Oscar C. Knauerhase

After three years on the staff of Immanuel College, I received an appointment as an assistant with the Adelaide Technical High School in 1937. During the whole of my career as a teacher I have been engaged in teaching English and mathematics and, for about 20 years, social studies as well.

In 1942, social studies as one of the humanities was first introduced into the Technical Course. Mr Moyle gave lessons in civics and ancient history to first year boys. At that time, the subject was in its infancy. In the following three years, the subject was raised to Intermediate standard. I was appointed senior master in social studies within the school. It did not become part of the PEB Intermediate examination until 1948, but after that time at least 20 boys each year did social studies as an extra subject in the course for the Intermediate certificate. This, together with French which had for a long while been part of the Technical Course, went some way towards achieving the headmaster’s aim of adding a humanity to the course.

Many old scholars responded to the call to serve in the forces during the Second World War. The names of 565 men are recorded in the school magazines, about half of them having enlisted in the RAAF. By 1944, 10 of these had received the DFC, one of the first being Pilot Officer
W.H. Millington. Eight women also volunteered for overseas service. Of these old scholars 88 men and two women paid the supreme sacrifice.

Of the staff, Mr G.L. Haskard enlisted at the end of 1941, and with the rank of Captain served as an education officer with the AMF, principally in Central Australia. After two years in the forces, he resumed his former post. A former member of the staff P.O.K.P. Durieu was a prisoner of war in Java for three years, but returned safely at the end of the war. From the craft department, Mr F.A.G. Tucker served with the AIF, in two theatres of war. He rose rapidly to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He was mentioned in despatches in 1942, and again in the Pacific area, winning the DSO in 1945.

To assist during Mr Haskard’s absence in the defence forces, Mr Cowan, formerly headmaster of Flinders Naval College, was appointed, and remained on the staff for eight years. In the war years, another member of staff left to establish correspondence courses for returned servicemen. This was Mr M.H. Bone BA, B.Ed, Dip.Ed., one of the most able teachers ever to have been associated with the school. He left in 1944, after having been on the staff for just over 10 years. He became the first principal of the Technical Correspondence School in 1949. He was rapidly promoted to higher positions in the Technical Division of the Education Department, to become Director of Technical Education in 1962. It is of interest that Mr A.W. Jones, the [1975] Director-General of Education, and Mr D.J. Anders, the [1975] Superintendent of Educational Services and Resources, are both old scholars of Adelaide Technical High School.²³

I was acting deputy headmaster for the second half of 1963. In 1964, I was appointed a special senior master in English.²⁴ At the beginning of that appointment there were five separate courses, but these had grown to 12 by the time I ceased full-time duty in 1972. In 1964 the headmaster, Mr Hilbig, arranged for exchange visits with Newland High School, Coburg, near Melbourne, a similar co-educational school. The arrangement was that if a party of our boys visited them, a party of their girls would visit us at the same time.

Groups of about 60 students were involved. A number of contests were arranged for such visits. These included a variety of sports and chess. A special feature was a debate or, in the last two years, a speech contest. For the debates, I organised a debating club, and both our boys and our girls won the debates in the two years they were held … These visits came to an end in 1968.

Two years later, Mr Dungey, who was then headmaster, arranged to have similar exchange visits with Whyalla Technical High School. They were run on similar lines. Groups of boys and girls combined were involved: one group would visit Whyalla, and at the same time a group from Whyalla would visit us. Again there were contests in sports at each school and a debate as well. Although we had several successes Whyalla students proved the more able competitors in the two years the visits were conducted.²⁵

I was involved with tennis from the time of my appointment until 1968. After nearly two years in a part-time capacity, I retired at the end of the second term in 1974.

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