OBITUARY: Dr Hugh Randal Barr, July 24, 1939 – March 11, 2018 Fond farewell to scholar, gentleman, traveller
The flag on the University of Waikato’s main block flew at half-mast when those who had known Hugh Barr gathered in the Lady Goodfellow Chapel to farewell a teacher widely acknowledged as a scholar and gentleman.
The lowering of the flag was a significant mark of respect from the university community for a man who retired nearly two decades ago as senior lecturer in the School of Education.
The gesture, however, was to be expected. Hugh was, after all, an honorary fellow of the university – an accolade not given to many.
Not bad for a man who started his teaching career at rural Turuturu school in Hawera, Taranaki.
The posting, as a probationary assistant following his training at Palmerston North Teachers Training College, was one Hugh would have welcomed – after all, he was a local lad and hockey Blue from New Plymouth Boys High.
That said, he stayed just long enough to get his teaching certificate and to save the necessary funds (he worked his teaching holidays at a Wattie’s canning factory in Hastings) to launch himself on an OE. Travel was to become a lifelong interest.
The first week of his journey started badly (he missed his boat out of Sydney), but ended well (he met his future wife, Carmel Beha, after hurriedly flying to Melbourne to catch the Italian immigrant boat, the Fair Sea). Theirs was a shipboard romance, a common enough occurrence in the days of long sea journeys, but, unusually, it was one made to last.
Hugh watched Murray Halberg and Peter Snell at the Rome Olympics and spent a year as a supply teacher in London, while Carmel took on an administrative position. They returned to Melbourne in 1961, married in St Brendan’s in Flemington on St Patrick’s Day and flew to New Zealand the next day as Hugh had won a position as assistant teacher at the tiny Huiakama School on the Forgotten Highway.
The job came with a house and the couple settled down for two years, before moving on to Norfolk School in Inglewood and then Te Wharau School in Wairarapa, where Hugh was the solecharge teacher.
School of Education colleague John Graham, a geography lecturer, noted at Hugh’s farewell that Te Wharau was a fitting end to a career in small rural schools.
‘‘Depending on which projection of the world you look at,’’ John said, ‘‘Te Wharau is possibly New Zealand’s most easterly school, apart from those on the Chatham and Pitt islands.’’
From the Wairarapa the family moved to Hamilton and, while at Fairfield Intermediate, Hugh completed his BA extramurally from Massey University. He then studied, part-time, an MA in history at the University of Waikato. He finished this in 1974, after taking a year off teaching, and supporting his young family by working week nights and weekends as a barman at the Riverina Hotel in Hamilton East.
At this point, Hugh’s career became linked to that of Social Credit politician, Bruce Beetham. Bruce was on the staff of the Hamilton Teachers College, lecturing in social studies and history.
As John tells it, Bruce applied for leave of absence in 1976 to help sort out the Social Credit Party. To fill the gap, Hugh, whose work in the classroom had been noted by colleagues, was shouldertapped and seconded from Fairfield Intermediate.
John said that while Bruce established his political career, the college staff became used to farewelling Hugh at the end of each of four academic years, only to have him return the following February.
‘‘At the conclusion of 1976 we farewelled Hugh – only to welcome him back when Bruce won the Hamilton mayoralty and took a further year’s leave. At the end of 1977 we again farewelled Hugh and wished him well at Fairfield Intermediate. But Bruce was then elected to Parliament, so he resigned from the college, and Hugh was back again at the start of 1978,’’ John recalled.
Hugh was to stay at the college, and then the School of Education, for a little over two decades, carving an academic career noted for its exploratory and ground-breaking work in social studies.
His love of travel was to come through in the many field trips he helped organise for his students to, among others, Borneo, India, and Thailand.
Returning from one trip, to either Sarawak or Malaysia, Hugh had staff and students build a replica long house to teach them how to think outside the square in their own classrooms.
John said the project succeeded in its purpose: ‘‘We resorted to taking out an upper window and dragging the [very long bamboo] poles up by rope.’’
As well, Hugh took advantage of academic exchanges and spent time as a visiting lecturer at universities in Nevada and New Mexico.
Hugh was well published internationally. He wrote dozens of papers about his subject and sought to promote it in the curriculum. His many academic publications ranged from the place of social studies in police education through to articles on citizenship and democracy.
Reasonably late in his career Hugh completed a doctorate, and towards the end of his time at the university, took on the roles of chairing the Social Studies Department and then the Curriculum Department.
John said Hugh’s colleagues knew they could rely on Hugh to plan, teach, and guide well. ‘‘He could also be relied upon to come up with innovative ideas on how to present material; and wise judgment when it came to dealing with students.’’
Hugh retired in 1999, and then spent two years with Carmel in Dubai as a professor at Zayed University.
Discovering in 2003 that he had cancer, the couple made the decision to leave their Te Miro block, where they had planted some 2000 trees, and move back into Hamilton. They bought a house on a flat section in Huntington and developed the garden. As his illness took hold, Hugh compensated for his decreased mobility by developing an interest in bonsai trees.
Friend and university librarian Rodney Gray said Hugh’s interest in the miniatures was indicative of his gallant battle against his life becoming smaller.
‘‘He kept on being interested in the world and its goings on until the very last. Interests needed to change but there were always interests.’’
One of Hugh’s bonsai, perfectly formed, took the place of the more customary wreath on his coffin. Outside of the square, you understand.
Hugh was the much-loved husband, father, friend of Carmel, David (deceased), Cathryn and Fiona. ●➤ A Life Story tells of a New Zealander who helped to shape the Waikato community. If you know of someone whose life story should be told, please email Charles.riddle@wintec.ac.nz