Veteran teacher given fond farewell
Deputy principal leaves school after more than 40 years
After nearly 44 years with Karamu High School, deputy principal and PE teacher Wayne Wooster has officially retired. Affectionately known to students as Mr Woo, he was given a formal send-off, with more than 300 people in attendance.
The farewell was also livestreamed by ex-student John Norris of Engage Video Creation and has been watched by more than 8000 viewers.
Present and past students, wha¯ nau and the Karamu community came together to celebrate and farewell the much-loved teacher and friend, who was supported by his partner Roz Barley and his grandchildren.
Laughter and tears flooded the hall as current and former students spoke of his impact on them, and the emotion-filled assembly ended with a rousing haka.
Wooster’s final speech was peppered with his trademark humour and occasional tears.
While the 66-year-old had initially planned to retire after 50 years, a stroke this year and two months spent in hospital meant he had to focus on his health instead.
“This wasn’t part of the master plan for me,” Wooster admitted.
Before his “unfortunate incident”, the teacher planned to see the Year 9 group that started in 2022 out the other end.
“That would take me to 49, and then I’d stay here for one more year
— just ‘what the hell’, to get to the big 50 and then go from there,” he said.
Although retiring early, Wooster said he feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to be at Karamu for as long as he has.
He began his teaching career in 1979 as a 22-year-old physical education teacher, and three years later, he became the youngest head of department at the age of 25.
Outside the classroom, the PE teacher played No 8 or blindside flanker for the Magpies during the 1984-85 seasons.
He also coached the Magpies to a
Division Two semifinal finish in 1999.
For the last 20 of Wooster’s 44 years at Karamu, he has taken pride in his role as deputy principal while also teaching a Year 13 physical education class.
He said understanding each student and their wha¯nau was the
greatest satisfaction he had got from teaching.
“I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to teach three generations, in some cases,” he said.
“They come in so timid and scared at Year 9, and then they come out the other end confident young adults.
“You feel like you’ve had a little to do with that.”
Although Wooster has retired, his legacy will continue with the gym named in his honour.
Wooster said, for now, the words of one student would stick with him.
“He came up to me and said, ‘Sorry, Mr Wooster, we’re going to miss you; you’ve been like a granddad to all of us’.”
Wooster had said to the young man: “That’s nice. You are like my grandkids, but I’ve already got 11.”
“You don’t sort of mean to play that role, but it happens.
“It just happens, they get that connection.”