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Home / New Zealand

Schoolboy dies after party drinks

By Rachel Tiffen and Vaimoana Tapaleao
NZ Herald·
9 May, 2010 04:00 PM3 mins to read

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James Webster was a wonderful boy and a great all-rounder, his headmaster says. Today, King's students will wear their formal white uniform to honour him. Photo / Supplied

James Webster was a wonderful boy and a great all-rounder, his headmaster says. Today, King's students will wear their formal white uniform to honour him. Photo / Supplied

Was James a friend of yours?
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A King's College boarder died in his sleep at the weekend after drinking at a friend's birthday party - the second tragedy to hit the prestigious school in four months.

Students will today wear white - the school's formal uniform - to mark the death of 16-year-old James Webster, known
to mates as "Webby" and described by his headmaster as a "wonderful boy and a great all-rounder".

The Year 12 student was out on leave from St Johns House on Saturday night when he was found. He could not be roused.

A post-mortem examination to determine how James died will be completed today.

The death follows recent high-level warnings over youth drinking - an issue addressed by friends and family on a special Facebook page dedicated to James.

Donald Webster, who signed off as Uncle Donald, said it was "the saddest day in any family's life".

"Why can a 16-year-old get so intoxicated without one of his mates realising and doing something about it?" he wrote. "It is far too late to point fingers, but it is not too late to learn a lesson."

Mr Webster urged young people to look out for one another, saying: "As parents, we like our children to experience life, but we can't, and we shouldn't, protect you forever."

King's headmaster Bradley Fenner last night described James' death as "just a terrible tragedy".

"The cause of death has not been determined. What is known is that he died in his sleep during last night. I don't know the full details yet. I understand that he was at a friend's birthday party earlier on the Saturday evening."

The death follows the non-alcohol-related death of King's boarder William Thode, 15, in his sleep at school in February.

"I think after the tragedy earlier in the year we had hoped we wouldn't face something like this again, and sadly this has occurred," Mr Fenner said.

School chaplain Warner Wilder said last night that he had been at the boarding house with the other boys.

Last night, more than 700 people had joined the Facebook page paying tribute to James.

Diving buddy Jamie Rodriguez said: "So many times, we practised saving each other in the pool - wish I could've saved you last night. You are family James ... Diving will never be the same without you."

Other students referred to drinking with James, but his cousin Genevieve Kinraid said that added to her pain.

"After my beautiful cousin getting drunk and dieing i do not recommend putting up memories of u and james getting drunk together," she wrote.

"It pains me to think people hold these memories dear to them when that is how he died."

His friends needed to learn from his death. "Alcohol is not to be glorified or held in high esteem. It is a substance that if not consumed responsibly can have fatal endings."

Another cousin, Lana Webster, agreed. "James was my only boy cousin and he is now gone because of alcohol so please don't let the memories of him be of him drunk," she wrote. "He was more, so much more than that."

James came third in the Auckland secondary schools diving competition this year and last year won the 16- to 18-year-old section of the North Island springboard diving championships one-metre competition.

The Law Commission has advocated raising the legal drinking age to 20.

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

Alcohol death: King's mother's plea to John Key

10 May 04:00 PM
New Zealand

Taking Gran's vodka led James down fatal path

10 May 04:00 PM
Opinion

What needs to be done about youth drinking?

10 May 10:01 PM
World

France loses taste for giant cocktail parties

15 May 04:49 AM
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