Rob Sturch funeral: Hastings Boys’ headmaster to be farewelled at school on Wednesday

Hastings Boys' High School headmaster Rob Sturch (right) at an old boys' function with guest speaker and former Kelston BHS colleague Sir Graham Henry in 2018. Photo / NZME

The funeral for Hastings Boys’ High School headmaster Rob Sturch will be held at the school next week.

The school announced via social media the service will start at 11am on Wednesday, in the last week of the school’s year.

Board of Trustees chairman George Massingham earlier said Sturch’s family had asked for the funeral to be held at ”the place he loved”, Hastings Boys’ High School.

Sturch had been headmaster for 21 years since his arrival from Auckland in 2002 after 20 years at Kelston Boys’ High School in Auckland.

A school post on Facebook on Thursday reported he had battled a resurgence of throat cancer for more than a year, but remained “the beloved headmaster, leader, boss, peer and friend we all knew him to be”.