BOARDING You can’t take the country out of the boy
says Beau, who gardens on Thursday afternoons. “I really enjoy it – it’s been a great idea. Mr Vink just asked if I’d like to start a garden, and it took off from there.” With two younger brothers likely to head to Flower’s in the future, it is possible the special garden may become an ongoing Armstrong project. Beau is enjoying boarding. The best parts, he says, are being round your mates and hanging out together, and “the food is not too bad either.” Materials Technology is his favourite subject, rugby and polo are his favourite sports. For Housemaster Ben Vink, ensuring each student is comfortable and thriving in the House environment is paramount. “We’ve been working very hard with the juniors, embedding a positive culture and ‘home away from home’ atmosphere. We treat them like our own kids. It’s working well and we’re looking forward to a very positive future for Flower’s.” Allied with that is the professional focus of the staff team, and the four new tutors who work alongside the boys, helping to instil College values. “We’re working on making Flower’s House an even more welcoming place, where every boy is valued and encouraged to be the best he can.”
Leaving the family home for the world of a Christ’s College boarding House is a significant life change for students. It demands a new perspective and calls for real inner strength and resilience – and, if home is miles away, it can be challenging. When Year 9 student Beau Armstrong arrived at College this year he felt the enormity of the move, so Flower’s Housemaster Ben Vink devised a plan to make him feel more at home. The Flower’s House garden was a wreck, but once Beau rolled up his sleeves it quickly came into line, producing vegetables to grace Matron Karen Adams’s table.
“It’s been a great escape for Beau and it has expanded to him doing my garden, mowing the lawns and doing the edges,” says Ben. The individual approach has allowed the 13-year-old from a Waiau sheep and beef farm to settle well into House life, while using his agricultural skills right in the heart of the city. The once neglected Flower’s House garden is now flourishing, having been fed with fertiliser and compost. A rain gauge has been installed, and silverbeet, kale, rhubarb, chives, parsley and celery are in for spring. “When I first started working on it, the garden was full of weeds, so I pulled them out, and planted the first of the winter vegetables that Matron Karen got for me – kale, silverbeet, cauliflower and rhubarb,”
College Issue 37 2019
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