When Denzel Robertson started Mt Albert Grammar School he was “a short, skinny, brown kid who had the same Sonny Bill haircut as every other Polynesian boy”. This week, as head boy, he devoted part of his farewell speech to remember those first few days at Mags in a class full of strangers who soon became his brothers. “ I had a lot of ‘first time’ experiences… like the first time I ever got lost in a school and the first time I’d ever seen cameras in the toilets. The first time I wore Roman sandals and the first time I had to pull my socks up to my knees. “… The first time I shaved and the first time I was ever called a walking billboard. The first time I met my boys, and the first time I was a part of something big… the MAGS family. “ Denzell looked to the pupils of the past and himself and fellow school-leavers of the future when he told the assembly: “Whether you’re in the library studying by yourself or even just at the bar drinking by yourself, you will always have a friend when there’s an Albertian around. Being a part of the MAGS community is both an honour and a privilege as we are a family, and families look after each other.” He thanked teachers for their role in his development and had some special words for his parents: “You taught me to always aim high and to give it my best. To always push myself, as you believed that there is always room for improvement, and to surround myself with great people who I aspire to be like.” Head girl Jaimee McLaughlan said in her speech she had loved every minute at the school – “It has given me great pride to say I am student at Mt Albert Grammar and I look forward to being able to say I am an Albertian”. Jaimee thanked headmaster Patrick Drumm for “believing in me, trusting me to lead this school and for all the early morning coffees”. She also paid tribute to teachers and fellow prefects… and her parents “for your infinite support and love”. The speeches were made at the senior prize-giving, where Lucas Peterson and Harshita Nayyar were named as school dux. They are pictured here with Patrick Drumm.

Denzel aimed high to hit peak

When Denzel Robertson started Mt Albert Grammar School he was “a short, skinny, brown kid who had the same Sonny Bill haircut as every other Polynesian boy”.

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Artist drawing oif Mt Albert's St Lukes planned shopping mall

Mall expansion edges closer

The plan to virtually double the size of St Lukes mall is grinding towards a start, though it may be 2019 before work finally begins. Mall company executives are still refining and adjusting the St Lukes masterplan and have been meeting with Auckland Council planners. But any announcement on the final form and a start…

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The romantics have their way: Alberton’s grand old redwood tree may indeed have been planted by Allan Kerr Taylor. When the diseased trunk was lowered by chainsaws on Friday, arborists stepped in with some detective work to estimate how long it had graced Mt Albert. While Kerr Taylor’s fingerprints were not on the trunk, an arborist was able to deduce from the growth rings on a cut slab that the tree was around 150 years old. He found a lot of growth space in the rings in its early days, and then tighter rings as the tree grew older. Alberton House was built for Kerr Taylor in 1863 and he expanded it into an 18-room mansion that became a centre of the community in 1872. Whether Kerr Taylor planted the redwood himself will never be known, but the age of the tree fits perfectly into the romantic scenario that the Scots pioneer at least supervised its start in life. And it doesn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to work out how a redwood got to be included in the Alberton formal gardens: Kerr Taylor spent time in California during the gold rush of the 1850s where he surely would have seen the magnificent redwoods. The tree will live on in an art sense, with a wood turner retrieving some of the more stable blocks. As well, a creative seat has been cut out of the trunk and Alberton hopes it can be moved to a permanent position by a crane operator when the bigger chunks are taken away in the next week or so. As the main picture shows, the chainsaw gang had their work cut out in the drizzle. The house shook as the bigger slabs fell to the ground.

Going, going… gone at Alberton

The romantics have their way: Alberton’s grand old redwood tree may indeed have been planted by Allan Kerr Taylor. Well, maybe. When the diseased trunk was lowered by chainsaws on Friday, arborists stepped in with some detective work to estimate how long it had graced Mt Albert. While Kerr Taylor’s fingerprints were not on the…

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Victor Ludorum Isaac Munro and Victrix Ludorum Maddy Gordon with Headmaster Patrick Drumm and Guests of Honour Taylah Hodson-Tomokino, Kyle Harris, Karl Te Nana and Isaiah Papali’i.

Maddy and Isaac – sport masters

The old phrase of being “Jack (or Jill) of all trades and master of none” doesn’t quite apply to Maddy Gordon, who has been named Victrix Ludorum (girls’ sporting champion) at Mt Albert Grammar School for 2017.

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Basil Hooper's architectural gem at 40 Kitenui Ave, Mt Albert

Mt Albert gem finds a new owner

One of Mt Albert’s most distinguished homes has sold under the hammer, bringing claps of joy from the woman who has lived there for the last 70 years. The Basil Hooper-designed home at 40 Kitenui Ave, known for decades as “the house on the corner”, sold at auction last night for $1.82m (against a 2014…

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Mt Albert's prang alley

AT looks for prang alley answers

Mt Albert’s prime prang alley – the intersection of Asquith Ave and New North Rd – appears in line for a safety face-lift. The intersection, which featured on Mt Albert Inc this week and drew dozens of Facebook comments, is being investigated by Auckland Transport and changes seem almost certain. Richard Peck, from Kelly Workshop,…

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Mary Inmomata with family pet Toby

Q and A: focus on Mary Inomata

Mary Inomata is one of Mt Albert’s great go-to people. She rolls up her sleeves and gets things done. Mary, a driving force in the Mt Albert Historical Society, married Hisashi in Fukuoka in 1963 and is the proud mum of Kane and Aimee (and grandson Gabriel). Her other baby is Toby, the family’s “spoilt…

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Artist's drawing of the new Everil Or retirement village in Mt Albert

$1.2m tag for room with a view

Retirement villages are a growth industry in New Zealand and Mt Albert has joined the list with a development to help satisfy the huge baby-boomer generation blip. The project at Everil Orr Retirement Village in Allendale Rd is a major work in progress on the local landscape and will soon welcome its first residents. But…

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Alberton redwood's farewell in Mt Albert

Last hurrah for old redwood

Alberton’s old redwood tree got the send-off it deserved this morning – with a descendant of the pioneering Kerr Taylor family in the centre of things. The tree was planted by the Kerr Taylor family perhaps 150 years ago, and is now a sad shadow of its earlier glory – shed of all its lower…

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The intersection at Asquith Ave and New North Rd, Mt Albert, is dangerous

Opinion: a prang alley solution?

If panel beaters ever have doubts about their future prospects, they should wander down to the intersection of Asquith Ave and New North Rd. Their eyes would surely light up. It’s difficult to think of another Mt Albert junction that offers anywhere near the menace of this collision corner. Auckland Transport banned right-hand turns into…

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MAGS head boy Denzel Robertson and head girl Jaimee McLaughlan wsith headmaster Patrick Drumm and actor comedian Pio Terei at a special assembly

Pio’s heartfelt words to students

Actor and comedian Pio Terei gave a personal insight into the grief of losing a child when he spoke to Mt Albert Grammar School students at a special assembly. Mr Terei was guest speaker at Friday’s service assembly where 54 students were honoured for their contribution to school life. Mr Terei, pictured (courtesy of MAGS)…

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Albedrton House's old redwood tree is about to be toppled

Farewell to Alberton redwood

A towering redwood tree planted by the Kerr Taylor family next to Alberton House around 150 years ago will be toppled because of safety concerns. The 40m tall tree (in the middle background of this picture), one of the oldest in Mt Albert, is in poor condition and there are fears it may fall and…

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