Kelston Intermediate

John Widdup

Kelston Intermediate

John attended New Lynn Primary, Avondale Intermediate and had one year at Kelston Boys High School before his family moved to the North Shore and he completed his education at Westlake Boys High School. “A teacher at Westlake inspired me go into teaching and I was fortunate to secure a teaching scholarship to Canterbury University and Christchurch Teachers College. Interestingly, my first school was Pomaria Road School in Henderson, where I spent a year and Paul Radisich was in my class.” After twelve months John took his OE to Britain and on his return he taught in Rakaia and Ashburton before taking his first principal’s role at Maromaku in the Bay of Islands, where the Going family are better known than their town. “I taught Sid and Ken’s children and stayed there for five years.” John then moved south to Glenbervie School, close to Whangarei, and following another five years moved to Devonport Primary as principal, where he stayed for three years. For the next eight years John was principal at Whangaparaoa Primary School and then in 2001 he and his wife, Kathryn, decided to do something different. For twelve months they lived in King Khalid Military City in central Saudi Arabia where Kathryn worked in the hospital and John ran the hospital school. Following this sojourn they went to England for a year and John worked in the recruitment of teachers covering the East Anglia area from Norwich. Missing the cut and thrust of school life, John’s next move was to run an international school in Cairo. “We arrived back into Auckland in September 2005 and when I contacted the Ministry of Education (MOE) they referred me to Kelston Intermediate where a principal was required. I was here for three terms at the MOE’s initiative before the school went through the conventional process and I was appointed permanently. The School has gone through a wonderful transformation in the last two years. Among other things it is now a safe school where academic achievement has flourished. I am so impressed with how humble and genuine the people of Kelston are. For our staff, it’s a thrill to work with them to ensure their children continue to develop on the splendid work the local primary schools do.”