RACHINGER, Norman Neil OAM (1931-2008)Norman Rachinger was a long serving staff member at the Preparatory School from 1962 not long after its move to the new site, and Deputy Headmaster
Norman Rachinger.
of the Preparatory School from 1986 until his retirement in 1992. He became Senior Master in 1967, a role that developed into one of the two Deputy Head positions at the Preparatory School. He was also Director of Studies from 1968 to 1975 and a long term committee member and a former vice-president of the Friends of the College. He was widely known for his community work and in June 1994 was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to people with disabilities through Karingal Inc and the Noah’s Ark Toy Library (Geelong). Norman worked with disabled and special needs children at Karingal for thirty years and was President of Karingal Inc for five years. The N N Rachinger Centre at Karingal in East Geelong containing education facilities for adults and administrative areas was named in his honour.
Norman was born in the Victorian spa town of Daylesford and spent his early years there until his family moved to Geelong. He attended Geelong High School and Geelong Grammar School before completing two years of Architecture studies at the Gordon Institute from 1949 to 1950. It was then that he first embarked on his career in teaching by studying at the Geelong Teachers College in 1951 and 1952 from which he was appointed firstly, to Lake Charm State School, and then Pomborneit East from 1953 to 1956. After teaching at Newport State School from 1957 to 1959 he returned to Geelong to take up a position at Roslyn Rd State School until 1962. It was while teaching at Newport that he gained a Certificate of Art through the Gordon Institute. In 1962 he was appointed to the Geelong College Preparatory School in charge of art and craft work. As an indication of the change in enrolment patterns since that day, there were twelve people on the Preparatory School staff at that time- by 1992 there were fifty-five. Principal Paul Sheahan, in his farewell of 1992 described Norman’s work at the School: ‘Those who have had contact with him at the Prep, will readily appreciate the fine work that he accomplished through a host of different activities: in addition to his normal school duties, he used to work on weekends at the House of Guilds with boarders; he co-ordinated, and for fifteen years was very involved in, the annual Open Day fete; and his contact with parents and students (for reasons other than discipline) was always appreciated for its frankness and concern.’
Sources: Pegasus 1992 pp 10, 104.