Alumni

You are here: Avondale College Home - Alumni

Alumni

Since 1945, Avondale College has taught and nurtured tens of thousands of students. Its rich history is firmly built on the traditions of past pupils and teachers who have gone before. The Avondale College Alumni has been established to reconnect those people with the school and each other through a series of events.

In the following pages you can sign up and become a member of the Alumni, locate a classmate or staff member, find out about reunions and events or make a donation.

Lisa Crawley - Album release

Recent Silver Scroll nominee Lisa Crawley’s debut full- length album ‘Everything That I Have Seen’ (featuring current radio single ‘Blind Eyes’) will finally be available on October 17th through Rythmethod and itunes worldwide, and after selling out her two self-released EP’s, it has certainly earned its reputation as ‘eagerly anticipated’.

From curious stints in Japanese hotels, English pubs, Danish jazz clubs, and most recently a series of performances and music video shoot in New York, Lisa has travelled the world getting by on a song, quite literally. It’s little wonder that she has been hand picked to tour in New Zealand with artists as varied as John Mayer, Jools Holland, Nathan Haines, Julia Deans and Paul Weller, scoring rave reviews wherever she pops up.

The album was recorded and mixed over the past year at The Lab Studios in Auckland by ‘Engineer of The Year’ Oliver Harmer. Lisa has self-produced the majority of the album, with assistance from the talented Jol Mulholland, Wayne Bell, and Andrew Keoghan (who features on the haunting duet ‘We Are Wolves’).

With playful, clever, and heartfelt lyrics, the combination of a truly beautiful voice to match her unique musical talents (expect piano, guitar, clarinet, omnichord and more), the album is complemented by an array of friends and musicians from bands such as The Ruby Suns, Bannerman, The Checks, Artisan Guns and Tiny Ruins, to name a few.

Lisa is one of New Zealand’s songwriters to watch, already having won the international ‘Pacific Songwriting Competition’ and has recently been nominated for a Silver Scroll award for the catchy single “Leaving”.

The album tackles ordinarily tender topics all from the perspective of a young woman and shimmering rising star who would love to share… Everything That I Have Seen.

View Lisa's videos here
www.lisacrawley.com

Tiny Ruins/ Some Were Meant for Sea

Tiny Ruins is the project of Bristol-born, New Zealand-raised musician and songwriter Hollie Fullbrook. It grew out of writing the music for fringe theatre productions whilst a student in Wellington, recording by four-track and playing at live music and poetry nights in 2007-2009. Samuel Prutton committed the first Tiny Ruins songs to record, in the form of rough demos.

Tiny Ruins’ live shows began to attract attention and praise for soul-stirring, intimate performances and strange, hypnotic songs. Asked to support Alasdair Roberts in Sydney, May 2010, Tiny Ruins was then signed to Australia’s Spunk Records.

Fullbrook went a-roaming in May of 2010, embarking on a small yet noble tour of Northern Spain with Barcelona-based musician Lieven Scheerlinck (‘a Singer of Songs’).

A collaborative EP, Little Notes, was recorded in Scheerlinck’s apartment during the week following the tour. Fullbrook hastily finished two songs for the EP - ‘Little Notes’ and ‘Down South’, and also recorded a version of ‘Running Through the Night’. Little Notes was released independently in December 2010. 

Returning to the antipodes, the first Tiny Ruins album, Some Were Meant For Sea, was recorded in the characterful Moyarra School Hall, South Gippsland, Australia by J Walker (CW Stoneking, Holly Throsby, Machine Translations). Fullbrook and Walker added piano, cello, violin, accordion, bells and percussion to the live guitar and vocal takes.

Some Were Meant For Sea was released in New Zealand and Australia in May and July of 2011 respectively. Said the New Zeland Herald, “From time to time an album comes along that stops you in your tracks and demands you to listen. Tiny Ruins’ Some Were Meant For Sea is one such record”. Australian press were also smitten with triple j magazine writing, ”Kiwi captures attention and hearts” and Mess & Noise noting, “the songs sway and heave with warmth and approachability”. 

The album saw a UK release in December of 2011, after being championed by BBC 6 and BBC 2. It was hailed by BBC World Service programme The Strand as one of the top five albums of 2011. 

Tiny Ruins has toured the album through New Zealand and Australia, as well as supporting Beach House, Joanna Newsom, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Holly Throsby, The Middle East, Sonny & The Sunsets, Olof Arnalds, Seeker Lover Keeper and Grand Salvo. She is set to tour the UK and some of Europe in January and February of 2012.

Hollie Fullbrook is usually based in Auckland, New Zealand. Tiny Ruins performs both as a solo act and band, most recently calling upon the talents of double bassist Cass Mitchell and drummer Alex Freer.

Official site: Tiny Ruins

Click here for Videos

Prospectus 2012

For a downloadable copy of our latest Prospectus, click here!

>>

Dates for Your Diary

Year 9 Parents Night: Tues 21 Feb
CIE Info Evening: Wed 7 March
NCEA Info Evening: Wed 14 March

Building Project - latest news!

Check out what's been happening lately in the College's multi-million dollar re-build!

>>

2009 Avondale College Victor Street, Avondale, Auckland New Zealand
Tel: +64 9 828-7024   Fax: +64 9 820-0183   Email: admin@avcol.school.nz