"Never be afraid to change your path" - Eric Patton '80
Monday, 17 October 2022
When Old Boys are asked about their first day of Form 3 at Auckland Grammar School, most of them will talk about the feeling of apprehension. They talk about that nervous energy waiting to sit the entrance examinations determining which class you will be in, and whether or not your primary school friends made it into the same class.

Eric Patton '80 felt exactly the same way when he began his journey at the School - although he was three years older, beginning his tenure in Form 6, and had travelled further than most. "Having emigrated from England at the age of 15, I was apprehensive on my first day, but was made to feel welcome by fellow students who had already embraced the School's philosophy."

The School's values of excellence, commitment, integrity, respect, humility, courage and pride, are instilled into each student from the moment they arrive on campus, no matter their age, ethnicity or background. It is something that Eric recognises and appreciates as part of the School's ethos.

"My experiences of the School are mirrored by everyone who attends. You are treated as young men and guided through school life being given the correct principals to achieve not just in academic life but also sports and social fields."

Graduating with a B Bursary, Eric spent several years in banking, before moving back to the United Kingdom, where he started his career as a butler. Eric then became a chef, a career he is still passionate about almost four decades later, his current role being a cook in the galley at the Commando Training Centre, the principal military training ground for the Royal Marines, in Devon. Eric has worked in a wide variety of different catering and hospitality environments - which has seen him rub shoulders with some very well-known celebrities. "Serving at Elton John's birthday party at Somerset House in London is an event I will never forget!""

Eric has also worked as an essential worker during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw medical centres and hospitals across the United Kingdom stretched to full capacity. It was in his role as Head of Catering at the NHS Nightingale Hospital in Exeter that stands out as his favourite job to date.

"My role entailed looking after patients with COVID, serving them breakfast, lunch and dinner during the pandemic. I had the pleasure to meet some of the most caring and hard-working people I will ever have the good fortune to work with."

Despite his time at Auckland Grammar not being as long as most, Eric told us that the two years he was at the School were 'fantastic' and that he was very proud to call himself an Old Boy. The one piece of advice he could give, especially with COVID-19 changing the way many of us think about our jobs, with working from home a favoured approach, was to find that one thing you are passionate about and work for it. "Work hard, study hard, play hard, and never be afraid to change the course of a chosen path if you feel it's not still right for you."