THE LION – ALUMNI MAGAZINE - St Mark's Church School

In Memorium
John ”Jack” Howard 1987 – 2010
Jack was a student at St Marks from 1992 – 2000
and had been in contact with Margot Wilson in
the few months before he was tragically killed while
serving in Afghanistan. Jack was serving with British
Forces in the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
He was killed near Laskah Gar. He was a proud paratrooper
and New Zealander. He had written to Margot
of his experiences on tour, in some detail, outlining
Keeping It In The Family - Four Generations At St Mark’s
W e
are very happy this year to welcome our first
4th generation student at St Marks. Her name
is Alexis Boulieris and she comes from a long line of St
Mark’s alumni.
Elise Boulieris (Karantze) Alexis’s great grandmother
started school in 1940. She was Dux in 1944. She sent her
children Jeffery (63 - 70) and Rosanna (53 - 60). Jeffery
and wife, Nicky’s, daughters, Elise and Denielle attended
in the early 90’s and now Alexis is here. Nicky, Alexis’s
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the many dangerous
situations they faced
every day.
Our appreciation to our
soldiers overseas who put
their lives on the line for
us goes without saying.
Our prayers are with his
family.
grandmother is also our
Business Manager so there
is a very strong sense of
the St Mark’s Family uniting
with the Boulieris family.
From L to R: Jeffrey, Elsie,
Rosanna, Elise and Alexis
(in front) standing by the St
Mark’s Lion
John ”Jack” Howard
News from the archives
8 The Lion - Alumni Magazine Winter Edition 2011 The Lion - Alumni Magazine Winter Edition 2011 9
I t
is a delight to find so many interesting photographs,
newspaper cuttings, memories and other
information which together give such detailed information
about the past years of St Mark’s Church
School. I have been able to help people find details of
their time at school and even their parents schooling.
We hold admission records right back to 1917.
We have many wonderful items which our current
students are fascinated with like the old windup
gramophones, slates and lead pencils. We have an
excellent collection of 1930’s art work and handwriting
which the children can view. We are working on being
able to display much more for all to enjoy. Just as children
enjoy stories of when their parents were younger,
the present generation at St Mark’s relish hearing what
used to happen in the past - school dinners, the cane,
As a young child growing up in Lower Hutt and
commuting each day into Wellington to attend St
Mark’s I would never have imagined the kind of life that
was before me. My father was a factory worker and he
expected that I would follow in his footsteps. But my
start in St Mark’s set me on a totally different journey.
After finishing St Mark’s I went to Wellington College
and Victoria University and ended up in Motueka as
a Secondary school teacher. Then I joined up as a full
time minister with the Salvation Army and a life time
journey through some of the world’s troubled spots
followed.
With my wife Pam and our four children we spent
fourteen years in Africa. Then we moved to London and
an international role and where I picked up my dodgy
passport. I was fortunate to be part of a recovery team
that went into Iraq after the invasion and for a short
time was able to help the people in southern Iraq. We
worked with the North Korean Government to help
improve their dairy industry. North Korea is one of the
most amazingly isolated and needy places on earth.
Working with the poorest people on earth took me into
the mountain ranges in China and work with the ethnic
minority groups in Mao Xian. Other placements included
Pakistan, Afghanistan and Cuba. To top off my
migrations I spent three years in Southern Sudan as the
Programme Director for World Vision. Working there to
the school queen, the old
uniforms and many amusing
incidents told to us by alumni.
However, prior to 1985 there
is not a lot of archival material
left as according to Miss Clift,
Headmistress from 1953-1969;
they were stored in the roof
Margot Wilson space above the staffroom,
which was demolished when
the Coffey/Kirby buildings were constructed. Apart from
Miss Clift’s daily diary all of the early records were lost. If
you have any items of uniform, photographs or memories
of these earlier times which you would be prepared
to donate to the archives then please contact me on
archivist@st-marks.school.nz
The St Mark’s Alumni with the Dodgiest Passport
Seth in North Korea and India
assist almost three million people in the newest country
on earth was the most challenging role I have ever
done.
Now my life is fairly normal working as World Vision
New Zealand’s International Director. I still have the
chance to work with freeing children from bonded
labour in India and changing communities across the
twenty other countries we work in. My body is mainly in
South Auckland but my mind and heart are still working
for the poor of the world in some of its most needy
spots.
I look back on my time at St Mark’s as a foundational
preparation for making a difference for some of the
world’s most marginalised groups.
Seth Le Leu Class of 67