Page 67 - The Old Ratcliffian 2015 Magazine

RATCLIFFE’S PAST 67

BR JOHN TEDESCO (38) His career as a teacher
&THE ROSMINIANS IN simply continued in
NEW ZEALAND Auckland and Gore as it had
been at Ratcliffe. He worked
Brother Tedesco was christened ‘John’, but no one ever called hard, set up a Geography
him that. For all the years I knew him, which was much of his life, Department, started hockey,
he was always known as ‘Ted’, or to parents and pupils, he was and even became a girls’
‘Brother Ted’. He was born in Edinburgh to Italian parents, who hockey coach; some of
had originally come from Naples. They moved south to London, his stars even went on to
where he lived when he was young. He was the only boy in the play for the national side.
family, but he had several sisters, some older and some younger. He also started teaching
Agricultural Science for the
He went to Ratcliffe for his secondary education, and he had farmer’s children who came
ideas that he might become a Rosminian. When he told this to to the College. Doing this
Fr Claude Leetham (15), who was in charge of the Senior Boys, subject enabled many of
he said to him, ‘What makes you think we’ll have you?’! An them to get lucrative scholarships to board in Gore. He claimed
encouraging thing to say to a young man thinking of a vocation! to know nothing about agriculture, but simply got the students
However, Ted did not go straight to the novitiate. He got himself to teach each other, as they were the experts!
a job in London in a factory which made springs. After a whole
day manipulating springs, which tore his hands to shreds, he I had been Br Ted’s Chemistry pupil at Ratcliffe in the 1940s. We
reflected that there must be an easier way to get through life, then taught together at Ratcliffe and in Gore, and finally, I was
so he went to the Rosminian novitiate at Wadhurst in Sussex. his Rector and Headmaster. He was the perfect staff member, as
The story about the springs comes from his own account of his he was willing to have a go at any job that he was asked to do. For
vocation, which he used to tell when trying to encourage in his instance, he taught Fifth Form Religious Education, although he
students the ambition to serve the Lord. In fact, avoiding hard pulled a very long face when I asked him to do it. His classes were
work was simply the last way you would describe Ted’s long career pitched battles, as he wrestled with the supposed agnosticism
as a teacher. He was a dynamo, and was never happier than when of the pupils. In fact, they loved his classes and never forgot
he was trying to balance half a dozen jobs and schemes at once. them. Once, he came to me and told me he was about to set
He starting teaching at Ratcliffe in 1944, and was soon making an examination for the Fifth Form. I said that we didn’t give RE
his mark as a Science teacher, then as a Geography teacher, exams during their School Certificate year. ‘Oh, no,’ he replied,
which he loved. ‘it isn’t for the pupils. It’s for them to take home and get their
parents to do.’ Needless to say, that was a roaring success with
Outside class, he introduced hockey as an alternative to rugby as the students.
a winter sport. He coached boxing, and his boxing teams became
the terror of the local schools, against which Ratcliffe competed. Ted was still on duty with the Senior Boarders on the day of his
He also coached gymnastics, and put on a gym display for the death. He literally died with his boots on. His funeral was more
parents at Exhibition Day each summer. The boys he coached of a triumph than a time of sorrow. Literally hundreds of his past
performed stunts which, if done today, would give the Health pupils travelled from around the South Island to be present. To
and Safety Inspectors nightmares. Another of his enthusiasms his brethren, however, his loss was a great sadness, but we lived
was the annual gymkhana, which was also a sort of fundraising in the certainty that we had known a saint. Br Tedesco was the
event run by the Old Boys. It was there that he first discovered most generous human being I have ever known in my life.
the tombola, a stall which produced quite obscene profits for the
least effort by conning people into gambling to win a vast array Fr Michael Hill IC (49)
of useless prizes.
ROSMINIAN PRIESTS WHO SERVED AT ST PETER’S
After seventeen years at Ratcliffe, Ted was nominated as a COLLEGE, GORE, NEW ZEALAND
pioneer to go with Frs Philip Catcheside (37) and Bill Curran
to establish a new boys’ secondary school in Auckland, New John Bland (53) Joe Mullen
Zealand. The school, named Rosmini College, caters for the area John Buckner Neal Murphy
of the city north of the Harbour Bridge, known as the North Aidan Cunningham (58) Robin Paulson (53)
Shore. He set up the Science Department at Rosmini College and John Daley John Quigley (59)
he was outstanding as an ambassador for Rosminian education. Tony Dewhirst (48) Bernard Rumsey (65)
Eight years later, he, again, became a pioneer to launch a second Bill Harwood (44) Tony Russell
school: this time, a co-educational high school in Gore, at the far Michael Hill (49) Terry Watson (48)
south of New Zealand – as far away from Ratcliffe as it would be Larry Hogan Bernard Widlake
possible to get. Lance Hurdidge (40) Eric Willett (55)
Jim Mallon Brothers:
Sydney Marriott John Hughes
Ernie Milne John Tedesco (38)

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