Reunions

large infrastructure organisations and projects,” she says.

At the conference, Sarah was invited to the WIN (Women’s Infrastructure Network) breakfast, and learnt about the global WIN network operating in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. It was clear she needed to bring the concept back to New Zealand, and in 2016 she founded NZ WIN.

“Today we have a network of seven chapters and 1300 members across the country working to increase the visibility of women in the industry, promote more women into leadership roles and support all women working in the infrastructure industry.”

The infrastructure industry includes those working in contracting, engineering, banking, insurance, public sector and legal, consulting and financial professions.

“It’s a very male dominated industry and there was no one body advocating for women across the sector.”

Sarah says establishing the network to give women a voice and some visibility has been a game-changer. Many more women are now on boards, speaking at conferences, and acting as role models for younger women coming through the industry.

As if that weren’t enough, Sarah has also championed the establishment of many Māori employment initiatives in Auckland and Northland, including the placement of over 200 Māori employees into jobs across the region. And her advocacy for the rights of the homeless has seen her establish the Regional Homelessness Taskforce.

Given all that she has done to help raise others up, it’s not surprising that Sarah was also nominated for 2019 New Zealander of the Year.

A reunion with a twist: 60 years since Primer 1

In February 1958, 36 little girls started in the Lower Preparatory or Primer 1, as it was then known at Diocesan. A chance meeting with some of these girls led them to organise a ‘Friends for 60 Years’ lunch at school on Saturday 3 November 2018.

Starting with a little black and white class photo, after some serious research, most of these girls were tracked down. Sadly, three of their number are no longer here, and three proved impossible to find, but 16 gathered on the day, and others who couldn’t come sent information of what they are up to now. For some, the only things recognisable were the Chapel, the Hall and School House itself. The new Performing Arts complex was much admired. The ladies enjoyed a hilarious trip down memory lane over a buffet lunch, champagne and a wonderful 60th birthday cake. Dio memories included Miss Clark, floor mats for the afternoon rest, wet woollen bathing suits, warm milk, and the outdoor toilets! Not to mention those flower pot uniforms, one of which was on display along with a rather worse-for-wear Panama hat. Thank you to all involved and to the School for a magical afternoon.

CHINA REUNIONS AUGUST 2019

These are for Old Girls as well as past and current parents of Diocesan pupils.

We plan to host reunions in Shanghai, Chengdu and Hong Kong in the week beginning 18 August 2019. Details will follow via email. Contact Angela Coe acoe@diocesan.school.nz with any questions.

A golden celebration: 50-year reunion

On Saturday 27 October 2018, 35 Old Girls from the year group of 1967/8 arrived at School House promptly at 11am, just as if the bell had been rung! We had come together to celebrate 50 years since the day we walked out the Dio School gate for the last time in uniform. Some of us, of course, had left school prior to this as, back in the day, most school leavers exited from the 6th form.

Our group was made up of girls who had been at Dio from 1955 – 1968, attending one or all of the Junior, Middle or Senior Schools. Of the 35 able to attend, a number had not been back in the school grounds since their last day as pupils. Many of us had not seen each other for 50 years, so there was a lot of catching up to be done!

Diocesan Director of Development Angela Coe kindly assisted us with planning our event and worked with Aly Lubecker (Development Coordinator) to arrange a programme for the day. It included a gathering in the Chapel where the Rev’d Sandy Robertson delivered a very well thought out address, after which we all sang the School Hymn. Prior to this, Angela took us on a tour of the School and we were delighted to see the preservation of the heart of Dio. The Chapel, School House and the School Hall were all just as we remembered them. Elsewhere on the School grounds, the progress and facilities impressed us greatly and it became obvious to us that Dio is at the leading edge of education in New Zealand.

Our lunch in School House was a noisy affair, characterised by much chatter and laughter. A huge thank you to those who were able to be there, including three who travelled from Australia and a good number from various parts of New Zealand. To those not able to join us, hopefully this photo and article will fill the gap.

On a closing note, we were delighted to make a donation to the School, which has been put towards the Chapel Fund.

A huge thank you to those who helped make this reunion happen, and here’s to a follow-up in 10 years’ time!

Pam Donnelly (Corner), Head Prefect

What is happening going forward?

This year is the final year of the 10-year reunion programme. If any groups from the classes of 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999 and 2009 would like to host a reunion at the School, they should contact Tania Fairgray (andrew.fairgray@xtra.co.nz) before the end of April. Tania can help organise your reunion. We can assist with the organisation, but please remember that its success relies on your work in re-establishing connections within your year group. From 2020, the Old Girls and the School will host five-yearly reunion celebration weekends. These will be primarily for the class year groups corresponding to the year of the reunion weekend and the following four years. So, the 2020 reunion celebration weekend will be for the classes of 1970-1974, 1980-1984, 19901994, 2000-2004 and 2010-2014. The 2025 reunion celebration weekend will be for the classes of 1975-1979, 1985-1989, 1995-1999, 2005-2009, and 2015-2019. The format for the reunion celebration weekend has yet to be decided, however it is likely to be held in conjunction with Founders’ Day 2020 – a very special day for the Old Girls.

We are also happy to assist Old Girls wishing to host one-off reunions, say for a classmate visiting from overseas or a year group celebrating a particular milestone. For queries, please contact the Old Girls’ League at oldgirls@diocesan.school.nz.