PRICE, Walter Thomas MA (Centenary History Text, 1961)
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PRICE, Walter Thomas MA (Centenary History Text, 1961)
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PRICE, Walter Thomas MA (?-1950)
The following text is an excerpt from the
Centenary History of the Geelong College
published in 1961:
Chapter 7.
'DARK DAYS.'
MR. WALTER THOMAS PRICE, B.A., the fourth Principal, had come to the College as an assistant master in 1898. He was a devoted and capable tutor in several subjects, particularly gifted in literature and languages, a strict disciplinarian without being harsh, a thinker ' a dapper, well-spoken gentleman. Personally he was fastidious, a perfectionist, and he expected others to keep their standards high.
As recorded earlier, Mr. Price became Vice-Principal in 1909 and acted as Principal for a short time before Mr. Bayly's appointment; he again controlled the school in 1913 while Mr. Bayly was overseas. As a result of his bearing on that last occasion, and despite his own loyalty to his Principal, he gained great favour among Old Collegians as the representative of the past and the real hope for the future. When Mr. Bayly resigned, Mr. Price was again promoted almost as a matter of course, and took office in his own right in 1915.
Whereas Mr. Bayly had come to Geelong when the College had received a cruel blow, but with external conditions favourable to recovery, Mr. Price took charge when Australia and the world had already entered a period of difficulty and danger to which the College was proving highly sensitive. The Council's report to the Assembly, covering the year 1914, complained that "the severity of the drought and the stringent conditions prevailing during the latter half of the year affected the attendance to some extent". Although the drought broke in 1915, its effects were to combine with those of the war to produce an abnormal situation lasting for several years.
At its outbreak the war had seemed remotely interesting, or even exciting, but six months later the patriotic fervour and cheery optimism had given way to a realization of its seriousness. Thousands were joining the expeditionary forces for service overseas, among them a number of young Old Collegians, some of whom called in at school to bid farewell to former friends.
The war was the direct cause of the staff problems which plagued the College throughout Mr. Price's term of office. in his first year, and despite his earnest pleadings, Mr. R. Lamble and Mr. A. H. MacRoberts went into the army. At the close of the same year he lost three more of his men. In May, 1916, Mr. C. A. Cameron, an excellent mathematician and coach of the football team,, left for the Geelong Grammar School. The loss of Mr. John Cameron in 1917 was another blow: he was senior science master and had charge of the Debating Society, which was doing well in inter-school contests. A staff which had undergone little change since Norman Morrison's day had been almost completely dispersed in the space of three years! The departure of such well established teachers, together with the general shortage of qualified men, led to a bewildering and demoralizing run of further changes. In addition, the Rev. J. A. Forrest, minister of St. George's Presbyterian Church and Chaplain of the College, who held the respect and friendship of the boys, undertook chaplaincy duties with the army. (At Mr. Price's retirement in 1919 there remained only two masters who had been with him in 1915, Mr. A. H. Harry and Mr. A. R. Orton.)
* * * *
War news, interpreted through the experiences of Old Collegians, was a prominent feature of every issue of "The Pegasus"—first the names of a few men who enlisted at the end of 1914, thirty or more of them sailing overseas with the First Expeditionary Force; the list growing eventually to cover several pages; letters from men in camp in Australia or Egypt, and later "at the front" on Gallipoli or in France, telling of happy meetings and of the features of modern warfare: the newly developed aeroplane, poison gas, the trenches and the mud.
With such adventurous recital came inevitably the news of those who had made the supreme sacrifice, and of others missing or wounded, many of them well-known to boys still at school. "The Pegasus" carried photographs of most of those who had been killed, together with accounts of their all-too-brief careers. Portraits of some of these men were hung in the classrooms which they had so recently known. Relieving these grim details were lists of promotions and a growing number of decorations.
At school, apart from direct news from the theatres of war, there were happenings peculiar to the abnormal times. Costs were rising, even on refreshment from the shop across the road, and there was a prolonged appeal for patriotic funds. In 1914, the boys had forgone all prizes and trophies to help this object; the Council awarded them certificates. In subsequent years the normal prizes were given, but regular weekly contributions were made from pocket-money. Some boys made splints on Saturday mornings for the Red Cross; others helped with the harvest. Geelong's now famous Gala Day was launched in 1916 to assist Red Cross funds; as the College's part in this, a "stall on wheels- became a temporary tuck-shop and a booklet entitled "Feathers from Pegasus" was published, containing all the verses contributed to "The Pegasus" by Mr. Harry since the first number of the magazine.
Beneath all such excitement and novelty, however, the normal everyday occupations of school life continued on their way. Perhaps the most progressive step taken since the days of Norman Morrison was the extension and modernization of the main building. From Easter, 1917, the school had the benefit of four new rooms: the present classrooms "C", "D" and "E", and the dormitory above "D", long known as "Dorm. 14" and, because of its remoteness, a thorn in the flesh of many a master or prefect on duty. The old Room "D" became the new masters' common room; the boarders' sitting room and dormitories were improved; hot showers were provided, and the whole school was sewered. The interior downstairs was remodelled, so that the front hall came into being, with its lockers built round the walls.
In December, 1917, the junior and Senior Public Examinations gave place to the Intermediate and Leaving Certificates, requiring passes in six and four subjects respectively. A new system, allowing approved schools to conduct their own examinations internally, under periodical visits from government inspectors, was made optional at the same time, but Geelong College remained an "external" school, presenting candidates for papers set from the University of Melbourne. just at this stage, College examination results were far from good, the discipline of some classes not being conducive to concentrated study.
The roll of 152 boys in 1918 was the poorest since well before the Public School days and probably represents the lowest point of the College's existence. The war and the nagging problem of finding suitable masters had brought the school to a point where rash decisions might have closed its doors.
In 1918 Mr. Harry, the sole remaining assistant from the Morrison days, was appointed Vice-Principal. A feature of the weekly school programme about this time was the singing period conducted at first by Mr. Harry, with Mr. Orton at the piano, the boys being encouraged to give forth lustily in "The College Toast", "Vive L'Amour" and even lighter numbers. Later Mr. Frank Shrimpton, a visiting instructor, took over this work.
Sports teams during the war were seldom strong, but in most years, along with the bad results, there was something to gladden College supporters, an occasional team victory or a brilliant individual achievement. W. E. Macmillan was making a name for himself and for the College in distance running. At tennis, jack and Tom Hawkes swept all before them, year after year, in the inter-school championships. The crew of 1917 won its heat and finished second in the final of the Head of the River.
College senior athletes in 1917 won several good placings at an unofficial meeting held by the Melbourne Cricket Club instead of the usual Combined Sports. This odd arrangement was due to certain "regrettable incidents" which had occurred during football premiership matches. In the two previous years there had been clashes as the supporters of rival teams met in mid-field during the changing of ends. These affrays began as cap-snatching and jostling, then heated exchanges grew into vulgar brawls. Possibly the Geelong College supporters were more discreet than others, for they were never seriously involved. All schools were solemnly warned, but two more incidents took place between Melbourne schools towards the end of the 1917 season, compelling drastic action by the Headmasters, who cancelled all sports fixtures for the remainder of the year. A simple rule requiring each school's supporters to move around the oval in a clockwise direction ended the whole trouble.
* * * *
Joy and relief knew no bounds when fighting ceased in Europe and an armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. School assembled in the Norman Morrison Hall next morning and Mr. Price briefly addressed the boys, stressing that the motive of rejoicing was not merely that the war had been won, but that it had proved the justice of the Allied cause. He made feeling reference to the Old Collegians who would not return, and urged the present boys to behave becomingly in the midst of their rejoicing. The National Anthem was sung and all work suspended for the day.
The steady home-coming of Old Collegians from active service was welcome indeed, and they were as eager to renew acquaintance with their friends at the College as the latter were to greet them.
There were some indications of a better time ahead. In 1919 the enrolment rose to 170, the best for six years. But the College was by no means out of the wood: the war-time staff weakness and its secondary effects were not easily to be rectified. Internal discipline had deteriorated to an alarming degree. Morale was perilously low in the classrooms, where loafing or reading behind high stacks of books was common. The serious student was dubbed "stew" or "swot" by the idlers. Examination results were unsatisfactory. Punishments became unduly frequent and severe, a state of affairs leading inevitably to inconsistencies.
The many frustrations could bring only unhappiness to a man of Mr. Price's high standards. The failures did not come about through lack of effort on his part, but his bachelor reserve prevented him from admitting friends to his personal problems, and he began to lose the high public reputation which he had formerly enjoyed. In spite of such a trying situation, Mr. Price's sincerity, his gentlemanly principles and his genuine scholarship were at all times evident. Senior pupils of his later years remember his erudite lessons on books of the Old Testament, his love of French literature and the clarity of his mathematical reasoning. He was still willing to put himself out to make friends among the boys.
In time the College Council was compelled to take notice of the unsatisfactory position within the school and the discontent of parents and Old Boys. Also some members were taking the attitude that the College should have a minister of religion at its head. It seems possible that they already had in mind a suitable man for the position. The Presbyterian Assembly, apprised of the Council's feelings, appointed a sub-committee to investigate the proposal to relieve Mr. Price of the headmastership, and to ensure that he would be personally safeguarded on his retirement. It recommended, after discussion with the College Council, that he be informed of the desire of the Assembly to appoint a Presbyterian Minister as Principal, and, in recognition of his long and faithful service to the College, he was asked to accept an honorarium of one year's salary on his retirement.
The Council placed on record its very high appreciation of the services rendered to the College by Miss Price, who voluntarily undertook great responsibilities over the five years her brother was Principal, and carried them out in a manner deserving of the highest praise, especially her selfsacrificing devotion to the boarders during the outbreak of influenza at the College early in 1919.
In taking his leave of the College Mr. Price referred to his long association with boys and masters. and his endeavour to serve the school to advance its highest interests. He wished it all prosperity in the future.
He later joined the staff of the University of Melbourne as a lecturer in English, and the pain of parting from the College, to which he had given the best years of his life, was mitigated by happier meetings with his former pupils who were still at the University. During the second World War, Mr. Price went to Brighton Grammar School as senior French master and continued at work there almost to the time of his death in December, 1950.
* * * *
Sources: The Geelong College 1861-1961 by G C Notman and B R Keith. Chapter 7, pp 40-45.