To remember those who served
12 Sep 2025
David Newton (8938), our HOD Physics and an Old Boy, has turned his building prowess to making an eye-catching plinth on which to display the hand-carved poppy bowl gifted to Christ’s College earlier this year to mark the 175th anniversary.
It was the last of 290 poppy bowls crafted by West Coast woodturner Jimmy Gordon QSM to be gifted to places of significance, both in New Zealand and overseas. The beautiful bowls have been given to RSAs and marae around New Zealand, and several also sit in pride of place internationally, including Gallipoli, the New Zealand embassy in Washington, DC, Anzac House in Sydney, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Antarctica.
Carved from macrocarpa and totara, the College bowl previously sat somewhat precariously on a much smaller existing plinth in the Chapel entrance but David felt that something sturdier was required.
The plinth is crafted from rimu dating back to the 1880s, which David salvaged when his house was demolished after the earthquakes.
“I used to be a builder before I trained as a physics teacher so it wasn’t difficult. The bowl is so special and I wanted to make sure it sat on something really solid.”
The plinth has special personal meaning for David, carrying the names of his family members who served in World Wars I and II as well as the names of David’s own children who are also Old Boys. One of the engraved names is that of David’s great uncle, Michael T. Newton (4415), who died in World War II in 1944 and who’s listed in the Chapel among those Old Boys who died while serving their country.
