Don Gwilliam 1937-2017
Don Gwilliam was a life-long educator and he brought this passion for "knowledge" and its practical application to his career and through his many interests and involvement in community.
Don passed away - sadly still with so much more to do and share with the world - on January 17.
Born and raised in Auckland at the end of the war years Don trained as a motor mechanic with JJ Craigs. He excelled in his studies and was twice top of New Zealand in his trade exams - and already imparting his knowledge, expertise and passion to younger apprentices.
Don and his young family moved to Whangarei in 1964 and he managed the workshops at Wright Stephenson until 1972 when the calling to teach outweighed his love of all things mechanical.
After a "pressure cooker" year at training college he joined Whangarei Boys' High School in the technical department.
Here he took his role far beyond teaching the curriculum to instil his deep interest in his topics and encouraged his students to "give it a go" and sharing his own enthusiasms to bring classwork to life.
Beyond the classroom, Don and his wife Rosalie supported the relay to Wellington to support the school centenary in 1981, and in 2006 he produced a pictorial history of WBHS Fideliter - Shaping Us to celebrate the 125th jubilee.
"People of such high integrity and values seem to be few and far between in this day and age. WBHS and the Whangarei community have lost one of the great ones. Simply put, if one man personifies the values that WBHS tries to instil in its students, that man is Don Gwilliam," says Greg Weaver, WBHS Old Boys Association development officer.
Don was recognised with a National Education Service Award in 2002 and retired the same year.
His strong links with the school continued and saw Don working in the archives, photographing student activities and supporting Carruth House over many years.
Others will know Don through his passion for photography. As well as teaching photography at several schools Don was involved in the Whangarei Photographic Society and always willing to share his knowledge to anyone who showed an interest.
A life-long interest in light aircraft meant that the photo collection is a unique record of New Zealand's aviation history.
Don brought his creativity, talents and innovation to many pursuits - Probus, U3A, the Deaf Poets Society, the Avondale Historical Society just to name a few.
Don is survived by his wife of 58 years, Rosalie and their children, Christine, Steven, Linda and Michael, and five grandchildren.