Sports Scholars loved coming back after 25 years

About a fifth of these scholars made the trip back to Lincoln for the recent 25 Years of Sport Scholarship Reunion, which featured a formal dinner, campus tours and social events.

Many of the scholars were from the original 1999 cohort, including Chris Philips, who travelled from New South Wales to attend.

“I haven’t been to the Lincoln University campus since my graduation day in May 2003.

“The whole experience of getting back there and seeing the mix of new and old facilities was very interesting.”

He found the dinner on Saturday evening to be a highlight, as he got to reminisce with old friends over good food.

“Some of my best friends come from my time at Lincoln University and were at the reunion. There were also some old friends I hadn’t seen since graduating.

“This definitely was a valuable experience to me. The chance to come back and reconnect with Lincoln University staff and Alumni was amazing.

“It’s very satisfying to be part of the inaugural year of the programme that’s still running today.”

He came from the same year group as netball scholar Monique O'Reilly, who travelled from Tauranga to attend.

“There was a solid crew from the original 99' cohort that attended the Reunion. We all enjoyed catching up with each other as well as staff such as Peter Magson,” she said.

“Although 25 years has passed, we all picked up where we left off with ease.

“It helps that a lot of our group have kept in contact over the years. The bond that we made at Lincoln has stood the test of time.”

She hoped the reunions became a regular occurrence and even more people would attend in the future.

The most interesting part of the event for her was the campus tour, as much had changed over 25 years.

“Everyone was impressed with the new state-of-the-art facilities, especially the new science block. Similarly, it was nostalgic to see some things had not changed, and the Lincoln campus vibe is still alive and well.”  

Recreation Centre and Sports Scholarship Programme Manager Peter Magson said it was a great event and he had received good feedback and thanks from many guests.