Napier Boys' High School headmaster Ross Brown about to head through the full-school haka during a farewell by his pupils. Photo: Warren Buckland
Napier Boys' High School headmaster Ross Brown about to head through the full-school haka during a farewell by his pupils. Photo: Warren Buckland
Pupils of Hawke's Bay's biggest school yesterday marked the pending departure of its headmaster with a mixture of popular acclaim and spontaneity, topped with a tear-welling haka.
The Napier Boys' High School assembly for Ross Brown, calling it quits at the end of the term, was led by head boyJack Smith Ballingall. He talked of the ways "Rossco" would be remembered by the thousands of pupils who had passed through the school since Mr Brown took over in 1997.
Yesterday, there were more than 1200 farewelling Mr Brown and his wife and fellow teacher Anne Millward-Brown, joined by staff, board members, family and friends, who were all given one last lesson by the departing headmaster as he replied to the varying tributes and the presentation of a sawbench and a lathe.
By his count there had been 5200 Year 9 pupils, 17,400 teaching periods, and the boys had devoured 416,000 pies and heaps of new opportunities as they developed into men and leaders.
Among the examples was Year 10 music option student, Amekeolepala Tiomai, who was chosen to sing Mr Brown's apparent favourite song - van Morrison's Moondance.
The pupil's teacher later revealed the prodigy had not heard of the song until a few weeks ago but it was carried off in style, prompting the headmaster and wife to dance on the stage.
Outside, the school lined a path and roared into the powerful Ngati Kahungunu haka Tika Tonu.
He leaves when the school is embarking on a major rebuilding project, which he had hoped would start before he departed.
