Tūātapere Community Icons - Malcolm Garrett, School Teacher for 40 years

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Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive

Tūātapere Community Icons - Malcolm Garrett, School Teacher for 40 years: Historical photos & news articles shown in images above, kindly donated by our Patron, Margaret Thomas, part of the Waiau School Records collection. IMAGES: 1 - Malcolm Garrett's funeral notice from Joan Edgerton's School page site. 2 - Malcolm Garrett in his first year teaching at Waiau District High School, 1959 3 - Malcolm Garrett overview of teaching at Waiau, by G Bradley, School BOT (this school magazine article is also available in .pdf under photos) MALCOLM GARRETT In 1998, the then Waiau College wrote what could be considered, an ‘ode’ to Malcom Garrett, one of their own. It goes like this, (quoted): ------------------------------- “Forty years ago in 1958, Malcolm Garrett started his teaching career and has been going strong ever since. In 1959 Malcolm started teaching at Waiau District High School, where he met Betty, whom he later married. After the birth of their twins, the family moved to the Lewis Pass area, where he became the Principal and bus driver for four years. In 1968, an opening for a teacher at Clifden Primary School became available, so the family moved back home. In 1977, Waiau District High School became Waiau College and Malcolm became Dean for Forms 1 & 2. Over his years at Waiau College, Malcolm has seen many changes in the school. He has seen old buildings be replaced with new buildings, such as the library, gymnasium and administration block, and then of course there has been the changes in discipline procedures. Malcolm has had many enjoyable times at Waiau College and he has especially enjoyed the school productions, camps, sports days and all the other annual events, such as the Ironman. After his retirement at the end of this year, he and Better are planning a trip around the world with their close friends, the Burts, where they plan to stay with various friends and relatives. “After that who knows what. I’ll probably wander around like a lost sheep”, Malcolm said. But he will still have his house and the poultry to look after and he is still a vital member of the Waiau Community Theatre Group and a newly elected member of the Community Board. Quote from a letter to Malcolm: “Your long service both to the District High and to the College mean that we are losing an invaluable link with the past. One of the most striking things about your service at the College has been your leading the march into Information Technology. This indicates the vitality, vision and drive that you possess. Your input over a great number of years into the cultural life of the College, has also been enormous. Records show a long and distinguished time with the Waiau District High and then with Waiau College. The first stint was from 1959 til 1964 as Assistant and then First Assistant. The next ten years were spent in Primary Schools in the district as Principal. A return to Waiau College happened in 1977 and you have remained until 1998. During that period you served as Junior Dean, ran productions, coached gymnastics, swimming, camps, organized the School of Music Classes and have finally moved into the computing field. This is a distinguished record with this school and others of the district. The present Board of Trustees can only extend its grateful thanks on behalf of past and present parents to you. Your service with us has been exemplary and a proud achievement. We are delighted that these years of service and dedication have been given here. We wish you well in the future and hope that we may still avail ourselves of your services for relief and other duties.” G Bradley, on behalf of Waiau College BOT.” --------------------------------- Others have informed us that Malcolm Garrett was a huge part of the Community Theatre, we are hoping to get some photos of him in that to add to this entry. He was also an avid historian according to our Patron, Margaret Thomas, who has bought in a lot of his written works on the district, these are available to view and use for research. Malcolm’s ancestors came from the district from records we have. The fourth child and third son born to Robert (Bert) Harold and Mildred (née Spence) Garrett, of Merrivale. The family settled at Fenham Road in 1929. Another son and daughter followed later. Bert, or ‘Red’ as he was called, was to die young from a cerebral tumour, leaving his wife Mildred with 5 children and another on the way. She sold up and the family moved to the outskirts of Christchurch, where Malcolm grew up, returning to Tūātapere to teach. In his time here, he was not only involved in Community Theatre, but also editing the Western Wanderer, doing computer work and serving on the local Community Board. Malcolm himself, married Elizabeth (Betty) Anne Sim, also a local girl from the district. They had four children and many grandchildren, and recently, great-grandchildren also. In the family history Malcolm compiled, it appears that wife Betty was also a great lover of the theatre. She also volunteered at the Memorial Library, Meals on Wheels and Craft Centre on retirement, as well as playing golf. In 1979 they built their own home on Clifden Road and developed it into a small holding. Malcolm passed away 28.11.2020. If any of you can add information, photos or memories of Malcolm (and Betty) Garrett, we would love to see, hear and be donated them, to add to the story of this local history. Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of the Garrett family and their community connections over the years in Tūātapere, please do share this with us in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Or you can make contact with us as per details on the archive front page.