During her life, Kath has lived true to those values and can often be found volunteering in different roles as well as singing in a myriad of choir groups. It is through music and her service work that she became involved with St Paul’s Collegiate School. In 2016, Kath was volunteering in the Waikato Cathedral Shop when she was approached by the current Dean Reverend Peter Rickman, who asked Kath to be his Warden. Kath spent four years with Peter at the Cathedral and when Peter came to St Paul’s as ‘the Rev’, so did Kath.

Kath initially volunteered in the St Paul’s Music Department with Head of Music Michelle Flint and teacher Tim Carpenter. She helped coordinate itinerant teacher classes and was congratulated by then Headmaster, Grant Lander, on being the first service staff volunteer of St Paul’s, a few months later Kath became a paid staff member. During her time at St Paul’s Kath has been a quiet and steady influence on our music students with those deep-set family values always shining through.

Ian Campbell, St Paul’s music teacher, had a student who could not afford singing lessons and he approached Kath about helping pay for them. Kath did not hesitate to offer to pay for the lessons, saying, “You do what you can, when you can.”

Kath now supports a scholarship student at St Paul’s and at a recent thank you luncheon she felt very proud to see her perform. She says, “I always think, If I hadn’t have helped, hopefully someone else would have.”

Click here to view Venessa's performance from the luncheon.