https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/news-and-stories daily 0.75 2026-10-22 https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/news-and-stories/chairs-annual-report-20252026 monthly 0.5 2026-10-28 https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/news-and-stories/alumni-stories-peter-lynn monthly 0.5 2026-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/1787871530192-U5YALJWEPPUKSWO7XWC9/Peter+Lynn+pic.jpg News & Stories - Peter Lynn: Kite Designer Extraordinaire OR self proclaimed “Master of Disaster” From the early 1990s, Peter Lynn Kites Ltd pioneered the shift from single kites to much larger, themed, ram-air-inflated shapes, driving significant growth in international kite festivals. Some of these events went on to attract hundreds of thousands of spectators and received strong support from tourism authorities. These large “show kites” and the even larger Guinness record kites, seven in total at the time, were made possible by a fabric-strengthening construction system also pioneered by Peter Lynn Kites. Most show kites flown at international events went on to use this system. Peter was quick to admit that he had experienced “more failures than successes”, but he saw this as an essential part of innovation. Later, while working in an advisory role, he saw the business’s central challenge as staying ahead of kite-makers around the world who were extremely quick to copy PLK designs. Peter believed this task was well suited to the exceptional talents of Simon Chisnall, originally from Hinds and a part-owner of PLK, and Craig Hanson, whom Peter regarded as “the best show kite designer in the world”. At the time this profile was written, Peter was battling the effects of cancer treatment but nevertheless remained upbeat. AshColl Alumni thanked him for the patience and passion he showed in sharing the story of his long and tremendously successful career. Postscript: Peter passed away on 11 April 2026, having lived an amazingly full and fascinating life. His message to us all was: “If you want to do something special, persistence beyond is necessary.” https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/news-and-stories/alumni-stories-mark-gleason monthly 0.5 2026-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/4a3f8cb3-0875-489c-93ba-22e37596ba10/web.jpg News & Stories - Mark (Chalky)  Gleason Much later in his career, he studied law and taught Legal Studies, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Teaching the larger number of students who were “all highly motivated” made the experience very satisfying as a teacher. Some of his worries for the future include such things as Artificial Intelligence, which should be positive but can also be misused. Enforced cell phone bans, cyberbullying, and the lack of exercise that some students are not taking part in are all concerns for Mark. Mark was an integral part of Ashburton College’s sports programme over many years. Basketball and softball coaching, to name a few with really significant successes when an Ashburton College Softball team he coached came 2nd in the South Island against much larger colleges. The College had no gymnasium back in the 1970s, so all practices were outside. He was also a cadet officer for over 25 years. Retirement for Mark has seen him continue his already strong interests such as Woodwork, a hobby he began as a young boy, influenced by his grandfather. He has produced a large number of items, pointing out to me several lovely pieces in his living room that he has crafted. Obtaining suitable timber has become more difficult, but he’s always on the lookout for an old building which might hold some timber treasures. Over the years, Mark has built tree houses and several playhouses, much to his children’s delight. Mark still keeps very busy, and he commented that no two days are the same – he always has a project on. I couldn’t help but notice that he had three biro pens in his shirt breast pocket in case notes needed to be taken, maybe some measurements needing to be jotted down for future reference. There are probably plans for another tree house or play house for the grandchildren, and you can be assured that Mark will be absorbing news from around the World (ie tomorrow’s History topics). And in case I didn’t convey it well enough to Mark while doing our interview, I wish to place on record my utter gratitude for unlocking the lifelong interest I have taken in History. https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/news-and-stories/alumni-stories-lynne-mcdonald monthly 0.5 2026-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/1787870130109-I00LDK9IZNK0GLQQUHRK/Lynne+McD+pic.png News & Stories - Lynne McDonald: Everyone’s Favourite AshColl Teacher In 1975, aged 29, Lynne felt fortunate to be able to take eight months’ leave without pay and headed away on her OE. She purchased the archetypal camper van and set out to discover the delights of the UK single-handedly. After gaining a bit of confidence there, she then felt the draw of the fjords of Norway, where driving “on the wrong side of the road” along narrow roads with large trucks barreling towards her was both “exciting and scary”. Although a “little under-done in driving experience”, the only mishap was losing the van’s wing mirror! Asked about any nickname she may have had, the only ones she could recall were Miss Mac and Auntie Lynne, the ‘auntie’ moniker probably because she didn’t have children of her own and so seemed to ‘adopt’ many students and take a huge interest in them, which continues to this day. Being a keen seamstress and regularly sewing all her clothes, Lynne found her niche in the wardrobe department during drama productions. She remembers using “Romeo’s mother’s discarded velvet drapes” to make authentic costuming for Romeo and Juliet. The year was 1982, and Ross Palmer was director, and Michael Morrow played a wonderful Romeo; Robyn Malcolm was a terribly convincing nurse, plus Simon Barnett also featured. Ashburton College has certainly had its fair share of celebrities nurtured by the fantastic staff, hasn’t it! It was during this time that Lynne suffered her first bout of serious ill health, which was to recur several times before it revealed itself to be ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), also known as Chronic fatigue syndrome. She recovered twice for lengthy periods, but when it returned with a vengeance during a period of extreme physical and emotional stress, she was so badly affected that she was unable to walk. Lynne eventually had to face her worst nightmare of retiring from her career much earlier than expected at the end of 2000, aged in her early 50’s. Lynne made the move to Christchurch just two years ago and is supported by her amazing friends and ex-college teachers Ross Palmer and Craig Seagar. A “simply marvellous couple”, they help Lynne with a range of tasks, and she is able to keep well informed of world and local happenings through Facebook etc. She loves to hear how past pupils and staff are doing. Lynne was thrilled to hear of the plans for the College rebuild, though she is rather incredulous that the ‘new’ College started in 1969 now requires an almost total rebuild. She also feels a sense of indignation on our behalf that the College Library was recently described as “the Pizza Hut”! Although she admits there may be a slight resemblance, she was quick to defend it by saying, “Yes, but it’s our Pizza Hut”, illustrating how very loyal Lynne has remained over the years. https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/news-and-stories/alumni-stories-professor-lianne-parkin monthly 0.5 2026-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/3412d86c-8378-44ed-a5fe-0445562531ed/Lianne+Parkin.jpg News & Stories - Professor Lianne Parkin University holiday jobs saw Lianne measuring high country river flows, cutting walking tracks through the bush on the West Coast, plus a variety of other jobs. In 1988 Lianne took on a role in Dunedin as a general House Surgeon where, in subsequent years, she completed a Postgraduate Diploma of Obstetrics and General Practice training. At every break, she continued to take the opportunity to head out into the great outdoors for more tramping and camping. During one of these breaks, she was unfortunate enough to fall from a horse, resulting in a broken arm and a serious nerve injury. Several months later and still suffering from the after-effects, she made an appointment to chat with Professor Sir David Skegg, an Epidemiology lecturer at the University. Fortunately after nine months, her arm recovered enough to return to clinical work, and she started work in a general practice, at a Family Planning Clinic, and at Student Health in Dunedin. Lianne backpacked around the UK, Eastern and Western Europe and Russia during 1996 and spent time in Russia where she fully immersed herself in the Russian language. She completed her PhD in Epidemiology with Professors David Skegg and Charlotte Paul and with the assistance of a Health Research Council Clinical Research Training Fellowship. Eventually, Lianne became a lecturer in Epidemiology. Research for Lianne’s thesis began in February 1999 when she examined the relationship between the use of different types of combined oral contraceptive pills and fatal pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs). This study was prompted by the unexpectedly high number of deaths from pulmonary embolism in young women taking so-called third-generation oral contraceptive pills. She then completed another two national studies for her PhD – one examined the risk of fatal pulmonary embolism in relation to psychotropic drugs, and the other examined the risk in relation to long-distance air travel. PhD thesis papers aren’t completed in a short span of time – Lianne took several years to complete. Much of Lianne’s PhD research was done using paper records in the absence of today’s technology. One can only imagine the innumerable hours that this laborious way of gaining the necessary information took Lianne and her colleagues. More recent work has been on the use and safety of drugs used to treat COPD (or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and Type 2 Diabetes. She is currently carrying out research on the use and safety of an anti-nausea drug used in pregnancy and the use of drugs for the cessation of smoking during pregnancy. Lianne still has a huge passion for her research, which she has most definitely needed over the years, when bureaucracy and red tape must have been a constant source of frustration for her. We hail Lianne’s wonderful achievement and feel just a little bit proud that she belongs to AshColl Alumni! As has been mentioned many times over the years, Ashburton College continues to ‘punch well above its weight’ when it comes to the achievements of past students. https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/news-and-stories/category/Alumni+Stories monthly 0.5 https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/news-and-stories/category/Foundation+Updates monthly 0.5 https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/events daily 0.75 2026-10-27 https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/home daily 1.0 2026-07-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/629b7c9c-2c26-4c3e-b150-233e99263ebf/image6.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/ec991e62-aa93-46db-a8ec-a1509975d254/image5.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/9be57a79-5d55-448a-8d12-9e15c924172d/image3.jpeg https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/about daily 0.75 2026-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/7faff069-a779-44db-8a6f-1398efb20605/image7.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/12f8a4e9-8795-4e3b-9a32-b76689507601/Portrait_Placeholder.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/8eec007d-7fe6-4027-be19-639889ed4ca5/2026_Ashburton+College+Foundation-030_websize.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/7e47ae5d-3017-4d9e-b0df-4e997f873e9a/2026_Ashburton+College+Foundation-007_websize.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/fb7b6552-ebdb-4cb6-96d1-b82a6cdacea0/2026_Ashburton+College+Foundation-026_websize.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/447591dc-6724-4591-93b6-232a644fb23e/2026_Ashburton+College+Foundation-015_websize.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/d53c7697-8c2b-4c87-9f9d-976a4df6ecb1/2026_Ashburton+College+Foundation-043_websize.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/12f8a4e9-8795-4e3b-9a32-b76689507601/Portrait_Placeholder.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/bd17210a-1b94-4e35-bba5-5b6fe546ba01/2026_Ashburton+College+Foundation-028_websize.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/42ff1c85-a5ee-4a10-86d8-b162074c8e09/2026_Ashburton+College+Foundation-036_websize.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/12f8a4e9-8795-4e3b-9a32-b76689507601/Portrait_Placeholder.png https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/support-the-foundation daily 0.75 2026-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/8df90e00-6386-405c-8516-b929a86e1d80/image4.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/146ef71e-594f-4434-a065-1a6413cbeb10/cropped-AWF_Final-eps-file-01-e1770001634905.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/698f23a3-614c-4370-ad28-5f7a2bdd8d25/cropped-dpi-site-icon.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/08ede450-1ca9-4fae-b792-15e789de9ed5/NBS.jpg https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/contact-us daily 0.75 2026-10-22 https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/thank-you-contact-us daily 0.75 2026-08-19 https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/thank-you-join-the-network daily 0.75 2026-08-19 https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/join-the-network daily 0.75 2026-10-22 https://www.ashcollfoundation.co.nz/reunions daily 0.75 2026-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/a2a7db63-4782-4547-89db-112b170b2923/image0.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/527e6767-8698-4bd3-953a-715a04f7b18c/image1.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a4ee4bf5a30964c45a340a1/e4e413d4-1312-47e8-bdff-99609125b0ff/image2.jpeg