BIRTHDAY BOY: St Matthew's Collegiate School principal Erik Pedersen.PHOTO/FILE
BIRTHDAY BOY: St Matthew's Collegiate School principal Erik Pedersen.PHOTO/FILE
THE St Matthew's Collegiate School hall was packed with students and parents last week for a surprise birthday concert and celebration thrown for principal Erik Pedersen, who retires at the end of the year after 30 years at the school.
The variety concert that marked his 65th birthday comprised itemsespecially chosen as Mr Pedersen had loved hearing them in the past - songs from musical productions, music from the two jazz bands, pop and rock bands, the two school choirs and soloists.
Organising a concert of such size and keeping it a secret had involved a huge variety of jobs for students and staff - from keeping Mr Pedersen out of the way while the hall was being set up, to rehearsals, floral displays, a birthday banner and chocolate birthday cake for more than 300 party guests that was served at the end of the concert.
A particularly large job had been organising every girl in the school to write the things they most admired about Mr Pedersen on green and yellow sunflowers, which were attached to the front of the stage.
These reasons ranged from "you always remember all our names - somehow!" to "you are so supportive to all the girls in the school, coming to all cultural and sporting events" to "when you fell in front of us, we giggled a bit - and you got up and laughed with us!"
"A group of us felt very strongly that we wanted to recognise Erik's huge contribution, not only to the school, but his interest in, and support of, cultural activities.
"So we decided on a concert featuring all of his 'favourites' which would be an appropriate surprise to him. The fact that Erik also turned 65 on the day of the concert was a bonus because the concert became a huge birthday party for him."
Year 10 student Corralie Francis, one of the more than 100 performers in the concert, said: "It was an amazing concert because so many people came to show that they cared about Mr Pedersen and to see the joy on his face just made the night even better."
