AARON SCOTT 2020/21

December 30^th 2019, on the day of my 18^th birthday, I set off on my 30+ hour journey to the United Kingdom. When arriving I had a week stay over in Hartlepool, England, visiting my family over the new year period while changing my body system to work with the different time zone and the freezing cold. It was a trip down memory lane, going to the arcades along the beachside, walking along the beach to get the morning papers for my grandparents, and a childhood dream of attending a Hartlepool United football match. It’s safe to say that I was having the time of my life and my placement hadn’t even started. After deciding halfway through my last year at Rathkeale that I wanted to do a gap year in the UK, I knew it was going to be hard trying to find a school to go and work at. However, an Old Boy, Thomas Wagner, helped me get a spot at his placement at Campbell College Belfast.

When I arrived at the school, it was 5.30pm at night, pitch black in the middle of winter.  When me and one of the other gap students were taken up the long driveway, we then saw the front of the school lit up, looking like it must be a part of Hogwarts. Over 125 years old; over 1200 pupils ages 3-18 in both junior and senior school; and over 70 members of staff, the college definitely had a lot of history. After meeting my flatmates, another two Kiwi gaps and an Australian, along with the hockey coaches, one a Canadian and the other a South African, then settling in and getting used to hearing various Northern Irish and some Irish accents around the place, it was a breeze. We got to know so many people that when a staff member came up to chat with us, it was a guarantee that we already forgot their name. Everyone was super friendly and very welcoming, getting to know all about us and what life is like back in New Zealand. Especially the hot weather! My day would start with me getting up and heading to the dining hall for some breakfast at 8am, which I was soon the only gap student attending breakfasts. All the food was catered for in the dining hall and we got along really well with the chefs always getting a little extra to take back to the flat. We started working around 9am either helping with Home Economics (H.E), P.E and Art. We would spend our day helping those departments with whatever they needed us to do. Helping H.E with the Tesco shop, taking some P.E lessons and a lot of cutting paper in art. There was always a lot of photocopying going on as well as laminating. Heavily involved with coaching the football team after school would always finish off my working day around 4-4.15pm, depending on when the Head of Football would want to call it a day. We were involved with the boarding department once a week (I would take the boys to do their weekly Tesco Shop and then supervise the seniors in the sports hall). We also had to do a weekend shift in boarding too, which involved sleeping over in the boarding house. In boarding we worked alongside the housemothers, they are lovely and caring and always up for a cup of tea and a laugh.

Northern Ireland is amazing going around the towns, and I’m getting the most out of my overseas experience. Belfast, my temporary home city was awesome, it reminded me of home a little bit. We spent many trips into town on the glider buses whenever we could, experiencing the night life quite a few times. I got on really well with my flatmates and we all got competitive when the Xbox was turned on. My spare time consisted of getting involved with hockey and football coaching, using the school gym, playing FIFA with the boys, exploring Belfast and nifty coffee shops around the towns, watching a lot of the premier league and champions league matches, having some competitions with the junior boarders and I also played football for Dunmurry 1sts and East Belfast 5 a-side team, which was run by some coaches involved with Campbell.

Seeing all the photos and videos and hearing the stories of previous gap students’ adventures of traveling around Europe is one of the reasons I wanted to take a gap year. However, Coronavirus shut down that whole experience; festival tickets were claimed back and there was no going anywhere. Lockdown for the United Kingdom started back March 22^nd just before the easter break, hearing all the rumours that schools wouldn’t be back for a long time. I didn’t believe it at first but soon came to realise that was the case. I decided to stay where I was and make the most out of my year over in the UK, unlike many who decided to travel home and be with their families. Keeping positive about COVID-19 I wasn’t alone in making the decision to stay, thankfully my flatmates Luke Bowman and Sam Porter-Samuels had the same idea. We had 100 acres of ‘stunning woodland’, as explained on Campbell College’s website, almost all to ourselves with a few teachers who lived on site too. Over the next months of lockdown we had a routine going which involved a weekly walk to Tesco to do our food shopping, a weekly gym routine, running in the mornings, some football here and there, some sunbathing and of course some gaming and binge watching many Netflix series and shows. The teachers still looked out and after us and made sure we had everything we needed and our bosses kindly made us a meal every Saturday, sometimes a cheeky takeaway. Eventually I did manage to get over and see my best mate in Oxford towards the start of the new school year. I was so excited to get out and travel for the week that I was away and our only plan together was to take a day trip to London the rest we would take day by day. I arrived in Birmingham then trained down to Oxford, the town had a lot of history and amazing monuments to see and explore. The next day Jack Cox and I woke up really early and jumped on a bus to London where we saw many tourist attractions starting with Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben (there was still work being done on it), London Eye, Tower Bridge and we took the underground to Oxford Street which was crammed full of people. We then decided to do a night stay over in Bristol before I flew back to Belfast. Bristol was amazing, just like Oxford with many old historical churches and tourist attractions. We definitely spent our time and money wisely over the week stopping off in a few different Wetherspoons getting our meals and beverages.

 

 

I was offered to extend my contract for another year, which I accepted as I personally felt I hadn’t yet finished my journey over here in Belfast. We went into yet another lockdown before the Christmas term ended which was a local lockdown, however, a couple days after Christmas we went into a full national lockdown again. This time there were boarders here which meant that we were involved helping in boarding more. I also took this opportunity to get out and see Northern Ireland a bit more than I did in 2020. The little towns are awesome, and well worth the trip round them. I have definitely grown more knowledge over here and learnt so much about Northern Ireland. I’m still hoping I can travel around Europe and more of the UK before I make my journey back to New Zealand.

 

The memories and experiences that I have already made/continuing to make throughout my time here are always going to stay with me. I am extremely grateful and thankful of Liz and Jim for offering me this life changing experience – as well as everyone else who supports The James Meikle Scholarship. I would not be where I am today without the trust. Even though there was a global pandemic it has been amazing and I will encourage many others as it is an amazing chapter in life.

 

Thomas Wagner

December 27th- 2018, I set off across the world to Belfast via a 5-night stopover in Singapore, followed by a few nights in London. It was a massive shock to the system; going from the 30 degrees NZ summer, to a blistering cold UK winter, where it got dark around 4 pm. It was fair to say, a kiwi boy all on his own for the first time- at the other end of the world, was about to experience a life-changing year. After a prolonged effort finding a school to work in the UK, I managed to secure a place at Campbell College, in Belfast, where myself, two other kiwi gaps, and a South African would spend the next year all in the same flat. The school itself was incredible; being 125 years old, it sure had some history; I think every taxi driver I was ever with, always remarked on how it looked so much like Hogwarts.

Settling in was super easy, and after getting used to the strong Irish accent, where they link every word together, I started to notice how friendly and outgoing the Irish truly are. Getting to know so many staff is difficult at first, but as the year went on, the relationships grew, and with many staff-based activities, it was very emotional when my working year came to an end. I loved every minute of working with such friendly, welcoming workmates, and am still in touch with a lot of them to this day. My working day consisted of kick-starting around 9 am. Us gap students would tend to mix up our workload; scattering around art, home economics, P.E, and the junior school. This entailed cleaning sinks, measuring out flour, carrying groceries, helping coach pe teams and helping the junior kids as a teacher assistant, but most of the time in turned into endless chatting of what happened over the weekend. We would also help out in the boarding department once a week (my job was to take a bus full of boys to Tesco’s once a week, and the odd weekend duty of sleeping over in the boarding house). All food was catered for in the dining hall, which was up there with mum's cooking! We worked closely along the housemothers, who were so lovely. Being a boy only school (around 1000 boys from ages 11-18, also with a prep/junior school from ages 5-11), there was always constant chatter and mockery from the boys for our kiwi accent; we always dished it back out!

Belfast was an amazing little city, with an incredible pub culture which we sure gained a lot of experience from. My flatmates were more than what I could’ve asked for and it was so cool we got on so well. In my downtime, I made the most of the school gym, played a lot of FIFA, planned a lot of trips, went into Belfast more times than I can count, watched more than enough premier league games and Netflix, hung out with the boarders and played football for Bangor 1sts. My highlight from Belfast would be going to Belsonic to see Marshmello, Stormzy, and Jax Jones.

One of the main reasons I decided to take a gap year was to travel, and we were given 13 weeks off in total, therefore it would’ve been a waste not to. I sure can say I will be back for another European summer; the history, culture, landscape, experience, food, people and not to mention the 35-degree daily average temperature (with it getting to 42 degrees once!). To say it was amazing is an understatement. I started my summer trip to Manchester, where I was lucky enough to go to Old Trafford, then went to the beautiful old town York. I then commenced my European travels by flying to Malaga in Spain and eventually making my way to Barcelona via Seville and Madrid. Here, I met my mother and we stayed in Barca for a week and then flew to Angers in France. Spain is a beautiful country; the tapas are delicious; the atmosphere is lively and the sites I saw were incredible. After meeting some family friends in Angers, we went to Paris. Paris had always been on my bucket list, and it lived up to my expectations. We then met more friends in Bochum (Germany) where we stayed for a week and it’s fair to say that week was one of my best experiences of the trip; our friends were so kind and were great hosts. I then continued my travels to Munich and managed to watch Real Madrid, Tottenham and Bayern Munich play (and also my boyhood club, Man Utd later in the year), then I went up to Berlin to see Josh Tatham, before making my way to Vienna. Germany is rich in culture and it’s fair to say they love their beer. I stayed in Vienna for a week; indulging in their wining and dining, then headed to Budapest with my gap students and six ex Rathkeale boys (Jacob Dickens, Wynter McCook-weir, Pelle Slothouwer, Thomas Ralls and Josh Tatham). We went to a four-day musical festival, which we all thankfully survived. The headliners of the festival were Ed Sheeran, Martin Garrix, Macklemore, Foo Fighters, Post Malone, and Sigala. We all then continued our travels together to Split in Croatia, before departing on a four-day island-hopping sail to Dubrovnik; if there was one thing I could do again, it would be this! The scenery, clear ocean and friends we made was truly remarkable (the bar tab wasn’t though)- it’s fair to say I had a bit too many hours in the sun! I then ended my summer travels with Thomas in Prague and Berlin. Prague has so much history and in terms of the most beautiful cities, I would easily say these two were up there for me.

It's fair to say I made the most of my time travelling; stepping foot in a total of 13 countries! I caught up with so many friends and family, and I believe I now have, what you call the ‘travel bug’ to keep on travelling! I also managed to travel around Ireland and indulge in Guinness and catch a few leprechauns, made my way around Scotland for Christmas and NYE with my dad and his family, see England from top to bottom and got a taste of Wales. I feel I have learned so much whilst travelling and working throughout the whole year. I think the main thing I took away was to always live in the moment; as obvious as it sounds, it truly has helped me look at life differently and spurred me on to do things I would never usually do. The experiences, memories, and people I met throughout the year, were truly unbelievable and will forever stay close to me!

I can’t describe how endlessly grateful I am, and would just like to again, thank Jim and Liz for offering me this opportunity- and everyone else who supports the trust. The James Meikle Scholarship helped me achieve things I would’ve struggled to do on my own- and I will continue to encourage kids to do what I and many others have done, as it will be one of the best experiences of your life.

Freddie Feilding

Gap year Australia & New Zealand

July 14^th I set off from London Heathrow to Perth where I then made my way down to the small beautiful town of Albany. Albany was where I’d call home for the next 6 months. Here I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work as a gap assistant at Great Southern Grammar. 

My role was deputy head of one of the 4 boarding houses, Anchorage which houaed year 11, 10 and 8 students. When I arrived I was told that they were a bit rough around the edges and so they were. Quite hard work but were great friends and built a big brotherly bond with all of them. Every other day I’d be on duty from 3:30pm to 11pm at night. Each day involved sorting out afternoon tea where I’d stock up the fridge and other essentials such as Milo. During the days at Grammar I was heavily involved with PE and athletics, which was great. I was also involved with the outdoor education programme consisting mountain biking, snorkelling, fishing, kayaking and surfing. Surfing will be something that I’ll definitely take back with me to the UK. I was also involved with coaching the 1^st football team and rugby sevens team. I really enjoyed being able to teach the boys how to play rugby as a lot of them had never played before as WA is so focused around AFL ‘’footy’’.  I felt as though I made a real difference in my role as assistant and would love to do it again. With PE and Outdoor Ed we were really just there to fill numbers and join in but also supervise such as being the back end of the mountain biking just in case there were any falls. 

On long weekends the other gappies and I would head up to Perth to watch the AFL and a bit of shopping. During the holiday we headed to Bali where we went on trips to the monkey forest and other places, which was surrounded by amazing culture. Most mornings another gappie and I would head out to the beach and rent a surfboard for the morning. It’s a place that I’ll have to visit again sometime soon.

My time at Great Southern Grammar was amazing. Being able to be involved with so much and go on so many trips was great. I’ll miss the weekend duties in the summer where we would head down to the beach and play cricket, footy and jump off the pontoons in the sea where in the background whales were jumping out of the water on the other side of the safety net. Also mornings surf sessions where the sunrise was like nothing I’ve seen before with dolphins jumping out of the waves while the suns early light glistened off the surface of the water. Real magical moments that I’ll honestly never forget and will miss. Last but not least the boys, brothers to me, will be greatly missed along with the gappies and other friends I made along the way. 

When my time came to an end at Great Southern Grammar I decided to head out on a tour from Alice Springs to Melbourne via Adelaide. The plan was to end up in Melbourne and stay on a farm with a friend from school over the Christmas New Year period before I flew out to Auckland.

The heat really hit me when I arrived in Alice Springs on 18^th December and the following day I boarded the tour bus, which would take us all the way down to Adelaide. On the way down we slept in swags, which was amazing. The stars in the outback were the best I had ever seen. We stopped off at Fularu, Ularu, Kings Canyon, Coober Pedy, Port Augusta and then Adelaide. Ularu was the highlight of the tour as it was just amazing how big the rock was and learning about aboriginal culture and watching the sun go down in the background as the BBQ was on the go was such an amazing experience. Another experience that I won’t forget was being caught up in a sand storm at Coober Pedy. After Adelaide we headed along the great ocean road and stopped at the twelve apostles and other coastal features along the way. From the Grampians we had spectacular views from the lookout points. 

In Melbourne I spent a few days exploring then made my way down to Turadin where I met up with my friend from school and worked on a riding for disabled farm before boarding my flight to Auckland.

On the 5^th of January I arrived in Auckland and was kindly invited to stay with the Meikle family at Whangapoua beach on the Coromandel Peninsula. I spent a week here which was jam packed full of activities including surfing, paddle boarding, fishing, scurfing and cliff jumping. The food and hospitality of the Meikle family was great. Days spent next to the beach sipping on Jim’s signature G&T’s will be missed. 

After a week In Whangapoua I joined a tour from Auckland to Wellington. We stopped at various places including; Hahei, Hobbiton, Waitomo caves, Rotorua, Raglan, Hamilton, Blue Duck Station Bulls. My favourite parts of the tour were Hot Water Beach, surfing in Raglan and the Hobbitton movie set. On the way down I made great friends with some of the travellers and I am still in contact with them. Unfortunately the weather on the trip wasn’t the best but the tour still was a real success and I loved it all bar the rain. We had planned to do the Tongariro Crossing but this was cancelled due to the weather.

Once I got to Wellington it wasn’t long until I was welcomed to Scots College as the 4^th gap assistant. My role at Scots involved being a floater in lessons to help people who struggled. I was involved with English and science lessons with year 7’s. Another role was to be a scribe for boys who struggled to write in their exams. Within boarding I was on duty for most nights in prep as well as going on trips with the boarders on the weekends. These trips included paintballing, high ropes, bowling and the Roxy Cinema. I was also involved with taking the under 15’s B cricket team and sport on Thursday. Trips to Makaheki and Otaki involved treks, white water rafting and high ropes. On the one trip with year 6’s I was in charge of free time activities and games. 

Whilst I was at Scots College I was able to go on trips with the gappies to Fiji and the South Island during the holidays. On the trip to Fiji we did an island hopping tour. At each island we stayed one night and went to 6 islands over the 7 days. On these Islands we learnt Night spearfishing, Snorkelling on corals, Fijian lessons, coconut ring making and how to open a coconut which was a staple source of food out there. Also of course lots of touch rugby with the locals. The locals were amazing with so much energy it was very inspiring to see how happy they were with such little resources. A big lesson for me was learnt on my outlook on life and the importance of having a good time and being positive and happy. While in Fiji we met up with an old Scots boy who took us out on his boat in Suva which was awesome as he took us out to the reefs.

Another trip we did was a road trip from Christchurch to Queenstown. We landed in Christchurch where we drove down to Dunedin. In Dunedin we went to watch the Hurricanes (Wellington) play the Highlanders (Otago). The atmosphere was electric as we were surrounded by all the uni students. We then drove to Queenstown and where the views were incredible especially as we approached Queenstown. Whilst there we enjoyed long nights out and seeing the sights around. One day we went to Milford Sounds which was amazing. We then flew back to Wellington in time for the start of the last term.

Whilst in Wellington I became part of the Seatoun football team.  We managed to win the league and gained promotion into Cap 1.  Being a part of this team I have made some incredible friends and useful contacts for the future. The team spirit and banter has been great to be a part of and was topped off by the end of season trip to Nelson. Which was packed with so many good memories with so many great people, they will all be missed. 

The memories I have made from this year of adventure will be with me for the rest of my life. The past year has been full of things that I’d thought I’d never get to experience. These experiences wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the James Meikle Shrewsbury Scholarship and James family and Trustees. I have learnt so much from this year which will stay with me forever. I wished this year would not end but sadly it has to. Thank you to everyone who supports the scholarship. Furthermore a special thank you to Liz and Jim and the Trustees for their support throughout the whole year and I look forward to seeing you again in the future.

Freddie Fielding

Scott Day

2016 Gap Year Review at Ardingly College, Haywards Heath, England

After much deliberation on what I was going to do once I left as a student from Rathkeale College. I decided I would love to go overseas and do a gap year. After sending a good 60-70 emails to schools around the UK, I got the job as a Gap Student at Ardingly College, West Sussex, England. 

The day soon came that I would pack my bags and make the daunting 30 hour journey to Heathrow Airport. I arrived at Ardingly at 3pm on the 2^nd of January, bucketing down with rain, and almost pitch black… I thought to myself, what have I got myself into?

My first few days were a blur. I met my fellow gappers who I would be flatting with for the next year, Rebecca (Cape Town) Clara (Sydney) and Luke/Alex who were the English replacements. We called ourselves the Trio Nations. Getting told where everything was in the 280 Arce campus. Introducing myself to the 400 staff members and 1000 students from age 2-18 was something that took me months to down-pack. We then got our timetable for the term, I really enjoyed my daily jobs. It started with parking duty or office work… I loved the office. Noreen the lady in the office was a great craic, she was our mum for the year. Before I left I was dreading filing, paper shredding and answering the phone – by the time I left I was an expert! I would then do morning break duty which would involve me supervising the kids, that didn’t last long as I would get myself into the year 4 and 5 football games – probably committing more fouls than the kids! Senior sport and Prep school sport would take up every afternoon – getting out and coaching football/cricket was something I really enjoyed. My u14B cricket team finished with more wins than losses and same for my U15C football team. Great bunch of kids! Two nights a week I would have prep school boarding house duty – we would play darts with the kids, play some dodgeball at the gym… time went very quickly! The school offered me so many opportunities – such as the Yr 7 French trip to Caen and the U15 football trip to Belgium and The Netherlands. Both were fun, the kids and staff were great – and the school paid for me to go as well!

On the weekends I would have sport almost every week which I enjoyed. Being able to travel around the country and get out of the school walls was awesome. My most memorable trip was to Eton where I took my U15C team. We all jumped off the coach and Students were called one way, and Staff the other. The lady led me to the Costa coffee shop on site and insisted that I have anything I’d like. My cappuccino and cream cheese muffin went down a treat. When I returned to the field the lads were basically warmed up and the game started. Despite an 11-0 thrashing it was a great experience. On the weekends I didn’t have sport I would play rugby for Haywards Heath Rugby Club. They were a great bunch of lads, and were very welcoming. I wish I could have played a bit more but time did not allow. Saturday evenings were always taken up – with the standard nights down to Brighton. This was the case every weekend of the year, bar 2. Yes, we counted. It was so much fun, and the social atmosphere in Brighton was great. Sundays in the summer were taken up by cricket for Ardingly Village – probably because the match teas were so good. We didn’t lose a game all season so that meant we always had to celebrate at the Ardingly Inn. Being so close to London (45mins Train) was a massive bonus, we could pop up for a day whenever we wanted too – there was so much to do. Such as the London 7s at Twickenham, Hop on Hop off bus tours, Winter Wonderland and my favourite… The darts at the Alexandra Palace. That was something I had been wanting to go to for years, and it lived up to expectations. The atmosphere was unreal!

Another great part of the year was the 19 weeks holidays we were given. In that time I travelled to 18 countries, and that was life changing. Some highlights of my time travelling was the Paddy Wagon tour through Ireland for a week, fair to say I was over Guinness when I left. Berlin was an awesome city, and catching the train to Sachenhausen (Nazi Camp) really was an interesting experience. Renting a car with the family and travelling through Scotland. Spain was fantastic, lots of fun and the group of Aussies we travelled with made it such a memorable trip. Morocco and Turkey were major culture shocks, although I wasn’t complaining with the food and cheap Ralph Lauren clothing! Through to Croatia and Greece which was beautiful. Sailing on a boat through the Croatian Islands was just amazing, boat jumping and tanning on the beach was relaxing to say the least. The ability to gain some independence, meet hundreds of new people and see the world is something that I will treasure forever.

This experience would not have been possible without the James Meikle Scholarship. A big thank you must go to Liz and Jim Meikle for offering me the opportunity.  To everyone else who supports the trust – I know that people really do benefit from the opportunity, thank you! I will do my best to encourage young lads to do the same.

Scott Day

Tim Langer

Tim Langer from Christ’s College, New Zealand was the recipient of the Scholarship for 2014. Tim was appointed Gap Tutor at Christ College Brecon in Wales. Tim travelled with the organization Worldwide tutors who arrange placements and travel with appropriate schools.

Tim Langer Report

During my last year at College I decided I would like the challenge to take a year off from studies to experience new things overseas. I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to work abroad and spend a year as a tutor “gappy” at Christ College, Brecon in the UK, all with the financial help of the James Meikle Scholarship Trust.

It was exciting to arrive in Brecon, where I met the other ‘gappy’, Nicola from Australia, along with Simon Spencer, the deputy headmaster and the rest of the welcoming Christ College staff.

The house Christ College supplied us for the year was a perfect living arrangement for Nicola, the French assistant, Anthony and myself. It was spacious and accommodating, set amongst a row of terraced brick houses, only a short distance from the school itself.

We were introduced to the roles we would be taking care of for the year. We were placed in ‘Alway House’, which is a boarding house for the year 7 and 8 students. The house parents, Magnus Caithness and his wife Helen were great value, really making me feel at home. They were our fill in parents for the year and always looked out for us.

My role was to supervise the student’s breaks and free time during and after school. This would involve playing games and organising various other activities with them. Once a week I was on night duty in the boarding house where I supervised their homework and school related tasks. Then at the end of the evening I made sure they brushed their teeth and got to bed, to sleep! Although there was the occasional cheeky student here and there I was incredibly lucky to be working with such great children, not only did they make my job easier but also more enjoyable.

I spent a lot of my time in the maths department where I worked with specific students in years 7 to 11 who needed extra help in certain areas. I was able to spend time with them individually so we could focus on their weaknesses, which really helped them as well as myself. I found it very interesting to see the differences of how each student learnt, so was able to work out what I could do to benefit them best.

I also assisted with the cricket, hockey and rugby. I would attend their fixtures and away games. Also I ran a social football team as an after school activity. Whilst I was at school back in New Zealand I competed in long jump and triple jump competitively, so when summer came around I was able to get back down to the athletics track and help train with individual students, as well as officiate in interschool events.

Another amazing thing I got out of the year was travel. Every school holiday I was able to head off on my next adventure around Europe. Overall I visited 18 countries and it is hard to say what I enjoyed the most - it was all fantastic. What I experienced overall is hard to put into words, the places I went, the things I learnt and the people I met really made it a trip of a lifetime.

All of this could not have been possible without the generosity of the James Meikle Scholarship Trust and especially Elizabeth and Jim Meikle who have been so caring and thoughtful, making my year such a success. I have benefited so much from the year, giving me a whole different perspective of life.

This year it is time to focus on my Engineering degree, with the legacy of James Meikle behind me. I have been enjoying my studies thoroughly so far. Maybe someday in the future I can return to Brecon and relive all the memories, though by then the faces will have changed.

Harvey Mason

Our Scholarship recipient for 2012, Harvey Mason from Rathkeale College, has begun his year as a tutor at Shrewsbury School. Harvey is assisting with coaching the Under 16 rugby team as well as duties with the PE department and classroom activities. He is also involved in pre-season cricket preparation and assistance to the groundsmen as they move to the summer term. Harvey has a number of friends in UK who are also engaged in tutorships and he is planning to travel to Spain with them for the Easter break.

Some news from past recipients of the Scholarship: Matt Brown 2007 is presently at Victoria University. He has completed a Bachelor of Commerce and is continuing with Bachelor of Laws. He is looking for work as a summer clerk/intern for 2012/13. Matt tells us he is grateful and always will be for the opportunity the Scholarship gave him. Déan van Deventer 2009 is completing a Bachelor of Science and is in his last year at Canterbury University. He plans to return to do honours in engineering geology. Déan continues to play cricket for central districts and hopes to return to England when he has finished his university studies. Ben Ardagh 2010 is in his second year at Otago University and is studying Physiotherapy. Ben spent the summer working in Australia – he enjoyed the travel again after his year spent at Shrewsbury and traveling in Europe.

This year we will visit Shrewsbury School around the time of Speech Day, (prizegiving day) at the end of their school year. There are a number of masters still at the school who knew James when he was a tutor in 1990. A previous deputy Headmaster at Rathkeale College, Bruce Hamilton and his wife visited the school last year. They were given a very warm welcome and were most impressed with the school and the amazing facilities.

Thank you again for your interest and support of the Scholarship established in James’s memory. We are very happy that the scholarship continues in such a positive way and are grateful to Shrewsbury School, Rathkeale College and Christ’s College for their involvement and contribution to the Scholarship.

Harvey's year at Shrewsbury School

After a long count down the big day finally arrived the 9th of January 2012. My bag was packed and I joined 80 other “Gappies” on our way to London England. After about 15 movies and little sleep I made it to the below zero conditions in London.

My fellow gap student Tim Sanderson from Canberra, Australia and I travelled up from London by train together. We were welcomed by our mentor Chris Cook and Nils Sceery a Harvard fellow, and Steve Clancy a sports graduate finishing his teaching degree at Shrewsbury. Tim and I felt like a part of the team straight away after a great night out with the guys.

I quickly learnt that the job of a gap student is definitely a mixed bag. I remember on day one after being kitted out with all our gear we were set to work on a classic envelope stuffing session!! One of the duties I enjoyed the most was coaching the 3rd XV. It was great to be with the boys outside of the classroom and getting to know them. I also took Year 9 PE sessions which I enjoyed although I struggled a bit when taking them for football training. I’d have to say they mostly knew a lot more about it than I did!! Both of these roles stretched me going from player to coach but I really enjoyed the challenge. I would like to do more coaching in the future.

Life guarding at the pool was another part of our role. Getting out of bed to be at the pool by 6.30am in below zero temperatures to supervise a few students swimming lengths wasn’t that appealing at first but Tim and I grew to love it. It was great to obtain our lifeguard qualifications and to be able to make the most of the pool.

As the winter passed Chris Cook introduced me to the Shrewsbury Rugby Club Social Cricket team. It was a great way to meet some of the players before rugby started. I soon realised I’d got myself in to a tricky situation being one of the only players to have any cricketing experience.

This meant I opened the batting and bowling, and got a lot of stick if I didn’t perform. One game I remember very well, we played on a dairy farm out in the country side. The wicket was prepared by the farmer / coach/captain of the other team, and with a very short 40 meter boundary the game was over pretty quick.

On an afternoon off Tim and I decided to go down to the river and try my hand at rowing. I thought the rowing machine was a breeze so it would be fine. Tim, a rower himself, warned me it was harder than it looked but of course I wasn’t listening to him. Next thing I know I’m in the river going with the current and with every stroke almost falling in! To add to the fun it started raining. Good thing Tim came in with an oar to tow me back to the rowing club.

As the cricket season came to an end it meant the start of another cold winter but also rugby for Shrewsbury club. These was some of the best times on my gap year. We travelled all over the Midlands and played a few good games. Thankfully my shoulder held up ok and I really enjoyed my first experience of playing club rugby.

The memories I have from the last year will be with me forever. It was an amazing experience that I will always look back on. I really hope that other’s will benefit, as I have, from the scholarship in the future. Thank you to everyone who supports the scholarship, and of course and a very big thank you to Liz and Jim for their support and continuing friendship.

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Welcome

The James Meikle Shrewsbury Scholarship was established in January 2005 at the instigation of James and his family. James Meikle was a Civil and Structural Engineer educated at Rathkeale College in the Wairarapa and later at Canterbury University, Christchurch. James spent his gap year as an 18 year old at Shrewsbury School in Shropshire, England. He worked as an Engineer in both New Zealand and in the UK and traveled extensively until, at age 33, he sadly passed away from a brain tumour after a very courageous battle.

James’s wish was to leave a legacy whereby a student from either Rathkeale College or Christ’s College (where James was a tutor also) could experience a gap year at Shrewsbury School with financial assistance from the Scholarship to provide airfares, travel insurance and a clothing allowance.

Students who are interested in applying for the Scholarship should express an interest to their schools early in the school year. Interviews are then held with the Trustees of the Scholarship and the chosen candidate will travel to the UK to take up their position at the start of the school term in January of the following year.

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The Candidate

James described the ideal candidate for such an adventure as

…“someone who is a true all rounder, someone interested in sports and the arts, someone comfortable with people of all ages and someone who will have respect for the traditions and history of a school like Shrewsbury … in short someone who loves life”.

Shrewsbury School

Shrewsbury School is one of England’s oldest and largest boys boarding schools founded in 1552 standing in 150 acres of beautiful grounds high on the banks of the River Severn overlooking the ancient town of Shrewsbury. The School boasts alumni such as Charles Darwin, Michael Palin and Michael Heseltine MP.

The Scholarship

Before James died he expressed a wish that a scholarship be established for boys at Rathkeale College and Christ’s College, to have a Gap Year at Shrewsbury School. This would be to experience that defining year before an academic or vocational choice is made – often that choice is the one that sets the direction and perhaps charts the course for one’s approach to life. It was that year that defined James’s independence and maturity and in many ways equipped him with the strength and ability to face life’s difficult choices with courage. James was proud of his time at Shrewsbury and found his year very formative and he truly hoped other boys would benefit as he did.

The James Meikle Shrewsbury Scholarship Trust was established in January 2005 by Phillips Fox Solicitors and has attained charitable status with the NZ Department of Inland Revenue. The Trustees, who will administer the Trust and be involved with selecting the candidate are Susan Harte, Richard Pickering, and Grant Harper (Deputy Headmaster of Rathkeale College).

The fund was initiated with a contribution from James and has continued to grow as family, friends and colleagues from around the world generously contribute. The funds are held and invested with Craigs Investment Partners in Wellington, NZ.

The Scholarship will cover the return airfare to the UK, travel insurance and various expenses associated with the Scholarship year.

James Meikle

(1971 – 2005)

James was a pupil at Rathkeale College in the Wairarapa (1984-1989) and Deputy Head Boy in his last year at school. In 1990 James went to Shrewsbury School, Shropshire, England as a “Gap Year” tutor – he coached sporting teams, assisted in the boarding house, taught lessons and became very involved with all aspects of school life making friends with both teachers and boys forming friendships that continued for 15 years. James returned to New Zealand and went on to complete a Bachelors degree in Engineering at Canterbury University. He worked at Beca Carter as a civil engineer in Wellington. As many young New Zealanders do, James traveled to London to work and ‘see the world’.

In 1998, before James headed overseas, he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. This unexpected leg of the journey eventually took him through four major operations but during the next 7 years of uncertainty and between operations he worked, traveled, loved, laughed, and met people in over 46 countries.

As a result of the surgery James had to learn to talk, walk and eat again and each time his recovery took months of painstaking struggle – a challenge he met each time with dignity and without attracting sympathy. All this adversity was met with the grace and spirit of a true champion of life.

James died on February 6 2005 after a courageous battle.

Ben Ardagh

The Trustees are pleased to advise that Ben Ardagh from Christ’s College is the successful candidate for The James Meikle Shrewsbury Scholarship as a Tutor to Shrewsbury School in 2010.

Ben is Deputy Head Boy and has made a considerable contribution to the school in his leadership roles. As well as being a First XV member and Captain of Rowing Ben’s academic record is outstanding and he is assured of excellent results this year.

In Ben’s letter of acceptance and thanks to the Trustees he says ….”I am excited to be given the chance to coach rowing because it is a sport I love myself and I have dedicated a large part of my school life to it. I have heard of Shrewsbury’s great reputation for rowing and I aim to be an asset to the coaching staff. I would love to travel with the school to regattas, such as Henley, where I can experience first hand…..aside from rowing I will try to live up to the James Meikle Scholar’s name ….”

The photos here are of Christ’s College competing in the Maadi Cup this year.

Ben is the first student from Christ’s College following Matt Brown (2007) and Dean van Deventer (2009) from Rathkeale College.

Ben's Year at Shrewsbury School

On January the 3rd 2010 I left for the trip of a lifetime. This would be my first year out of school, my first year away from home and my first year away from New Zealand. Needless to say it was a year of many firsts.

Arriving in Shrewsbury with no idea of what to expect, a history teacher from the school, Chris Cook our mentor for the year and soon enough to turn into a great mate, greeted us. We were quickly introduced to a few of the staff in the great English fashion of having a few pints down at the pub. Everyone was extremely welcoming and the two lads I had been landed with couldn’t have turned out to be better mates. William Mills, I had gone to school with, and so had already known and then there was the third member of the trio, Jack Miller, from Australia. Together we became the Boar, Wolf and Shark and definitely made sure that each other made the most of every opportunity the gap year offered.

Our job at the school had many different dimensions ensuring we always had something to do and making us feel as much a part of the school as possible. Our main job was to coach, as sport was our main area of expertise. This was also my favourite part of the job as we got to see the teams and crews we coached improve and start to enjoy the sport more, due to our work with them. In the first term of my year I coached the 14A’s rugby team who came out with a nearly perfect season, save one game. In the next two terms of my being there, I was a part of the J14 rowing coaching staff. In that I was thrown into the deep end coaching complete novies so I got to see the vast improvements of people learning to row. This was probably the most rewarding aspect of coaching, especially as they went on to win at their national level. Apart from our coaching responsibilities we also were allocated into P.E. classes and other periods throughout the day. Personally I helped out with Physics and English even having to take a few classes myself. It was definitely difficult coming from being a student and going straight into the staff role but the staff at Shrewsbury School made it a comfortable transition.

Through all of this work we made great friends with staff and in the third term we joined the local rugby club making more mates in Shrewsbury, which made it more of a home town rather than a temporary place of work. Through this network of friends we organized trips to Cardiff and London with people from the club. I definitely recommend joining a sports club for all those who are coming on a gap year. The network of friends as well as being a part of something other than the school is a great thing. Also the addition of having your own sport to focus on really adds to your year, as well as your coaching.

Shrewsbury School was also amazing in the time off they gave us to broaden our horizons. We all took full advantage of these holidays seeing as this could be our only chance to travel Europe. In our first holiday I went to Morocco with a few friends; this was definitely an eye opener for our first trip away. From then on in we had the traveling bug, in the Easter making our way through Prague, Bratislava and Vienna making new friends at each hostel to show us the best of every city. Then hitch hiking through the South of France making our way to a villa with a few girls we had met in England. The next half term break brought on a week of surfing in Portugal with a new bunch of adventures. Then came the big summer break stretching over two months. We filled the first month with a Contiki Tour around the western side of Europe, which was amazing, traveling with 40 like minded gappies with tour guides knowing all of the European best kept secrets. After the organized Contiki, four of us organized our own trip to the spots we still needed to see, including Milan, Ibiza and finishing of with the great tomato fight in Valencia.
The last half term break brought an end to our travels and we couldn’t finish our year without visiting Ireland, so a Paddy Wagon it was, a Guinness filled trip to say good bye to a good year of travels.

Before we knew it, the year at Shrewsbury was all over and all that was left was packing up our residence and saying goodbye to all our new mates. We traveled home all the better for the experience and I have to give a massive thank you to all those who supported and helped to enrich my year, especially to those in charge of us at Shrewsbury School; Chris Cook our mentor, Paul Grethem Head of the P.E. Department, Rob Wilson J14 Head Coach and Peter Fanning Deputy Headmaster of the School. In all, the year could not have been possible if it were not for the Meikles; not only did they provide the scholarship but they also gave me continual support and interest throughout the year and I cannot thank them enough for their effort.

For all those who are thinking of taking a year away before starting uni, I strongly recommend that you do, the experience and opportunities are irreplaceable and really put you in good stead before you start the rest of your life, as I well know going into my studies at Otago this year.

Déan van Deventer

Déan van Deventer from Rathkeale College is the successful candidate for the 2009 Scholarship and he arrived at Shrewsbury School early in January.

Déan’s impressive all-round academic achievements at school, including music and choir, his leadership roles as Prefect, Head of Sport and Captain of the 1st XI will, we are certain, ensure his success at Shrewsbury. In Déan’s own words……”It is such a wonderful opportunity and I’m honoured to be a part of the tradition. My aim is to be a good ambassador for Rathkeale and the James Meikle Trust…..”

Déan has played representative cricket since the age of 13 and has played for Under 15 and Under 17 Central Districts Teams as well as Wairarapa Senior Men’s Team. He will be involved with coaching at Shrewsbury and is hoping to play for a local team if his school commitments permit. With his talent in music he is sure to be of value to his House in their music competition.

Shrewsbury School has agreed to accept another Scholarship Student for 2010 and at present the Trust is engaged in selection of a Student from Christ’s College.

Matt Brown, the first James Meikle Scholar in 2007 has completed his first year at Victoria University studying commercial law. He is very appreciative of the experience gained in his year as a Gap Tutor at Shrewsbury.

The Trustees are grateful for your continued interest and support of the James Meikle Shrewsbury Scholarship. The funds continue to be invested through ABN Amro Craigs under the guidance of Belinda Stanley.

Déan's year at Shrewsbury School

In my last year at school the opportunity to have a year overseas was very much sprung on me. Having no idea what I wanted to do, applying for the James Meikle Scholarship seemed like a cool idea. It was only when I was awarded the scholarship that I began to realise what a wonderful opportunity this was.

The year I had at Shrewsbury and overseas can simply be described as awesome. I saw things, went places and did things that I could only dream about until now.

After a long flight to England I finally arrived at Shrewsbury School. I drove through the big school gates, and through a tree lined drive which opened up to offer a view of the top common which was spectacular I could see the cricket oval and pavilion and immediately I was excited about summer.

There were two other ‘Gappers’ as they called us: Steve the Aussie and Brad who was from St Pauls in Hamilton, New Zealand. Unfortunately Brad left early but Steve and I became great friends and I will hopefully be visiting him in Australia sometime this year. We worked predominantly in the sports department helping with coaching and the odd jobs around the place. A real highlight for me while I was at the school was watching the 1st XI Soccer and Cricket. The crowd chaos and support was so much fun to be part of.

One great thing about working at School was the amount of holiday we got. Every chance we got to explore the world, we took. My first school holiday was very memorable. Margo Balfour, Patrick Jeffrey and I, embarked on a two week adventure in Egypt; a place I had never imagined visiting. I rejoined Patrick several months later as we had once again planned the trip of a lifetime: 42 days travel around Europe, seeing some of the world’s most famous cities and landmarks.

My season with the 2nd XI team at Shrewsbury Cricket Club was another highlight and I thank them all so much for accommodating me. All too soon, however, our trip and my year had come to an end.

As I stepped back onto New Zealand soil and looked back over my year I feel confident that the year away and my experiences will stand me in good stead for the future. As I begin my law and science degrees at Canterbury University this year, I know that my year away has made me more independent and self sufficient. Hopefully it will help me in tough times to come.

I would like to thank the trustees of the James Meikle Scholarship for a magnificent experience. If it wasn’t for them the year would not have been possible. The list of things I’ve gained from this year is endless and I encourage every boy at Rathkeale in years to come to apply for this once in a lifetime opportunity.