Teacher loved to educate state’s youth
Stern but fair principle admired by all
‘‘ AS A HUSBAND AND FATHER, ARTHUR WAS DEDICATED AND CARING, LEADING BY EXAMPLE THROUGH HIS VALUES AND REMARKABLE WORK ETHIC.
MANY Queensland families and teachers will remember Arthur Johnson as the stern but fair principal of their local school.
Arthur’s career in education spanned 36 years from 1952 until his retirement in January 1989, and saw him serve in many schools across the state, finally as principal of Rangeville State School, Toowoomba.
Arthur was born in Murwillumbah, where his parents farmed bananas.
If not for an outbreak of the bunchy top virus which decimated crops in that area, he may have remained in New South Wales rather than moving with his family to Queensland and becoming a loyal Queensland State of Origin fan in later years.
His parents had emigrated separately to Australia in the late 1920s, Ronald Edwin Johnson from Wales and Sarah Jane Brawley (“Jeannie”) McCreadie from Scotland.
Ronald and Sarah met and married in Scone, New South Wales.
Following the loss of their livelihood in Murwillumbah, they moved to Wynnum, Brisbane. Here, Arthur attended Wynnum West State School, then Brisbane State High School where he won a scholarship to Kelvin Grove Teachers’ College.
He graduated from Grove as a primary
NEALE JOHNSON
Kelvin school teacher-principal in 1951 and began his teaching career at his old stamping ground, Wynnum West State School, teaching Grade 3.
During this time, he met his future wife Nita Armstrong at Wynnum through mutual friends.
They were married in Mackay, Nita’s hometown, on January 2, 1954.
From Wynnum West, Arthur was transferred as principal to his first one-teacher school at Gurgeena on the Binjour Plateau near Mundubbera.
Transfers and promotions to larger schools followed, taking the family to South Bingera, Durong South, Woongarra, Morven, Brigalow, Glennie Heights, Ayr, Toowoomba North, and finally, Rangeville, from where he retired at the end of 1988.
Throughout his career, Arthur was a strong advocate for the advancement of education and the teaching profession, not just in Queensland and Australia, but internationally through his active participation in conferences in places as far afield as Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Malaysia and South Korea.
He was a member of the Queensland Teachers’ Union from 1952 to 1988, attending his first branch meeting at Bundaberg Central State School in 1954 while principal at South Bingera.
This was the beginning of 35 years of active involvement in the union.
Arthur fulfilled many roles throughout this time, serving on a wide range of committees.
He was elected to the Executive in 1976 and as a trustee of the QTU in 1981, occupying these roles until his retirement.
In 1976, he was elected as the QTU nominee on the Primary Promotions Panel and then in 1978 as the QTU nominee on the Board of Teacher Registration, again retaining these roles for the following 10 years.
At the national level, Arthur was elected to the Australian Teachers’ Federation Committee of the QTU, the ATF National Curriculum Committee, and the ATF International Committee.
Outside of this diverse and distinguished career in education, Arthur was a keen sportsperson, playing rugby league, cricket, tennis, squash and lawn bowls, at all times bringing his enthusiasm for excellence to bear.
As a husband and father, Arthur was dedicated and caring, leading by example through his values and remarkable work ethic.
He is survived by his wife, Nita, children Alison, Neale
Photo: Contributed
and Ian, grandchildren Kellie, Cameron, Michael and David, and great-grandchildren, Brandon, Addison, Torah and Isabelle. He will be sadly missed by his family and friends.