HEADMASTER DEVOTED TO EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY

Press, Issue 32345, 10 July 1970, Page 14

HEADMASTER DEVOTED TO EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY

As a £lO-a-month secondary teacher trainee in 1930 at the Christchurch Teachers’ College Mr T. R. Richards, now headmaster of Hagley High School, was Canterbury’s highest - paid student and the only male trainee in the course.

Mr Richards, who will retire at the end of this year, described himself yesterday as the “stormy petrel” of secondary education in Christchurch.

“I’ve not been frightened to say just what I think on issues which I feel smack of class privilege and intolerance, and some things which tear at the fabric of equality of educational opportunity,” he said. “Perhaps part of my attitude comes from an entry to teaching through what some of us old timers like to call ‘the hard road up’.”

Mr Richards was born in the small country town of Pareora, south of Timaru, and spent his six years as a boarder at Timaru Boys’ High School. Even then Mr Richards could have been described as a "battler,” for as the second smallest boy in the school bis chief interest in sport was boxing. "Even when I was in the upper sixth I was only 8 stone 71b and I generally had to be matched against third formers when I boxed,” he said. Relieving Teacher After leaving school in 1926 Mr Richards spent three years at Canterbury University College where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts' Degree in 1929.

During the ensuing year, when he was at Christchurch Teachers’ College, he also gained his Master of Arts degree. The greater part of his time at the college was spent as a relieving teacher in Christchurch second schools. “Teaching was a pretty stereotyped occupation in those days,” he said. “Lessons had to be delivered in a set way regardless of conditions or even of pupil ability—it was a far cry from today’s training, where plenty of allowance is made for initiative and spontaneous approach.” A country staggering under

the effects of the economic depression of the 1930 s presented a challenge to any young teacher, and despite his secondary training and newly acquired degree Mr Richards spent his first period of teacher service at the Ashburton Borough Primary school.

As a probationary assistant he far out-rated any other member of the staff in qualifications, but after a short time a position as a relieving teacher became available at Otago Boys’ High School. “I considered myself jolly lucky to get a year’s relieving position at Otago Boys’ but I stayed five years and I can never remember the position ever being made permanent"

True to a developing tradition as an educational “crusider” Mr Richards became in 1936, one of the foundation staff members of King’s High School, in Dunedin, which from the outset as the city’s second boys’ high school aimed to emulate wherever possible the achievements of the older Otago Boys’ High School

“The first headmaster, Mr Chisholm, got us all together —there were only five on the staff—and he told us quite plainly that anything Otago Boys’ were offering we would offer too. It was a tough time, but exciting to be in at the ground floor in the development of a school which now has a deep tradition of equality and scholarship,” Mr Richards said. Mr Richards spent a period in- the Pacific arena during World War II as captain of a Fijian native army company. He was invalided home in 1943, and resumed his teaching career at King’s High School. Anzac Day After the war an Incident involving one of Mr Richards’ pupils perhaps sums up best of all his attitude to educational and social equality. At the 1947 Anzac parade at the War Memorial in Dunedin the King’s High School cadet-firing party was led by a 16-year-old German youth named Paul Oestreicher, personally selected as the cadet leader by Mr Richards because of what he described as “amazing personal qualities.”

Because of his nationality the German youth—who had escaped Nazi tyranny in 1938,

wlth his parents and emigrated to Dunedin—was considered unfit to be in that official guard of honour on Anzac Day—the memories of World War II were too fresh. Mr Richards had to withdraw the young cadet from the ceremony; then later in the service, speeches calling for peace and mutual understanding between peoples

were delivered by R.S.A. representatives. "Believe me, as officer in charge of the cadet platoon I was hopping mad—the school headmaster demanded and got a public apology; and for

many, many years after King's High did not participate in the Anzac Day ceremony,” Mr Richards said. The youth became an Anglican priest; last year he returned to New Zealand where some of his outspoken criticism of the evangelist Dr Billy Graham was widely publicised. Principal’s Job When Mr Richards left King’s High School in 1951 he became first assistant master at Gore High School where he remained for 10 years before taking up his present appointment in 1961. Asked to comment generally on his 40 years teaching service, Mr Richards said that the academic side of a school principal had been almost cast into the background. Wide teaching experience and a deep understanding of human nature were the most desirable attributes. "The ‘Oxford don’ type in his ivory tower would find it impossible to cope with today's pupils. He might command their respect but would not be able to comprehend their' problems or do anything to remedy them.” Intensely proud of his school, Mr Richards said he woud fight vigorously to seek for his pupils the best opportunities. > “You see, a school is not made up of books and qualifi-. cations —but of people and opportunities.”