After 28 years at Hagley, Head of Social Sciences Greg Morton has decided to retire from leading a large department and History teaching.

For some, the end of a career can bring with it uncertainty about what lies ahead, even some fear of a gap appearing in a previously busy life.  This is definitely not the case for Greg. He’s returning to his turangawaewae, Central Otago, and all that holds: family, fishing, hunting, the unique Central scenery and lifestyle - and more. In his email to staff announcing his retirement, Greg put it so well: “time to mosey on, enjoy the Hawkdun Range scenery, a nice wine on the deck, and smell the thyme.”

Greg is one of our longest serving Heads of Department, having spent 20 years as the head of the large Social Science Department and Head of History before that, having joined the Hagley staff in 1989. Greg’s long term mentor, retired Hagley Deputy Principal Chris Doyle, acknowledged Greg as an excellent classroom teacher, highlighting his friendly good-humoured manner and style of teaching as an inspiration to his students. Hagley prides itself on the strength of the relationships built by staff with students – and Greg’s classroom is a shining example. Greg’s senior History classes are usually full, with many students choosing the subject because Greg is their teacher.

Greg has dedicated his career to education. Following high school, he went to Otago University assisted by a Ministry of Education teacher studentship, then to Christchurch Teachers’ College. His teaching career began at Patea High School, then to Northern Southland College, on to Dunstan High School and then 28 years at Hagley.

Greg feels he’s been very lucky to have been teacher in charge of History at all four schools. He says he has a simple philosophy to teaching. “My role is to ‘explain, enthuse and encourage’. A lot of my efforts over the last few decades have been to make History enjoyable, insightful, interesting and relevant to students.” Greg takes satisfaction from seeing how successful the subject has been at all four locations. “A lot of people across New Zealand have been taught History by me. I enjoy hearing a lot of them say, “History is my favourite subject,” or “I’m going to take History at University,” or “I enjoy the way you teach.” The proof has been clearly evident in the popularity of Greg’s classes. At times, that popularity came at a workload cost as for many years he consistently taught classes packed to the gunnels. In New Zealand Studies, he once had 45 students squeezed into the room.

When Greg started teaching, it was expected that teachers were able to fill in where needed, particularly in smaller schools. In addition to being the teacher in charge of History, he has been a teacher-librarian at two schools, Dean at three schools, in charge of Outdoor Education at one and, for the last couple of decades, HoD Social Sciences. Greg has coached rugby, volleyball, basketball and tennis teams, and in Southland he ran a trout fishing club, which consisted of half the school population!

Having been a frontline teacher throughout his teaching career and leader of a big department, Greg finds himself often advocating the concepts of process and real consultation. Get the processes right, and take on board true consultation and resentment ebbs away. He would like to think his students and staff knew he always had their backs.

When Greg started teaching a mentor said, “make sure teaching doesn’t become your life, live your interests in every spare moment.” He took that advice on board and has been an outdoors writer, focusing mainly on fishing, since 1987. As a columnist and New Zealand correspondent for two national and three international magazines, he gets out on the water and in the hills and writes up to 24 published articles a year. Greg will continue this interest after leaving Hagley.

Greg says that he will miss many of the friends he leaves behind at Hagley, the stimulating conversations in their corner of the staffroom, the students whom he has taught, his great department, the skilled support and IT staff, the beautiful grounds and buildings, and the ethos of Hagley. He won’t miss the bureaucracy of teaching in any form. On a personal level, he and his wife Lorraine have six adult children and six grandchildren. We wish Greg and Lorraine all the best as they move to Alexandra in Central Otago at the end of the school year.