High School Reunion
Tonight I'm heading to the Onslow College for a school reunion. As far as I can tell there won't be many people from my year. I was speculating with my inner voice whether or not there were any famous Onslow alumni. My inner voice surprised me with quite a few - none of whom I imagine will be there.
The Holidaymakers came from Onslow. The middle aged amongst you will remember "Sweet Lovers" - a hit that stormed the charts in the 80s. In fact, they played it twice at our school ball. I don't know whether this was due to their limited repertoire, or our insatiable teenage desire to hear hits.
Jeremy Coney went to Onslow too. And Jamie Belich. Taika Cohen (Oscar nominee) is an Onslow old boy. Quite a few musicians also - HLAh, Shihad and Cassette all show firm influences from their formative years spent smoking dope at the skate bowl.
The young bloke who scored Ian McKellen was from Onslow also. And our maths teacher used to be on the telly. Speaking of telly, Alistair Wilkinson who reads the news on TV3 was in my theatresports team. We didn't so much theatresport as get a room to sit around in and discuss getting t shirts printed. On my theatresports team was esteemed local artist Sam Broad. He is going to be my date tonight. Uber famous local actor Peter Rutherford is also an old boy, and also part of my dating circle. Ms Hubris is a former Onslowite, but I think too young to be feeling the nostalgia that has gripped my particular crew. We'll see her at the 60th anniversary I reckon.
Who have I missed? I have many former classmates who I'm particularly proud of. My intrepid friend Joanna who has been straightening out Afghanistan for a ridiculously long time springs to mind.
Who knows who will come out of the woodwork, but I'm looking forward to it a great deal.
So, who went to your school?
23 comments:
And Andrew Mulligan who does sporty announcy things for some sporty programme on TV3 (?)- still looks like the same 17 year old I used to know.
Sir Bob Jones, Brian Sergeant, Peter Hambleton & those guys who sang "put another log on the fire", Bill & Ted, or Bill & ben, or Bob & god knows who.
Lots of rugby players. Loooots of cricketers. My ex-wifes' boss. And (is there an HTML tag for a very quiet and embarassed mumble?) Don Brash.
Sorry, I've got a couple more! Andrew Mitchell managed Radio Active in Wellington and now appears to be the news editor for 'un-chart-ed' - a radio programme about NZ music broadcast around NZ. And Caleb Smith was heavily involved in the launching of Manual (for skaters), Spoke (for mountain bikers) and Staple (culture) magazines. (I THINK he was an Onslow boy!)
Han, you can't just boast about your ex-boyfriend.
Tom, I imagine Don left a proud legacy. I'm also guessing there weren't too many brown faces in his youth.
Llew, remind me who Peter Hambleton is?
Peter Hambleton is an actor.
The guy who sits next to me at work was a teacher at my school. But not my teacher, whew.
I believe Courtney Love went to my old school, for a while. The rumour was that she wanted to come back and do a speech at Prizegiving, but our headmistress wouldn't let her. Now I think about it, that seems kind of unlikely.
I forgot to mention Stephen Anderson too, who killed all those people at Raurimu.
On a more positive note, Mark Leiderman from Bilge Festival also went to Onslow (best song EVA Wildabeest a gogo)
Burt Reynolds! WOO!
Tom Scott, Lindsay Perigo and Scarlett Johansson. One of those is made up, but you'll have to guess.
So you're from Feilding?
Can't you tell? Mate?
I could sense it David.
Burt Reynolds GG! I think he got married at the same classy establishment as us in Las Vegas. Bon Jovi did too. Sometimes that star quality just attracts the best.
The only one I know for sure is Liz Hurley. She was two years younger than me, had hair down to her hoohah and smoked even more cigs per day than I did (ie a huge number)
But it was the 80s and we didn't care.
I believe The Manager of the Cure (no names, sorry) and Jon Stevens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Stevens)
Russel Coutts, at Brentwood Primary School in Upper Hutt.
Not that I remember him... but read it in his book.
well I went to a few schools and still can't think of many.
At wellington high we had some of shihad, and the phoenix foundation of course.
Me, I'm pretty cool and famous.
My friend anna was on some ads at high school.. the one with the old man who you think has cancer then it turns out the young girl has it.
ohooh at wellington girls we had Anna Paquin, and she was my friend! We met on the bus.Also Ruth Pretty.
Tawa C - Murray Mexted and other assorted sports people I don't know. Miriama (Mnnie) Smith was in the year behind me. She's lovely. Her older brother was cute but super naughty.
Mr Stephen of Drinks After Work was my year - he wasn't a music geek then. ;)
And considering all those nasty Monster Listen Ins, Dawn Choristers, and barbershop groups for Africa, there should be more famous musicians!
Hillcrest High offers up an impressive hall of fame/shame:
Joanna Paul
Dave "Blind Date" Jamieson
Gavin Lovegrove (three-time Commonwealth Games bronze medallist for javelin)
The first person in New Zealand to be convicted of manufacturing Ecstasy.
John Andrew (the male model from Sale of the Century who launched his own line of men's undies in the early '90s)
But the only person who's gone on to greatness who was at school at about the same time as me is the mighty Sonia Waddell.
Oh, oh, oh - and cute Jesse in my drama class turned into a comedian and breakfast radio jock for More FM in Wellington.
I think I'm more impressed by Dave Jamieson than anyone else anyone has mentioned.
Dammit, Kate, no fair. I was working on it.
I'm mostly alarmed that you apparently have to be middle-aged to remember "Sweet Lovers". Eeek.
I remember, around the time of the 1984 NZ Snap Election, where Lange won it, we had a Hugh Templeton for Ohariau (National), was standing next to a sign for the school dance, it did say (first) "Time Warp", and then someone changed it to "I'm a Twerp" which Hugh did not notice, LOL!
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