Believe in yourselves, inductee tells students
Vietnam War veteran Lox Kellas (left) and former Blackcap Ken Rutherford stand in front of the King's High School Wall of Fame yesterday. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON
A Vietnam War veteran and a former Blackcap have been honoured by their secondary school in Dunedin.
Lox Kellas and Ken Rutherford were inducted into King's High School's Wall of Fame at an assembly yesterday.
Mr Rutherford, who attended the school from 1979 to 1982, said it was remarkable to be recognised among his peers.
His message to the King's students was "you've just got to keep going".
"There's a lot to be said about reacting well to life's experiences when they perhaps don't go the way they're intended to and to have a real confidence in yourself that you can still achieve lots."
Two years after Mr Rutherford left school, he was facing one of the most feared fast bowling attacks in the world in West Indies' Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Joel Garner.
He got three ducks in his first four innings and was subsequently dropped from the team.
However, he worked his way back into the international side after scoring runs in domestic cricket and made 107 not out against England in Wellington in the 1987-88 tour.
Mr Rutherford was now the Northern Districts Cricket Association chief executive.
Mr Kellas, who attained the army rank of major, said the honour took him by surprise.
"There are a lot more former pupils out there that have done a lot more than I've ever done," the Vietnam War veteran said.
He recognised a few of the names on the King's Wall of Fame and did not expect to see himself on it.
"Life's full of challenges and if you accept those challenges and do it well, that's the reward."
Mr Kellas, who attended the school from 1961 to 1966, was awarded a Queen's Service Medal in 2007 for services to New Zealand Police.
He was involved in the community through a variety of initiatives and organisations including as the Returned Services Association Otago and Southland district president, a founding member of the Dunedin Coastguard and a Otago Peninsula Community board member.
Mr Kellas said he kept his remarks to the King's students very short and addressed them as "tomorrow's leaders".
He offered them a Gaelic quote which translated to "lead but serve".
King's principal Nick McIvor said it was great to celebrate the fascinating lives and remarkable achievements of former students.
Alongside Mr Kellas and Mr Rutherford, Geoff Thomas, Philip Craigie, Al Fastier, Graham Fortune and Tony Merriman were also inducted into the Wall of Fame.
mark.john@odt.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Believe in yourselves, inductee tells students
Vietnam War veteran Lox Kellas (left) and former Blackcap Ken Rutherford stand in front of the King's High School Wall of Fame yesterday. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON A Vietnam War veteran and a former Blackcap have been honoured by their secondary school in Dunedin. Lox Kellas and Ken Rutherford were inducted into King's High School's Wall of Fame at an assembly yesterday. Mr Rutherford, who attended the school from 1979 to 1982, said it was remarkable to be recognised among his peers. His message to the King's students was "you've just got to keep going". "There's a lot to be said about reacting well to life's experiences when they perhaps don't go the way they're intended to and to have a real confidence in yourself that you can still achieve lots." Two years after Mr Rutherford left school, he was facing one of the most feared fast bowling attacks in the world in West Indies' Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Joel Garner. He got three ducks in his first four innings and was subsequently dropped from the team. However, he worked his way back into the international side after scoring runs in domestic cricket and made 107 not out against England in Wellington in the 1987-88 tour. Mr Rutherford was now the Northern Districts Cricket Association chief executive. Mr Kellas, who attained the army rank of major, said the honour took him by surprise. "There are a lot more former pupils out there that have done a lot more than I've ever done," the Vietnam War veteran said. He recognised a few of the names on the King's Wall of Fame and did not expect to see himself on it. "Life's full of challenges and if you accept those challenges and do it well, that's the reward." Mr Kellas, who attended the school from 1961 to 1966, was awarded a Queen's Service Medal in 2007 for services to New Zealand Police. He was involved in the community through a variety of initiatives and organisations including as the Returned Services Association Otago and Southland district president, a founding member of the Dunedin Coastguard and a Otago Peninsula Community board member. Mr Kellas said he kept his remarks to the King's students very short and addressed them as "tomorrow's leaders". He offered them a Gaelic quote which translated to "lead but serve". King's principal Nick McIvor said it was great to celebrate the fascinating lives and remarkable achievements of former students. Alongside Mr Kellas and Mr Rutherford, Geoff Thomas, Philip Craigie, Al Fastier, Graham Fortune and Tony Merriman were also inducted into the Wall of Fame.
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Runner ‘chuffed' with record
Former Dunedin ultra-distance runner Damian Watson nears the finish line of the Wild Horse 200 in South Wales. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Damian Watson did not just break the previous record for the Wild Horse 200 ultra-distance race across Wales, he absolutely smashed it, then ground it up into dust. The race can take up to five days to complete, but the Dunedin-born and raised runner won it in 51 hours and 51 minutes — about five and a-half hours faster than the previous race record-holder. The 38-year-old's mother Sharon Watson, of Dunedin, said it was held on a gruelling 200-mile (322km) trail, traversing the mountains of South Wales, along Offa's Dyke, traversing the Beacons Way before catching the Heart Of Wales Line on to the Wales Coast Path and finish line at Worm's Head. "It's not like the Coast to Coast in New Zealand. It's a lot longer — 322km straight." She said about 120 competed from across Europe and Watson was the only New Zealander. "He's pretty chuffed with the win. He's really competitive. "He's always been a sports person. He played ice hockey — he was a former Ice Black — and hockey, and then he took to marathon running. "He can be very hard on himself. That's why he was so chuffed. "He recently got third in a big race in the North Island which was a lot less kilometres in it, and he wasn't happy about it. "He had the fitness, but he lost it mentally at the end." Whatever went wrong upstairs, he seems to have fixed, she said. "There was no way anyone was going to catch him. "He basically led from the start and he was about 20km ahead." She said he was "a proud Kiwi" and the family was delighted to see footage of him crossing the finish line, holding a New Zealand flag. It appears there is no rest for the wicked. She said he went back to work the next day as a Trafalgar Tours guide on a bus. He spends the northern hemisphere summers tour guiding and doing marathons where he can, and in the New Zealand summer, he returns to help run his deli at Muriwai Beach with his business partners. Mrs Watson said the former King's High School student was not the easiest child in the family to raise, because he was so "driven". "But we're very proud of him."
Scoop
18-05-2025
- Scoop
MP Tom Rutherford Calls For Inclusive Student Sport After Homeschooled Athlete Denied Medal
In a powerful show of support for home-schooled students, MP for Tauranga Tom Rutherford has called for greater inclusivity in student sport following a meeting with 13-year-old mountain biker Amelia Twiss and her mother, Toni. Amelia, a talented young athlete, placed second in the North Island Secondary School Mountain Biking Championships. However, she was denied her medal—not because of her performance, but because she is home-schooled. 'This is unfair,' Rutherford wrote in a post shared on his official Instagram account. 'Every young athlete deserves recognition for their achievements, no matter how they receive their education.' Rutherford has since written to Sport and Recreation Minister Mark Mitchell, urging a review of School Sport New Zealand (SSNZ) regulations that currently exclude home-schooled students from full participation and recognition in student sport. 'With more than 10,000 home-schooled students across New Zealand, this affects many young Kiwis. Sport should be inclusive for all our young people. I'm committed to helping make that happen,' he added. HESSA (Home Educators Student Sports Association) welcomes MP Rutherford's advocacy and applauds his commitment to fairness and equity in youth sport. His stance reflects growing public concern over the systemic exclusion of home-schooled domestic students from school-sanctioned competitions—despite these students being legally recognised under the Education and Training Act 2020. 'Sport is a powerful connector. It builds confidence, fosters friendships, and allows students to be part of a wider sporting community,' said Mel Ewart, Chair of HESSA. 'Denying home-schooled students the chance to compete as equals alongside their peers is not just unfair—it's harmful.' Currently, home-schooled students are only permitted to participate in individual student sports, but not to compete officially. In team sports such as futsal, table tennis, and hockey, home-schooled students may only join through composite school teams, which are often excluded from championship events while homeschool-only teams are not allowed. 'These restrictions limit access to sport not just nationally, but also at local and regional levels—cutting students off from the weeknight and weekend sports that many of us take for granted.' said Ewart. 'This isn't just about medals—it's about belonging,' Ewart continued. 'When home-schooled teens are excluded from student sport, they're also excluded from connection, development, and opportunity alongside their friends and peers.' HESSA is calling for a student sport system where every young person—regardless of their education pathway—can play, compete, and thrive. To that end, HESSA will be presenting a parliamentary petition in early July, asking that Sport NZ funding be made conditional on allowing home-schooled students to compete in student sport. 'We're calling on every Kiwi who believes in fairness to stand with us,' said Ewart. 'Sign the petition. Help us end sports exclusion for good.' The petition is available at The Home Educators Student Sports Association is the national body representing the rights of approximately 11,000 home-schooled domestic students to engage and compete in student sport. HESSA's current strategic focus is to ensure equal sporting opportunities for secondary-aged home-schooled students. As of 1 July 2024, there were 3,956 secondary-age home-schooled students, 1.3% of the national secondary-aged student body who are excluded from equitable access to student sport.
