Stuart Tarbotton (1982-85)
Red House
Stuart’s school days passed in a blur, though he remembers skiing and hockey games.
He says he wasn’t a natural student but loved woodwork. He left school to work on the family farm then spent some time at the freezing works to save money. Not long after that he bought an earthmoving machine and set up a contracting business – the rest is history, his company Stuart Tarbotton Contracting now employs 42 people and is a major contractor in the Mid Canterbury district.

Sally Reid (1974-79)
Green House
Sally was into sports, including badminton, gymnastics, trampolining and swimming. She counts getting a sports blue as a highlight of her time.
When it came to fun, or making trouble, she was often in the company of Moana Moore and Lee Hansen.
Her favourite teachers were Deb St John and Miss Stapleton (English).
She left school for a job as a teller at the ANZ bank, where she stayed until 1988 when she left for England. She was in the motherland for 20 years and now works as a financial advisor in Ashburton.
She wishes she had paid more attention at school.

Mike Farrell (1974-78)
Green House
Mike remembers the fun of athletic prelims. He was good over the 800m and 1500m and wold get through to finals day in these events.
He says he was sometimes in trouble with Mr Bagshaw, his sixth form physics teacher, and can still recall science teacher Dave Turner’s words: “Punctuality is a virtue I must learn to cultivate for the value of other people and myself.”
Don McKenzie was his favourite maths teacher, and Mr Ryder for English. He also remembers Dot Capon and Julie Barlass.
After leaving school, he did a carpentry apprentice in Christchurch and worked for Fletchers all around New Zealand. He came back to Ashburton in 1983 and worked for Bradfords, then Helmacks ITM and Placemakers. He has been working for the Ashburton District Council for 11 years.