BARLEY, Clifford John Hallam MA AMusA (1924-2012)
Clifford Barley, staff member at Geelong College from 1964 to 1979 and 1981 to 1983, died at Colac on 27 August 2012. Employed as a Senior History Teacher, he became Housemaster of Morrison House from 1965 to 1968, then Senior House housemaster from 1968 to 1970. He briefly resumed as Housemaster of Morrison in 1971 before becoming Shannon housemaster from 1972 to 1977. Employed principally to teach History at College, in later years he taught Indonesian Language. After retiring from full time work in 1979 he returned as a part-time teacher from 1981 to 1983.
Born on 29 February 1924 at Southend in England, he was educated at Royal Grammar School, Worcester from 1935 before attending Hertford College, Oxford University in 1942. In May 1943 he enlisted in the British Army earning his commission as lieutenant in 1944. He was with the 53rd Infantry Division in Germany from 1945 to war’s end and subsequently spent 18 months in Kenya and British Somaliland with 4th East African Armoured Car Regiment.
He returned to Oxford to complete a BA in modern history in 1948 and his MA in 1949. He first taught at King Edward VI School, Stafford (UK) from 1948 to 1950. He then moved to Australia gaining a TPT certificate in 1952 and registration as a secondary teacher. In Victoria his first teaching position was as Senior History Master and day housemaster at Camberwell Grammar School, Melbourne from 1951 to 1954. He then taught at Wesley College in 1955, became a Librarian at Scotch College in 1956, then moved to Ballarat Grammar School from 1957 to 1962. He acted as Headmaster at Ballarat Grammar in 1961.
During his career he taught History, English, Latin, French, Indonesian and a variety of other subjects at junior level. He had played rugby for fifteen years before taking up Australian rules, coaching several school football teams. He played both the piano and the organ and participated in many choirs. He was a bushwalker, scout, tennis player, an active member of the College Exploration Society.
Sources: Pegasus 1971 p32; Pegasus 1973 p80; Geelong Advertiser 28 August 2012.