OBITUARY.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1924, Page 8

OBITUARY.

MR. R. H. ROCKEL, M.A. A .STUDENT OF MANY PARTS. The death of Mr. R. H. Rockel, M.A., aged 56, first assistant on tlie teaching staff of the New Plymouth Boys’ High School, occurred at New Plymouth yesterday morning. Mr. Rockel had been ill for some time, and had been compt lied to obtain extended leave from his work in order to undergo treatment in a private hospital, but though he had been seriously ill, the end came with comparative suddenness. Well-known as he was in New Plymouth, Mr. Rockel will be most missed by the hundreds of boys and young men, present and past pupils of the High School, to whom he has been a familiar and respected figure and a guide of their youthful destinies. In culture and all forms of intellectual pursuits, in church work, in music and in sport, Mr. Rockel has been an ever prominent personality, and to his associates in these activities and to the senior pupils of the school, with whom he had most to do. his loss will be a very real one. In school life, as in other spheres, Mr. Rockel was imbued with a deep sense of duty and a desire for thoroughness, and those who knew him best appreciated him most. Mr. Rockel first came to New Plymouth in 1913. when he joined the High School as English and classical master and first assistant. He graduated for his M.A. degree in 1901, taking honours in Latin and English. Beginning his career in the primary schools, he. later embarked upon secondary teaching, and was successively' classical master and acting headmaster at the Timaru High School. He later made history and geography his special studies, and acted as examiner in those subjects for the Education Department. During his life in New Plymouth Mr. Rockel was associated in the work of bettering the conditions of appointment and the salaries of his fellow teachers, and was one of the pioneers in the New Zealand Secondary School Teachers’ Association, being for many years on the. executive and for one year president. In religious circles he was a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church, and frequently occupied the pulpit a-3 a lay preacher, as well as being leader of the Presbyterian Young Men’s Senior Bible Class. This latter association was, perhaps, the work that lay nearest. his heart, and the present virility of the class owes much to his Christian guidance. Mr. Rockel was keenly interested in music, and frequently lectured on the lives and works of the great composers, while he was also a deep student of literature, being instrumental in forming the Shakespearian Club in New Plymouth. Another of his many-sided activities was found in his study of Maori life and traditions, there being scarcely one exhibit in the Maori section of the museum with which he was not conversant. He was regarded as one of the leading students in this phase of the activities of the Polynesian Society, with which he was actively connected. Mr. Rockel was a prominent and very keen member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he had held executive positions, while there wore few better versed in Masonic ritual than he. He wa- also an enthusiastic tennis player and wa» a member of the committee of the New Plymouth Tennis Club. In earlier life he was a keen cricketer, had been a good athlete, and an old Rugby provincial representative. Mr. Rockel leaves a widow and a married daughter (Mrs. B. Deck, Motueka) to mourn his loss, and to these the deepest sympathy of their many friends is extended. As a mark of respect towards its late master the school was closed yesterday, and a brief but impressive memorial service was held at

' morning prayers. The flag was also j flown at half-mast throughout the day. 1 The funeral will leave the Masonic hall at 4 p.m. to-day for the Te Hcnul j cemetery. ! Appreciative reference to the assist- . ar.ee which Mr. Rockel had given in coni nection with school cricket was made at ' the weekly meeting of the North Taranaki Cricket Association last night. The chairman (Mr. C. G. Bottrill) stated that although Mr. Rockel had not actually taken part in matches, he had acted as umpire on several occasions, and had rendered much valuable assistance in the promoting of school cricket generally. A motion of sympathy was carried by all present standing in silence.