Latest news with #RosminiCollege
Otago Daily Times
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
‘Mr Hospo' changes course
Away from the CBD, Evan Thomas is upskilling himself in the culinary world. PHOTO: PHILIP CHANDLER Till a few years ago, if you ventured into Queenstown's CBD after dark you'd likely find Evan Thomas somewhere on the door. And if you popped into Joe's Garage next morning, he'd be kitchen-handing there, too. For the past three years, however, he's been less visible — having settled down in the 'burbs with a woman who calls herself 'The Witch', and having scored a kitchen job at The Rees where he's learning to become a chef. Evan's been in hospo all his adult life, or even before. Growing up on Auckland's North Shore, he attended Rosmini College and played 1st XV rugby, but says "I wasn't really into school at all". On his last day he joined the Queen St riot in 1984, at which muso Dave Dobbyn was charged for inciting violence, but acquitted. Evan confirms he wasn't arrested — "I haven't been arrested for a quite a while, not this millennium, anyway". Having first acted as a doorman at only 14 at an under-age rave called Chuckles, he resumed that role after school. He had a stint as a cellarman at a North Shore bar — "I wasn't supposed to be serving behind the bar, but I was." In 1990, he left for Dunedin to open Cactus Jack with mate David Woodley — "50 cent tequila shots on Wednesday and Thursday, that was fun". He started but didn't complete a craft design diploma at Otago Polytech, paying off his student loan about 15 years later. Kiwi singer/songwriter Hollie Smith dropping in on Evan Thomas at the former Joe's Garage in Searle Lane in 2016 PICTURE: JODI WALTERS In '96, Evan moved to Queenstown, collecting the dole as "a government-sponsored snowboarder — they won't let you do that any more". His first job was kitchen-handing at the former Moa restaurant in The Mall before stints with his "inspirational" bosses, Lucy and James 'Chief' Whelan at Lone Star and Cath and the late Matt Hanna at Joe's Garage. He was also the sober fly on the wall at the entrance to just about every late-night joint in town, including Tardis, Surreal, Subculture and Red Rock, and was also employed as a bouncer during local music fests, befriending many visiting musos along the way. Evan admits he got fired from some jobs but would invariably be rehired. He's a bit reluctant to elaborate but, as a clue, says "I don't have a filter, the first thing that comes into my mind is usually what I say". His tactics as a bouncer were, "if you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you". So did he throw a lot of people out? "I never threw people out, I asked them to leave quietly. "You can see trouble 10 minutes before it happens." Still, he did get bashed a couple of times and had to get a new set of teeth. "Which is also very good if someone tries to get tough — you go, 'just a minute', take your teeth out and nine times out of 10 that's enough to disarm anybody." Evan says Queenstown nightlife "doesn't have anywhere near the soul it used to have, it's very generic at the moment". "Every town needs a dive bar — there were a whole lot of them that used to be institutions." He's also had a couple of non-hospo gigs — as a longtime taxi dispatcher and a few years rigging and dogging cranes for The Rees Hotel build in the mid-2000s, having initially been a hammerhand. In a full-circle moment, when Joe's Garage's Searle Lane premises shut, The Rees' Mark Rose "made me an offer I couldn't refuse". For the first two years he was a kitchen porter, cleaning up after the chefs "and everybody that eats in the restaurant". Then, a year ago, "I thought I'd make the mess", and he's already studying for his certificate in cookery, Level 3, which isn't bad for someone about to turn 56. "Well, the day you stop learning is the day you die — keep it fresh, give myself a new challenge, try and make life a bit more interesting, "I just like cooking for people, watching them eat food — food brings people together. "I won't be replaced by AI, and I like playing with knives and fire." GM Micka McDonald says Evan "brings a different flavour to the kitchen". "We've got an open-plan kitchen and you can hear him, he's jovial, the guests love it, and the staff do, as well, and he's just an absolute Trojan." As for other pursuits, he's done Bikram yoga for 18 years — "that's how I met the Mrs., and I need one good habit to make up for all the bad ones". Asked about those, he says "I still love my tequila, though I won't drink a whole bottle in one go any more — I'll sip it".
NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Auckland students undergo Champions for Compassion workshop to learn the power of empathy
Vayuu, 12, told the Herald the workshop has 'helped me understand others more and made me want to reach out and get to know different people'. Vice-principal Jacob Allison said their school saw the workshop 'as a valuable opportunity to invest in our student leaders by equipping them with the tools they need to thrive in their roles'. 'Students have said they've found the workshops really uplifting and positive.' The initiative, Champions for Compassion, is being led by Birkenhead local Marty Smith's registered charity Chefs for Compassion. It hosted another workshop at Rosmini College on Friday, and plans more in the future. 'When I started Chefs for Compassion, I thought about what I truly wanted my kids to learn - not just how to pass tests, but how to be decent, grounded people,' Smith said. 'That's where compassion came in. We're growing something that should be shared with as many students across the country as possible.' Founded in 2010, it provides extracurricular programmes for students, teaching them how to be compassionate through work in fast-paced, high-pressure environments and ways to give back to those less fortunate. The Champions for Compassion one-day workshops are organised by the charity and run by Auckland University's Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh, a distinguished Pasifika poet who was the New Zealand Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2019. The programme engages the 'Relationships With Other People' strand of the school curriculum to ensure the skills students are taught aid in their learning development. Vayuu said it was crucial for kids to learn how to be compassionate because it applies to all aspects of one's life. 'If you're ever unsure about how to act or what to say, you can think back to what you've learned and use that to help guide you.' Since taking part in the workshop, Vayuu said it's been easier to connect with others. 'I've started to notice more when someone's feeling left out or not being treated kindly. It's made me think more about how others might be feeling on the inside.' Allison said that Glenfield Intermediate was attracted to the programme's focus on service and giving back to the community, which aligned closely with the school's values. 'The theme of staying compassionate under pressure really resonated with us, it's a quality that benefits not just leaders, but all of us, especially when navigating challenging situations.' Students were given practical tools to help them steer their thoughts and actions from a place of kindness, with the importance of altruism, self-compassion and creating positive habits listed among the workshop's key takeaways. Allison acknowledged that the chance to meet and connect with role models like Marsh also gave students an opportunity that their school couldn't pass on. 'They've enjoyed how Selina runs the sessions and makes sure there's plenty of collaboration with students from other schools.' The workshop's hands-on, reflective activities were also a highlight, Allison said. 'Students stay really engaged and love how fun and meaningful the sessions are.' William, 12, praised the inclusion of biscuits at day's end the most, but agreed with Allison in how the tasks helped him consider the world differently. 'I really liked the activities we did, they weren't just random games; they actually had meaning and made you think and reflect.' Meanwhile, Taufa, 12, said learning these skills now would be invaluable down the line. 'Even while we're still at school, it helps with things like leadership opportunities and how we support each other.'
