FORMER EDUCATION BOARD SECRETARY IS DEAD; MR W. H. SWANGER

Wanganui Chronicle, 17 May 1950, Page 4

FORMER EDUCATION BOARD SECRETARY IS DEAD; MR W. H. SWANGER

The death occurred in Wanganui yesterday of Mr. Walter Henry Swanger, secretary of the Wanganui Education Board from 1910 to 1933, and an employee of the hoard for 371 years, in his 69th year. Mr. Swanger retired from the service of tiie hoard in 1933. Educated at the Wanganui District Boys’ High School, Mr. Swanger joined the staff of the Education Board in December. 1895, as a junior clerk. Mr. Swanger was awarded a Rees Bequest Scholarship which enabled him to attend evening classes at the Wanganui Technical School which was then situated on th« present site of McGruer’s store. He also took up a correspondence course m accountancy and later was appointed an instructor in commercial subjects at the evening classes.

■ On the retirement of Mr. A. A. Browne from the secretaryship of the board in 1902, Mr. Swanger was appointed chief clerk and later was appointed .as the board’s accountant. In 1910, he succeeded Mr. W. J. Carson as secretary of the board and treasurer and held that position until he retired. It was in the year of his appointment that the scheme for the cutting up of the school reserve of one acre at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Guyton Street was finalised and the erection of the new Technical School, the Central Infants’ School and the Education Board’s offices was begun. Mr. Swanger was associated with Mr. Fred Firani and Mr. W. Bruce in carrying out this scheme, which resulted in the new buildings being provided without cost to the Government.

On the death of Mr. G. D. Braik early in 1915, the position of director of technical and manual training was added to Mr. Swanger's duties. In

1920, the Wanganui Education Board took over the clerical duties for the Wanganui Girls' College and Mr. Swanger was appointed secretary and treasurer, and in 1923 he was appointed as the board's representative on the Board of Managers of the Wanganui Technical College. This position he held for nine ye.ars. Mr. Swanger attended many conferences of representatives of education boards and secondary and technical boards, his first attendance being at a conference in Wellington in 1910, when he was appointed conference secretary. When the report of the Parliamentary Education Committee on Educational Reorganis ation, known as the Atmore report, was published in 1930, Mr. Swanger prepared a confidential criticism foi the Wanganui Education Board on the report. The board had this report printed and circulated throughout the Dominion. This report was instrumental in stirring other boards to action with the result that the report was shelved. '

Mr. Gilbert Carson was chairmar of the board when Mr. Swanger joined as a clerk. 1 Subsequently he served under Messrs J. VZ. Baker, G. S. Bridge, F. Pirani, W. A. Collins and E. F. Hemingway. A keen sportsman all his life. Mr. Swanger was captain of the Union Boat Club many years ago and a former secretary of the Wanganui Rowing Association. He is a vicepresident of the Union Boat Club and a former trustee. In later years he took un tennis and was captain of the Wanganui East Lawn Tennis Club and was president of the Wanganui l awn Tennis Association for a period. For some years he was interested in golf and was a member of the Wanganui Golf Club. Mr. Swanger was a member of the old Volunteer Guard in Wanganui and held the rank of sergeant. He has been a keen angler since his retirement, following which he lived at Turangi for many years. Later he moved to Rotorua, and about a year ago he returned to Wanganui. A member of the Masonic Fraternity, Mr. Swanger was once Junior Warden in Lodge Tongariro. While st . Turangi ho became a foundation member of the new Masonic Lodge at. Taupo. He was also a keen bowler and played for the Wanganui Bowling Club in recent years. Mr. Swanger leaves a widow, a son, Mr. W. W. Swanger, of Wellington, and a daughter, Mrs. D. A. Blue, of Waituna West. Mr. George Swanger, of Turangi. formerly building controller at Palmerston North, is a brother. Mr. Swanger was twice married. His first wife predeceased him several years ago. During his residence at Turan Mr. Swan "or wpc .. distr’et coroner. He was a Justice of the Peace for many years.

EDI CATION BOARD TRIBUTE Tribute to Mr. Swanger’s work in the cause of education was paid at yesterdays meeting of the Wanganui Education Board when a motion oi sympathy with his relatives was carried. Stating that Mr. S’.vg;"?r nad joined the board as a boy and had gradually worked himself up to the position of secretary, the chairman (Mr. W. LfcTennent, M.P.) said that Mr. Swan--1 ger had done much in the cause of education, not only in the ooard’4 district, but. throughout the Dominion. Mr. E. R. Hodge, a former architect 1o the board, said that Mr. Swanger was secretary when he joined the board’s staff in 1914. He said Mr. Swanger had always beer, a great and dear friend of his. Speaking personally and on behalf of the staff, some of whom had worked with Mr. Swanger, the secretary (Mr. G. N. Boulton) said that when he succeeded Mr J. £. Bree as secretary, Mr. Swanger had come back to the board fo r five or six weeks. During that ti ne, said Mr.

Boulton, he had accompanied Mr. Swanger on a tour of th” board's district and had got to know him well. He said the ‘Vangarui board always had a great reputation for the happy spirit which existed i>- t veen its teachers and the board, and he personally considered Ihit this spirit was due 10 the personality and work of Mr Swanger. “He was a gentleman in the truest sense of tTie w i ’d nnfi vra? cooperation itself,” he said. Tributes were paid by other board members.