Wall of Fame

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2017 Wall of Fame

Graham Stanton – Academic (At KHS 1953-1957)

Graham grew up in Caversham and while at King’s played in the brass section of the school ensemble and captained the 2nd XI Soccer Team. He completed a B.A and then an M.A with honours in History at the University of Otago before proceeding to study Theology at Knox College. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity in record time, and with such distinction that the doors to study overseas opened. He then attended Westminster College in Cambridge where he was the Lewis and Gibson Scholar and a member of Fitzwilliam College.  It was here that he was mentored by the renowned Professor Moule to study towards his PhD which he gained in 1969. In 1970 he obtained his first permanent lectureship at King’s College, London. In 1974 during his first sabbatical, he won the prestigious Alexander von Humbold Stiftung Research Fellowship and studied the German New Testament at the University of Tübingen in Germany. Remarkably after a mere seven years, Graham was appointed Professor of New Testament Studies at King’s College, a position he held for 21 years. During this time he retained the affection and esteem of his colleagues and was an important figure in the life of the college and always ready to combine his own research and writing with teaching across every level. In 1985 he spent a term at the University of Otago and presented the Thomas Burns Memorial Lectures. In 1998 Graham was appointed to the pre-eminent chair in his field becoming Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at Cambridge. A prolific scholar and specialist on the Gospel of Matthew, Graham wrote the popular textbook The Gospels and Jesus, A Gospel for a New People: Studies in Matthew, and Jesus and Gospel, which were translated into other languages. He also wrote, co-authored and edited many books, monographs, and journals. He was General Editor of the International Critical Commentaries, which for more than 100 years were the leading set of commentaries in English, on the Bible. In 1989 he served as Chairman of the British Society of New Testament Studies and in 1996 became President of the International Society in that field. Graham was a highly respected and much-valued Professor at Cambridge, where he was a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College and Chairman of the Faculty Board of Divinity from 2001-2003. His stature was such that he was regularly invited to lecture in Europe, North America and Australia. Graham was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from the University of Otago in 2000. In 2006 for his contribution to biblical studies in the UK he was awarded the Burkitt Medal by the British Academy.

Chris Fennessy – Arts (At KHS 1984-1988)

When Chris Fennessy enrolled at King’s, he probably had no clear idea as to what his future might be; five years on this was no longer the case. As Head Boy, he had followed a somewhat traditional path to school leadership. He was captain of both the Cricket and Hockey 1st XI’s, captain of the Indoor Hockey team and represented Otago in both sports at age-group level. He had also taken full advantage of opportunities at school, and career-wise he was heading along a less conventional path; that of Music and Drama.As a 14-year-old, and with no previous training, he sang solo at the school’s junior drama evening; from here his talent was recognised and he became the leader of the school choir, and in 1986, a member of the National Secondary Schools’ Choir. For three years he played the lead role in the combined King’s/Queen’s musical productions, and in 1988 he competed in the under-23 section of the Dunedin Opera Company’s aria competition against six others. His performance was such that he was awarded the prestigious Lily Latisheva Scholarship for the most promising singer over the whole competition. Chris headed to Brisbane in 1991 to study at the Queensland Conservatory of Music, determined to make a career in musical theatre.In 1994, at the age of 23, Chris performed throughout New Zealand playing the demanding role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables; such were the positive reviews that he was asked to join the Asian and South African International company of Les Miserables, and toured both in Africa and in Southern and Eastern Asia. He also understudied Rob Guest in the role of Valjean, touring throughout Australia and New Zealand in 1998-99. He then ventured to London to pursue his goal of performing on the West End stage, and did so, performing in various musical events (Tosca, Carmen, Evita, Billy Budd, Albert Herring, The Bear). This led to a two-year contract acting in Les Miserables at the Palace Theatre.All told, Chris has performed more than 3000 times in Les Miserables, playing the lead role more than 500 times. Despite winning the coveted ‘Best Performance in an Opera’ for two consecutive years, Chris was now a family man, and the late nights curtailed his spending quality time with his wife and family, so he returned to Brisbane.In Brisbane, he established Epiphany Productions, which produces corporate entertainment, concerts, fully-staged musicals, cruise ship entertainment, and musically based programmes for the Brisbane City Council. Not only is this a vehicle for his own talents, it also helps those that he has mentored over the years. In January 2009 Epiphany Productions held a summer theatre school for those aged 12-18 in Dunedin.

Darren Smith – Sport (At KHS 1987-1991)

Darren Smith has played serious Hockey since his primary school days when he represented Otago at the National Hatch Cup Tournament. On his arrival at King’s, his potential was quickly recognised by outstanding coach Dave Ross, and he was immediately selected to play with the 1st XI, which he did for five years, ultimately captaining the team. In his final year at school not only was he selected for the Otago Senior team, but also for New Zealand at both Under 18 and Under 21 level. Because he was also playing for Albany (who won the premier club championship that year) and combined with his other playing commitments, Darren had little time left to play for the school, but he was available for the interschools, and at the National Secondary School’s Founders Cup Tournament, where King’s achieved 3rd equal and Darren gained the ‘Most Valuable Player’ Award. Deservedly Darren won the prestigious Salter Trophy in 1991, awarded to the King’s Sportsman of the Year.Darren left Dunedin in 1993 to further his Hockey career in Christchurch. Having already represented Otago he then went on to represent Canterbury for the next three years while gaining a Diploma in Business Management Studies from the University. In 1995 he made his debut for the Black Sticks at a tournament in Kuala Lumpur, although like many young sportsmen it took him a while to cement his position. By 1997 he was a regular member of the team. He thrived in the environment, being awarded ‘Player of the Year’ in 1998, serving as Vice-Captain on occasion and Captain in 2003 and 2005. In 1998, at Utrecht in the Netherlands and in 2002 at Kuala Lumpur, Darren was a member of the Black Sticks Team which contested the World Cup. He represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in 1998, 2002 and 2006, winning a Silver Medal in 2002 at Manchester (making him the first sportsman from King’s to do so). In 2004 at Athens he became the second sportsman from King’s to represent his country at an Olympiad.Darren retired as a player at the completion of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, having represented his country at 212 international matches. Far from resting on his laurels as a player, Darren had already started using his vast experience to develop the next generation of players, honing his coaching skills in the Waikato where he became the High-Performance Coach of the Midland franchise. In 2007 he was appointed Assistant Coach of the Black Sticks, a position he held for the next five years. Darren then went to Ireland to become Head Coach of the Irish Women’s Hockey Team, a position he held for three years, before returning to New Zealand in 2016 to become High-Performance Manager for Softball NZ. His dream, however, had always been to be Head Coach of the Black Sticks, and when the opportunity arose, his commitment and diligence were duly rewarded.

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