Albertian news

Albertian Mr Ted van Arkel a respected business leader and professional director, was inducted into the Mount Albert Grammar School Hall of Distinction on Thursday, 1 December, 2016.

The ceremony fittingly took place at a gathering of Albertians for a special Christmas Luncheon and the AGM, also attended by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr Greg Moyle, President of the Albertians’ Association Mr Aftab Moosa (pictured left with Mr van Arkle), and former Headmasters Mr Greg Taylor and Mr Maurice Hall.

Mr van Arkel, who attended MAGS from 1957-1958, was accompanied by his wife Wendy and members of their family and friends.

His citation was read by his longtime friend and colleague, Mr Tim Cook, who spoke of Mr van Arkel’s rise from a 15-year-old on the shop floor at Woolworths to become a leader of companies employing thousands of staff and turning over billions of dollars each year. Mr Cook said Mr van Arkel was known among those he worked with not only for his business acumen, but also for his caring nature and ability to engage with his staff. Read more …

Balamohan Shingade has been appointed as Assistant Director of St Paul St Gallery in Auckland for 2017.

Balamohan, who attended MAGS from 2004-2008, gained a Masters degree from the Elam School of Fine Arts, where he was also employed as a Professional Teaching Fellow in the Critical Studies programme from 2012-2015. Most recently, he was the inaugural Manager/Curator of the new Malcolm Smith Gallery at the Uxbridge Arts and Culture Centre in East Auckland.

St Paul St Gallery is a suite of purpose‐built galleries and project spaces located within the School of Art and Design and Te Ara Poutama at Auckland University of Technology. The gallery is dedicated to the development of contemporary art and design through an international programme of exhibitions, events, symposia and publications.

Balamohan also holds a Diploma in Indian Classical Music and regularly co-ordinates music concerts.

Renowned chef Michael Meredith was named Albertian of the Year at the annual Albertians Reunion Dinner on Thursday, 23 June, and in his acceptance speech thanked the school and his teachers for helping give him the self-belief that has ensured his success.

“The school’s motto – Through Hardship to Glory – was something that resonated with me. My introduction to New Zealand from Samoa wasn’t easy, but a school helps lay the foundations of your character and MAGS contributed some important building blocks for me.

“My teachers gave me a spark, an insight to life – a lot of that was about self-belief. If you believe in yourself, that’s hugely motivating – you can overcome anything in life and let the light inside you shine.”

Mr Meredith said he was very grateful, deeply moved and honoured to receive the award.

The chef is best known through his award-winning restaurant Meredith’s in Mt Eden, and for helping to establish the Eat My Lunch social enterprise business, through which customers can buy a lunch and have one donated to a child in need. Eat My Lunch now delivers meals to 1300 children in Auckland every school day, and is soon to start the service in Hamilton and Wellington. Mr Meredith received recognition for this initiative through the Restaurant Association Good Neighbour Awards and the New Zealander of the Year Awards last year.

Mr Meredith attended MAGS from 1988-1991. He and his elder brother Milton had just arrived from Samoa and MAGS was their first point of contact with New Zealand. While he can’t recall a cooking class being offered, art fostered his creativity, and he enjoyed helping on the school farm.

After leaving school, a cooking course ignited his interest in the profession, and he gained work at the reputable restaurants Vinnies, Antoine’s and The Grove. He went on to win a scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America, and worked in New York, Melbourne and Sydney, before returning to Auckland to open his own restaurant in 2007.

Meredith’s is consistently named in Metro magazine’s Top 50 restaurants in Auckland and both the restaurant and Mr Meredith have won numerous awards. One night a week, proceeds from the restaurant are donated to various charities. Among those which have benefited are the SPCA, Home & Family Counselling, Cure Kids, Kidney Kids, Starship National Air Ambulance, Guardian Angels and the Fred Hollows Foundation.

Mr Meredith brought his partner Ms Claire Baudinet, mother Ms Metita Saleilua (left) and a number of friends to the reunion dinner, including some he met at MAGS. A large number of Albertians also attended, as well as Headmaster Mr Patrick Drumm, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Mr Greg Moyle, Chairman of the MAGS Foundation Mr Peter Thorp and President of the Albertians Association Mr Aftab Moosa.

Mr Meredith’s citation was read by his friend, food writer Ms Nici Wickes. She said that Mr Meredith was now inspiring a new generation of chefs, with many seeking time in his kitchen to learn from the best. It was his charitable work, however, that was most remarkable.

“Michael chooses to get up at 5am every day to help make sandwiches for the Eat My Lunch programme – they have delivered 180,000 lunches to children in need so far. His Tuesday night dinners at his restaurant, from which he donates all the proceeds to charity, have raised more than $100,000.”

The Tuesday dinners are called STEM Tuesdays, named after his daughters Sophia, Tahlia and Ella Meredith.

“In an interview once Michael said that his dreams were simple: For his daughters to be brave, to fully trust their instincts, to be kind. For them to have a good work ethic, to work to achieve their goals and dreams. But most importantly, he wants them to be great spirits.

“To that I say they have the best role model to follow in him, the boy from Lepea, Samoa, who has become a man of great culinary accomplishment, a true community spirit and a man of wholehearted kindness.”

In other speeches, Mr Moosa, Mr Drumm, Mr Thorp all paid tribute to Mr Meredith, and updated the audience on the school’s progress, including planned developments of the FW Gamble Hall and the school farm. Performances were given by the MAGS Gospel Choir and singer Siosiua Atuekaho. The evening concluded with a toast to the school by Albertian Mr John Liddell.

Mr Meredith with family and friends who joined him for the evening.

Molly Swanson, who attended MAGS from 2007-2011, has received a grant of more than $100,000 to assist her PhD research into early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and potential therapeutic intervention.

Ms Swanson, a student at the University of Auckland where she gained a BSc majoring in Biomedical Science, will use the Neurological Foundation W & B Miller Postgraduate Scholarship to travel overseas to learn from experienced researchers in her field of interest. Her research extends from an early symptom of Alzheimer’s, the loss of the sense of smell. She will test whether the disease is triggered by inflammatory processes in the olfactory bulb.

“The support from the Neurological Foundation will allow me to travel to Germany to contribute to a 3D model of the human olfactory bulb that we hope will aid in our understanding of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease pathology,” says Ms Swanson. “Overall, I hope to further understand the potential role that specific cells and their related inflammation play in Alzheimer’s disease progression.”

Ms Swanson not only excelled academically at Mount Albert Grammar, she was also a champion long distance runner, and the Molly Swanson Cup is awarded annually to an athlete with similar talent. Ms Swanson is now a keen triathlete, and hopes to also travel to the Netherlands in 2017 for a World Championship event.