Liston College
Address
Map
16 Edwards Avenue, Waitakere City, Auckland
Information
TypeIntegrated Catholic Boys Secondary (Year 7-13)
MottoIn Christ We Live
Established1974
Ministry of Education Institution no.46
PrincipalC. S. Rooney
School roll658
Socio-economic decile6
Website[1]

Liston College is a college for year 7 to 13 boys and offers a Catholic education to its students. It was the second school opened by the Christan Brothers' in Auckland. It was named after Archbishop Liston (1881 - 1976), the seventh Catholic Bishop of Auckland (1929 - 1970).[1] The school was founded to serve the Catholic families of West Auckland and to absorb the growing number of boys who travelled daily to St Peter's College in central Auckland.[2]

Roll

Liston College has a diverse, multicultural roll. In 2005 its ethnic composition was NZ European/Pākehā 46%, Māori 7%, Samoan 14%, Asian 10%, Tongan 4%, Cook Island 1%, Other 18%.[3] The college excels in sporting and cultural activities. Academically, the school offers for senior years both the National Certificate of Educational Achievement assessment system (NCEA) and the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).[4]

History

Liston College was established in February 1974 by the eighth Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Reginald Delargey (1914-1979, Auxiliary Bishop of Auckland 1957 - 1970 and Bishop of Auckland 1970 - 1974). Liston College commenced operations on 7 February 1974 using classrooms at Holy Cross School, Henderson,[5] with a staff of two Christian Brothers, Br Wellsmore and Br McKean and 72 foundation pupils. The pupils were divided into Form One 'J' and Form One 'M'. These initials stood for Archbishop Liston's Christian names - James Michael. Classwork began immediately and homework was set on the first day."[6] "Brother Wellsmore ... supervised the building programme, the establishment of the curriculae and the development of a unique school spirit. The Christian Brothers tradition and values underpinned Br Wellsmore's vision for the school. As the school roll grew and the building programme was completed, the college spirit became embedded in the Liston community." [7] During 1973 and 1974, the school was erected on the property at Edwards Avenue, which prior to work commencing was " ... an open paddock with an old house on it." The buildings, gymnasium and grounds were ready for occupation in the first term of 1975. The school was formally opened in November 1975 by John Mackey, the ninth Catholic Bishop of Auckland (1974 - 1983), in the presence of Archbishop Liston.[8]

When Brother Sisson became Pricipal (1908 - 1985) the roll had grown to 380 boys and 28 staff including five brothers. The deaths of Deputy Principal Brother Monagle in 1983 and the head of the Intermediate Mr Hemana in 1984 had a profound effect on the whole school community.[9]

"From its beginning the college had good parental support. A very strong PTFA helped run various activities and it provided the backbone of great fundraising efforts. 'Foremost among these was the friday night flea market which involved many families. Not only was it profitable but it was a great social event in Henderson. Crowds came along and at its peak $40,000 was made annually for the benefit of the school.' The annual gala was another source of revenue. The funds provided sports equipment, cricket wickets and practice nets, tennis courts, computer room, audio visual materials and teaching resource material. Many building alterations were funded over the years."[10]

"In 1982 liston College became an Integrated School and the number of brothers on staff was six."[11]

"The College has been well served by Boards of Governors/trustees who have worked to provide the best in education ot the students. The board oversaw the completion of the school buildings, gymnasium, grounds and the Religious Education Centre/Sports Pavilion."[12]

"In other respects the school was undergoing a change of character. The number of Christian Brothers in the school in 1982 was six. This was the largest representation in the history of the school. The sole remaining brother by 1985 was the Principal Br Sisson. When Mr Francis (Frank) Huckle replaced him, it marked the last offical connection of the Christian Brothers with the school."< ref>Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975 - 2000, p. 1.</ref> "Br Sisson completed his years as Principal in 1985 and the Brothers withdrew at the end of 1988"[13] However Brother J D O'Neill taught at Liston College 1991 - 1994 and he was the last Christian Brother to do so.[14] The Christian brother connection with Liston College thus lasted for most of the first twenty years of its existence.

"The first lay-Principal, Mr Huckle led the college from 1986 until his [retirement} and subsequent} death in April 1999. This saw a period of consolidation and then growth in terms of enrolments, academic success and sporting achievement and it was a continuation of the self-help spirit which was at the heart of hte College from its foundation. 'Among Mr Huckle's many achievements, one was significant. It was his apiritual leadership of hte College and it was consistent and clear during his thirteen years as Principal.'".[15] "Mr Chris Rooney, the current principal, said it was apprpriate to remember the contributions of Br Wellsmore, Br Sisson, and Mr Huckle, who shaped the College before him, and he sees it as his task to enhance what they had entrusted to him.""."[16]

Liston has been fortunate to receive some considerable gifts in its early years. In 1979 John and Betty Rose donated the engineering workshop to the school. "Through their generosity, hundreds of young boys got the opportunity to learn engineering skills - skills that many fine-tuned in later years of life." In 1978, Henry Norcross donated the Liston College main entrance crucifix. Graham and Patricia Glamuzina donated the school chapel in 1979. "The chapel erected in the grounds of Liston College stands forever as a tribute to the thoughtfulness and generosity of the Glamuzina family. With the opening of a Catholic boys' college to service West Auckland, Graham and Patricia decided that an appropriate addendum to the college would be a separate chapel and so they provided the funding to complete the work. The delightful little chapel with its feature window designed by Colin McCahon will always be a fitting way for us ot remember the Glamuzina family."[17]

Houses

Liston College Houses are named after important explorers of New Zealand. Their names and colours are:

Principals

Some notable former staff

Notable alumni

Arts

Church

Medicine

Media

Sport

Notes

  1. ^ Rory Sweetman, Liston, James Michael, The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Volume 4, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1998, pp 288 and 289: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/
  2. ^ Graeme Donaldson, To All Parts of the Kingdom: Christian Brothers In New Zealand 1876-2001, Christian Brothers New Zealand Province, Christchurch, 2001, p. p. 17
  3. ^ Education Review Report
  4. ^ http://www.liston.school.nz/qualifications/index.php
  5. ^ http://www.liston.school.nz/our-school/school-history.php
  6. ^ Donaldson, p. 17.
  7. ^ Liston College: 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 1.
  8. ^ Liston College: 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, pp. 4 and 8; Nicholas Reid, James Michael Liston: A Life, Victoria University Press, Wellington, 2006, p. 304.
  9. ^ Donaldson, p. 17
  10. ^ Donaldson, pp. 17 and 18; Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975 - 2000, pp. 6 and 7.
  11. ^ Donaldson, p. 18
  12. ^ Donaldson, p. 18
  13. ^ Donaldson, p. 18
  14. ^ Robertson, p. 206.
  15. ^ Donaldson, p. 18; Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975 - 2000, p. 29
  16. ^ Donaldson, p. 18
  17. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975 - 2000, p. 24
  18. ^ Liston College: 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 3.
  19. ^ Liston College: 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 3.
  20. ^ Liston College: 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 3.
  21. ^ Liston College: 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 3.
  22. ^ St Peter's College Magazine 1960, p. 18; A Glimpse at the Past, 1960, St Peter's College Magazine 1964, p. 18; Paul Malcom Robertson, Nga Parata Karaitiana The Christian Brothers, A Public Culture in Transition, A Comparative Study of the Indian and New Zealand Provinces, an unpublished thesis for MA in Anthropology, University of Auckland, 1997, p. 280.
  23. ^ Robertson, p. 279; Graham W.A. Bush, The History of Epsom, Epsom & Eden District Historical Society Inc, Auckland, 2006, p. 224.
  24. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 28: "The Totara tree has Fallen." " The soul departed in the Lord does not die, it returns to God, Who is the Giver of Life. Liston Magazine '84 had already gone to print when we were saddened by the sad loss of one of our foundation teachers, Rauna Hemana. This tribute therefore coincided with the first anniversary of Brownie's death, and the memorial service held here at Liston showed that Brownie's memory was strong in the minds of those left behind. Everyone remembered that the time was 'not a minute before and not a minute after"; few had missed out on the legendary tales of pig-hunting, eel-trapping and the 'Tin Man'. But what really shone out in recall was the amazing generosity and energy that Brownie dedicated to almost every aspect of College life. The area between the library and staffroom is to be dedicated to Brownie's memory and everybody who visits 'Hemana Court' will be reminded of the great fortune we enjoyed to have Brownie as a teacher and friend who stamped his own particular character on liston. In memory of the great love Brownie Hemana had for sport, a special shield was prepared to be presented to the most outstanding sports team each year. This shield, donated by the Hemana family, was first presented to the First XV Rugby team for their successes this year by Brownie's eldest son, Bill. Bill emphasised while presenting the shield that the presentation was in no way limited to any particular sport or age group."
  25. ^ Robertson, p. 279.
  26. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975 - 2000, p. 29: "Frank Huckle: A teacher of great expertise and commitment. The Liston College community was shocked and greatly saddened by the sudden death of Frank Huckle who had so recently retired as Principal. Mr Huckle had been Principal from February 1988 to April 1999. He was dedicated to his role as leader of the school community and viewed his position as one of servant as much as leader. Frank will be remembered for a number of reasons. His passion for learning and education was evident from his first days at the school. He was determined to raise the standard of academic success for Liston College. This was achieved through his dogged determination to see it happen. One of Frank's great attributes was his capacity for hard work. He was able to sustain a very high level of effort for long periods of time. The result was exhausting for either those who had to keep pace with him or those who were attempting to achieve a favourable outcome to a pet project. Frank will be remembered as a teacher of great expertise and commitment. As recently as term one of this year [1999 or 2000 ?] Frank had been invited to tutor a group of postgraduate students in the mysteries of statistical methods and processes. His sense of humour was something, which he shared with many of his colleagues and peers. This personal side to Frank was always evident in the social setting. Discussions on the relative merits of 1998 Merlot versus Pinot Noir were guaranteed to bring a smile to his face. The same could not be said about any criticism of Canterbury's sporting prowess no matter what the sport. When it came to the nuances of rugby coaching, Frank was only too willing to share his experience. 'Win the ball, keep it, then score," could sum up his philosophy on the game. The All Blacks were second only to Canterbury in terms of his passion. Indeed if he had not seen the game live, he would not watch the replay if his team had lost. Frank's interests were truly catholic. He was passionately interested in music, gardening, literature and theatre in addition to his beloved sport. He was a man of deep faith and was committed to the Catholic Church. Frank would share this openly, but with humility. His spiritual leadership of the school was consistent and clear during his thirteen years as Principal. His immense contribution not only to Liston College, but also to Catholic education in general is a measure of his commitment to a living faith, which was inclusive. Frank was a devoted husband to Cecily. He talked often about his admiration for her and the price he felt as her husband. As a family man he was clearly proud of their children. In recent years he assumed the role of grandfather. His family have suffered a great loss. But his spirit is evident in the school. His legacy is there for all to see."
  27. ^ St Peter's College Magazine 1960, p. 18; A Glimpse at the Past, 1956, St Peter's Magazine 1964, p. 16; Paul Malcolm Robertson, Nga Parata Karaitiana The Christian Brothers, A Public Culture in Transition, A Comparative Study of the Indian and New Zealand Provinces, an unpublished thesis for MA in Anthropology, University of Auckland, 1996, p. 280; Liston College: 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 28.
  28. ^ Donaldson, p. 17; Robertson, p. 281; Liston College: 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 28.
  29. ^ A Glimpse at the Past, 1952, St Peter's Magazine 1964, p. 14; Robertson p. 279; Donaldson, p. 17; St Peters College Magazines 1960 (p. 279) and 1983 (p. 7); http://www.edmundrice.org.nz/index.php?page=/christianbro/index.htm ; Brother V. Ives, Brother Monagle 1928-1983, Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 28: "We have loved him in life, let us not forget him in death." "The sudden death of Brother Monagle in the early hours of Ash Wednesday [16 February 1983] left [Liston] College, Brothers, staff, parents and pupils, with the feeling that all had lost a great and wonderful friend. The pupils, especially, had lost a great advocate and inspired teacher. The Brothers had lost a valued and supportive member and the staff a friend to whom they could confide and one who could give them helpful and sound advice. 'Brother Tom', as many knew him, worked tirelessly in the interest of the pupils in every school to which he was attached, but no more than his last appointment here at Liston College. For him the work here was a challenge. When he first arrived, the college was relatively new as such there was much work to be done. His great interest was in beautifying the grounds and to this end he had planted trees around the boundary. These trees were looked after carefully and most mornings and evenings, while they were still young, he would be found on his bicycle moving from tree to tree watering and weeding, giving them the care they needed. If one was broken or uprooted by vandals, and there were several, he was most upset but would then set about replacing them. Besides the grounds, Brother Tom took upon himself the work of organizing the transport for the boys. The work of co-ordinating the buses and trains had long been an interest. His brother, Brother Vincent, gave us an insight into this interest. Even as a young child, at home in Preston, Melbourne, he had long been fascinated by train travel. He knew every station on the City [to] Preston line and the timetables and many an evening his mother had to wait to set the kitchen table because the model train, which he had set up, was not yet at its destination and it would not do to have it running ahead of time - people would miss connections. This early adherence to detail stayed with him in the organizing of the train transport, first at St Peter's, then at Liston where it was given full scope. At St Peter's it was his work that had set up the station right at the college. At Liston, his organizing abilities were given wider scope because of the buses. He was often to be seen on his bicycle or in the car plotting routes, stops and working out distances. In his office he had maps of the area with the routes clearly marked. Nothing was too much or difficult if it meant a shorter walk for the boys in catching a bus to and from school. In all the years of teaching, Brother Tom had never held a position above that of Deputy-Principal, until this year. With Brother Sisson overseas, the job of leading the College was in his hands. The school year had begun well. The very first thing was the school Mass organized for the first day that all were present. 'Liston,' in his own words, 'has a Special Character as a Catholic School and what better way to start the academic year, than by offering ourselves to God in the Celebration together of the Eucharist.' This was how he saw the work of the College and it was to set the tone for the year. Brother Tom's last few days were hectic. After attending a Board of Governors meeting he retired, still feeling unwell, but was unable to rest. About 11.15pm he required assistance from one of the Brothers, who called the Parish Priest and his doctor. As the result of a heart attack Brother Tom slipped into unconsciousness and went to God about 12.30am on Ash Wednesday. The main funeral Mass was held in the school hall and attended by parents, past pupils and many religious. Bishop Rogers was main celebrant assisted by thirteen priests most of whom were ex-pupils of Brother Monagle. The Brothers who carried the casket from the hearse to the graveside had all been pupils in schools at which Brother Monagle had taught. Brother Thomas Aquinas Monagle now rests next to a fellow worker from St Peter's, Brother Eric Evangelist Fraser, in the Catholic Cemetery at Panmure." "May he rest in peace."
  30. ^ Robertson, p. 282.
  31. ^ St Peter's College Magazine 1961, p. 21; Robertson, p. 206; A Glimpse at the Past, 1961, St Peter's College Magazine 1964, p. 18; Donaldson, p. 21.
  32. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 12; deceased NZ Christian Brothers: http://www.edmundrice.org.nz/index.php?page=/christianbro/index.htm
  33. ^ Robertson, p. 280. Donaldson, pp, 15 and 16; Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 3.
  34. ^ Robertson, p. 281; Donaldson, p. 17; Liston College, 25th Jubilee Magazine, p. 1.
  35. ^ A Glimpse at the Past, 1956, St Peter's Magazine 1964, p. 16; deceased NZ Christian Brothers: http://www.edmundrice.org.nz/index.php?page=/christianbro/index.htm ; Brother Norm Gillies, "Friend to all his students: Br Lawrence Wilkes: A legend in the Christian Brothers teaching community", Sunday Star Times, 05 April 1998, Edition A, P. 13: "Brother Lawrence Wilkes would have been the last to describe himself as a scholar, although he sometimes announced with a chuckle that while on a visit to England some years ago he had "read a paper at Oxford". A struggler in school himself, he knew the difficulties faced by his less gifted students and was the better teacher for that. His forte was the practical world. The technical arts were his strength and hundreds of his pupils at St Peter's, Auckland, and elsewhere had reason to be grateful for his expertise in this area. Several times during his 25 years at St Peter's one of his technical drawing students obtained top mark in School Certificate -- an achievement which gave him much quiet satisfaction. He was a legend in other ways. Members of cricket and rugby teams he coached with surprising expertise and considerable success will remember the pre-match prayer, the anxious looks during the game, the occasional exasperation over below par performances, culminating in 'Hell's bells' being invoked yet again. His early years as a Christian Brother were spent in the poorer areas of Brisbane and Sydney where he strove mightily to expand his pupils' horizons by introducing them to drama, classical music and the other arts -- not always with resounding success. Lawrence loved people. He had a deep affection for his own family and kept close contact with them over the years. Ex-students and their families became part of an ever-expanding network of friends. He delighted in receiving invitations to family occasions and in no time he would be surrounded by a group of children drawn to him as to the Pied Piper. He always wanted to provide that little bit extra for his pupils, and those who observed his end-of-season picnics will remember them as giant affairs. On occasions he brought home more picnickers than he set out with. Those who lived with him in community appreciated his wily simplicity, enjoyed his malapropisms (the "Moriarties in the Chatham Islands") and delighted in his reading the "day's disasters". We respected his love for his Christian Brother vocation; we marvelled at his ability to relate so well to so many. His earthly life has been celebrated in Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands by the hundreds who were privileged to have him as a friend. But he was, most of all, a friend of God and we, his earthly friends, confidently expect he is now in the presence of that best Friend of all. May he rest in peace."
  36. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 19: "Ciaran Connolly is now in the Riverdance dancing Troupe. Ciaran had already secured a swag of national and international titles, including a first and second in the Australasian Champioships, and a top-10 placing in the World championships. He has now returned to America for a further 12 month contract. He is travelling in the Virginia, Texas, North and South Carolina areas etc. He is hoping to audition for the 4th troupe which will be based on Broadway."
  37. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 20
  38. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 19.
  39. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975 - 2000, p. 19.
  40. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 20; http://stats.allblacks.com/Profile.asp?ABID=136
  41. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 20; http://stats.allblacks.com/Profile.asp?ABID=236
  42. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 20; http://www.oldfriends.co.nz/MemberProfile.aspx?oldfriends_member_id=341304: "35 years old and living in Australia. Represented Fiji in rugby (15's) for 4 seasons and was lucky enough to tour the world playing rugby (before the professional era!) Met my wife in Fiji and am now lucky to be blessed with 2 beautiful children (boy & a girl) I am currently the Chief Operating Officer with International SOS (Aust) Ltd in Sydney (global medical assistance company)."
  43. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1875 - 2000, pp. 10 and 20: Paul Radisich was in Form 1J in 1974 and was taught in that year by Brother Brother G Wellsmore.
  44. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 20; http://www.rugbyleague.co.nz/player.asp?id=123&teamID=105 http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:WFMsiJHvxggJ:news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/static/in_depth/rugby_league/2000/world_cup/team_profiles/samoa.stm+%22anthony+swann%22+samoa&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=nz
  45. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 20: "At the current time (i.e. 2000) I am enjoying playing soccer in the ASL for Melbourne Knights. In the last few years I have experienced a lot in terms of football. In the season just finished in New Zealand I received NZ's soccer's Golden Boot for leading the National league in goals scored. As well as this, our team finished champions of New Zealand. This team finished 3rd in the Oceania Club championship held in Fiji in September of this year. A major highlight in my career to date is playing for NZ in the Confederation Cup which our bay (sic) performed very well against some of the world's best in June of this year. An experience I will never forget. In terms of the future, I wish to improve with each game and hopefully play professional football overseas, and also to do well at the international level; http://www.nzsoccer.com/page/paul_urlovic.html
  46. ^ Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975-2000, p. 20; http://www.waitakerecityfc.org.nz/about-wcfc/honours/

References/Sources

External links

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