A CHARACTER BUILDER.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1921, Page 7

A CHARACTER BUILDER.

THE WORK OF MR. F. A. TYRER. OVER THIRTY YEARS’ SERVICE. There was a very big attendance at the Stratford Town Hall on Thursday evening, when a public farewell in the form of a conversazione was tendered to Mr. F. A. Tyrer, headmaster of the Stratford District High School, who is retiring after thirty years’ service. When it was known that Mr. Tyrer was to leave the school, numerous subscriptions were got up in order to make presentations to him. and committees were formed by the old pupils of the school, and by citizens of the town, to organise a function which would be a real mark of appreciation of a life work well and nobly done. The great response to the appeal of the committees to help was an indication of the esteem in which Mr. Tyrer is held by everyone in the town and district. On Thursday he was made the recipient of an illuminated address and a cheque for £lOO from the old pupils of the school, and of an illuminated address in autograph album form from the citizens.

Amongst the many visitors present were Messrs. P. J. H. White (chairman), R. J. Deare and H. Trimble, representing the Taranaki Education Board. The first part of the evening was taken up with a programme of musical items, and then one of the little girls of the school presented Mrs. Tyrer with a bouquet of flowers.

The Mayor (Mr. J. W. McMillan), who presided, then rose to introduce the speakers. He said that the committee formed by ex-scholars and the citizens committee had joined forces to make one function in honor of Mr. Tyrer. He asked the town clerk (Mr. P. Skoglund) to read apologies for absence. Apologies were received from the Minister of Education (Hon. C. J. Parr), Hon. J. A. Hanan (ex-Minister of Education), Hon. G. M. Thompson, Messrs Robert Masters, M.P.. S. G. Smith, M.P., P. S. Whiteombe (ex-secretary of the Board) and many others. Mr. J. Thomas then presented Mr. Tyrer with an illuminated address on behalf of the old pupils. He said he had been asked, as representative of the ol I boys, and one who had been associate! with Mr. Tyrer for close on thirty years, to make some small presentation to mark the esteem and regard in which they held him. The okl boys and girls were spread throughout the world, and many of them were occupying very high positions, which was due very largely to the interest and advice given by Mr. Tyrer. They all had the greatest respect for their old teacher. OLD PUPILS’ TRIBUTE.

The address is a beautiful and elaborate one, containing three views of the school, and a miniature of Mount Egmont, handsome scroll work giving the whole address a highly effective appearance. enhanced by its frame of oak. It is the work of Mr. D. McAllister, who is to be complimented upon his effort. The text of the address is as follows: ,“F. A. Tyrer, Esq. Dear Sir: On the eve of your retirement from the position of headmaster of the Stratford District High School, we desire to express our warm appreciation of your valuable work during your long term of faithful, conscientious service. As the years have gone bv. we have become more and more fully cognisant of the deep debt of gratitude that we owe to you, our old headmaster, not only for the kindly interest shown in our general welfare white at school, but also on account of the fact that your best endeavors and kindly advice at all times have been unixrudginglv given to further our interests after'we left school. By your many acts of kindness, and by the unremitting zeal that you have always displayed on our behalf, you have endeared yourself to us all, and have earned our gratitude, admiration and respect. Such acts, you may be assured, will always be remem- ' bered by us. You have filled the position of" headmaster with characteristic ability, and by your untiring energy and earnestess you have made the Stratford District High School known throughout the Dominion as a scholastic institution of the very highest order. Pupils from your school, in competition with those from schools in other parts oi New Zealand, have always acquitted themselves well, and, at one time and another, your pupils have won every scholarship for which they were eligible to compete. It is with very great pleaure that we, your old pupils, note the following words in the senior inspector’s . last report'on your school: ‘lt seems fitting that reference should be made to the splendid services rendered to the school by the headmaster, Mr. F. Tyrer, who soon retires from the position he has so honorably held for thirty years past. He has -<en the school, grow to its present numbers, and by his conspicuous ability in organisation, by his spledid power of control, and by his remarkable tact in handling his staff, so as to get the best out of each member, he has secured for the school a farreaching reputation for efficiency m education and training given in the best principles of gool citizenship.’ Surely in this vou have your reward, and you must now ’take vour rest from teaching, fully convinced of a life’s active work nobly done In conclusion we cordially exj tend to yourself ad Mrs. Tyrer our very best wishes for future welfare and happiness, and we sincerely trust that „„od health may come your way, so that Mil may enjoy many years of wellearned rest. As a token of our esteem and affection we ask you to accept this address and the accompanying souvenir. We are, dear Sir. on behaL of your old pupils, yours faithfully: T. P. D. Jeffries, J W. Thomas, T. Bowler, lan P. Grant,. a y W. Grant, Robert Wood, F. H. Masters, M. W, Priest, Jack Hall.”

SERVICE TO THE TOWN. Mr. P- J- H. White (chairman of the Education Board) said that he, with two otheis present, were members of the first class which Mr. Tyrer conducted at the Central School and he was present not so much in his official capacity but because he had a cherished recollection of Mr Tyrer’s methods in those days. From persona! experience, and his observations during the great number of he had known Mr. Tyrer he knew that he was possessed of great quality without which no teacher could be a teacher—that quality of inspiring enthusiasm for learning. He was p eased to . • - Dahina Mr Tvrer a well-earned «st "rhev knew that he had built up IT'Stratford a very fine school, but as ooewho had looked verv p«t dwlforthe town of Stratford itselAv the ’manner in which he had carried on his work in the school. (Ap nlause) One did not realise until in « . f» the oreat influence that the training on ,h> ' life of P" He hoped Mr. Tyrer would enjoy wv’much better health, and ttotm iis'llbe speaker’s) oapacity on the Edu

cation Board lie would be able to have the advice of Mr. Tyrer when he desired it.

Mr. G. Capper, who was chairman of the school committee, said that it was ma ny years ago since he first knew Mr. Tyrer. He was the last of the five of that school committee. The others were all dead now, and he was pleased to be present that evening. When a teacher was wanted for Stratford the Education Board sent up three names to choose from. It took about an hour and a half to choose Mr. Tyrer on account of his being schoolmaster at Midhirst, because they did not wish to offend their neighbors. (Laughter). It gave him great pleasure to be here to pay a tribute to Mr. Tvrer. •

Mr. J. W. Boon, chairman of the present school committee, said that during the last few years there had been a great lot to do, especially in connection with the new Technical School, and they had always got good advice from Mr. Tyrer, who had started with a roll-call of sixty, and no.w there was a roll call of over eight hundred.

The good work of Mr. Tyrer had contributed in no small degree to numbers now attending the school, for they had scholars from many parts of Taranaki at the High School. Although Mr. Tyrer had to pwt up with a great deal of inconvenience from overcrowding, he should be congratulated on the results he had achieved. He had always had one object in view, and that was the moral welfare of children/ He endeavored to instil into teachers -and scholars right throughout the ideal that we should all be good citizens, and should play fair and square. (Applause.) The fact that | he had instilled that ideal into their minds was one of the reasons why so many of the old pupils were thriving to-day. Mrs. Tyrer had always been a great help to Mr Tyrer, and during the war had often willingly left her home to assist in teaching in the school when help was needed. He wished them happiness, and hoped they would enjoy a well-earned rest. OTHER TRIBUTES.

Mr. E. Walter, chairman of the Stratford County Council, said that .Mr. Tyrer was “a jolly good sport”—not only a teacher, but a man. The new school was due largely to Mr. Tyier “and a tip-top Government.” They had a tip-top Government to give the money and a tip-top man to fetch it along,” he added. The best thing they could do to please Mr. Tyrer was to make the school a real good institution. They had a school worthy of a much biggei town than Stratford. Mr. Tyrer had the tact and energy to see that things were going right. On behalf of the county residents he wished Mr. and Mrs. Tyrer a long and happy life. They wished him to have a long life after his hard battle at the school.

Mt. McMillan said that when he first mooted the idea of a farewell it was very heartily taken up. and the gathering should show Mr. Tyrer the esteem in which he is held. One of the things that had helped him through his school work was that he was a fine sport. He had represented Taranaki when Taranaki was unbeaten throughout New Zealand. (Applause.) Later on he had become a horse owner, and had had the pleasure of winning the Auckland Cup. (Applause. ) He would like to express, on behalf of the residents of Stratford, their appreciation of the very splendid service Mr. Tyrer had done* as headmaster of the school. He was not. only a master, but a personal friend to all his scholars and his staff. (Applause.) That was the reason Mr. Tyrer’s staff had worked so well with him. The citizens committee had decided to present Mr. Tyrer with an illuminated address in album form; he had to apologise because the address was not yet ready -for presentation, but there were sheets of the album on the stage, and he would ask all to sign them. The addres< was: “On your retirement from public life, after your long and honorable association with the educational interests in this province, and your invaluable services to the community as headmaster of the Stratford District High School, we desire to convey to you in some small way a sense of the sincere appreciation of vour splendid work, which is felt on every hand. Apart from your great services in the art of teaching, we bear you every kindly regard as a fellow citizen, and one whose presence in the community has done much to encourage true manliness and upright conduct. Some of us are parents of pupils you have taught; others again are your ex-pup- 1 ils, and we are proud to be associated in this slight but heartfelt recognition of the debt of gratitude to you, which is undoubtedly due. We sincerely hope that you may be spared for many years to enjoy well-earned rest from professional care and responsibility, and to Mrs. Tyrer and yourself we wish all health and happiness.” Mr. McMillan said he wourd like Mrs. Tyrer to know that she was incorporated in the farewell, and that they recognised what she had done for the school and the town. (Applause.) MR. TYRER’S REPLY. Mr. Tyrer. responding, said that he was just simply astounded at the magnificent reception they had given him and the splendid gift from the old boys and girls. He could not understand what he had done to deserve it all. It had been said that it was the age of the child, but he thought it was the age of the school master. He traced the trend jof education from the earliest times of school masters —in China, where if a pupil did wrong not only was his head cut off, but also the school master’s head —to the present time, when a teacher had to know the individuality of his charges to be successful. A teacher had once said to him: “It does not matter how much Latin you know, or how much mathematics, as long as you know all about children.” That was the secret of the whole thing. One must know children and be fond of children.

Mr. Tyrer referred to the good work which had been done by various assistants of past years. He had first taken over from Mr. Edward Adams, a very fine man. That was when the people were just beginning to settle. The children came to school mostly 'between March and September or October. He referred to the great work he and his assistants had put in in those days. The first, great step was the opening of the Technical School in 1896. A year or so after that he had entered three candidate* for tne Victoria College’s Queen scholarship competitions, and they had gained second, eleventh, and thirteenth place. It was really hard to express the thanks of Mrs* Tyrer and himself for their reception. They had given him the reward for his labors. He only regretted that one of his sons was absent and could not see how they had honored his “dad.” After the singing of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” and the National Anthem, those present were entertained to supper, and the function was concluded with a dance. The supper tables were tastefully decorated by Mrs. A. Moon, assisted‘by Mrs. Tiehbon. C. H. Fox s orchestra provided the dance music.