This initiative highlights how our support for College can, and must, go beyond donations of money to also encompass the giving of time and sharing of experiences. It also highlights the ways in which Old Boys are relevant to the life of current boys. We are also grateful that our increased engagement with College has led to benefits for the Association. One of the priorities for 2017 was to work out a new approach to signing up members. That has now occurred. From 2018 on, College will purchase a life membership for every boy who is at College for more than one year. The effect of this will mean that from 2018 on, every boy will become a member of the Association. Although in recent years over 90% of leavers have joined, this will, in time, eliminate any distinction between members and non- members of the Association. Finally, as one of the two bodies that appoints members to the College Board, the Association is in a privileged position. With that privilege comes a responsibility to ensure the appointment process is transparent and robust and that we work with the Board to appoint the best person to match the skill set the Board needs at that particular point in time. In 2017, we worked closely with Board Chair Dr Ian Town on our appointment process. That involved identifying the skill set needed, advertising the position, shortlisting it and then conducting interviews. At the end of the process the Association appointed Catherine McMillan. Catherine is the first non-Old Boy appointed to the Board by the Association, and the first woman.
The Association is very grateful that Catherine is willing to lend her considerable skills and judgment to the Board and thank her for her work. We are also grateful to Peter Davie for his continued work as our other appointee. Association activities The Association has a broad range of activities – from the February Reunion Weekend, to branch events, to the 40 Years On. The Association is grateful to those who give their time to organise these activities. The 2017 Reunion Weekend was a great success. The 40 Years On saw a much higher turnout than normal. It is likely that from 2019 the 40 Years On will occur on Reunion Weekend as well, making that even more of a focal point for the Association. One of the priorities for 2017 was to connect more with our younger Old Boys. We had some success with this. First in November, an initial “Young Old Boys” reunion was held. Around 30 young men who were at College between 2007 and 2011 attended. This will hopefully become a fixture on the Association calendar. There have also been attempts to engage younger Old Boys at branch events. For example, the community event in Auckland saw a great turnout from Old Boys at university there. We are also working on joint events with St Margaret’s College to be held at Auckland, Victoria and Otago universities.
Chronicle 2017
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