Vale: Mr Andrew Greenwood

Old scholars who were at St Peter’s College 1989-2002, and particularly those who were boarders in School House 1991-2002, will be shocked and sad to know that Mr Andrew Greenwood, formerly Head of School House, passed away peacefully on Monday March 25 2024. He had been unwell for some time.

He retained a great affection for St Peter’s College and kept in touch, after retiring from Saints in 2002, with many of the boarders and former staff of School House. A large number of us had visited Andrew and his wife Carol at “Eildon Springs”, about 25 km NW of Ballarat in Victoria, and enjoyed their hospitality and kindness. They were good friends to many people. They continued to visit Adelaide regularly. Their son has been Deputy Head of the Junior School at Prince Alfred College.

Boarders in School House in Andrew’s time had enormous respect for him and were grateful for what he had done for them.

He enjoyed the School House Reunion in 2022 and gave an excellent speech. He was well enough to attend the Melbourne Chapter Dinner of the St Peter’s Old Collegians for a short time on 7th March 2024.

Image: School House, School Magazine 2000

The following material is taken from an article written by Mr Chris Finch, a former teacher attached to School House, when Andrew Greenwood left at the end of 2002 after twelve years as Housemaster of School House:

“Andrew Greenwood used to say that, as a Boarding Housemaster, he had the best job in education. To Andrew 'education' was so much more than just the passing on of knowledge to students in a classroom: it was the development of the whole person, socially, emotionally and morally. As Head of School House from 1991 to 2002 Andrew saw that he had a unique opportunity to nurture and shape the lives of the boys in his care as they became young men. It was a job he loved and carried out with passion and pride. His lasting contribution to Saints, and to education in general, is the way that he enriched the lives of hundreds of boys during his time as the Housemaster of School House.

Andrew joined the staff at Saints in 1989 after teaching at various schools including Carey Grammar School in Victoria. His main teaching areas were Legal Studies and English. He was a Fellow of the Australian College of Education; an experienced and effective teacher who greatly enjoyed the interaction of the classroom. Senior boys especially appreciated the level of debate and discussion in his lessons. In his teaching practice Andrew's style was testament to the theory that if you have high expectations of the boys in terms of their work habits, their behaviour and their organisation, they would rise to meet the challenge. His depth of knowledge of the government and legal system and his love of good literature were all of great benefit to his students.

Outside of the classroom, Andrew took over the growing interest in Mooting and helped it become a thriving activity. He also began the Murray-Northmore Society which, for some years, cultivated an interest in Legal Studies amongst the Senior boys. He was also an experienced Rowing Master and Debating coach, and contributed to both of these activities in his first few years at Saints.

But it was the Boarding House that most enthused and energised Andrew in his time here; it was an opportunity and a challenge that he relished.

His first challenge was to engender a culture of respect, security and trust amongst the boys. Boarding, he knew, could be an amazingly rewarding experience, but only if the foundations of boarding life were structured and clear. The boys needed to feel they were in a caring but firm and respectful environment. This he managed to achieve through dedication and commitment well beyond what most people would imagine. Anyone visiting School House on any weeknight would invariably find Andrew in his office, usually until well after 11.30pm. His office, like his home above, had an open door. If the doors were shut you knew something was amiss! Through those doors would be a never-ending flow of traffic: meetings with Year groups and committees, discussions with boys, and the whole gamut of “cheering-ups”, “tellings-off”, “heart-to-hearts” and “deep-and-meaningfuls” that make up any family, let alone one of 60 or more boys. To Andrew, being a Boarding House Master meant being an active presence amongst the boys. More than anything else (and there were many other things - the School House handbook, the introduction of Year level tutors, the 'gardening' detail for miscreants, to name but a few) it was Andrew's constant presence and guidance, his thousands of hours of patient and good-humoured interaction with and support for the boys, that eventually got the ship to where he wanted it: a place where boys felt they belonged, where they took responsibility for their actions, and where they treated each other with respect.

One aspect of Andrew's vision for the House was that he believed there was little for boys to gain from boarding unless they played an active part in the running of the House. Boarding was not only an opportunity for learning how to live with others and to make great friends, it was an opportunity for leadership and management. Being a boarder gave boys, especially Senior ones, the chance to learn about responsibility and service to others, the chance to make decisions (and mistakes) that affected their lives. Year 12 boys became House Prefects and Seniors who were part, alongside tutors and teaching staff, of a management team. With Andrew as a constant role model these Senior boys learnt that respect was not gained through bullying or stand-over tactics, but through a firm, good-humoured and caring approach to others. The success of this model played a large part in the good spirit and mood of the House.

Another aspect of Andrew's vision was the breadth of experiences to which he wanted the boys to have. School was more than books and sport, although these things were important. All manner of activities and excursions were part of life for a boarder: theatre and music performances, Year group dinners, a House play, wine (or even beer) appreciation evenings (much appreciated by the Year 12s), guest speakers and socials; all of these enhanced the experience of boarding in School House. The House motto, “There are others”, was put into action through Saturday night visits to the Magdalene Centre soup kitchen, where boys assisted in serving food and chatting with the patrons. The sense of community was fostered through the House magazine, 'The Eagle', which the boys wrote and edited. All of these things became part of the routine of life during Andrew's time at the helm.

A Boarding House is a home, and it will only succeed if it feels like a home. We pay tribute to Carol Greenwood, for without her the whole essence of what makes a home would have been lacking: warmth and love. From the moment the anxious and already homesick Year 8s arrived at the steps of School House, it was Andrew who gave them the sense that what they were about to undertake was a great and marvellous thing and that they would come out a much improved and better person for it, but it was Carol who gave them the sense that they were actually going to survive the experience and live to tell the tale. The open door to the Greenwood apartment led just as often to Carol as it did to Andrew. Her calmness, understanding and friendliness were much sought after - and not just by Andrew. She was also integral in the organisation and running of dozens of House functions over the years, a breathtaking task given that she somehow also found time for a few minor distractions, such as her own career at the University of Adelaide! She will be remembered with much fondness by all the boys who came under her care during their years in School House.

Andrew was an outstanding Boarding Housemaster: his greatest strength was his ability to see the positive in all boys and to turn any situation into an opportunity for them to learn and grow. Underpinning all that he did in School House were his own personal values of tolerance and respect for others, and his great understanding of boys and their educational needs.”

Image: School House, School Magazine 2002

After retiring from St Peter’s College in 2002, Andrew and Carol moved to a farming property at Waubra, near Ballarat in Victoria. Andrew was the Principal of his own fine wool merino stud property for some years. This property had previously been in the Greenwood family for four generations. The property dates back to 1855 when the land was purchased by John Greenwood, Andrew’s great-grandfather, originally from Yorkshire, England. It had been used over the years for grazing sheep and growing wheat.

In more recent years they had discontinued the business arm of the property and they were looking to move to Melbourne, their home town, in the near future.

They enjoyed travel and in 2019 had a long trip away visiting many parts of the world. Andrew loved the history and traditions of England and he found the excavation of Roman remains at Fishbourne, near Chichester in Sussex, fascinating.

Andrew had become Chair of the Trustees of the Ballarat Anglican Cathedral Music Foundation.

It is people such as Andrew Greenwood, with his dedication and total commitment to the education and welfare of the boys of St Peter’s College, that have helped to make our School an exceptional one.

Image: Andrew Greenwood at the School House Reunion in 2022

Researched and written by David Docwra

David Docwra retired from St Peter’s College in December 2015 after 37 years’ service and is fondly remembered by many as a dedicated teacher, a committed coach of squash, cricket and soccer, and most especially as a passionate Head of Hawkes House for 21 years. David remains connected to St Peter’s College and regularly provides historical articles for the St Peter’s Old Collegians’ newsletters. In 2023 David was made an Honorary Member of the St Peter’s Old Collegians’ Association.