Rob’s Blog - July 2022
As the midway point of the 2022 school year approaches there are a number of functions in place to farewell retiring Principal Robert Mangan as well as a significant number of winter sport and cultural fixtures. It has been a particularly busy term as there were several events postponed because of Covid which have now been rescheduled.
New Principal
Major news is that the new Principal has been appointed and for the first time TBC will have an Old Boy in the role. Andrew Turner (1988-92) is one of 4 boys who came through the school in the 80’s and 90’s while their father Russell is also an Old Boy. Andrew’s joins us from Gisborne BHS where he has been Principal since 2018 before which he was Deputy Rector at Otago BHS for almost 3 years. Prior to that he had returned to TBC to teach in 2005 where he had taught English, been a Dean and become second in charge of the English Department. While teaching at the school both of his boys, Israel and Joseph, were pupils.
Old Boys on the staff … Nathan Fry, Charles Williams, Wayne Merritt, Harlie Deacon, Brendon Weatherley, Wayne Blackmore, Tim Clarke, Dan Anson, Andrew Ferguson, Adam Garner, Adam Bollen, Brett Ronowicz, Shaqille Gaby, Niven Dovey, Joe Thomas, Justin Brewer, Chris Lee, Steve Graham, Reef Cooper, Toby Taylor, Mitch Zandstra, Brad Smith, Steve Kelly, Jordan Evison, Aidan Kuka, Hamish Boyce & Paora Ranui … + Robert Mangan & Rob Leslie
Old Boys Events
Annual General Meeting
The date has been set for our AGM which will be held in the Staffroom from 6 p.m. on Wednesday August 24th. It would be great to have a good turn-out for our first meeting of the Andrew Turner era. Come along to offer your support for our Association as the College moves into a new era.
Old Boys Dinner
It is a couple of years since we have staged the full dinner and our meeting this week decided it was still a little early to go back to this format with another wave of Covid making plans uncertain. It has been decided that we will hold a function to welcome our new Principal towards the end of next term. Look out for further details.
TBC Arts
Jazz Festival
The postponed 2022 festival has just been completed and as is usually the case TBC had a major presence in the Secondary School divisions. Our Big Band #1 gained a Gold award while the Big Band #2 claimed silver. We had three different Jazz combos which gained gold, silver and bronze awards respectively. Sylvester Green was awarded the Edwina Green Trophy as the best trumpet player at the festival.
NZ Chamber Music Festival
Our musicians have competed at this festival for small groups in the classical genre. TBC musicians won 4 of the 5 categories which included a sax quartet, best brass/woodwind/percussion group as well as guitar and piano trios.
Debating
TBC dominated the 36 teams competing at the BOP Regional Debating competition with the Senior team of Peter Gedye, Tom Hughes and Prahbanmol Sangha winning 5 out of 5 debates. Peter was selected as 1 of 3 BOP students to contest the National schools debating championships.
The future would appear to be in good hands too, as Year 9 student Oliver Farquharson (son of staff member Katrina Larsen) was judged to be most promising speaker.
TBC Sport
Super 8 Competition
This competition between the 8 central North Island boys schools – Hamilton, Rotorua, Napier, Hastings, New Plymouth, Palmerston North Gisborne and TBC - ensures top quality competition for our sides. It is an outstanding achievement then, that we are current Super 8 champions in Volleyball, Cricket, Tennis, Football and Basketball.
Football
Our 1st XI have just qualified for their national tournament and on current form would be a good bet to take out the title. Recent victories have included an 11-0 over St. Peters, Cambridge and Rotorua BHS who were beaten 13-0. In the process striker Alex Searle set an all-time record bagging 8 in the Rotorua win and has an amazing 37 goals in 24 matches for the 1st XI.
The team has just won Super 8 defending the title they won last year. They were unbeaten in the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Hamilton BHS in pool play avenged with a 5-0 win in the final.
Four of the team – George Brown, Ry McLeod, Jonty Bidois & Nathan Rostron – have been selected in the NZSS side while Mirko Brinkman is a member of the NZ Under 20 squad.
Rugby
The 1st XV has started the season well with good wins in pre-season matches against Dilworth, Wesley and Matamata and a 26-22 win over Westlake BHS in the first traditional interschool fixture. The 1st Super 8 match was against Rotorua BHS and in a nail-biting affair TBC failed to kick the conversion in the last play of the game which would have given the side a 17-17 draw – so a loss 15-17.
Water Polo
Our sides have competed in the North Island championships with the Senior A side defeating Hamilton BHS 7-6 in the Division 1 final. The depth of the sport in our school was shown with the Senior B team taking gold in the Division2 final beating Westlake BHS B team 4-3.
Staff member Dave Couper and a number of our boys (Gus Shivnan, Ethan Carrington, Jack Jones, Harrison Bos & Matt Anderson) were part of the Tauranga Men’s Water Polo team that has just won the National league beating Hutt City in the final.
Sailing
Our sailors competed in the Central North Island Regatta last term with the team coming second in the fleet to Napier BHS.
Cross Country
Our runners performed strongly at the Waikato/BOP championships held recently winning gold in the Year 9, Junior and Senior 3 man team events. Our Year 9s and Juniors also won the 6 man title. Individual highlights saw Cameron Fitzjohn place 3rd in the Year 9 competition, George Wylie (1st) & James Catto (3rd) performing well in the Junior division while Matt Hill was champion at the Senior level.
The boys have just returned from the Nationals where George Wylie claimed bronze in the Junior event and Matt Hill 9th at Senior level. This was good enough for Matt to be selected as non-travelling reserve for the New Zealand team. Our Year 9 group were third in the 3 man team.
Squash
TBC’s team of Jayden Valois, Matt Ward and Jonty Collier have won the BOP Secondary Schools Squash teams competition recently.
Karate
Sam Crawford has recently returned from the 2022 Oceania Championships in Sydney where he competed in the Junior division. He won gold in the Under 76 kg. and Junior open divisions for Kumite (fighting) and was 3rd in the teams event.
Climbing
A couple of our students have just competed in the Australian Youth Climbing Championships in Sydney. Julian David won gold and Flynn Chisholm bronze in the Youth A division for Speed Climbing.
Sports Captain – Gus Shivnan
Our sports captain has a big year of international sport. He has been selected in the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Games swim team comprising 16 girls and 7 boys. He is also in the Junior Black Fins side that will compete in Riccione, Italy for the Under 19 World Championships of Surf Life Saving. The 6 male/6 female side will compete in pool rescue+ ocean and beach events.
Clay Target Shooting
Our clay target team competed in competitions at Matamata where they were able to defend the title they won there last year.
Surfing
Fourteen year old Tao Mouldey (son of Old Boy Nathan) has recently returned from El Salvador where he competed in the Junior World Surfing Championships. He placed 17th in a large, competitive field and will be eligible for the competition again next year. He had won the 2022 Billabong Grom series and South Island championships at home last summer.
Hockey
Our hockey players have been involved in finals of the local hockey competitions in the last fortnight. The Premier league final was fought out between TBC Navy & TBC Gold (an mix of all 1st & 2nd XI players) with Navy the victors by penalty shootout after the score was 2-2 at the end of regulation time. In Championship Division 1 TBC Colts prevailed on penalties over TBC Seniors after an exciting but scoreless match. The TBC White team contested the finals in Championship Division 2 against ACG 1st XI and were defeated.
Old Boys Sport
Rugby
The naming of the All Blacks to face Ireland next month sees Old Boy Aidan Ross become the 16th All Black to come out of TBC. He has had an impressive last couple of years playing for the Chiefs and joins fellow Old Boy Sam Cane in the three test series.
The classic All Blacks played in Spain last month with the intention of spreading the rugby word to a less traditional rugby nation. Three TBC Old Boys took part in this fixture – Jarrad Hoeata, Luke Braid and Nathan Harris.
Recent 1st XV player Josh Bartlett made his playing debut for the Chiefs in the just completed season.
The NZRFU has just named their top referee panel for 2022 and Old Boy James Doleman features again. James is the son of former staff members Steve and Christine Doleman who taught English & PE respectively here in 1990s.
Rugby Sevens
Leroy Carter has become an integral part of the NZ Sevens team this year as they have re-joined the world circuit competing in Toulouse and London in their build up to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next month.
Sailing
Tom Saunders came an agonising 4th in the World Championships of the ILCA7 (Laser) class held in Mexico recently. After winning the world title in 2021 he was well in contention for medals going into the last day but just missed out. This class of sailing is the most competitive and so with a 1st and 4th in the last 2 years Tom continues to track well for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Beach Volleyball
The upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will feature TBC Old Boy Brad Fuller in beach volleyball. At the last Games the O’Dea brothers (ex Otumoetai College) represented NZ but now Sam O’Dea teams with Brad Fuller while brother Ben and Old Boy Thomas Reid missed out on selection despite some good results on the international circuit.
Hockey
Former 1st XI member Denym Clarke has been selected in the New Zealand Maori squad after previously playing for Tauranga and Midlands as well as coaching the Tauranga Under 18 side.
Football
Old Boy Ryan Thomas, who is currently on the books of PSV in Europe, was not able to continue his international career in the All Whites squad defeated by Costa Rica for the last place at the 2022 World Cup because of a knee injury. Ryan has scored 3 goals in 19 appearances for the senior side.
Riley Bidois was in the 1st XI side in 2019 and has been at the Phoenix since leaving school. He made his first team debut in the recently completed season.
Waka Ama
Old Boy and current staff member Mitch Zandstra will spend most of the next term in the northern hemisphere as he has been selected in the 12 strong New Zealand team that will contest the World Championships on the Olympic rowing course in London.
Kayaking
TBC has three Old Boys who have been selected to compete in the New Zealand Canoe Slalom events in Europe this northern summer. Oliver Puchner will make his Senior debut in the C1 with Callum Gilbert in the K1. At the Under 23 level Finn Anderson will be competing.
Cricket
The Black Caps tour of England has been somewhat disappointing for captain Kane Williamson as he missed the first two tests with injury and then Covid 19. He is back for the third test though in the dead rubber as the English won the first two under their new coach, Kane’s former team mate, Brendon McCullum.
Another former 1st XI player who has just made his Senior international debut recently is Tim Pringle. He has been playing for the Netherlands, his mother is Dutch, in an ODI series against England. Tim has been playing in Holland through the northern summer and was selected for these games. This will not preclude him from realising a long-held ambition of following Kane into the Black Caps in the future. Tim played for the NZ Under 19 side and follows his father Chris who also played 61 ODIs for NZ & also for Holland in the 1990s.
Squash
A team dominated by Old Boys Joe Smythe, Ben Grindrod, Jamie Oakley and Josh Oakley won the Cousins Shield playing for Tauranga Squash Club against Remuera from Auckland.
Old Boys Arts
Music
Regan Lethbridge and David Morgan’s Lemon Tree Music Management Company continues to be at the forefront of the Australian music industry with their artists Tones and I and Budjerah taking out multiple awards at the Australian APRA music awards in Melbourne recently.
Old Boy Chris Shennen has just released his second album as part of The Knids the first track of which is titled “I’ll Wait".
Grant Haua, who has signed with French recording label Dixiefrog, has been to Europe promoting his Awa Blues tour. He has a very strong following through France and Germany.
Acting
Connor Johnston was awarded a University of Waikato Hillary Scholarship when he left TBC to complete a Business of Management Studies based on his academic ability and basketball skills. On Graduation he was accepted into the 2018 “The Actors Programme” and since then has pursued a bourgeoning acting career. He gained his first TV role in TV3’s new drama Head High. He has since wrapped up filming on the New Zealand film ‘Punch’ as well as a NZ on Air production titled “Here if you Need”.
Art
Mr G (Graeme Hoete) has just been awarded the inaugural Arataki Reo Roreka o Tauranga Moana for Leadership in the Visual Arts.
Movies
Erik Thomson (1984 Head Prefect) has been featuring on big screens around the country alongside Timaru BHS alumni Josh Thomson in the comedy film “How to Please a Woman”.
This has taken me a little longer to complete than intended however think I should finish here. Please come along and support us at the AGM and as always if there is news that you think that would be of interest to other Old Boys please pass the message along.
Best wishes and stay safe,
Rob Leslie.
