Year 9 English
By Gena Bagley | Posted: Tuesday December 2, 2025
Ms Bagley’s Year 9 English class concluded the academic year composing autobiographical profiles.
The assignment required students to first interview a classmate and then write a piece designed to effectively capture the interviewee's identity.
To achieve narrative fluency and sophistication, the profile had to meet several specific criteria:
Narrative Hook: The piece must begin in media res (in the middle of the action).
Structure: Following the hook, the narrative was required to adopt a chronological order format.
Style: Students needed to incorporate direct quotations from the interview and effectively employ fronted prepositions for time.
Born to Bowl: The Story of a 13 Year old Cricket Prodigy
On a bright sunny Saturday afternoon in Dunedin, New Zealand, Dinuja Hiran Namal Gomuwage, a 13 year old cricket prodigy, bowls and bats the other team off the park on Littlebourne. Dinuja Namal Gomuwage was born on the 29th March 2012 in Malate, Sri Lanka, and moved to Dunedin in 2014 after his dad got a job as a junior mechanic. Dinuja lives with his parents, Nishantha and Dulari, and his brother, Dunala, in a house near Wakari.
Before Dinuja started cricket at the age of 8, his passion started building a lot earlier while he was still in Sri Lanka. “I always saw the older kids playing, which made me want to join. I couldn't wait to start.” Dinuja’s first taste of real cricket was in 2020 where he played for the North East Valley Icons coached by Pete Bevin. “During that year I made some very fond memories,” Dinuja said thoughtfully. “I got my first slip catch. It was so gun. I loved it.”
Seeing how much love Dinuja had for the game, his parents brought him his first cricket bat for his ninth birthday, though it came with some resistance at first by his mother. “Now mum, she didn't really like cricket but didn't want to ruin my fun. She didn't like me out in the sun but dad enjoyed watching me get better throughout the years and understood my questions and gave me help. He finally convinced her to cave and buy me the bat” he said, laughing at the memory. With this new bat, Dinuja's talent skyrocketed over the next few years as he moved through the grades at North East Valley Club and into a school team for Balmacewen Intermediate. While there, they had a coach from the Otago Sparks women team named Kate Ibrahem. “Her experience and expertise resulted in my batting improving massively. She also taught me good sportsmanship and conduct while on the field.” When asked what drives him to keep playing, he simply said “because I love the sport. I'm passionate about it and it's who I am.”
Now Dinuja plays for the OBHS Junior White XI, and is currently on a tournament representing the school in Christchurch, with his crickets skills at the peak of his career so far. The school is expecting a great show from this young star and can’t wait to see what he becomes. By Connor Horne
Beyond the Finish Line: The Making of an Otago Rower
It's a crisp Dunedin morning, the kind where the harbour wind blows across the water, and 14 year old Asher Knox is watching his oar glide through the water as he rows down the Otago Harbour. Water drips down his face after he flipped his boat into the chilly Otago Harbour water. But yet Asher laughs it off as he rows off into the distance.
Born in Dunedin but raised practically in Cromwell, Asher spent his entire childhood growing up in the small town and playing sports, going to school and hanging out with the same friends he’d known since he could walk. Sport had been a big part in Asher's life. His first love was football, a game he played until he was 9, then he eventually switched to rugby and has stuck with it ever since.
Moving to Dunedin in 2025 to board at Otago Boys’ High School was a big change for Asher. Bigger town, more opportunities and more people. Suddenly the days were longer, the schedule was full and sports didn’t stop. But it also meant discovering rowing. Training on the Harbour was never perfect - early mornings (4:50am wake ups), choppy water and long runs. Boat flips, hand blisters and sleep becomes a luxury, but Asher fell in love with it - the early mornings, the afternoon ergs session and improving everyday.
And now he has a goal that keeps him getting up before sunrise, earning a place in the Maadi Cup Boat next year. It's a long road, with morning rows to afternoon rugby training, but Asher is used to this kind of thing. From Cromwell fields to Dunedin waters, from Football to Rugby, he’s learnt new lessons, faced new challenges and discovered new things. Asher’s final words he said “Every ending is a beginning. We just don't know it at the time.” by Luca Jury
From Mosgiel to the Quad: The story of a multi-sport life
On a cloudy, cold Monday morning at Otago Boys’ High School, the kind where the sky hangs low over top of the buildings and the wind sneaks up through the middle of the buildings like it owns the place, students stomp across the concrete with jacket-hoods up, racing for shelter. But Charlie Andrew Clements stands in the common room itching to get outside, feeling unbothered about the cold or rain.
From Mosgiel, but at Otago Boys', he moves like he's been there forever. When I ask him about his favourite memory, he just laughs and stares out into the distance. “Winning the under-14 final against the Hoops this year,” he says with a grin, “That was fire. Best moment, easy.”
Across all the sports he plays - touch, rugby, basketball, waterpolo and mountain biking - rugby is still the one that wins. “It’s just enjoyable.” He says. “You learn new stuff…plus you get exercise and you can enjoy the sun. “Behind the grey cloud above,” he smirks.
Behind all of his achievements, there are a few that stick out: Winning the under-14 rugby competition, making the under-14 quad tournament team and placing 3rd in a South Island tournament for Basketball Otago. “That was mean,” the grin on his face growing bigger than it was before.
On the topic of trips, he starts talking before I finish the question. “Christchurch with OBHS for the 3x3 basketball tournament. Good laughs, good games, just a chill time really,” he says.
Against Kaikorai in 2023, he remembers the biggest rugby score he’s ever been part of: 70–15 to Taieri. “We were unstoppable that day,” he says, like the cheering is still echoing through the drizzle
Through all the games he’s played, injuries have followed him like a shadow. With broken thumbs, broken wrists and concussions, he’s had more than his share. But the worst one? “My thumb,” he says. “It just kept breaking over and over again.”
Even in the grey quiet of this early OBHS morning, Charlie looks ready for the next match, the next win, the next moment to remember. That's who he is, a Mosgiel kid who keeps playing, keeps pushing and keeps showing up, no matter what. By Mason Bond
