On Friday 26 February, we welcomed two very familiar and successful Old Collegians – Daniel Vettori and Jeremy Wells – back to St Paul’s for a fundraising event hosted by St Paul’s Foundation.
While the event was to honour and celebrate Daniel’s very successful cricketing career, we were so grateful that Jeremy, an accomplished broadcaster agreed to play an important role in this celebration as MC and interviewer. Jeremy and Daniel were at St Paul’s together and have remained very good friends since.
The first part of the evening was to recognise the contribution Dan had made to St Paul’s through his cricketing success. The viewing platform overlooking St Paul’s cricket oval has been named the Vettori Gallery in his honour and this space was unveiled by Dan in front of guests attending the event.
Following the unveiling, close to 150 people filled St Paul’s dining room, which had been transformed into an elegant cricket commentary box at Seddon Park. Expertly interviewed by Jeremy, guests were treated to honest and private thoughts of the highs and lows of one of New Zealand’s greatest cricketers.
The second purpose of the evening was to fundraise for a very special cause – to provide scholarships for worthy teenagers. A new scholarship fund was announced on the night, the Daniel Vettori Scholarship Fund. This fund will ensure that a family’s household income does not stop a worthy and talented young teenager from having the opportunity to learn at St Paul’s. The scholarship is designed to make a real difference to the lives of a number of young men and women.
The event was undoubtedly a success, raising $54,000 towards the scholarship fund through an auction of game shirts worn by and kindly donated by Dan and through the generosity of guests who pledged donations on the night. We are so grateful for the contribution made by supporters of this wonderful evening.
If you wish to make a contribution towards the Daniel Vettori Scholarship Fund, please contact the Foundation by phone on 07 957 8818 or by email foundation@stpauls.school.nz
