After Huntley, I went on to - Wanganui Collegiate School.
I am currently - in my 29th year at Bank of New Zealand.
My role is: Strategy Principal Payments & E-Commerce within the Corporate Strategy department, part of Office of the CEO
After Huntley and Collegiate I went to Massey University in Palmerston North and gained a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree.
I have lived in Wellington since 1984. Married Barbara (nee Low) and we have two post school age sons.
I had six years on the board of our local primary school, following in the footsteps to some extent of my father, Goff Briant, and grandfather Hugh Briant, who both served on the Huntley school board for many years. I was a third generation Huntley School attendee.
I have always regarded my three years boarding at Huntley as the making of me and the highlight of my schooling experience.
I lived 8 miles north and had been visiting Huntley and going to the Huntley School sports since I was a toddler. One of the first things I ever won was a friends of the school race, age 5 or 6, with a huge age handicap head start. Sometime later Headmaster Noel Rix-trott gave me a small set of colouring pencils as a prize (I'm sure I expected a silver cup like the other boys)
From when I arrived at school proper in 1973, I was taught by a succession of motivated, interested, interesting teachers who tested my intellect and gave me the self confidence I had some. I leant my fledgling leadership skills at Huntley built an underlying foundation of fairness, good will and doing the right thing by others. I gained an enjoyment of team sports and still regard teams as a great metaphor for life - teams use your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.
We had plenty of time to play on the extensive sports grounds. I love tell people we played half an afternoon of sport on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - a whole afternoon on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and had the run of the grounds on Sunday between the two chapel services. Because boy of that age are usually keen to learn, that amount of time, coupled with some great talent and coaching produced some outstanding school sporting results. During my three years the rugby first fifteen lost only one prep school match. The cricket first eleven had a more even spread of results.
Huntley was very good at finding an individual's skills and giving them a opportunity of growing them. I was able to have a go in some great school plays and musicals - Tom Sawyer, Joseph and Animal Farm -- from memory; joined the choir, had success in public speaking and art, and found an enjoyment of general knowledge (which still makes me a useful bod to have in your quiz team). I made great use of the library.
Developed a love for liver and bacon, have yet to find anyone who cooks mince as well as 'Chook' Francis and have fond memories for Bacon on Boards (well fried bread), Mississippi Mud (a chocolate pudding with coconut on top), Treacle Tart, Dead Baby ( a sponge with golden syrup), porridge with brown sugar, bread and butter with any meal - all of which more than made up for the occasional shocker like Frogs Eyes (sago).
I saw my first colour television at Huntley. The Rumble in the Jungle - Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman in 1974 in Mr (Brett) Butler's living room. The later viewings of episodes of War and Peace in Mr (Matt) Guerin's house (I only remember the battle scenes).
Movies came on reels and were big events held in the school hall. Reach for the Sky, some great Westerns and prisoner of war escapes were all prime fodder for young men.
Current and past Governors General, Sir Dennis Blundell and Sir Arthur Porritt came to the end of year prize giving and then current New Zealand cricketers John Morrison and John Parker came and spoke to us.
Old boys were always involved in the school. The ones who had left the year before to Collegiate would come and play against the first fifteen. Gordon Hare would bring men with pick handles to play the first eleven. Funds were raise in many ways and the school benefitted.
Barbara and I were married in the school chapel (that I had spent at least once a day in while at the school) by Reverend Bill Anderson, who had been the minister at the school during my time there.
Honour through Toil remains a great motto.
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