Page 116 - Southwell School Year Book 2021

BOARDING HOUSE
It is regrettable, but unavoidable, to say that for the second successive year, the most memorable event of the year was the closure due to the Covid-19 lockdowns.
In 2020 we thought that a closure of three weeks had felt extreme, but that hadn’t prepared us for a total of seven and a half weeks over the course of Terms 3 and 4; not to mention the additional two weeks that our Auckland boarders experienced.
Prior to the lockdowns, however, it was, in most respects, business as usual for the boarding community. One big change was the fact that Bev McMaster would be away for the year on leave of absence for medical treatment. While she has been away, Miss McMaster has followed the fortunes of the boarders with interest and she was always very keen to return to resume her duties. Sadly, however, Miss Mac, as she affectionately became known to everyone, has had to resign from her Boarding House position for ongoing health reasons. After 18 years of involvement in boarding, this was a difficult decision for her to make, but she is still hopeful that she will be able to return to Southwell in some capacity in the future. We wish Miss Mac everything of the best, especially with regard to her health.
We were very fortunate, however, that Louise Sybrandy very kindly agreed to fill Miss McMaster’s place for the year, and while following in Bev’s footsteps would have been a very hard act to follow, Miss Sybrandy has done so most impressively. Her energetic and enthusiastic attitude and her astounding organisation skills meant that there was not even the slightest disruption to the girls’ routines when she took over.
Despite the lockdowns, we were still able to enjoy many of the annual highlights of life in the Boarding House. Events and occasions such as the parents’ BBQ and Grandparents' Day Breakfast were once again extremely popular. And there were also popular treats such as the Headmaster's Doughnut Shout, ice cream treats for squad winners; not to mention Sundae evenings when the children get to concoct their own desserts from an alarming array of different ingredients!
As we drew closer to the end of the year, the excitement of the prospect of long summer holidays and the Christmas season was tempered, once again, by the fact that we bade farewell to our Year 8 Boarders, led by Head Boarders Sophie Curry, Paddy Butcher and Carter Horsfall. We wish everything of the best to Katie Ellis, Isabelle Horsley, Alice Howard, Sarah Lane, Breanna Mattock, Tor Melville, Kiri Ormsby, Bailey Babington, George Benjamin, Josh Cashin, Keaton Danby, Harrison Findlay, Louis Holland and Billy Smyth. Sadly, Marcus Zhu in Year 6 is also leaving Southwell at the end of the year. We will be very sorry to see him go, but we wish him, and all of the Year 8s, everything of the best at their new schools. We also say a sort of goodbye to Mandla Mudzamiri, who, although he won’t be boarding, will continue as a day student, so we will be lucky enough to see him around the school in 2022.
We congratulate Sophie Curry for being awarded the Brabazon Cup for the Best All- Round Boarder and Carter Horsfall for being
awarded the Stembridge Cup for the Year 8 Boarder who consistently follows Boarding House routines.
I would like to acknowledge the Boarding House staff for their dedication and commitment to the task of caring for the boarders. Theirs is a demanding task and one which involves a wide range of skills and challenges. In many respects they need to be prepared to handle just about any challenge, from feeding and watering to emergency medical procedures and conflict resolution. I am very grateful for the professional way in which our staff has met these challenges.
Thus, my thanks go firstly to Louise Sybrandy for stepping up to fill in for Bev McMaster. To our Assistant House Masters, Janine Speedy, Johannes Botha, Matty Cole and Liz Donald, I extend my gratitude and appreciation for the time and effort they dedicate to the care of the boarders. And once again this year, we are deeply indebted to our House Mother, Jenn Douglas, not only for taking care of medical and pastoral needs, but also for organising birthdays, Sundae evenings, mid-winter Christmas and the Christmas Party, amongst other things.
The cogs of the Boarding House machine continue to be kept well-oiled by Susanne Parsons, our Laundry Manager, and by Kymba Ryder, Julie Guzman-Ron and Raul Pavez who ensure that the place is clean and hygienic. Sheryl Thomas, the school nurse, takes care of the physical well-being of our boarders while Reverend Canon Neale Troon does likewise in terms of spiritual well-being.
Through the course of the year, we have been kept well fed and watered by our dedicated kitchen staff of Ron Govinden, Deepak Kumar, Ginu Mathew, Faye Daly, Ngaire Boreham and Darran Smith.
Another team which has contributed to the smooth-running of the Boarding House this year has been the team of tutors. At the beginning of the year, Sarah Pyke and Phoebe I’Anson, a former student, joined the staff, while Zac Matherson and Reuben Bell joined us in Term 3. In the short, and interrupted, time that they have been with us they have made a real impression on the boarders. I would like to thank them for their flexibility and helpfulness and for the way in which they have cared for the children. We wish Miss I’Anson the best in her teaching career, and great success to Mr Matherson and Mr Bell as they begin university studies next year.
In conclusion, it will be very interesting, at the end of next year, to reflect on what has transpired during the four terms of 2022. Dare we hope for a year of completely uninterrupted boarding? Here’s hoping that that will indeed be the case.
Keith Rees-Gibbs Head of Boarding
Mid Winter Christmas Dinner
114
Boarders' S'mores Night