retirement, he would still run in the senior cross country and, after quitting smoking, trained for and ran a full marathon. The Common Room at College will remember a gentle giant, a man who, without fail, stood up for what he believed, and especially helped colleagues when they were struggling with classroom discipline. It would be tough to make a call whether it was his love of biology or athletics that boys remember most. Jerry Rowberry, himself a legendary athletics coach, credits Zane with bringing new disciplines like hammer throwing and pole vault to College. With top of the range equipment and training facilities (Upper being one of the best secondary school venues for track and field in NZ) many boys became Canterbury and NZ junior champions under his guidance. The annual College Athletics Sports was an amazing spectacle that Zane should be
extremely proud of. As Don Hamilton writes i “ZLD always ran the Athletics Sports like clockwork, and totally without fuss or flap – there was the occasional ‘Oi!’ which reverberated around Upper when someone annoyed him, otherwise quiet efficiency prevailed”. Zane was an extremely genial and sincere man, who for 43 years contributed hugely to the life of Christ’s College, encompassing academic scholarship, sporting success and Common Room collegiality. It will be very hard for future generations of teachers to even come close to the service he gave.
Words by Graeme Worner
i An excerpt from page 754 of ‘ College! – A History of Christ’s College ’, by Don Hamilton
College Issue 35 2018
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