From our Principal

Those alumni who attended Seddon from 1967 to 1983 will, I’m sure, remember Cyril Hicks as the principal at that time. On August 23rd this year Cyril celebrated his 103rd birthday!!!  Cyril – one of his sons and one of his grandson’s live reasonably close to me on the North Shore in the house that Cyril and his wife built in 1964. Although now residing mainly in a rest home Cyril comes home each week and remains keenly interested in all things Springs. Although frail and with a crook back, Cyril’s mind and memory is ‘sharp as a tack’. In 2020 as a sprightly 99 year old, along with the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Cyril officially opened our new school (see photo).

Born and raised in Stewart Island (there is a Hicks Road in Oban, and right now you can buy a house on Hicks Road for $470,000) Cyril comes from hardy stock, as his age indicates. He has mentioned to me that his father lived to 100, so now Cyril has exceeded that. Two of the most amusing stories he has shared with me relate to the 5 year plans he started making when he turned seventy. Now into his eighth 5 year plan Cyril notes there is not a lot left to tick off! The other amusing things was his comment to me “Ivan, I’ve been retired longer than I worked!” In the mid 2000’s Cyril and his wife donated $10,000 to the school to support the annual Dux award that they founded back in 1990, and each year Cyril has come back to the school to present the dux medal – in person to the recipient at prizegiving up until 2018 and since then to deliver it into our safekeeping ahead of the prizegiving itself.

A marvelous legacy, I’m sure you’ll agree.
Ngā mihi,
Ivan