Whanganui High School's new interim leader has deep roots in the region and he also married into a family with a local legacy.
Ross Brown takes over from Garry Olver who has left for health reasons.
Ross Brown's grandfather worked for the Whanganui branch of New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company which later became Dalgety & New Zealand Loan Ltd.
"My grandfather went to the First World War as a member of the mounted rifles but when my dad Graeme went with his horse to enlist for World War Two, he was told that horses were not required so he joined the tank division."
"When my grandfather came home from the war, he received land at Mangaweka as his returned soldier farm settlement.