Mr T. B. J. Donnelly Retiring After 39 Years Teaching

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28766, 11 December 1958, Page 26

Mr T. B. J. Donnelly Retiring After 39 Years Teaching

■ Three members of the staff of the New Brighton District High School—Mr T. B. J. Donnelly, Mrs M. A. Wynyard, and Mrs E. M. Sutherland—who have given a total of 83 years’ service in the teaching profession, will retire from the school this month. They will be honoured at a farewell function arranged by the school’s committee in the R.S.A. Hall. New Brighton, next Monday. Mr Donnelly has spent all his 39 years of service in teaching positions in Canterbury. He was educated at Elmwood School and Christchurch Boys’ High School, and began his career as a pupil teacher at Elmwood School in 1919. He served two years at Elmwood, and two years at the Christchurch Teachers’ College. He then spent a year in the secondary department of the Akaroa District High School, followed by two years and a half at Fendalton School. Mr Donnelly was then appointed to the staff of the Normal School, and, apart from two school terms at the Linwood Avenue School, remained there until 1945. He taught in the primary and secondary departments, followed by some years of special work with pupils suffering from specific disabilities. He was appointed to take charge of the secondary department at New Brighton in December, 1945. Oarsman and Footballer Mr Donnelly was for some years a member of the Canterbury Rowing Club, and represented the club at regattas in various places. He played senior footoall for Hign School Old Boys from 1919 until 1926. He was a foundation member and first club captain of the Elmwood Amateur Swimming Club, and was a member of the Canterbury Swimming Centre for a number of years. He took part in drama work as a member of the Training College Ex-Studients’ Drama Club, and in

Debating as a member of St. Mary’s Literary and Debating Club, of which he was president for some time. He was secretary of the Assistant Masters’ Association, of which he was later elected a life member, and served for many years on the management committee of the North Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute. Throughout his teaching career, he has been interested in all school sports; including swimming, life-saving, athletics, cricket, football, hockey, and basketball Commercial Teacher Mrs M. A. Wynyard was born and educated at Auckland, and was head prefect at Auckland Girls’ Grammar School in hef final year there. She gained her Bachelor of Commerce degree at Auckland University College ii) 1921, being the first woman in New Zealand to do so, and was an accountant for a firm of Auckland solicitors until her mafrriage in 1942. She took up. the position of commercial teacher at New Brighton District High School in 1943, where she has served for 15 years in the secondary department. • ‘ Mrs Sutherland, the infant mistress at the school, has completed 29 years in the teaching profession. Most of her teaching has been done in Canterbury, with a short period in Nelson. For three years during her career, Mrs Sutherland was in charge of the school class at the Christchurch Public Hospital.