Tickets for our annual Mother Son Breakfast were in such hot demand that we half expected to see a black market running on Trade Me!
Falling just before Mother’s Day, it was a lovely way for mums to spend time with their sons, enjoying a delicious breakfast in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The speaker, Dr. Tony Fernando, was hugely entertaining, engaging the audience with his ‘Jedi Mind Tricks for Happiness’ and his delightful sense of humour, while imparting some great gems of insight and wisdom.
As a psychiatrist and senior lecturer in Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland, one of Tony’s research passions is happiness. Using quotes from Star Wars to illustrate his points, he talked about the things his research has found truly make people happy. He compared the happiness brought by calm and contentment with the instant gratification of excitement and fun, stressing the paramount importance of compassion and connecting with others. He remarked that we often take ourselves too seriously and expect too much from life and reminded us that everything is impermanent. Touching on some sensitive issues, he particularly warned the teenagers in the room of the dangers of perfectionism and worrying about what others think of them, advising them to be careful of being hurtful on social media. Finally he told both mothers and sons that when they are in conflict the ‘truth’ is generally somewhere in between, as everyone’s perception is unique and flawed.
Headmaster David Ferguson concluded the breakfast wishing all the mothers (and grandmothers) a Happy Mother’s Day and urged the boys to hug their mums and tell them they love them!
Land Rover Sponsor the 1st XV
In the early part of the school’s history, Westlake became a significant force in Auckland School rugby and subsequently, since 1985, a major player in the North Harbour competition. Last month, the school was delighted to announce the sponsorship for our 1st XV from Land Rover and Archibald & Shorter, our local Land Rover dealership located on Wairau Rd.
To celebrate this announcement, representatives from Land Rover and Archibald & Shorter joined our current 1st XV sponsor, Prestige Realty, at a function to present the re-branded jerseys to the 1st XV, before their televised game versus Massey that afternoon.
As part of their coverage of 1st XV Rugby, Sky TV will be featuring the different school hakas and focussing on individual players who have unique interests outside rugby. Our Year 13 prefect, Ben Mitchell, who hopes to join the airforce next year, following in the trails of his father and grandfather, was one of the first of these.
Battle of the Bands
Since its inception last year, the after-school rock band programme has taken off at Westlake Boys, with lots of new young bands starting up this year under the guidance of Mr David Flyger. Six of our bands took part in the recent Smokefree Rockquest North Shore Heats. They spread their musical stylings across many different genres and had band names to match: Recoil, Reverend Neethirajan, Sidetracked, Waffle Potato Sticks, Special Ed, and Leviticus.
Two of the six, ‘Sidetracked’ and ‘Special Ed’, made it through to the Auckland Regional Finals, for which they have to prepare seven minutes of live music. It will be Special Ed’s second trip to Regionals, where they placed third last year. From there only three bands will be picked for the National Finals later in the year.
Social Basketball Teams
On the heels of our award-winning Friday social football league, Westlake Boys has launched a basketball social league this term, with matches held on Wednesdays after school. While the games will be properly refereed and formally run, the main focus is on having fun. Karl Jorgensen, the teacher who has initiated the league, says: “My vision is for it to be as inclusive as possible and a social experience, to promote student wellbeing.”
There are 21 teams registered, with 194 players taking part. The students are responsible for deciding on a team name, selecting a captain and creating their own uniform. The Dragons, in their eye-catching red black kit, currently lead the way in the ‘best dressed’ stakes! They are pictured above with Karl Jorgensen and The Benchwarmers, the Ali A Ballers and the Bunnings Bargains.
Year 13 student Harry Pottinger-Coombes is in charge of social media, running a facebook page that shows the draw and results each week. A group of 10 students attended a referee course last year so that all the games have qualified referees. The Dragons’ captain, Jack Zhen, says he enjoys the league because it’s a chance for the team to show their skills. Team-mate Leon Huang adds, “It’s an opportunity to get together with friends and play competitively at school.”
Friday social football has already been running for six years and has become an integral part of Westlake life and developed its own traditions. The Buckingham Premier League (BPL), as it is known, takes is name from its founder, old boy and staff member, Tony Buckingham. Tony saw that there are lots of boys who never get to play for the school or a club but love to have a kick-about and enjoy the opportunity to play competitively. Many of them are boys who play no other sport, whose main focus might be music or maths. There are 10 teams in the BPL this year, a few of which have been playing for several years, with new players each season, such as KFC. Some teams even have reunion games after they have left school and the BPL is one of their favourite memories of their time at Westlake.
