FAMILY COAT OF ARMS

My family Coat of Arms reflects my national origins and the educational institutions I attended.

The Scotch Thistle is the floral emblem of Scotland from which all my Great Grandparents emigrated to New Zealand in the latter part of the 1800’s; the Silver Fern represents New Zealand where I was born and raised; and the Maple Leaf represents Canada where I have lived since 1972.

The Crown and the Chevron represent Her Majesty The Queen who is Head of State of all three countries.

The Red and Black background represents the school colours of Waitaki Boys’ High School in Oamaru, New Zealand, where I received my Secondary School Education.

And the Motto: Veritas et Sapentia is Latin for Truth and Wisdom – Veritas from the motto of Western University in Canada, and Sapentia from the motto of the University of Otago in New Zealand. I’m deeply indebted to both these Universities for my post-secondary education in Accounting, Economics, Business, and the Arts.

LIFE TIMELINE

1948 Born at Oamaru, New Zealand, the second of twin boys Christened at St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Oamaru.  Raised on a small farmlet midway between Oamaru and Pukeuri.

1953 Commenced education at Pukeuri School, a 2-teacher grade 1-8 co-educational publicly funded primary school 8 km north of Oamaru on state highway1 at Pukeuri Junction.

1959 Enrolled in Form 1 (grade 7) at Waitaki Boys’ High School Junior School, a publically funded all-boys boarding and day school offering grades 7 to 13 located in Oamaru, and fashioned on the English public (private) school system.

1961 Enrolled in grade 9 at Waitaki Boys’ High School (WBHS). Awarded the School Certificate by national examination in 1963, and the University Entrance Certificate by accreditation in 1964.

1965 Commenced work at the Dunedin office of Barr, Burgess, & Stewart (now PricewaterhouseCoopers),  then a 6-office New Zealand public accounting firm, as a junior accountant. Enrolled for part-time studies in the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree programme at The University of Otago in Dunedin

1968 Finished employment at Barr, Burgess, & Stewart, as a senior audit accountant and enrolled in full-time (BCom) studies at The University of Otago. Completed requirements for the degree.

1969 Awarded the BCom (Accounting) degree and enrolled for full-time studies in the Bachelor of Arts programme at The University of Otago. Granted membership of The New Zealand Society of Accountants, now styled as Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and awarded its Chartered Accountant (CA) designation.

1970 Father died and interred at the Oamaru lawn cemetery.

1971 Awarded a BA (Economics) degree, and joined the Melbourne, Australia office of Arthur Andersen & Co (AA&Co), an 80-office world-wide Public Accounting firm, in its audit division. Granted membership of The Australian Society of Accountants, now styled as The Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants, and awarded its CPA designation.

1972 Emigrated to Canada and joined Arthur Andersen & Co’s Vancouver office as a senior auditor.

1973 Resigned from Arthur Andersen & Co. and took up full-time studies at The University of Western Ontario’s Graduate School of Business in London, Ontario.

1974 Interned for the summer as an Auditor with Canadian Pacific Railway in Montreal.

1975 Graduated from Western’s business programme with a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA). Joined The Bank of Nova Scotia’s head office Audit Department in Toronto as a senior auditor.

1976 Transferred to Scotiabank’s Computer Systems Department as Financial Controller. Purchased family residence in Toronto.

1980 Transferred to Scotiabank’s United States and Latin American Corporate Banking Division as Financial Controller, located in Toronto.

1981 Married Santa, the elder twin daughter of Leodegario and Maximina Kayanan of Victoria, Tarlac, Philippines, at St. Timothy’s Roman Catholic Church, Leath Hill Road, in the Toronto suburb of North York.

1982 Daughter born at Women’s College Hospital, Toronto. Transferred to Scotiabank’s Canadian Corporate Credit Department as a Credit Officer.

1984 Son born at Women’s College Hospital, Toronto.

1988 Promoted to Assistant General Manager in Scotiabank’s International Corporate Credit Department.

1992 Promoted to Vice-President in Scotiabank’s International Corporate Risk Management Division.

2005 Purchased vacation cottage in Dunedin, NZ.   Retired from Scotiabank on May 11 after 30 years of service.