For 28 years Ray Wittingslow was an immensely popular teacher at Benalla High School.
Prior to starting there in 1963, he worked as a carpenter for Ray Bourke and “Squeaky” Bill Richardson on sites such as the Benalla Drive-in and the Midwifery Wing at the hospital.
But it was as a woodwork and mechanical drawing teacher that “Mr Witt” found his true vocation, and in his three decades at the school he rarely encountered a student he did not like.
Principal Ivor Gazzard recruited him after visiting Ray at home on a Sunday afternoon and wanted him to start work on the Monday.
Kitted out in fashionable long-walk socks, a dustcoat over his clothes and of course, the then compulsory tie, Ray found his way to the men’s staffroom in the old east school building.
The female teachers had their own staffroom in the art-deco building.
Mr Gazzard was succeeded as principal by Jack Clark who brought his own distinctive style to the job.
Ray recalls that the new principal started each day by reading the newspapers in his office for an hour.
He had the desk removed and replaced with a series of easy chairs. His motto to staff was that his “door was always open” and so it proved to be.
Ray saw Jack Clark as a delegator, but a man of great ability.
Ray recalls school assemblies conducted in front of the art-deco building as being memorable at times.
One in particular was addressed by ex-student and war hero, Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop who was in full uniform and inspired all present with his message urging peace and tolerance.
In Ray’s day, sport at school, and in the wider community, was a huge part of life in Benalla.
He recalls it as commonplace for 100 players to compete at lawn tennis on Saturday afternoons.
But golf was Ray’s sporting passion.
During the school’s end-of-year activities, he conducted “Mr Witt’s golfing program” in which he and a colleague took 10 students to play at Benalla, Tocumwal, Shepparton, Cobram and Yarrawonga on successive days.
Many a sub-par golfer undoubtedly emerged from these outings.
Of course the teachers were kept busy improving their own handicaps.
Other memorable activities beyond the school walls in which Ray took part, included a Central Australia camping tour.
Students travelled on dirt roads all the way to Uluru (Ayers Rock at the time) and were able to climb it.
Phillip Island camps were conducted as getting-to-know-you experiences, as were camps at Wandiligong, where on occasions, they had to be evacuated as bushfires threatened.
Ray’s one shortcoming was a slight aversion to staff meetings.
He overcame this by volunteering for bus duty to avoid attending, but this sometimes led to having to drive students home who had missed the bus.
When the final bell rang after 28 years, Ray looked back with considerable pride on a working life of teaching, sport, camps and adding immeasurably to the lives of students.
In many respects, Mr Witt can be regarded as a modern-day “Mr Chips”.
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