Fredrick Jeffrey O’Neill, Class of 1970, known as Jeff to most, left Dilworth with nothing but the clothes on his back. He never looked back, and when he recently visited Dilworth for the first time in 50 years, he talked to Director of Advancement Emma Zigan about his gratitude for Dilworth and the opportunity that has shaped his life.
When asked to sum up what Dilworth meant to him, Jeff says Dilworth was a formative influence on his life. He gives credit to what he learned during those early years, from the academic knowledge he gained, learning to be himself, quietly achieving without any fanfare. He was never interested in sports, but as he recalls, “Everyone had to play sports like it or not, as we weren’t a big school,” luckily, he was good at it. It turns out Jeff was good at many things, and he credits the teachers who he felt cared about what he excelled in.
Jeff had a talent for painting, which won him many accolades at school and to this day, he paints portraits. Current affairs, however, became ‘his thing’; at 11, he recalls getting the highest score in the annual school general knowledge competition – which he went on to win for many years. He acknowledges that it was likely because he was a voracious reader. His “care packages from home” were a stack of pre-read Readers Digests sent from his uncle, and when others devoured their chocolate bars or extra snacks, he devoured books and the daily newspapers he had access to in his boarding house.
As Jeff took a tour of the School with Emma, he revisited new and old places and showed her the wooden stands that held those newspapers. It is quite amazing that they still exist more than 50 years later, although they are used for different purposes.
Jeff has written an autobiography for his sons and grandchildren, which includes a chapter on Dilworth. A common thread through this chapter was how Dilworth taught him “to pick up information and use it.” An excerpt from his autobiography reads, “The greatest asset the school gave my decade was the ability to think for ourselves. Thinking for yourself is a most treasured asset.”
Jeff’s journey after Dilworth has seen him complete a carpentry apprenticeship and then go on to an incredible career as an Air Traffic Controller, where he attributes much of his success in that complex and stressful job to some of his early learning at Dilworth. Again, an excerpt from his book, “The ethics of working as a team taught at Dilworth, allowed me a full twenty-four years as a senior Air Traffic Controller at Mangere, where cooperation and respect with all others allowed an incident-free career.”
After that chapter of his life, Jeff left Aotearoa and headed to Australia to start a new career as a successful property developer.
He tells Emma he never worked a day in his life because “I found something I loved to do and had a passion for, so not one minute felt like work.” He shares a tip for young alumni starting out in their studies or careers: “Don’t be afraid to change what you are doing to a field that you love and want to be in. Don't get stuck doing something you thought you might like if you realise it isn’t the right thing.”
He went on to say, “Dilworth allowed you to see what’s possible, and it’s important to see that reality for yourself and judge it for what it is, and once you realise that, use it to the best of your ability.”
At the end of their time together, Emma’s final question to Jeff is why he has decided to leave a gift in his Will to Dilworth. “Let’s get it quite clear here,” he says, “I am eternally grateful for the education Dilworth gave me. They spared no effort in making us all the men they hoped we would become.” He laughs when he says he wants “no accolades or naming on anything—no Jeff Memorial Pathway,” as he puts it.
He recognises what a generous scholarship he received and how much it made a difference in his life.
We sincerely thank you, Jeff, for making that choice.
Footnote: Dilworth is building a philanthropic culture of giving of time, talent, and treasure to benefit our students, the School, and the Dilworth community. Feel free to visit the website under Support Us, where information is available, or contact Emma Zigan in the Advancement team on e.zigan@dilworth.org.nz to learn more about making a gift in your Will.