Dilworth Leavers Honoured

Last week, Dilworth’s Leavers were honoured at a beautiful evening of celebration and recollection. They came together with their whānau, staff, and special guests for a dinner during which their achievements were highlighted, creating a special tribute to their time at Dilworth and hopefully a lasting memory for this outstanding group of young men, the Class of 2024.

Year 13 student Psalm Peteru did an excellent job as MC, introducing each speaker with humility and dignity. That is until it came to the reflections from fellow Old Boys Jack Aitkenhead, Noah Bradley, and Mau Stevens when reverence went out the window as Psalm dished out his ‘special awards!’

The organisation of this wonderful evening was a credit to Year 13 Dean Ms Nicola Riley and those who supported her and to the Dilworth Kitchen Team, who pulled out all the stops with an incredible feast for everyone to enjoy.

A poignant moment is the tradition of Leavers passing from the school to the Old Boys’ Association. Dilworth Old Boys  Mr Anthony Bray and Mr Andy Gladding officiated this year.

Retiring past Head of Learning Area Mathematics, Mr Philip Glass, gave the toast to Leavers. He brought the house down with his quick-witted response to his length of tenure at Dilworth, which had been something of a moving target that evening. For those still in the dark, his tenure at Dilworth has been 23 years!

Mr Glass left Dilworth’s leavers with some sound advice, saying, “It doesn’t matter where you came from; it is where you are going”.

Mrs Maire Sands, Mum to Year 13 student Mason Sands, replied to the toast with an emotional speech about what it had meant to her to be a ‘Dilworth Mum’.  She praised Dilworth for encouraging parents and caregivers to “Walk alongside our children and to let our voices shine” – words that meant so much to many staff in the room.  She also talked about how it had meant to her to be involved in rugby at Dilworth, saying, “Every boy on that team became my own, checking in when their parents couldn’t be there (at the game). It was a privilege to stand alongside them win or lose”.

As the evening came to a close, in his Headmaster’s address, Mr Dan Reddiex left the Class of 2024 with these poignant words.

“You have been a valued and integral part of your School.
You have been a valued and integral part of my life.
We were all better for having you here and being part of your journey.
This is your school, and you are always welcome here.

But it’s time now.
It’s time for the next step.
You are ready”.

You can leave here with confidence.
Confidence that in the pursuit of personal excellence, you will forge a good life for yourself and your loved ones;
Confidence that in the permutations of life, God’s loving embrace awaits you”.

The evening was closed with a prayer delivered by Rev Greg Worboys.