who have been around the campus since 2011. I’m pretty exhausted, so I plan to do nothing for the rest of the year except go on a trip. I might then drive trucks or school buses around Ashburton.’’ Colin says he is looking forward to catching up with the pile of books that have been waiting to be read and spending time with the groups and clubs keen to visit his car museum. While he says he will miss the companionship of College staff, he will not miss the constant demands of those ever-present emails and the fact that the buck stops with the Bursar for so many aspects of College life. It is time now for Colin Sweetman to slow down and enjoy life. In recognition of his 21 years of dedicated service to College and its community, the Christ’s College Old Boys’ Association has made Colin an Associate Member. Colin was presented with a gift at the recent AGM, along with an Old Boys’ Tie.
Architect Alec Bruce on Colin Sweetman
Architect Alec Bruce, from Wilkie + Bruce Architects, has worked with Colin Sweetman on over 90 projects at College, including the design of the Miles Warren Building. He has nothing but praise for the professionalism Colin shows in his dealings with everyone. “He manages to treat everyone with respect no matter who they are, from the humble tradie through to a CEO of a big organisation. I have never seen him angry and he never takes sides whatever he feels, he manages to keep it all in.’’ Since the earthquake, Colin has worked with insurance companies and managed a huge budget. Alec says this alone was really a full-time position, but Colin incorporated it with all the other aspects
of his role, including the day-to-day running of the school. “He just stepped up and did it. The scale of work was huge, but he put a good team around him for the earthquake recovery projects. I had more than 120 meetings with him and some of them were incredibly intense as there were such high expectations. But Colin managed it all – triaging needs and priorities. “If Colin had his own agenda, he never disclosed it. He implemented the wishes of the Board and was always mindful that what he put in place was best for College as determined by its governors. There were so many contractors, so many demands, so many priorities, all putting pressure on him, but Colin just kept everything together. It was a tribute to his professionalism.’’
College Issue 32 2017
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