Outward Bound Scholarships for students2014 Fianna Scholarship recipients

Every year a group of people come together for an annual charity golf tournament called St Patrick’s Day Charity Classic which is followed by a charity dinner. This is an event, organised by the St Patrick’s Day Golf Classic Charitable Trust, that has taken place every year since 1989. Clearly the Patron Saint of Ireland provides the inspiration for the organisation. The tournament is always held in early March each year, around a week prior to St Patricks Day.

That very first 1989 event was staged as a fund-raiser for computer equipment for Carmel College. The Tournament raised over $6,100 of which $5,000 was passed to Carmel, $595 to the Wilson Home and $500 to Koru Care.

From that first event the St Patrick’s Day Golf Classic Charitable Trust has continued to raise funds that are used to benefit many areas of the community. In fact, over 26 years it is estimated that in excess of $300,000 has been raised and gifted in a variety of ways to worthy recipients.

For the past 11 years the St Patrick’s Day Classic Charitable Trust has used funds raised to provide what they call Fianna Scholarships. In 2004 the Trustees decided to do something for the young of the North Shore by annually sponsoring two Year 12 students from local schools to Outward Bound’s Mind Body and Soul Course at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds.

“We ask the selected school to pick the winners, with our only criteria being that it is unlikely that family circumstances would enable the winners to easily afford the course fees and air fares to Anakiwa,” explains St Patrick's Day Golf Charitable Trust Trustee, Bob Nelligan. "The name Fianna derives from the band of warriors led by mythical hero Fionn Mac Cumhaill which protected the High King of Ireland in pre-Christian times. Fianna applicants underwent initiatory ordeals requiring exceptional prowess and dexterity. In addition to supreme physical skills, the applicants also needed to be versed in twelve books of poesy.”

The recipients of the 2014 Fianna Scholarships were Jack Bergin and Moses Alofokhai of Rosmini College. They took part in the Outward Bound’s Mind Body & Soul Course in January this year. Moses has gone on to be the Head Boy at Rosmini in 2015.

The 2015 recipients are Patrick Smith and Kayla Baxter of Long Bay College. They are attending Outward Bound later this year.

Aidan Bennett Channel Magazine publisher (and also a Trustee of the St Patrick’s Day Golf Classic Charitable Trust) put questions to Jack and Moses about their Outward Bound experience and also put questions to Patrick and Calla about their expectations of the course which they will do in December.