Stephen | Ōamaru, Otago

“I teach music at Waitaki Boys’ High School. I’ve been there for 33-and-a-half years now. I think I don’t have any regrets about being in Ōamaru. I love Ōamaru. I like my job, like the kids. I guess if I have a regret, not getting involved in operatic shows earlier.

We did a couple of shows as soon as we arrived here, but then all of a sudden it stopped. Children arrived, and we didn’t do anything. I regret not getting involved in the shows a lot earlier because they’re a lot of work, but a lot of fun as well. Extremely rewarding experiences. We tried to do one last, the show called Aotearoa, and sadly, we were a week away from production and of course, the country closed down. So we are re-auditioning today of all days, and we’ll put that show on again in March next year. If you like ’80s music, you’d love it. It’s all New Zealand music. It’s written by a New Zealander who now resides in Australia. His name escapes me, but it’s ‘80s music. It’s a lot of Dave Dobbyn, I See Red, a lot of Split Enz Music. The storyline’s a wee bit corny. Love loss between the West Coast and the city. City girl comes back, does good and a love story evolves in that one. A lot of fun. You should come and see it, definitely. 

I was born in Dunedin. My late mother was a music teacher. She encouraged me to do music from the age of five, gave up teaching me and sent me to the nuns. The nuns taught me from age six, right through to about 18. Amazing teachers. Went to university, did a music degree in performance and piano. Did two jobs up north and came here in 1987. I think the most rewarding part is seeing kids develop, seeing students develop from no ability to where they end up leaving in Year 13.

I guess over the years, it’s just become a theme with me, that I have to wear a music tie, and I have a number of them at home to wear, both ordinary and bowties.”