Headmasters Appointed For Two New High Schools

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29250, 7 July 1960, Page 12

Headmasters Appointed For Two New High Schools

Mr A. B. Ryan, senior lecturer in history and head of the social studies department at the Christchurch Teachers’ College, has been appointed first headmaster of the new Malrehau High School. Mr O. W. G. Lewis, head of the English department at Selwyn College, Auckland, has been appointed first headmaster of the new Hillmorten High School.

These announcements were made last evening by the Christchurch Post-primary Schools’ Council which will open both schools simultaneously in February

Mr Ryan was educated in Southland, trained at the Christchurch Teachers’ College and graduated bachelor of science at Canterbury University and then took a diploma in education and a master of arts degree with honours in history at Otago University. He had early primary teaching experience in Southland.

Enlisting in the Royal Navy at the outbreak of the Second World War. Mr Ryan trained in England and in the Atlantic and was commissioned as a specialist antisubmarine officer, serving in destroyers on convoy duties and on Army support duties. After a successful attack on an enemy

submarine in 1943 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He served in many theatres. After the war Mr Ryan taught at the Lawrence District High School and at the Waimate High School until he was appointed to

the Teachers' College 12 years ago. There he is best known for pioneering students’ social studies tours to all parts of New Zealand and to Australia 18 months ago. From 1953 to 1957 he was a supervising examiner for school certificate history. Mr Ryan wrote the seventyfifth anniversary history of the Christchurch Teachers’ College in 1952, “New Zealand Gold Rushes” in 1959, and Longman, Green, and Company have recently accepted his “Ourselves in History.” a textook for third and fourth forms. Mr Ryan is married and has two children. Mr Lewis was educated at the Southland and Christchurch Boys' High Schools and attended Canterbury and Auckland Universities where he took a master of arts degree with honours in English. He trained at the Auckland Teachers’ College in 1940-41. He then enlisted in the Army, was commissioned, and a year later was appointed an education officer. He next transferred to the Royal New’ Zealand Air Force as an instructor and was commissioned as a navigator and had two tours of duty with No. 8 and No 2 Squadrons in the Pacific. On demobilisation Mr Lewis taught at the Papatoetoe Primary School, Mount Albert Grammar School, and then from 1948 to 1958 at Auckland Grammar Schools. For the last two years he has been at Selwyn College a co-educational school. Mr Lewis has played a leading part in school sport, drama, parent-teacher association, and Air Training Corps activities. He is chairman of the Auckland schools’ committee of the Student Christian Movement. He is a vestryman in the Church of England. Mr Lewis is married and has two children.