Education

Robert John (Jack) Rutherford

Jack was born in Caversham in 1931. He attended Caversham Primary School and Kings High School from 1945 to 1949.  While at King’s he gained School Certificate in 1947 and University entrance in 1949 when he also gained the Dunedin Repertory Society Prize for Dramatic Art.  He played for the First Fifteen Rugby team.

In 1950, Jack was accepted for Dunedin Teachers’ College, but at the end of his first year he switched to studying theology at the University of Otago.

In 1954, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, and in 1955 he was accepted for ministry training at Knox Theological College. But when the promise of youth work did not materialise, Jack went back to teachers’ college in 1956 and completed his second year of training.

His first appointment was at Winton District High School, where he taught in the secondary department, before moving to Lumsden as a senior secondary assistant.

In 1964, he was appointed the first reading adviser to primary and secondary schools in Otago, and in 1966 he was appointed the first lecturer in reading at Dunedin Teachers’ College.

Mr Rutherford went on to become senior lecturer in charge of practical training. At the same time, he studied parttime for an honours degree in education, graduating with an MA with second class honours in May 1974.

By then, he was hankering to get back to the classroom, and moved the family (Josie and children) to Maniototo Area School in Ranfurly, where he became school principal.  Jack remained in Ranfurly for 38 years.

One of Jack’s greatest commitments was to the primary teachers’ professional and trade union body, the NZEI.

In 1966, he was appointed Otago representative to the NZEI annual meeting in Wellington, and in 1977 he was elected to the national executive, on which he served for 10 years, most of them as chairman of the finance committee. Mr Rutherford was made an associate of the institute in 1974, a fellow in 1981, a life member of the Otago branch in 1987 and a life member of the national institute in 1993.

He was an active participant on numerous community boards and local body committees, including the Central Otago District Council, Otago Museum Trust, Maniototo Health Services Board and Maniototo Burn radio station.

Music is another interest dear to his heart. Jack’s keyboard and organ skills were used at the Anzac Day dawn services, some Rural Art Deco Weekend events, and at many funerals in the town.

A member of the Ranfurly Presbyterian Church, Mr Rutherford has devoted many hours to parish affairs and served as the moderator of the Central Otago Presbytery for many years.

After he retired from teaching, he became a correspondent for the Otago Daily Times, covering Maniototo news for eight years, starting in the 1980s.

History was one of Jack’s passions, particularly early Otago and Ngai Tahu history. He contributed his knowledge freely to local history publications and published his own book on the Mt Ida goldfields

At age 78, Jack went back to university and graduated from Otago with a postgraduate diploma in theology at 81.