to secure yet another win over local rivals NBHS whom they beat 1-0 to set up a match against Otago Boys High School, a match that they won 3-2 to finish 21st in New Zealand. Hugo Lodewyk was named Lindisfarne College’s MVP for the tournament, an outstanding achievement! 

In Hockey What a week it was for our 1st XI Hockey boys at the Rankin Cup & India Shield Tournament in Auckland. After seven intense games against some of the country’s top hockey schools, the team showed outstanding skill and fight to finish the week on a high, claiming the bronze medal in the India Shield. 

The tournament began with a thrilling 5–4 victory over John McGlashan, followed by a gritty 1–1 draw with Auckland Grammar. Despite a tough 6–3 loss to St Andrew’s College in the final pool match, the boys bounced back in style with a commanding 6–1 win over Pakuranga College, securing a place in the India Shield top 8. From there, they dug deep in a hard-fought 4–2 quarter-final win against Wellington College, before narrowly falling to NBHS in the semi-final. In the playoff for 3rd, the team showed real character, battling St Paul’s Collegiate to a 1–1 draw before sealing the result 2–1 in a penalty shootout. 

Further congratulations are extended to Jacob Holder who has been selected to the Hawkes Bay Men’s team to compete at the National Tournament later this month. 

In Rugby The 23rd Lindisfarne College Invitational U15 Rugby Tournament wrapped up on Saturday after four great days of rugby on our home fields. Our Lindisfarne U15 team had a strong pool round with wins over Wairarapa College (62–17), St John’s Hamilton (13–8), and New Caledonia (27–17). These results earned the boys a place in Saturday’s final, where they went head-to-head with Rathkeale College. In a thrilling contest, Rathkeale came away with a narrow 27–24 win to claim the tournament title for the very first time. A huge thank you to all the teams who travelled to take part, to our special visitors from New Caledonia for bringing such a unique flavour to the week, and to our passionate supporters on the side-lines. Special acknowledgement to Tournament Director Ben Spriggins, our Lindisfarne staff, coaches, and managers whose hard work made this event possible. 

In League Our U16 boys took on Napier Boys High School earlier this week and they enjoyed a fine win. The team played with great determination and demonstrated a high degree of skill in securing a 50-28 win. 

In Canoe Polo Our teams continued with their league competition in the lead up to the end of the term and the Lindisfarne White team enjoyed two draws against NBHS Hostel 4 and HNHS Junior Girls. The Lindisfarne Black team beat the NBHS Hostel 4 team 6-1, and our Lindisfarne Red team secured a fine win over HNHS Tainui beating them 4-1. 

Note We would like to wish our Shooting team all the very best for the Hawkes Bay DTL & Skeet event on Sunday. This is the last event before the team heads off to Nationals later this month. 

Thank you, Kiato.  

Congratulations to everyone whose been recognised today 

Year 10 student Vincent McGregor will now close our assembly in prayer. 

Article added: Friday 05 September 2025