The boys from St Bede's

In this country there is no news, so the media drums up some news artificially to separate the columns of advertisements, and radio or television promotions. OK, World Cup cricket is world shattering news, but a couple of senior school boys misbehaving is drummed up news. Three senior boys from Christchurch's elite Catholic boys' school thought that rules that apply to everybody else did not apply to them. They were crack rowers and the world owed them the right to be beyond the law. The Rector of the school did, what I would expect all school principals would do and disqualified them from the team. They brought the school and their rowing team into disrepute. Being spoilt brats, their parents took the case to court, and the court ruled that they could go ahead and compete. The court case could well cost the parents and the school $20,000, but what the hell, the brats had to be cosseted and sheltered from the mean spirited Rector. The case reminded me of an incident that embittered my friend and colleague, Pat Whelan, and virtually ended his teaching career. Pat was the Principal of Hawera High School. The school's First Fifteen went on a football trip to play another school. Some of the boys got drunk, and Pat took a dim view of this. He had the boys suspended. But the parents of the boys took the matter up with the school Board, who thought that the Principal's ruling was too harsh and the boys were reinstated. Why would a teenage boy go on a football trip if not to get drunk, like their fathers did in their time? Pat resigned, went into real estate and I believe did well for himself, but education in Hawera was the poorer for it. I hope that the Rector of St Bede's will not give in. This would only foment the arrogance of these boys who thought that the world owes them special privileges.