Former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry returned to an old stomping ground in Dunedin yesterday.
The opening of the new John McGlashan College Davies Sports Centre brought times of the old schoolyard flooding back for the coach of the winning 2011 Rugby World Cup All Black team. Sir Graham was a house master at the school for 18 months, in 1967 and 1968.
''I really enjoyed it. It helped my development and I've got many fond memories of here,'' he told a packed assembly of about 1000 pupils, old boys and supporters in the centre.
He spoke of the benefits of sport and teamwork.
''For me, participation, connecting with people and physical activity was huge. It made me feel good.''
He said 4.30am runs along the beach helped him cope with the pressure after New Zealand's painful 20-18 loss to France in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final at Cardiff.
''I didn't have too many friends and I had to handle that. In life, the unexpected is going to happen and you have got to expect it,'' he said.
''Exercise is hugely important to me to stay positive and balanced and to do my job better.
''Facilities like this add to the potential for people to play sport and learn from sport.
''If you want to be successful in life, you get that through sport. Self-improvement as an individual is hugely important.''
The $4 million centre was named after the Davies family, of Queenstown, who helped realise the project. Three generations of the family have attended the school, including Trojan Holdings Ltd founder and former Queenstown mayor John Davies, his son, Michael, and grandson, Ed, who is the present head boy.
School principal Mike Corkery described the centre as ''a gift from one generation to another''.
''This seemed like a dream only a few years ago,'' Mr Corkery, who will retire at end of this year, said.
Allied Press managing director and John McGlashan old boy Sir Julian Smith recalled being head of the school board of trustees when Mr Corkery was appointed principal 19 years ago.
Sir Julian presented Sir Graham with a school tie and pronounced him ''an honorary member of the Old Collegians' Association''.
