This is why I’m in New Zealand.

Bruce (world class land yachtie/blo-karter and someone who achieved lasting notoriety by asking Colin McCahon, one of New Zealand’s most significant, influential and revered modern artists, at an evening of culture arranged by our Humanities teacher, Russell Aitken in a city art gallery “Why don’t you paint pictures that people can understand?”), Graham (on his 5th career as a Forex trader after being an electronics engineer, minister, social worker and music teacher. Prime Minister must be next…),  me (boring, you don’t want to know) and Maurice (non-quite chemist, bus driver, minister)  were close friends at school.

We haven’t been together in a group since 1966.

Martyn  was missing. Detached retina. Crap.

We were all at Westlake Boys High School in Auckland and Maurice and I were founding 3rd Form pupils in 1961.

The school wasn’t formally incorporated until 1962, so 2012 was the 50th Jubilee. I gathered the troops with the assistance of Westlake’s WONDERFUL WONDERFUL Business Development Manager, Vicki Fowler, and – after a tad of trouble getting there on time – I trundled into Auckland airport at 13:30 last Saturday just in time for the 18:30 Gala Dinner.

Much geriatric rambling.

True Story 1
True Story 2

Ms. jb being in the Fatherland, I borrowed Mr Houghton (fine fellow that he is…)’s delightful and attractive wife, Robyn.

Her parents were my/our best friends of all time.

I’ve known since she was 3 – I introduce her as my childhood sweetheart “She was a child, I was grown up, but she’s still my sweetheart” or as my surrogate kid sister.

Which she is.

I’ve been known to mention the fact that I was her babysitter on occasion…..

Which she ABSOLUTELY HATES….

19 Aug This entry was published on 19 August, 2012 at 13:00. It’s filed under (Not) the Nelson Daily Photo, Away, Festivities and tagged jubilee, vicki fowler, westlake boys high school. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.