At the beginning of 1975 a young Science teacher was appointed to a position at St Thomas of Canterbury College. He saw this as the next step in a career that had started at Aranui High school in 1966, continued in Canada for 5 years and then at Lincoln High School for 4 terms on his return to NZ. Now, 51 years after he began his teaching career and 42 years after he first came to St Thomas, John Gaffaney is ready to take that next step!
John has been involved in almost every aspect of the life at the school but obviously his greatest influence has been in the classroom. When you listen to him talking about science matters it is difficult to imagine he could have had a career as anything but a teacher – his fascination with the workings of the Universe and the natural world is obvious in everything he says and the depth of his research and reading is impressive but what makes him a great teacher is his ability to make highly complex theories and concepts understandable and interesting to even the least scientific listener.
He brought this fascination and desire to share his knowledge to his classes and generations of students have been inspired and informed and will remember for life the knowledge he imparted to them – though the beard, lab coat and voice all helped to create the image! Many of his students have gone on to have illustrious careers in Science and acknowledge the important role John had in igniting their and fostering their passion.
There is, however, more to being a teacher than just imparting knowledge. Common threads running through the comments made by old boys in the last few weeks have focussed on John’s kindness to his students, the countless hours he has given at lunchtimes and after to school to students who need extra help, his integrity and honesty and his total commitment to his students. Such comments as - “absolute legend”, “a great man”, “top man”, “a gent of the first order”, “remember your empathy with us” - demonstrate the respect and admiration he has inspired.
Outside the classroom John has been involved in many other aspects of the school. Between 1982 and 2012 he was the technical wizard, set designer and constructor, lighting designer, sound controller, photographer and general problem solver for the drama evenings in the early years to the annual major productions from 1986 to 2012. Thanks to John the hall was transformed into Victorian London (including London Bridge – some grumbles when asked to do that one!), Revolutionary Paris, the Wild West, Medieval England, Sherwood Forest, a planet far, far away etc etc etc. Thousands of hours were spent with his band of willing helpers constructing elaborate sets, setting up the lights and programming the lighting board, installing sound equipment, creating sound effects and special effects, hiring equipment and all the other jobs that need to be done. All this necessitated the use of numerous electrical tools, large hammers and spanners, genie lifts, scaffolding and precariously balanced ladders– all within OSH guidelines of course!
A lasting historically important part of any school’s life is the annual magazine which is the only permanent record of the activities of the College and its students. Starting in 1976 through to 2005 the Gaffaney and Gaffaney team produced Canterbury Tales, working with a team of students to produce a lasting record of the diverse life of the College. In this enterprise John had several roles:- behind the camera spending countless hours attending sporting, cultural and social events (this is explains why there are so few photos of him); working as the technical expert in the production of the magazine – from linotype production at The Star, to manually setting up proof pages for the printer to work from, to Pagemaker production of print ready pages. It was interesting that at the Old Boys’ and Friends’ function last Friday everyone spent some time looking at the magazines that were available laughing at hairstyles, reminiscing about events and sharing memories.
In his “spare” moments he also found the time to coach junior football and cricket teams.
As a staff member John has been a constant champion of staff and student rights. He has the ability to see beyond the immediate impact of a course of action and identify possible longer-term consequences. A staunch supporter of the College he has been prepared to challenge ideas when he feels it is necessary and present his arguments in a logical and reasoned manner. It is a mark of the respect that the staff have for his integrity and honesty that for 20 years he was elected as the staff representative on first the Board of Governors and, after Integration, The Board of Trustees. He was also for many years our PPTA Branch Chairman – his latest stint ended last week – and in this role he guided us through some turbulent times as we battled with the Government over pay and conditions and, on some occasions, with the Board of Trustees.
He was also a long-serving member of the PFA Committee in the halcyon days when there were 40 people on the committee and numerous fund-raising activities each year.
It might seem that with all these commitments STC has been John’s sole focus in the last 43 years. Not so. A keen sportsman he was for many years a rugby referee in the Ellesmere sub-union and also served in St Johns’ as a medical volunteer at local events and an ambulance driver in the Leeston district. He was for several years on the Leeston Parish Council and an active member of the Leeston parish community.
An avid DIY expert he has, with advice, encouragement, guidance and assistance from Maureen, remodelled, reconstructed and redecorated nearly every aspect of their Southbridge property. He also planted a large number of trees in the early years and is now engaged in felling them and cutting them up for firewood.
But the real centre of John’s world is his family – Maureen, his two sons, Sean and Nick, and his two grandchildren, Jaime and Matthew, to whom he is devoted and of whom he is inordinately proud.
We wish John every happiness as finally he takes this next step in his life – lots of time spent with his family, more DIY, more woodchopping, more travel – there are still Science Museums to explore -and new adventures to enjoy.
A final comment from an old boy:
“Your greatest impact is not in the school but in the students in the wider world who have taken on both the knowledge you’ve imparted and the wisdom you’ve passed on.”