Wall of Fame

In the 2007 New Year Honours, Graham was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for public services.

Graham attended King’s High School, Dunedin, from 1955 to 1959. He gained his School Certificate in 1957 and studied science subjects in 1958 and 1959. He achieved University Entrance in 1958. While at King’s, he became a member of the Caversham Harrier Club, where he enjoyed running around the countryside on Saturdays with the ‘colts pack’.

He studied chemistry and geology at the University of Otago, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1962 and a Master of Science in 1963.

After leaving university, Graham worked as a journalist for the Dunedin Evening Star for four years. In April 1964, he joined the Department of External Affairs. Initially, he was in the South Pacific and Antarctic Affairs Division, where he was involved with the administration of New Zealand’s science and exploration programme in the Ross Dependency and the development of Scott Base. He also gained a lifelong love of Antarctica, visiting several times.

He then had several overseas postings, including to the Cook Islands in 1965, five years in Ottawa, and three years in Papua New Guinea, which gained its independence while he was there.

After a secondment to the State Services Commission from 1977 to 1980, he was a senior administrator in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for six years before being appointed the deputy secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1987 to 1990. Inside Foreign Affairs, he left a mark by advocating for an expanded New Zealand role in the Pacific from the 1970s and by helping to modernise the ministry from the 1980s onwards.

He served as New Zealand’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva. In the late 1980s, Graham was New Zealand’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva. In addition to working on the Uruguay round of world trade talks, he was charged with representing New Zealand’s bold new position on nuclear disarmament. That stance put the country at odds with major allies and many other countries, and the task was fraught.

He was also High Commissioner to Australia from 1994 to 1999.

Graham was Secretary of Defence from 1999 until his retirement in 2006. The post also had challenges; he was in charge when New Zealand scrapped its air force combat wing and first contributed to the US-led war in Afghanistan.

Subsequently, he served as a board member of Antarctica New Zealand and undertook various consultancy roles in policy and management for the New Zealand government.

Graham was a keen runner who represented New Zealand in orienteering. He was an orienteering stalwart for decades, including serving as Vice President of the New Zealand Orienteering Federation in 2007 and 2008. He was a member of the World Cup 2013 steering group and one of the earliest members of the Wellington Orienteering Club. His involvement covered all aspects of orienteering, and he was an inspiration to many.

Graham was interested in the arts and was a keen supporter of the New Zealand Portrait Galler

In the 2018 New Year Honours List, Philip was awarded The Queens Service Medal for services to music.

Philip attended King’s High School from 1965 to 1970. He was a School Prefect in 1969 and Head Boy in 1970. He played in the First Fifteen Rugby team in 1970. Philip won the Challenge Cup for the Solo Championship in the School Brass Band, which he was a member of from 1966 to 1970.

On leaving King’s, Philip attended the University of Otago, where he studied Music and gained a BA degree and a Diploma in Teaching.

Philip started playing with the Mosgiel Brass Band at the age of 14, more than 50 years ago. By the age of 19, while studying music at the University of Otago, he had already become the Mosgiel band’s conductor.

After some time away, he returned to the band in the late 1980s and has been its musical director ever since. In 2016, the band blew its rivals out of the water by winning all three categories in the C grade of the Otago Southland Brass Band Competition. The band took out the hymn, test and entertainment categories.

The band excels in Mosgiel at Christmas. They play a series of roving performances outside houses in the area, running from 6 pm until 7:30 pm. The band members will perform on Mosgiel residential streets most Tuesdays and Thursdays until Christmas. They will also give pre-Christmas concerts at Brooklands Village and Chatsford Lifestyle Retirement Village in Mosgiel.

Philip has contributed as a musician, teacher, mentor, and musical director for over 50 years.

He has been involved with St Kilda Brass and has been the conductor of the Otago Symphonic Band. He conducted and led the Celebration Singers on several national tours and a tour to Tasmania, and under his leadership, the choir produced four records. He was heavily involved with the Otago Secondary Schools Music Festival Committee and prepared the constitution for the annual Music Festival to become an incorporated society. He has taught many students brass instruments through schools, community music programmes, and as a casual teacher. He has accompanied several people doing solo performances on the piano. He organises community music groups, including an annual community concert and choir each Christmas.

Over Philp’s 40-year teaching career, he was Head of Department (Music) at Riccarton High School, Head of Department (Music) at Otago Boys High School, Deputy Principal of Taieri High School for 12 years, and Principal of the Kaikorai Valley College for 11 years.

Philip is a Mosgiel-North Taieri Presbyterian Church member. His musical contributions enhance church services. He chaired the Anniversary Organising Committee for the North Taieri Presbyterian Church’s 150th anniversary.

Tony attended King’s High School from 1981 to 1985. In 1985, he was a School Prefect and Proxime Accessit to the Dux. He was a member of the First Football Eleven in 1984 and 1985.  He was awarded a School Blue for football in 1985. In 1984, when in form 6, he was awarded the Lucas Mathematics Prize and a General Excellence Prize.

After leaving Kings, Tony attended the University of Otago. He graduated in 1989 with a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry. He then completed a PhD in biochemistry with Professor Iain Lamont as his supervisor. After graduating in 1993, he did postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford from 1994 to 1998 on the genetics of type 1 diabetes. On returning to the University of Otago in 1998, based on the research needed in New Zealand, he established a program studying the genetic basis of gout, the most common type of arthritis in New Zealand.  Professor Merriman’s research interests also include outcomes in gout, especially severity and drug response.

Tony was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2016.

In 2016, Tony received a Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Award for undertaking research in the United States. He was also one of three researchers nationally to receive a prestigious James Cook Fellowship from the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

In 2019, Tony received $3 million from the Marsden Fund Council over the next three years for research to understand the evolutionary basis for metabolic disease in contemporary Pacific populations.

In 2020, Tony joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham (USA) faculty to join the division’s world-leading clinical research in gout. The research focuses on the innate immune system response to monosodium urate crystals, which cause gout. He retained his faculty appointment at the University of Otago. As a result, he also has ongoing collaborations and kaitiaki of sample repositories in New Zealand.

In 2024, at the Gout Hyperuricemia and Crystal-Associated Disease Network (G-CAN) Symposium in the US, Tony participated heavily in workshop sessions, moderating awards and giving a presentation.

 In 2025, the G-CAN Board selected Tony to receive the 2025 G-CAN Gold Medal Award, the highest international award for this US-based society

 Evan Locksley Kellas, senior constable, New Zealand Police, was awarded a Queens Service Medal at the 2007 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the New Zealand Police.

Lox attended King’s High School from 1961 to 1966. He was a school Prefect in 1965 and 1966 and a Flight Warrant Officer in the Air Training core of the school Cadet Unit in 1965 and 1966. In 1965, he won the award for having the best flight in the Air Training Corps.

He was on the First 15 Rugby team in 1965 and 1966, the School Swimming team in 1965, and the School Gymnastics team in 1964 and 1965.

In Life Saving, Lox gained an Award of Merrit, a Bronze Cross and a Bar to the Bronze Medallion in 1964. In 1965, he was awarded the Life Saving Bar to Bronze Cross.

Lox was awarded the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Award in 1965.

After leaving Kings, Lox worked as a labourer before joining the Regular Force of the New Zealand Army in July 1967. He served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970 as a radio operator with the 161 Battery. After returning to New Zealand, Lox retired from the New Zealand Army and served with the New Zealand Territorial Army from 1970 to 1998.  In 1998, the Governor General awarded Lox the Efficiency Decoration (ED) for 12 years of service with the Army.

Lox achieved the rank of Major. He supports New Zealand’s war veterans and helps people who need help getting back on their feet if they are not coping, no matter how many years have passed.

After completing full-time military service, Lox joined the Police Force in 1975 and was a Police Officer for 43 years. He was appointed as Senior Constable at Portobello in 1984. During his time in Portobello, he dealt with unexploded World War 2 bombs, a beached whale, cars in Otago Harbour, and any number of road accidents. Inevitably, there were also times when he was the person standing at someone’s door in the middle of the night telling them a loved one was dead. He was a member of the Armed Offenders Squad that attended the Aromoana shootings. In 2018, Lox retired from the police force at the age of 71.

Lox joined the Dunedin Returned Services Association executive in 1999. He is a Life Member, two-term president of the Association and chairman of the RSA Welfare Trust. Lox is also the president of the RSA Otago-Southland district. Lox leads a group that wants to rewrite the Veteran Support Act to support veterans of the modern era, including those in support roles in the wake of cyclones, floods, and earthquakes in New Zealand and the Pacific. Lox was the Anzac Day service convener in Dunedin for 22 years.

As the Otago Peninsula Community Response Group co-ordinator, Lox has worked with a range of events listed in the civil defence portfolio for the area, including landslips, tsunamis, and earthquakes.

Lox is a founding member of Dunedin Coastguard and has been a member for 20 years.   In 2014, he was awarded the Communication & Incident Volunteer of the Year Award for the Coastguard Southern Region. Lox is a Life member of the Organisation.

Lox has been a qualified Marine Search Controller and Search and Rescue incident Manager since 2008. In 1998, he qualified as a commercial Launch Master.

Lox has been an Otago Peninsula Community Board member since its formation. He is also a member of Southern Heritage Trust, the Otago Officers Club, and the Peninsula Kilwinning Masonic Lodge.

At a 2017 ceremony, Lox was awarded a Kiwibank Local Heroes Award Medal for his significant contribution to the community.

In the 2025 New Year Honours List, Alastair (Al) Fastier received the New Zealand Antarctic Medal for his services to Antarctic heritage conservation.

Al attended King’s High School from 1973 to 1976, a four-year period.

In 1975, his fifth-form year, he received an Honourable Mention in Commerce, Geography, and English at the end-of-year prize-giving. He followed this in the sixth form in 1976 with an Honourable Mention in Geography and Biology.

After leaving King’s, he initially trained as an electrical engineering technician. Then, he changed direction with his career and obtained a Parks and Recreation Management degree from Lincoln University, New Zealand. This gave him a broad theoretical understanding of personnel management, logistics, and heritage management.

Al first visited Antarctica in 1987, working as the Scott Base electrician for Antarctica New Zealand (NZ). He then worked as a field guide for Antarctica NZ and the United States Antarctic Program for multiple summers.

Al was seconded from the Department of Conservation as an NZ government representative on tourist ships travelling to Antarctica for three expeditions before joining the Antarctic Heritage Trust as the Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Programme Manager.  He held this position from 2006 to 2023 and then as a Conservation Advisor from 2023 to 2024. The Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project (RSHRP), launched in 2002, is an international project to conserve the five historic explorer bases and their artefacts associated with Scott, Shackleton, Borchgrevink, and Hillary.

Since 2006, Al has overseen the implementation of the RSHRP on-ice conservation programme, developing implementation plans for each site from conservation plans prepared by heritage professionals. Under his leadership, the Antarctic Heritage Trust completed a major phase of work on Ross Island, including the completion of the conservation of four historic bases, survey work and repairs on Borchgrevink’s remote base, and the conservation of more than 20,000 artefacts.

During this time, he chaired the Building Conservation Design Team, an international multi-disciplinary team tasked with ensuring conservation work meets best international practice. His mentoring and leadership of more than 80 heritage experts have developed an extensive network of conservation alumni, facilitating the international sharing of RSHRP methodologies and learning from the project. He has demonstrated hands-on leadership by personally undertaking challenging and unpleasant tasks and has led innovations to improve team comfort, safe working conditions, and good environmental conditions. This included designing hard-shell field accommodation, conservation laboratories and carpentry workshops for on-ice use, ice melting equipment, installing snow deflectors at the Terra Nova hut, and developing a solar-powered system for field use.

Al coordinated the conservation programme and associated logistics required to conserve the original Scott Base mess building (Hillary’s Hut), completing the conservation project in December 2017. This building was constructed in 1957 and used to support Sir Edmund Hillary’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition and the International Geophysical Year Science programme. This was recognised as the birth of New Zealand’s Antarctic Science, which continues at New Zealand’s scientific base, Scott Base.

Al led the conservation team that successfully conserved Ernest Shackleton’s base at Cape Royds and Robert Falcon Scott’s iconic bases at Cape Evans and Hut Point. This was a 10-year conservation programme that operated continuously in Antarctica and involved over 80 conservation specialists from 14 different nationalities. Being involved in such an iconic international project provided an opportunity to work with passionate, dedicated people from various backgrounds and professions.

Al’s contributions have helped position New Zealand as a leader in cold-climate heritage conservation. The RSHRP is an internationally recognised model for undertaking major multi-season cold climate conservation projects in remote areas.

In the 1997 New Year Honours, Rutherford was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to cricket.

Ken studied at King’s High School from 1979 to 1982. While at Kings, Ken was a member of the school’s First Football XI in 1980, 1981, and 1982. He was a member of the First Cricket XI in 1980, 1981, and 1982 and won the” Highest batting average in First XI” award in 1981. He was the First XI Captain in term 1 of 1982. Ken was a member of the Otago Under 18 Cricket team and was in the NZCC’s Young Cricketers Squad

Ken is a former New Zealand cricketer who played for the national team for ten years and was captain for part of the 1990s.

He made his debut for Otago in 1982–83 at the age of 17. Ken’s highest first-class score of 317 was scored playing for a New Zealand touring side against a D.B. Close XI at Scarborough in 1986. He began his Test career in horrific fashion, scoring 0, 0, 4, 0, 2, 1, and 5 in the West Indies in 1984-85, and was subsequently dropped from the team. After scoring runs in domestic cricket, he was recalled for the Trans-Tasman series at home and scored a 131-ball 65 against Australia. He made 107, not out against England at Wellington in 1987-88 and continued his decent run. Ken played a crucial role against Sri Lanka in the drawn Test, scoring 105 not out and 53.

Ken’s greatest success was arguably in One-Day Internationals, where he won ten matches as captain and made his highest international score, 108, in a losing cause against India. He was a member of the New Zealand side that reached the semi-finals of the 1992 World Cup, their second-best performance in the tournament’s history.

Upon being dropped from the New Zealand team in 1995, Ken moved to South Africa, where he played first-class cricket for five seasons, first for Transvaal and then for Gauteng.

After retiring from the playing side of the game, he coached the Irish national cricket team for two years. Ken relocated to Sydney to complete a postgraduate certificate programme in strategic management, marketing and finance before commencing work with the TAB as a bookmaker and part-time trackside presenter, quickly promoted to head of sports betting in 2003. He then filled a similar role in Sports Betting for Singapore Pools in Singapore from 2006. Ken headed to South Africa, where he was a Media Executive for Phumelela until 2013, taking charge of their TV channel, Tellytrack, and Phumelela’s publishing and digital platforms.

He returned to New Zealand to work for the Waikato club. At the end of 2019, Ken was appointed CEO of the Hawkesbury Race Club in northwestern Sydney.

Early in 2022, Ken was appointed for an 18-month stint as head of wagering, operations, and sales at Racing and Sports.

In late 2023, Ken relocated to the Queensland harness racing club, Albion Park. Ken is the Chief Operating Officer at the Club.

Ken started a new job on April the 7^th, 2025. The Northern Districts Cricket Association has appointed him its new Chief Executive.

Graham was a pupil at King’s High School from1981 until he left school to take up carpentry apprentiship ln July 1985.

In his time at King’s High School, he had made a wonderful contribution to school Football.

In I98I, he represented Otago with the Under· I3 team and played for our Junior Rep team versus Waitaki. In 1982, he was the outstanding member of our competition-winning Under I4 team. He was also a leading goal scorer for the first eleven in interschools and was a member of our Tournament winning team of that year. Remember he was only a fourteen-year-old at that stage. In I983 Graham, while a member of our 15th grade team, he was selected for the New Zealand Under 15 team and travelled to Australia where he played at right fullback in the international versus Australia.

From 1982 to 1985 Graham played for the King’s First Football Eleven. He gained a King’s blue in 1983 and 1984.

1984 saw Graham join Green Island’s Hertz League team while still continuing to play interschools for the school. In 1985, Graham switched his allegiance to Dunedin City A.F.C- where he quickly won his way into their National League team. Prior to leaving school Graham scored a hat trick against our old rivals from the hill, O.B.H.S., to give us a solid 4-nil victory. Shortly after leaving school Graham won selection for the South Island Under 18 team and he also had the high honour of representing his province against the New Zealand national team, “the All Whites”.

In 1985 Graham was an Otago and South Island under 18 Football representative.

Graham was given a Sporting Scholarship to Crystal Palace Football Club 1986 / 1987 for 4 Months.

He Spent time with Crystal Palace reserves in 1987 under the guidance of former England International Steve Coppell which gave him a good grounding in the art of football.

His passion for football which has played a major part of his life.

He has since played for Green Island, Dunedin City, Waikato, Hamilton Wanderers, Roslyn, Wellington United, Dunedin Tech, Crystal Palace Reserves, and the NZ All Whites

Graham made his full All Whites debut, a 3–0 win over Singapore on the 21^st of February 1996 and ended his international playing career with 10 A-international caps to his credit, his final cap an appearance in a 1–3 loss to South Korea on 25 January 1997.

He is still playing today, however the speed at which he plays has decreased while the recovery time has increased, but he still as competitive as ever! Graham is a Southern Football board member.

After starting his apprentiship in 1985 he applied the trade through a number of projects until attending Otago Polytechnic from 1999 to 2001 to complete a Diploma in Quantity Surveying and Construction Economics. He Joined Naylor Love Construction in 1999 as a Quantity Surveyor and over 8 years led and delivered major construction projects in and around the Otago region. From 2012 Graham has been the Contracting Manager, Head of Trade Services, at Property Services, University of Otago, Dunedin.  He oversees the day-to-day repairs and maintenance, adaptions, programmed and preventative maintenance and urgent work that keeps critical space available for the staff and students. On a weekly basis this incorporates overseeing approximately 65 trade staff, 5 management staff and a number of external specialist contractors. He is responsible for the financial and operational performance of Trade Services at the University of Otago.

From 2013 to 2016 he studied at the University of Otago where he completed a Master of Business Administration degree.

Tim was a School Prefect, an academic prize winner and a School Dux in 1965. In the 1963 National School Certificate exams, he scored a (best of four) mark of 371/400.  This was the third-highest mark in the country and the highest for a boy.  Tim’s success shows just how well our quite small State school, serving what was said to be the most densely populated square mile in NZ, had educated Tim and others.  A King’s boy had beaten boys from the top New Zealand schools – like Auckland Grammar, Christchurch Boys High, Kings College and Christ College.

On leaving Kings, Tim studied first at the University of Otago before moving to the University of Canterbury, where he graduated with a BA in Mathematics and Economics in 1968 and then in 1969 with an MA in Economics. From November 1969 until September 1972, he was employed by the Department of Economics at the University of Otago as an Assistant Lecturer. While doing this, he graduated in 1972 with an MA in Economics awarded “with distinction”.  He enrolled at the University of Warwick in 1972, where he studied industrial organisation. In 1978, he graduated with a PhD in economics from the Industrial Organisation.

He has taught at Otago, Warwick, Balliol College Oxford, Queen’s University in Ontario and British Columbia. He was in the department of Agricultural Economics from 1983 to 1992 as an Associate then full Professor.

Over the 1991-2 academic year, he held the T. D. MacDonald Chair in Industrial Economics at the Bureau of Competition Policy in Ottawa.

Since July 1992, he has been a Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Auckland.

Tim has worked as a consultant, an expert witness, an advisor and a peer reviewer for the Commerce Commission, the NZ Electricity Commission, the Environment Court, the Tongan Government, Air New Zealand and the Ministry of Transport.

His specialist teaching interests are Industrial Organisation, Trade and Development, Public Policy, Macroeconomics, Business Managerial Economics and Industrial Organisation.

He has taken a full role in a number of economic professional societies and service representative Committees that relate to the development of the University and its economic department.

Since 2011, he has made many presentations at a wide range of Conferences; he has an impressive list of Refereed Journal Publications and has contributed sections to many professional books. He has written several thought-provoking books giving commentary on the New Zealand economy. He has contributed to several technical reports on New Zealand and overseas economies.

Ahead of his retirement, Tim reflected on what he believes is wrong with modern New Zealand universities. He expressed concerns about managerialism and its impact on academic institutions. In his opinion, managerialism doesn’t belong in universities. Tim’s insights shed light on the challenges and opportunities academic institutions face. Tim is currently an Emeritus Professor at the Business School of Auckland University.

Over the last few years, Tim has written many thought-provoking newspaper articles expressing his views and offering solutions to the many problems that influence the New Zealand economy and way of life.

Tim is a man of profound (deep even) musical convictions and a comprehensive knowledge of music of all sorts. He is that very, very rare thing these days — a (vaguely) left-wing economist. And that even rarer thing — an economist who is an extraordinarily gifted musician.

He started with occasional guest performances with the Band of Hope Jug Band Folk music group performing in 1968, with members Gordon Collier, Christopher Grosz, Bill Hammond, Warwick Brock, Dobbin (Robin Elliot), Dennis Hearfield, Phil Garland, and Val Murphy.

He played with a group called “Two Paddocks” in Auckland. He played the piano with the group, which covered a wide range of music, including jazz, rock, and boogie-woogie.

Tim has left a lasting mark on the academic community and continues to contribute to economic discourse in New Zealand.

Alan Rae Somerville was born in Roslyn, Dunedin, and attended King’s High School from 1952 to 1953. From an early age, Alan showed exceptional talent in drawing. At six years old, he was selected for special art classes due to his skill in drawing people and animals in action.

Despite his artistic talent, Alan pursued a career in farming for over 30 years. However, he continued to draw and paint, eventually becoming a drawing and painting tutor in the Maniatoto District and an active Central Otago Art Society man’s passion for art led him to return to Dunedin with his family to pursue art full-time. He attended Otago Polytechnic evening classes to learn bronze casting and sculpting techniques and became a member of the Otago Art Society.

In 1988, Alan emigrated to Australia to explore Queensland marble quarries and work with bronze at the Fine Art Bronze Foundry in Sydney. He was granted Australian citizenship and became a member of the New South Wales Sculptor’s Society and Ku-ring-gai Art Society. His works have been commissioned for public and private collections.

Alan’s body of work is highly acclaimed. He is skilled in various artistic mediums, particularly as a master sculptor. His ability to capture the dynamics of anatomy in his sculptures is exceptional, and his figure drawings and male sculptures are particularly noteworthy.Alan has received numerous awards and has showcased his work in many exhibitions. His public works include several bronze sculptures at the National Australian War Memorial in Canberra, a bronze portrait of Chief Executive Ross Sayer for the State Rail Authority, and iconic bronze sculptures on Sydney’s Anzac Bridge and at World Square.

In addition to his public works, Alan has completed numerous private commissions, resonating with patrons worldwide due to his ability to capture emotion, movement, and character in bronze.

Geoff, a prominent Dunedin figure, has significantly contributed to various domains.

Since retiring from the legal profession in 2013, Geoff has remained based in Dunedin and has actively pursued his commercial, not-for-profit and private commercial and governance activities. From April 2013 until now, he has been self-employed as a Company Director/Consultant.

He is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors and, more recently, a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Directors (The highest accolade of the Institute)

Geoff passed the School Certificate Examinations in 1961 and gained University Entrance in i962.

On leaving Kings, Geoff attended the University of Otago and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.

Geoff started in a two-partner law firm Anderson Lloyd. He remained with the firm for 43 years, becoming a partner and consultant. Rather than specialising in his career, he was a general law practitioner. His major areas of interest were Trusts, Business & Property law, and Business & Property law. When he retired from the legal profession in 2013, there were 30-odd partners At Anderson Lloyds. He had enjoyed seeing the growth of the firm. He also enjoyed the broad range of industries he had been involved in, including tourism, transport, engineering and education.

Geoff has governed prominent Otago organisations and companies, including chairing Dunedin Railway, Dunedin Casino, Otago Youth Employment Trust, Property Council New Zealand Otago Chapter, Larnach Castle, Principals’ Advice and Support, and Lawlink Group.

Geoff served as the chairman during the rebranding of the Dunedin Casino. The casino, now known as Grand Casino, transformed to better engage with the community. The rebranding involved changing the name and enhancing the overall experience. New signs, staff uniforms, and refurbishments were part of this initiative. Under Geoff’s leadership, the Grand Casino supported various charities, including Otago Cricket, Nuggets Basketball, Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, and Foster Hope Otago.

His non-executive director roles included Dunedin International Airport, Technology Holdings, and arts and culture boards such as the Royal New Zealand Ballet and Dunedin Fashion Incubator.

A career highlight was his involvement with the Institute of Directors, where he was introduced to many businesses and met some “wonderful” people.  He was a member of the Institute for 17 years and contributed to the organisation as a member of the policy and practices committee, which oversaw the rewrite of the Institute of Directors text “The Four Pillars of Governance Best Practice”; he was on the accreditation panel and has held positions as Otago-Southland branch chairman and as a member of Institute of Directors national council.

His first governance appointment was in the 1980s for a public unlisted company taking subscriptions from the public.

In retirement, he continued to give back to business and the community by serving on public, private, and not-for-profit boards. While he was “definitely” in his twilight years of governance, he was still long-serving chairman of The Grand Dunedin Casino, independent chairman of Larnach Castle and chairman of Principals’ Advice and Support.

James was School Dux in 1979. He received the King’s High School Old Boys’ Association prize for “All Round Merit” and the Form 7 Mathematics Prize.

James was captain of the Hockey First XI (nicknamed Sneyd’s Army). He was selected for the Otago Under 17 representative team in 1978 and 1979, and he received a school hockey Blue in these years.

James was born into a medical family and spent his childhood and teenage years in Dunedin.

He initially studied medicine at the University of Otago. However, he included mathematics in his medical programme and some inspirational teaching caused him to change his major to include mathematics.

James learned to play the violin early and was a very competent player. His interest in music continued at university, and he played around town with some small jazz groups.

Upon completing his university studies, James applied to the top five United States graduate schools for mathematical biology. After being offered places at all of them, James chose New York University.

New York also interested him because of its strong base in jazz music. He took time to play in some jazz bands there and listened to some of his jazz heroes.

James completed his thesis at New York and was immediately offered a tenure position at UCLA. He negotiated a delayed start and finally went to Oxford to spend a year with a man he looked up to, Professor James Murray, a Fellow of the Royal Society whose legacy continues to inspire and shape the field of mathematical biology.

Once at UCLA, he began his productive and renowned modelling and analysis of intracellular and intercellular calcium dynamics. Over 25 years, with co-authors and students, he has written approximately 100 papers on various aspects of calcium dynamics.

James returned to New Zealand in 1994, taking up a lectureship at the University of Canterbury.

In 1998, James received an offer from the University of Michigan that was too good to turn down. He relocated with his young family to the United States. However, almost immediately, they realised that they really did prefer life in New Zealand.

This time, James returned to Massey Albany and, in 2002, succeeded John Butcher as Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Auckland, where he is still working. In addition to his prolific research output, James supervised dozens of graduate students.

His many research areas have included:

• Asthma and the Lung. How do lungs work, and what causes asthma?
• Saliva secretion – How is saliva secreted?
• What controls electrical bursting in GnRH neurons?
• What role does calcium play? How is this related to hormone secretion?

James remains an avid jazz violinist. Since returning to Auckland, he has played in several professional jazz groups. One playing “gypsy music” with vibrant Gypsy swing and Flamenco Rumba beat. Another band plays Cuban music with roots stretching back to African tribal music and French and Spanish classical and folk traditions.

Peter Adams, Ivan Donaldson, Al Meder and Rector Nick McIvor

1955 – 1959

Ivan was a King’s pupil from 1955 to 1959. After becoming King’s Co-Dux, Ivan went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Otago in 1965, and to pass the examinations of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Royal College of Physicians (UK) and to ultimately train in Clinical Neurology in Christchurch, Auckland, and London. He was awarded an MD in 1976 for work done on brain neurotransmitters and motor activity while in London.

On returning to Christchurch, Ivan joined the University of Otago’s then University of Canterbury’s School of Medicine, becoming Associate Professor, consultant neurologist, and head of the hospital’s Neurology Department.

Ivan oversaw the strong development of the neurosciences in Christchurch, while continuing to research and publish in his field, particularly on the subspecialty of movement disorders. He collaborated closely with colleagues at the Institute of Neurology in London and was the major contributor to a seminal tome on this subject.

Ivan was involved in the establishment and running of the New Zealand Brain Research Institute in Christchurch, serving on the board for many years and starting the Friends of the Brain Institute (FBI) to raise funds for research.

In 2013 he was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Neurology. Earlier in his career, he had been Chair of the Examination Committee and Board of Censors of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and was awarded their Sands Medal in recognition of his services to general medicine.

From the time Ivan was a medical student, he was interested in wine and winemaking and became a local pioneer in this field, helping to establish North Canterbury’s first Vineyard in 1976-1977 and then his familyowned Pegasus Bay Vineyard and Winery in 1986. Ivan was a national and international wine judge and wine writer for 20 years and published his memoirs, The Truant from Medicine, to raise funds for the FBI.

Having Kai Tahu heritage, and a medical background, Ivan was invited to serve on the Board and became Chair of He Waka Tapu, the largest South Island NGO provider of medical and social services to Mäori and Pasifika.

John Campbell – Humanities

1952 -1956

Arthur John Campbell attended King’s High School from 1952-1956, having previously attended St Clair School. On leaving school, John went to the Dunedin Teachers’ College and did Compulsory Military Training. He then went into the regular Army — initially as a Corporal, before graduating with the ‘Sword of Honour’ from the Officer Training School in Portsea, Australia.

John served in the Ordinance Corps with the New Zealand Army in Vietnam, seeing active service there. After 20 years’ service in the military, John retired from the Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was appointed the Chief Executive of the Dunedin Hospital, before moving into national and international corporate life.

On his return to Dunedin, John got involved in the Dunedin Branch of the Returned Services Association. John (and fellow Kingsmen) Lox Kellas and Paul Deason were heavily involved in turning the local branch of the RSA around. John was instrumental in the relocation of the Monticello Veterans’ Home and Hospital to its current location on Bay View Road.

John was appointed National President of the RSA as the first non-WWII Serviceman to hold that position. He was President from 2004 — 2007. He was responsible for the modernisation and reinvigoration of the RSA — refocusing the direction of the organisation as the WWII Veterans passed on.

He was focused on Veterans’ rights and welfare — particularly given the diversity of theatres that NZ troops operated in — each with their own unique issues for returning staff (for example, the effects of Agent Orange and exposure to other toxic materials, and recognition of PTSD as a result of Military Service.)

John was highly effective in lobbying Government to recognise the contributions of New Zealand’s Service Personnel and gained much needed resources to better assist servicemen in transitioning from military to civilian life. He was also instrumental in the ‘Return of the Unknown Warrior’ and recognition of the ‘Year of the Veteran’ in 2006. John was subsequently awarded the ‘Badge in Gold’ – the highest honour available in the RSA. Other recipients of this award include Willie Apiata (VC) and WWII heroine Nancy Wake. John was also made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in recognition of his services to the RSA.

John died in 2012 and his induction to the Wall of Fame is posthumous.

Peter Adams – Academic

1972 – 1976

Professor Peter Adams attended King’s High School from 1972 to 1976. In 1976 Peter was a member of the King’s High School Orchestra and First Xl Hockey. He gained a Blue in Hockey. At the end of year prize giving, he received a General Excellence Prize and won the Form 7 Geography Prize.

On leaving King’s, Peter attended the University of Otago. In 1978 he won the Dunedin Musical Society Prize for Best Music Student. In 1979 he won the Charles Begg Prize for music at the University of Otago, and the Philip Neill Memorial Prize for composition – an award open to students and graduates from any New Zealand University.

Peter has been closely involved with a number of local and national Orchestras, Choirs and Theatres for decades, as both a performer (Clarinettist and Singer) and Conductor. Peter has played Clarinet in the Dunedin Civic Orchestra and been an active soloist or player with many university Chamber Music groups, and Singer in the Southern Consort of Voices. The activities of the Dunedin Musical Society and the Globe Theatre have also been strongly supported and influenced by him over the years.

At an early stage, Peter was recognised nationally and received grants to be taught in Christchurch and Wellington. Peter’s career in music has taken him around the globe. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music with Honours in 1981 and was then awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to undertake post-graduate study in music at King’s College, London. At King’s College he graduated with a master’s degree in music (MMus [Lond.]), specialising in the theory and analysis of music.

In 1990 Peter started work at the University of Otago as a Junior Lecturer. He has progressed up the ranks over the years and is now Professor of Music and Lead Course Advisor. His inaugural professorial lecture was entitled: “Why music matters to me and why it should matter to you.” Peter is a respected Conductor; recognised especially for his work with young people in youth orchestras, Summer Schools, The NZ Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra, and the NZ National Youth Brass Band.

He has also made many professional appearances in Dunedin conducting the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra and the St Kilda Brass Band. For ten years Peter was Musical Director of the City Choir Dunedin. Peter is a leading figure in the NZ Brass Band scene and as well as conducting, he regularly adjudicates at Brass Band contests and festivals. As a Composer, performance of his works can be found on CDs, You Tube and Video, and several works have had score and parts published.

Peter has written reviews, programme notes, given pre-concert talks, and other community and school presentations in his wider community engagement.

Colin Fraser – Humanities

1945 – 1948

Justice Colin Fraser (ret.) attended King’s High School from 1945-48, having previously been at Caversham Primary School and Macandrew Intermediate School. At school he excelled academically and was also a Sergeant in the Military Cadet Unit.

Colin was a classmate of fellow Wall of Famers, District Court Judge (ret.) Joe Anderson, and a good friend of Paul Oestreicher who is patron of our school’s Leadership Programme.

Colin’s School Certificate Latin mark came back at 18%. The head of languages, Arnold Anderson, was none too pleased that his top student had failed and realised a mistake must have been made. Arnold paid for the mark recount, which came back at an impressive 81%.

On leaving King’s, Colin attended the University of Otago and studied Law. He gained awards for Company Law, Bankruptcy, Trusts, and Torts, while studying at university. Colin was President of the Otago Law Students Association in 1954 and worked for Ross and Dowling Law firm in Dunedin while studying.

In 1955, Colin graduated with an LLB and moved to Invercargill. There he worked for Hanan, Arthur and Co. to gain partnership with them. While in Invercargill Colin was Chairman of the Invercargill Prisons Board and President of the Southland Law Society.

In 1980, Colin was appointed as a District Court Judge, sitting in Christchurch. Colin was one of the first District Court Judges warranted to conduct jury trials, when they were introduced to the District Court jurisdiction in 1981 (previously, jury trials were only held in the High Court). Colin also held the position of the South Island’s Executive Judge in the 1980’s. In 1989, Colin created judicial history by becoming the first District Court Judge to be appointed to the High Court. From then until his retirement in 1996, Colin sat in the High Court.

In 1996, Colin’s service to the judiciary was acknowledged by the award of the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in the New Years Honour’s List. The award being for ‘Meritorious service to the Crown and the Nation… and for [becoming] distinguished (for his] eminence, talents, contributions, or other merits’.

Derek Metzger – Arts

1975 – 1979

Derek attended King’s from 1975 to 1979. While still in Form 4 (Year 10) at King’s, Derek won a talent quest at the Alexandra Holiday Camp. This gained him an invitation to sing for a week at the ‘Expo 77’ in Invercargill. He had major parts in School productions such as ‘The Real Inspector Hound’, ‘The Car’ and musicals such as ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘The King and l’. In the 5th Form, his career took off when he won ‘The 1978 Entertainers’, a talent contest on New Zealand Television.

In 1979 Derek was busy, both with his University Entrance Course and touring 15 States of the U.S. for the NZ Tourism Board. He also won the Singer for Asia that year, winning a trip to Hong Kong, where he took third place in the Asian Song Contest, for New Zealand. In 1980 he, along with Tina Cross, competed in the Pacific Song Contest in Canada, singing a song written by Carl Doy. They were placed second and won the Performance Award. The year was capped off by receiving the NEOA Rising Star Award.

As an Actor/Singer/Dancer… Derek’s extraordinary career has encompassed Television, Recording, Concert, Cabaret and both the legit and Musical Theatre stage. He has travelled extensively — working in Australasia, Asia, North America, and London’s West End, where he spent three years in the hit musical ’42 ^nd Street’ and was privileged to appear in the 1986 Royal Variety Concert. He played leads in Australasian tours of The ‘Pirates of Penzance’ (1994), ‘Chess’ (1992/1997) and ‘The Mikado’ (1996).

Derek’s soaring vocals and physical agility, combined with a penchant for quirky, lovable, and honest characterisations has resulted in an extremely diverse body of work. From the Russian in the Abba/Rice masterpiece ‘Chess’ and cockney Bill Snibson in ‘Me and My Girl’, to the Scarecrow in the classic ‘Wizard of Oz’ and Patsy in Monty Python’s ‘Spamalot’…. Derek has shown a wide, colourful, and creative style that has garnered him both audience and critic accolades, resulting in many industry awards, including Best Actor in a musical (Me & My Girl) Best Theatrical Performance (Chess) and Most Professional Performer.

In later years he branched into other areas of the business, spending 15 years travelling the world as a Headline Entertainer on some of the world’s most prestigious Cruise Ships and guest performing on the Global Corporate Entertainment scene. Derek has utilised his talents to help raise funds for many global charities as well as being a Patron for the Victorian Youth Theatre.

While not actively encouraging those setting out on a career in the industry — it can be a hard path to walk; uncompromising, topsy turvy and uncertain, Derek feels incredibly privileged to have had such a wealth of experience in that industry, both good and bad, and to have met some of the most interesting and engaging people one could ever hope to come across in any profession. No-one should become a performer for any other reason than a passion to express themselves artistically and to want to make a difference in other people’s lives — the entertainment industry affords an individual so many opportunities to give back to society…on many levels. It may not make you rich, in many cases, but it can fulfil you like no other.

Athol (Al) Meder -Business

1955 – 1959

Athol was a King’s pupil from 1955 to 1959. Athol was born a few months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. His father, Eric, was a fitter-turner and welder who worked at Stevenson and Cook in Port Chalmers constructing steel boats for the War effort. Athol grew up in Andersons Bay in a hill-top house that overlooked the Pacific Ocean, Dunedin City, and the harbour, and, from there, biked to King’s High School every day. He was a member of the Stamp Club, played in the school band, and played Fives, Cricket, and Rugby. He can be seen on a King’s archive photo bowling to Ted Dexter, the International Cricketer from England during the MCC visit to King’s.

From 1960 — 1965, Athol attended the University of Otago, majoring in Geology working under Old Boy, Professor Doug Coombs. Athol’s BSc (Hons) thesis was entitled, ‘Some Aspects of the Geology of the Mossburn District, New Zealand’. The following year he graduated with a BSc (Hons) degree in Chemistry. In 1965 Athol travelled to the USA with a scholarship to Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, where he graduated with a master’s degree in Geology from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Rather than having a career in academia, Athol elected to work in industry after being offered a position at Proctor and Gamble (P&G) in Cincinnati, Ohio. P&G believed in hiring employees with broad educational experiences, and Athol joined the Toiletries Division where he formulated and tested shampoo products. Ultimately, he introduced Head & Shoulders Shampoo to the UK.

From 1969 to 1983 he was employed by Amway Corporation in Ada, Michigan, starting as Section Head and then Manager of personal care and cosmetics product development. There he was promoted to Director, and later Vice President International Administration and Strategic Planning. Athol was ultimately promoted to Chief of Staff for the two owners of Amway, where he played an important role in communicating the owners’ corporate philosophy to Amway’s global staff.

Despite his upward progression, Athol always desired his own business, and, in 1983, he purchased Pure Water Inc, in Lincoln, Nebraska. The business was restructured as Pure & Secure LLC. (P&S) in 2004. P&S designs, manufactures, and markets stainless steel water distillation systems to produce high purity distilled water for household, commercial, governmental, military, and specialised uses. He has several patents. P&S customers include, the US Coast Guard, US Army Reserve National Guard, U.S. Air Force, US Dept of State (for US Embassies worldwide), US Customs and Border Protection, Colombian Air Force, Exxon Mobile, Saudi Air Force, Fitness Time Sports Centers throughout Saudi Arabia, and Offshore Oil Platforms in Australia, Brazil, and Malaysia. Recently, the large Englewood Hospital in New Jersey installed P&S distillers for drinking water for all staff and patients. The company has also made sales of bottled water equipment to Sakhalin Is, Russia, Lebanon, Yemen, Portugal, Nigeria, Kenya, the US, Canada, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and to Transpower, New Zealand.

While at Pure Water Inc., Athol created an event to welcome all incoming university students: the International Student Picnic. This was a special picnic where all incoming foreign students at the local universities were invited to a special welcome picnic. They were greeted, met employees, the mayor, or other top city officials and interacted with other newly arrived international students. This tradition has continued for more than 25 years and is now organised through the local Rotary International Club #14.

Athol plays Tennis and enjoys other cultures and has travelled to more than 75 countries. He married Pauline Black in 1966, who studied at Queen’s High School and the University of Otago. They have three children and five grandchildren and live in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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