Eight Headmasters Retire

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32166, 9 December 1969, Page 18

Eight Headmasters Retire

Sabbatical leave was the one matter about which he felt regret, the retiring headmaster of Woolston School (Mr J. J. Moyle) told 198 present and former headmasters and their wives at a farewell function organised by the North Canterbury Primary School Headmasters’ Association yesterday.

He said he thought it was wrong that teachers should have to teach for more than 40 years and not see what was going on in other parts of the world and he hoped this was something which -would be remedied soon. Mr Moyle is one of eight

headmasters who. have recently retired, or who will retire soon, who were guests of the association at the function. <

The others are Messrs L. A. Heyward (Elmwood Normal School), I» M. Willoughby (Mairehau School), C. F. P. Mac Martin (Beckenham), R. H. Sutherland (Sockburn), J. E. Stevens (Linwood North), R. M. Stevens (Wainoni) and G, Macdonald (Isleworth). All but Mr Heyward were at the function. Guests included the district senior inspector of primary schools (Mr B. J. Wilson), a member of tile Canterbury Education Board, Mr W. Cartwright, the general manager of the board (Mr W. P. Spencer), and the regional superintendent of education (Mr H. McMillan). The guests and the headmasters were welcomed by the president cf the Hendmas-

ten Association (Mr R. S. Jenkins), who said the eight retiring headmasters had given 358 years of service to education. He paid tribute to ithem and the work they had done, and wished them well fior the years ahead. Similar sentiments were expressed by Mr Cartwright, who also spoke of the dose cooperation between the education board and the headmasters. All the retiring headmasters had given distinguished service to education, Mr Wilson said. Their work had been exacting and demanding on their home life, and he also thanked their families. Each of the headmasters then spokes Mr Moyle said that parents sometimes expected more from their children than the children’s intellectual capacity could provide, but teachers bad to remem-

her that the children belonged to their parents, and he felt most parents appreciated the work dime by the teachers.

Mr Macdonald said that teaching conditions were much better than they had been in the past and they would be better still in the future. There was a great future for the profession, but it must be remembered that there were some good methods in the past, and some of them should be retained. Mr R. Stevens commented that the major change he had noticed was in oral expression: children now spoke much more freely and directly. The photograph shows from left, Messrs Mac Martin, R. H. Stevens, Moyle, Sutherland, Willoughby, Macdonald, and J. S. Stevens.