John Maurer

syl.john@bigpond.net.au

Mailtand Boys High school: 1955 - 1959

Personal information:

Telarah primary School

1955 Maitland Boys High

1960 - 61 Newcastle teachers College - Industrial Arts

1964 Married Sylvia Chappell - two children, four grandchildren
1968 Moved to Marks Point where we still reside.

1994 Retired from teaching due to ill health.

Teaching:

1962 Ariah Park Central School - 60 pupils in the secondary department. My introduction to the profession where I was expected to be an expert on the following subjects:
Art, English Literature, P.E.(did not become Human Movement until much later), Mathematics plus the subjects for which I had been trained. Enthusiasm had to take the place of experience in this situation. All this plus the introduction of the infamous Wyndham Scheme.

1964 Tamworth High School - 1760 pupils - an amazing change - the huge number of students took some getting used to - (at the time, second only to Broken Hill High School). This was an excellent school in what I still regard as the best country town in the state.

1968 Booragul & Cessnock High Schools - itinerant 3 days at Booragul and two days at Cessnock.
Maitland Boys High School - after a car accident in first term I was appointed to my Ôold schoolÕ where I happily finished off the year.

1968-70 Toronto High School - while at this school we witnessed the famous and original Moon Walk.

1971- 94 Swansea High School - by far my longest stay an any school. I held a list position for promotion but I chose only to take relieving positions and these were many and varied:
Head Teacher of the following areas - Special - Human Movement, Art, Languages and Administration, as well as that of Head teacher Industrial Arts, and on one occasion, Head Teacher of what was then called Home Science! No doubt a man of many talents!

Personal Interests:

I continued to play Rugby League until about 26 years of age with only mediocre results and some injuries as a bonus.
I took up white water canoeing with The Hunter Valley Canoe Club which was a very enjoyable phase in my life.
After a long drought which ended my canoeing, I entered the world of sailing and over many years we have had a wonderful, and sometimes successful association with the sport, winning our share of races and three regattas on lake Macquarie. Right now I am playing golf, very indifferently, but I enjoy both the game and the people I associate with.
My wife and I are keen caravaners and 4x4 travellers and we are lucky to have seen a large proportion of this wonderful country of ours.