Class Notes

Class

notes

University of Canterbury asteroid hunters have named an asteroid they discovered in honour of eminent mathematician University of Canterbury Distinguished Professor Roy Kerr (1950). Roy is renowned for his influential work in astrophysics resulting from him solving Einstein’s equation of relativity relating to rotating black holes. These are now called Kerr Black Holes.

Hugh Wilson (1962 – Dux of the College) is planning the 2022 Banks Peninsula Walking Festival which takes place during November. Hugh has been managing the beautiful Hinewhai Reserve in Akaroa since its purchase in 1987. His innovative work in re-clothing the slopes of the 1230 hectares utilises gorse as a nurse crop to regenerate the native bush.

Hamish Hartnell’s (1963) five decades of service to the Hawarden Volunteer Fire Brigade was honoured at a function in the Hawarden Memorial Hall. Hamish started at the Waikari Fire Brigade in July 1971 while working for Transport North Canterbury before transferring four years later to the Hawarden Fire Brigade for the past 46 years. He rose to the rank of Station Officer and for the past 40 years has mowed the fire station lawns as a service to the brigade.

College custodian and 1st XI cricket coach, Mike (Scrump) Johnston (1974), played for New Zealand in the inaugural 60s Veterans Cricket World Cup in Queensland. After being unbeaten in pool play, and defeating Canada in a close semi-final, the New Zealand team went down to a strong Pakistan team in the final. During the tournament, Scrump took the catch of the series, with a spectacular one-hander over his head.

Phil Mauger (1975) was elected as Mayor of Christchurch in the Local Body Elections in October.

Simon Pemberton (1989) is based in Nea Anchialos, Greece where he is an aerial firefighter. Simon recently spent six days fighting a fire on Lesbos Island which burned more than 3000 hectares, destroyed several buildings and houses, and burned right to the coast requiring the evacuation of several towns.

Simon Pemberton

Michael Ratigan (1994) attended St Andrew’s as a boarder between 1990–1991 as his family were based in the isolated Republic of the Marshall Islands. He was the first non-Pacific Islander, non-British, or non-New Zealand resident to receive a New Zealand student visa. Michael is now the President and CEO of Fjord, Inc., located in Burlington, NC, USA, which designs equipment to protect rope from abrasion that is used in the maritime and climbing industries. Michael was recently awarded a US Patent for a convertible rescue backpack used by mountain rescue teams, rope access technicians, and sport climbers. To date he has been awarded five individual US Patents and three shared US Patents, as well as several international patents. He currently has eight patents under US and international review. Last year during the pandemic, Michael published his first novelette SOS Kwajalein Lagoon, which is based on the tiny atoll in the Marshall Islands which was home to him for 12 years.

Michael Ratigan

Victoria Burkhart (1999) moved to St Andrew’s in Year 13 from Marlborough Girls’ College to take advantage of the College’s Media Studies Department headed by Simon Williams. In 2000, she was accepted into Broadcasting School to study a Bachelor of Broadcast Communication in Television along with 19 other students, and in 2021 successfully topped her class with her final thesis and documentary. Victoria moved to Wellington and began working in the television and film industry on film projects including Chappie, Elysium, District 9, King Kong, and Antarctic Journal. Victoria currently resides in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and six-year-old son. She is a co-producer of the television series Snowpiercer which is based on the Bong Joon Ho film of the same name, and is in its fourth successful season of production. Victoria is also developing various other film projects.

Victoria Burkhart

Deborah Wilding (2002) won third prize in the international 2022 Out from the Mist competition for her song, Walls. On World Mental Health Day, ‘Out from the Mist' celebrated the highlights of the power of lived experience storytelling through photography, short movies and music.

Chris Eaden (2008) and Mason Kennedy (2015) were named in the 2023 New Zealand Senior Men’s ice hockey team, Ice Blacks, which will compete in the IIHF World Championship Division II, Group B event in Istanbul, Turkey in April 2023.

Blair Williamson (2008) was one part of an unbreakable team, literally tied at the feet, that raised an incredible $63,000 for different charities by doing a few different, crazy endurance events over the years.

Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson (2013) toured New Zealand to rave reviews playing the lead role of Prince Charming in Cinderella with the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Jack Duff (2015) is making his mark on the Melbourne stage, recently starring in Top Gun! The Musical, and treading the boards for the Salty Theatre in a parody musical. Jack will soon play the role of Skimbleshanks in the