Edwin Charles George (Ted) 1942 – 1947

Ted became a member of the King’s Parent's Association in 1974. From 1977 to 1979 he served on the Management Committee for King's High School under the Otago High Schools Board.

His work over these years had originally been with the setting up of King's High School's own Board which was finally achieved in 1979. He was elected as a Parents' Representative to this new and separate King's High School Board of Governors in 1979 and re-elected in 1982 and 1985.

Ted was Deputy Chairman of King's Board since its inception and Chairman of the Works Committee for the first eight years. In this latter role, in particular, Ted worked tirelessly and deserves much of the credit for persuading the Department of Education of the need for initiating an extensive programme of renovations and improvements in the early days of the King's Board and in the eventual decision to redevelop.

Ted George brought sound common sense to meetings of the Board and Parent’s Association; always practical, he had little time for mumbo-jumbo – if a job was required to be done, Ted was there, more often than not completing the task himself. He was a long serving member of King's High School Board retiring late in 1988 after 14 years of service to the school.

While a pupil at the school Ted was Captain of the Football 1st XI in 1946, 1947 and gained a School Blue for Football in both of those years. He was the winner of the Dunbar Cup two years running in 1946 and 1947. This was earned for being the Senior Fives Singles champion. He was also the Doubles champion in these years.

Ted left King’s in 1947 originally to be a Chemist but in the mid-1950s he set up the well-known firm ‘George and Ashton' with his friend Bill Ashton. Later they sold out to AHI. Ted continued in the fibre glass industry however, through his new firm Poly Craft Services. Always an innovator, Ted produced Refrigerated Bodies, Boats for the UN, and developed processes for industrial floor treatments.

His interests outside work lay with cars, sailing and his beautiful hand-built yacht. Ted was a man of action, who never suffered fools gladly. He was the ideal New Zealand working bee specialist, many a time working long hours for King's in one of his pet projects or slaving over a hot pan of fat producing chips for a Gala Day.

Such an honest, hard-working man earned his friends easily; indeed, it was a privilege to be one of Teds mates, 'privy' to private and public schemes, in there helping him to achieve results.

The saddest part in his passing in 1989 was the fact he did not live to see years of self-sacrifice and effort come to fruition – though the school rebuilding plan had received Caucus approval – he did not live to see the 'first sod cut'. Nonetheless when the new school became a reality many in the years to come will realise that much of the progress towards the new King's was the result of E.C. George's efforts. His work is recognised in having a wing of the school named after him.