Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Mr D says farewell after 41 years at Durie Hill

By Liz Wylie
Whanganui Chronicle·
18 Apr, 2016 01:18 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Mike Dewson retires from Durie Hill school after 41 years.

Long-serving Durie Hill School teacher Mike Dewson parked his motorhome in the school grounds on Friday - it was his last day.

"Thank you for not messing about with it," he told the students at his final assembly.

He was not to get off so lightly and soon discovered that the vehicle had been decorated with signs, streamers, balloons and class photos spanning his 41 years at the school.

"It has been a difficult decision but I've had the old gold card for a couple of years now and I decided to leave at the end of the term."

Accompanying Mr Dewson on his farewell was his wife, Barbara, who was a young dental nursing student in Ohakune when the couple first met in the 1960s.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I did my country school placement as a young teacher in Ohakune and then we came back to Whanganui and I taught at Castlecliff, Aranui and Kokohuia schools before I came to Durie Hill," Mr Dewson said.

Working at the same school for 41 years and a term had given him some wonderful memories, and he had met many children whose parents were once in his class.

Dave Hiroti is a Durie Hill parent who once enjoyed being in "Mr D's" class. "He has always been a great teacher who sets everyone up to flourish," he said. "The school has been very lucky to have him for so long."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Dewson said he had good memories of the outdoor education programme he instigated at the school when he started teaching there in 1976.

"The camps at Mangatepopo in Tongariro National Park have always been a highlight of the year and I feel very proud that I can still walk to the top of Tongariro," he said.

Durie Hill students performed a waiata and a haka for Mr Dewson before his Room 1 class escorted him to the "holiday house with wheels", as he describes it, and the rest of the school lined the roadside to wave farewell. Each student had decorated a large paper hand to wave as the van moved off and Mr Dewson tooted a selection of horns he had on board.

"This is farewell but not goodbye," he called as he drove away.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

10 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

10 Jul 03:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

10 Jul 06:00 PM

'We’ve got youth, people in their 20s and 30s, and we see longevity.'

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM
Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

10 Jul 03:00 AM
'Values-led' construction company takes top prize at Māori Business Awards

'Values-led' construction company takes top prize at Māori Business Awards

10 Jul 01:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP