ART MASTER RETIRING

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28765, 10 December 1958, Page 6

ART MASTER RETIRING

Papanui High School Periods as teacher, soldier, sole charge teacher, commercial artist, and teacher again have made up the varied career of Mr J. M. Thomasson, who is retiring after 21 years as art master at the Papanui High School. He will be bidden farewell at the school today. Mr Thomasson has always felt the strong pull back to teaching, whatever he has been doing, and his years as art teacher have been happy ones. He is definite in his opinion that boys and girls are every bit as good now as they ever were. Mr Thomasson came to New Zealand 38 years ago from England, where he has been teaching art in Bolton and Manchester. When he retires he hopes to travel over much of New Zealand. He has no wish to go abroad. Mentioned in Dispatches He was teaching before he joined the British' Army to serve in World War I. He was transferred to the Indian Army, serving in Mesopotamia with Ist King George’s Own Sappers and Miners, and was mentioned in dispatches. His unit followed up immediately behind the firing line, dbing rush maps for air reconnaissance. “Actually I used to spend most of my time keeping the general’s maps up-to-date,” said Mr Thomasson. “We followed up just after the relief of Kut, and the Turks kept on the move until

they were 100 miles beyond Bagdad. Our headquarters were established In Bagdad. When it was too hot, the fighting stopped An exhibition was organised in Bagdad. I put in 21 pen drawings and sold 20 of them. After that I was inundated with requests by officers for pen drawings. That was towards the end I didn't do one. I wanted to get out as quickly as I could. I had had enough. Being a teacher I had priority. “What made me decide to come to New Zealand? Well, two things influenced me. First, meeting New Zealanders while I was in the Army. They were great chaps. There were New Zealanders and Australians serving alongside us in Mesopotamia Second, was the lack of concessions in England to help returned men to complete their studies interrupted by the war,” said Mr Thomasson.

On coming to New Zealand -in 1920 he intended to farm, but Mr Thomasson became teacher at the sole charge school at Upper Takaka. The bottom dropped out of farming, so he came to Christchurch and got a job as artist on the “Sun” newspaper. Teaching called him once more, and he was art master at the Christchurch Technical College for two years before the inducement by Mr Ned Skinner to become head artist in an advertising agency proved too attractive. “I was there for 11 years," Mr Thomasson said. “It was a good job, but I never felt I was. doing any good for anybody, so I went back to teaching. I have always liked teaching. I cSme to the Papanui High School in 1937, and have stayed ever since. “Boys and girls are just as good now as ever they were and just as amenable to discipline. The new system of education gives them more initiative, and you have to approach them differently, but they are just as good as ever. To me, teaching is not just teaching a subject. It is building character, too. “When I retire there is plenty of painting and sketching I would like to do. I have a large garden which will keep me occupied,” said Mr Thomasson. “I have no desire to go overseas. I want to see New Zealand. My idea is to travel by car and stay at motels, so I won’t be tied to time.’’