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In this issue

Headmaster’s brief BOT, Chair’s brief

Old Boys’ Association items

Carrington House

Panama hats

Senior Ball For the Cultural Minded

Year 9 Camps 2015

Chong – Chinese connection during WWI

Alfred Bayly

Surrey Allemann

Survey on the use of Facebook

Old Boys’ Association Ties

Max Carroll – Napier Boys’ High School

Sports Fixture

Headmaster Paul Verić Well, it's hard to believe it is the end of term 2 of my first term as Headmaster, it really does seem like months. I have sent you a few communication pieces this term already but I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for the warm welcome I have received as Headmaster. The school is in tremendous heart and our Old Boys are as proud and as strong as ever. The youth of today are outstanding and our boys never cease to amaze me with their humility and character. Not all boys get it right all the time (as we know ourselves...) but I can assure you based on what I see the future is very bright We are looking at strengthening our communication with you, but this will take some time, under the watchful and committed eyes of Max Carroll and Phoebe Ansell. The support given to Max and Phoebe has been superb, thank you for that. We hope that we can meet your expectations in keeping you informed and connected to your school. I look forward to meeting many more of you at various functions around the country over the upcoming months and years and I appreciate your assistance in helping us to locate fellow old boys Hopefully, you have read the Keep Stop Start survey results which provide an excellent platform for the future. I do also post my 'key' assembly speeches on our website (which is in the process of being updated) and I welcome contact from you any time on any topic

Email FLYER to Old Boys’ Showcasing articles

OLD and NEW

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BOT Chair, Leigh Sampson

It has been a busy year for the board at NPBHS, a time of change and challenge. We have navigated our way through Carrington house coming down in the early part of the year and all of the associated work required around making the grounds and adjacent building safe and usable for students and staff. We have also been given the privilege as a board to be responsible for the appointment of a new Headmaster. Very mindful that this was a very responsible position to be in we sought feedback from teachers, students and some community stakeholders around what they believed NPBHS needed in terms of leadership. We then went about the recruitment process. This involved interviews, presentations, diligent reference checking and consultation with other Headmasters. We had Mr Ross Brown, Principal at Napier Boys High sit on our interview panel to ensure we were getting the right academic and educational answers from our candidate. As you will be aware, Mr Paul Verić was selected as the successful candidate. I am aware that this was a surprise to many and not predicted by most. Paul comes to the role with, I believe, a wealth of experience that is both relevant and necessary to take on the role of Headmaster at NPBHS. He was head boy at NPBHS in 1991 and taught at NPBHS for a couple of years in the 1998-1999, in more recent times he has been employed in the business sector at a high level. Paul is very passionate and cares deeply about NPBHS; he has a strong sense of what is right. He has a pragmatic approach to decision making and leadership and he has the business acumen to back all of that up and lead NPBHS into the next decade. Paul has the benefit of an experienced and very capable senior Leadership team, has the support of Heads of Departments and teaching staff around him and is not afraid to ask. Importantly he has a respect for our heritage, pride and tradition and has the ability to maintain this whilst ensuring student achievement. He had very high standards and is already expecting that in return from students and staff. Of course the usual school governance responsibilities carried on for the board. The most important for us all is of course student achievement. We have been together as a board now for over two years, some of us were on the board either as elected of co-opted members prior. We work well together and are very aware of our roles and responsibilities around governance. Finally in closing, I value the opinions and experience of NPBHS ‘old boys’, if you would like to discuss any issues relating to the school please do not hesitate to call or E-mail me:botchair@npbhs.school.nz or 027 705 1462. I know Paul is very happy to be contacted also if you would like to talk with him about NPBHS and where we are heading.

1st XI Football NPBHS vs FDC

Super 8 Volleyball

Adventure Racing Team – Award Dinner

Tabloid Sports

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REMINDER if you want to become an Association Member: SUBSCRIPTION

Membership of the Old Boys Association has been set at $10:00 per annum. Any old boy wanting to join contact Phoebe on +64 6 758 5399 ext 704 or email ob.liaison@npbhs.school.nz. You can make a direct debit payment to TSB 15-3953-0424922-00. Please email your name, date of direct debit payment and amount to Phoebe.

New Plymouth Boys’ High School Old Boys’ Association Committee 2015

Patron Lyal French-Wright

President Brooke Wolfe

Senior-vice President

Philip Armstrong

Junior-vice President

Aaron Lock

Immediate Past President

Michael Somers

Treasurer Peter Darney

Secretary Grant Hassall

Headmaster’s Representative

David Bennett

Committee David Bublitz

Lynn Bublitz

Kevin Gledhill

Justin Hyde

Colin Maihi

Todd Wolfe

You can access the NPBHS website. http://www.npbhs.school.nz/ Our Old Boys Facebook http://www.npbhs.school.nz/areas-of-interest/our-facebook.html OR The old boy newsletters http://www.npbhs.school.nz/areas-of-interest/old-boys-association/newsletters.html

CARRINGTON HOUSE This has been a slow process it will have to be given a final check. Once it is completed an email message will go out to all on our emailing list.

During the game between NPBHS 1st XV and NPOB, past players enjoyed the company of fellow past players.

Maurice Betts writing about the above photo which

was in the last newsletter

The photo taken on the balcony of some of us in

Panama hats made me smile.

Between years 1961-1965, four fathers of players would regularly meet and sit in front of the Assembly Hall to watch the 1st XI games – almost all of which were played at the Top Ground under an arrangement with the TCA. In my playing time, our team included, among others, Dennis Green, Graham Duncan, and Hylton Tuckett. The ‘Panama hat’ team included Tom Green, Fred Duncan, Jim Tuckett and my father, Stan Betts.

So to now be in the Panama hat team seemed fitting somehow!

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The NPBHS School Ball was held on

the Saturday, 6 June this year. Towards the end of last term, myself and a group of nine other prefects formed a ball committee and decided to theme our ball ‘A Night in Las Vegas.’ Along with a few other boys, we put in hours of planning, building and organising the event. As well as this, we organised dance practices for all of the Year 13 boys and their dates. Mr Prasad was kind enough to lend his time to teach us three dances: a Waltz, Gay Gordon, and a French Jive. The boys all really enjoyed this learning experience and made the night more enjoyable. I would like to say a big thanks to the TSH staff for all the hard work they put in and ideas they came up with. I wold also like to thank the Board of Trustees members and staff that attended - particularly the ladies who worked in the cloakroom - the hostel kitchen staff for catering, Mr Prasad for all the time and effort he put in, and of course the other members of the ball committee for all the countless hours they spent making the night a great success. Theo Betteridge Head Boy 2015

For the CULTURAL MINDED OLD BOYS’

EVENTS coming up in Term 3 HOUSE DEBATING FINALS @ 1:30pm (lunch-time) Tuesday, 4 August House debating is a fun event which contributes to the annual inter-house competition and is a training ground for those who go on to junior and senior school debating teams. OCCASIONAL LUNCHTIME CONCERTS Normally they are held in the school library. Performances from Music department bands, student songwriters, staff musicians from outside the school. So far this year we have had Appalachian folk duo (whom where here for WOMAD), the school entries in the Cultural Super 8s and most recently our entries for Rockquest. If you know musicians, poets etc who would be willing to perform a 20 min set at one of these, let me know. Last year lunchtime activities reached the point where I could have two or three well-attended activities on offer in

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any given lunchtime - concerts, debates, art installation, short films, workshops... so if you have a skill you'd like to share or an idea for a Display or exhibition also let me know! (Viv Treweek). Check out the SCHOOL NOTICES, NPBHSCultural and NPBHSLibrary Facebook pages for details. ARTS WEEK Monday, 17 to Friday, 21 August A celebration of some of the talent in the school and an opportunity for boys to try new things, Arts Week raises awareness of the range of cultural and performing arts activities on offer in the school. The programme is still being set for this year's event. Long-standing highlights include: Finals of the school speech competitions - evening of Monday, 17 August Inter-house music - house song and ensemble sections - afternoon of Fri 21st (TBC) Previous years' Arts Weeks have included screenings of students' short films, drama and music workshops, and trips to see live theatre, staff vs student debates, poetry competitions, art installations, lunchtime concerts and art displays. At the time of writing we are planning to add a major evening concert/revue to the week. If you have any ideas of things you would like to see included, or artists who could be involved, I'm always open to more ideas. Thursday, 20 August NPBHS Revue (not to be missed a selection of our finest musical acts). This replaces the old Spring Concert previously held later in the year.

Friday, 21 August NPBHS Cultural festival Friday, 28 August Waikato Band Festival: two combined Jazz Bands (Stage Band 1 and Blues Machine conducted by Stewart Maunder) to be held in Hamilton Friday, 18 to Sunday 20 September NZ Concert Band Association Nationals in Rotorua two combined CB's - (directed by Stewart Maunder and Viv Treweek) Sunday, 27 September Taranaki Jazz Club Day: (Concert and Jazz Bands) to be

held at the Mayfair, 69 Devon St West, New Plymouth 4310

Year 9 Camps 2015

As the 2015 school year is quickly coming to an end

most year 9 students are looking forward to one of

the highlights of their year, the annual year 9

camps. There are a wide range of camps on offer

ranging from trips to Taupo, Waitomo, Coromandel,

Bay of Plenty, Wellington, and Tongariro, to camps

offering more specialist activities like mountain

biking, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, golf,

surfcasting, and surfing. These camps provide

opportunities to try new challenges and develop

new friendships, all important for personal growth. In

an increasingly ‘virtual world’ it is important to

experience real life, and some of the amazing things

we have on offer in NZ but often take for granted.

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The Chong siblings, from left, Brian, Margaret and

Michael at the Te Henui gravesite of their parents, Gerald and Ethel Chong. Gerald was one of the few Kiwis of Chinese descendants to serve in WWI

When dawn breaks on Anzac Day, Taranaki resident Brian Chong will remember his father's medal-winning World War I service as a stretcher-bearer. Brian's father Gerald McNaughton Chong was one of only a handful of Kiwis of Chinese descent to serve in the war - a source of immense pride for his family. His bravery under intense German shelling saw him awarded the Military Medal for "conspicuous bravery" but Brian says his father was "just an ordinary man who did his bit for his country". "My brother and I would visit our father's grave after the parade, to put a poppy on it," he says. "We used to compete to see who would get there first and my brother would beat me to it." But his father was one of the many men who returned from the war and preferred to leave it behind, refusing to talk about his experiences, not wanting to be reminded of the horrors he had seen. "He would say, though, that on Christmas Day they would yell out season's greetings to the Germans - because their lines were very close," he says. "He said they would throw tins of jam to each other." Many Chinese-New Zealanders declined to serve in the war because of their marginalised status. But Gerald McNaughton Chong volunteered to join the Medical Corp. The youngest son of Chew Chong, a prominent member of the community who pioneered selling and manufacturing the pound of butter and built one of the first butter factories in 1885, and Taranaki local Elizabeth Whatton, the daughter of a settler involved in irons and smelting, was a chemist's assistant. He enlisted and joined the New Zealand Medical Corp as a stretcher-bearer, being attached to work with the No 1 Field Ambulance. Initially an officer’s corp, an amendment in 1908 defence regulations saw "all officers, non-commissioned officers and men connected with the medical service of the permanent force, militia and volunteer, formed into the New Zealand Medical Corps". General Sir Ian Hamilton ordered the corp organise field ambulances and "make every use of men whose civilian training fitted them to the work". With his training as a chemist's assistant, Gerald Chong was quickly admitted and in May 1916 sailed for Plymouth on the Willochra, reaching England two months later. He was sent to Bapaume in France, where www.britainatwar.org.uk records: "The ground shook and tolled humanity by the second."

Being a stretcher-bearer was exhausting work. Chong carried wounded men to aid posts to receive treatment and later to dressing stations where they would have their bleeding stopped, splints applied, or have their wounds stitched. In his book The New Zealanders at Gallipoli Fred Waite wrote: "A man without a load can dash from cover to cover, but the stretcher-bearers, with their limp and white-faced burdens, must walk steadily on, ignoring sniper and hostile gunners. Hour after hour the work went on, until after 20 hours' stretcher-bearing these unheeded heroes fell in their tracks from sheer exhaustion". Chong's life was constantly at risk from bullets, shells and gas as he waded through mud and shell craters to remove the wounded from the battlefield. One corp sergeant said he would never forget the experience: "A 12-stone weight on the stretcher, a dark night, a little drizzling rain, groping our way down the steep incline through prickly scrub, our wounded man crying with pain and begging for a drink every few yards, incessant rifle fire and bullets whizzing all around us." In 1918 Bapaume came under intense enemy bombardment on August 25. The New Zealand Division suffered heavy losses and more than 300 were wounded. Heavy overnight rain meant heavy mud made the conditions for the stretcher- bearers almost impossible. Chong was on duty at one of the bearer-posts and worked continuously for 36 hours carrying the wounded despite the weather and heavy shelling, winning his medal. It is not possible to determine how many Chinese-New Zealand men served in World War I, a time of intense and open racism against the Chinese. But like Chong, that did not deter Arnold Wong Lee, who also had a European mother, from "answering his country's call", as the inscription on his parents' headstone in Hastings reads: "He was killed in action on November 24, 1917 at the age of 19." Another soldier of Chinese ethnicity was Clarence Eric Kee, who stayed in France with the Canterbury Infantry Regiment from 1917 until the end of the war, despite being wounded during his service. In 1920 his father, Frank Kow Kee, was granted naturalisation because of his son's service, making him one of only four Chinese naturalised between 1908 and 1952 - years when Chinese were not allowed to become permanent citizens.

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HISTORICAL SPORTING

ACHIEVEMENT

Page 5 of 12

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HISTORICAL ACHIEVEMENT:

Surrey Sebastian Allemann (1915-1920) He was a Prefect and boarder. He won the long distance championship certificate for swimming, 1916 won junior for shooting, 1918 to 1919 won Imperial Challenge Shield for shooting and Cadets; No 2 Corp; 1919 Lieutenant Corp, 1920 Lieutenant Sergeant.

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I am doing a survey to see how many of our old boys view or use FACEBOOK.

There is an ongoing flow of news, articles old and new and events The school have two main FACEBOOK pages:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Plymouth-Boys-High-School-Old-Boys-Association/148767551850451

https://www.facebook.com/NPBHSchool

If you use FACEBOOK please email me:

ob.liaison@npbhs.school.nz

TIES Our ties have arrived if you want to purchase one please either call at the main office and see Mrs Ansell or telephone +64 6 758 5399 ext 704 Cost $30:00

Round the Traps……..with Max Carroll SPORTS FIXTURE: NAPIER BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL While watching our 1st XV game Saturday, 25 July I was sitting between old boys, Tony East who was a member of our 1962 rowing eight which won the Moascar Cup and a very sprightly ninety year old, Derek Laws (photo). Derek has the rare distinction of being an old boy of both schools. After two years at Napier Boys’ High school his father considered that he was too interested in sports and sent him to board in School House (now called Moyes) in 1942. He then returned to Napier for his final two years of secondary schooling. Incidentally the last thirty minutes of the game was one of the most sophisticated displays of set play of rugby I have seen from a school boy team.