Susan Landels - Matron, 19 August 2026
Hostel Happenings
As we mark the halfway point of Term 3, the weeks feel like they are gaining momentum.
We all eagerly await some warmer spring weather, mindful of those working outdoors on farms who are busy with lambing and calving.
Lance is away in Christchurch for a few days this week, taking a look at some other boarding schools in Canterbury and sharing experiences with fellow colleagues.
The highlight of our hostel week was the Hockey 1st XI final against John McGlashan 1st XI, held at 8pm on Tuesday evening. As previously mentioned, but nonetheless important, 15 of the 16 players were hostel boys.
A huge thanks to everyone who came down to cheer our boys on as they competed to secure an impressive 3–2 win, securing the competition title and regaining the trophy. An outstanding result that we are all very proud of. The focus is now on Tournament Week in Week 7, which is being held in Dunedin this year for hockey.
Other winter sports will travel to their various destinations to compete against secondary school teams in their chosen sports from 31 August to 6 September. We wish all teams the best for a positive week of healthy competition. We trust you will be fine sportsmen both on and off the field.
As fate would have it, an act of God occurred on Tuesday afternoon when a resident on Melrose Street left four drums on the footpath with a note saying, ‘Free to a good home.’ These were quickly collected by hostel boys, and they provided the background sounds for our hostel support team, who dominated the sidelines at the hockey turf.
The crowd was absolutely electric, and the atmosphere was buzzing, with fellow hostel boys cheering loudly and beating drums to try and drown out the John McGlashan chainsaw sounds coming from the opposition sideline.
Hostel boys who recently received their Backroad jerseys looked smart on the sidelines. Atu is collating orders for those who still wish to order one.
Men of the Week
Hunter Winmill: For working hard and continually aiming for his best results. Hunter has impressive manners and a respectful, mature approach.
Bede Roy: Bede never complains and always smiles. We appreciate his happy disposition and the fact that he is considerate of others at the hostel.
The boys absolutely loved their chicken burgers for lunch this week. These are crumbed and resemble KFC, both in appearance and flavour, so are always popular!
