Evan McCulloch (staff 1961-2007) spent 46 years of his life involved in St Paul’s Collegiate School as a housemaster, teacher, director of music and, as the executive officer of the Old Collegians’ Association. During Evan’s long association with St Paul’s he was considered by many of the
School’s students and staff to be more than a staff member. He was a mentor, friend, confidant and father figure.
Sadly, on Tuesday 29 March 2016, after a courageous battle with cancer, Evan passed away at his Hamilton home. One week later, his friends, family and the St Paul’s community bid him farewell at a service held at St Paul’s Chapel of Christ the King.
This is his story.
William Evan McCulloch was born on 23 September 1931 in Mt Albert, Auckland.
Before most children could even read or write, Evan was tirelessly trying to teach himself the piano while visiting his grandmother in Te Awamutu. After much persuasion, he was given 10-minute piano lessons each week, something that Evan said was rare and in those days “considered to be far too young.”
Nonetheless, his parents saw a talent in Evan and so his long love affair with music began. Little did they know at the time, their encouragement of his musical talent would shape the rest of his life.
In his teenage years, Evan attended King’s College in Auckland. He was by no means a great scholar and was a very limited sportsman. He did however flourish in the arts, with music director Lin Charles Mansell Saunders teaching him both piano and organ.
He made a significant impression at the School as a talented musician, so much so that the headmaster of King’s College at the time Mr Geoffrey Greenback, who had become Evan’s mentor and friend, invited him to take up a part-time music teacher’s position.
This marked the beginning of his long-lived and long-loved teaching career.
Evan completed his teaching degree while working part-time at King’s College. He then taught music and English in England and, when he returned to New Zealand, at Hauraki Plains College he introduced mass singing to the whole school, which was uplifting and had “moral building power.”
Word of his talent to engage students in music spread far and wide, before his second year of teaching at Hauraki Plains College. He received a telegram from the headmaster of St Paul’s, Mr Reginald Hornsby, inviting him to join the staff as the School’s first director of music.
Evan declined the offer without a second thought. His loyalty was with King’s College.
What followed was not success at securing a position at King’s College but instead advice from his friend and mentor Mr Geoffrey Greenback. He told Evan to take the job at St Paul’s. This advice along with pressure from the chaplain at St Paul’s, who had been the chaplain at King’s and knew Evan well, resulted in Evan reluctantly taking the job.
Evan started at St Paul’s in 1961 in a multi-faceted role as director of music, English teacher and assistant housemaster of School House.
His reluctance to work at St Paul’s soon subsided as he began his 46 year journey.
For the first nine of his 46 years he called 77 Hukanui Road his home. First as the assistant housemaster of School House, then in mid-1962 as the housemaster of School House and, last, from January 1963 as the housemaster of the newly built boarding house, Williams House, where he stayed for seven years.
While most housemasters had the help of their wives, Evan rode solo. Well, almost. Hehad the help of his corgi Ricky, a normally well-behaved dog that had a considerable dislike for headmaster Hornsby biting at his ankles and tearing a trouser leg or two.
Not having a wife by his side didn’t waver Evan’s ability as a housemaster. In fact, he is one of the most legendary housemasters of St Paul’s who became a mentor, father figure and friend to many of his students who remained in contact with him long after they graduated.
The boys regarded him with great affection and respect. They knew he was capable of astringent comments and that he could wield a cane powerfully when deserved.
He helped establish new routines and strong, longstanding traditions at Williams House before resigning as housemaster in 1969, much to the boys’ dismay, so he could focus on music in the School.
Under Evan’s direction, St Paul’s music progressed in leaps and bounds.
He took the whole school on his own for 35 minutes of singing practice every Friday morning during the staff meeting.
Pat Plant (staff 1961-1998) said Evan had an incredible talent for engaging young men in classical music and that he was the “most gifted teacher” he had ever known.
“I struggled to teach 20 odd boys in class, Evan took the whole school by himself and taught them to sing psalms and hymns,” explained Pat.
“To get 200 boys to sing psalms and enjoy it is unbelievable, but he did it.”
The whole school choir and Evan’s music appreciation classes opened the boys’ eyes to classical music, a gift that many carried with them into adult life. He gave the gift of music to many people who crossed his path, including his brother Alec.
“Evan drew me into the world of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert and many other composers by regularly giving me CDs and discussing the merits of such works,” Alec said. “In many ways, and to this day, listening to classical music has become part of my life and a permanent reminder of my dear brother.”
Another way of drawing students into music was through the House Music competition, which still runs to this very day. Evan’s philosophy was to involve as many students as possible in school music and this was a way for him to do so.
While he had the gift of drawing people into his world of classical music, his role as the School’s director of music didn’t come without its challenges.
As an all boys’ school, Evan faced the difficulty of finding treble voices for his choir. So, he combined with local girls’ schools Waikato Diocesan and Sacred Heart for some memorable performances and musicals such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Salad Days, Oliver and Grease.
Two other monumental events in the school’s music history was the construction of the Mary Hornsby Music School in 1976 – which Evan fought long and hard for many years to have constructed – and the introduction of a new chapel organ in 1991.
Outside of St Paul’s, Evan produced annual music festivals which were performed to audiences of 1000 people or more in Hamilton’s Founders Theatre. He was also responsible for the formation of
the Waikato Secondary Schools’ Music Teachers’ Association of which he was president for many years.
After 30 years at St Paul’s, Evan hung up his baton and turned his attention to the Old Collegians’ Association.
From 1991 to 2007 Evan served the Old Collegians’ Association as the secretary and then executive officer, always ready to organise reunions and recognise Old Collegians by name. Having spent 30 years at St Paul’s he had the great advantage of knowing almost all of the Old Collegians when he took the job.
Many Old Collegians and their parents became some of Evan’s closest friends. He attended a great number of 21st birthdays and weddings where he would often play the organ.
In 2001, Evan was appointed a ’Fellow’ of St Paul’s, a guardian that steps in to assist with the direction of the School if the Board ever has difficulty functioning. His final honour was being made the first ’Patron’ of the Old Collegians’ Association which he had served for sixteen-and-a-half years.
He retired from the Association in 2007, after 46 years of dedicated service to St Paul’s.
With him he took many memories and valuable friendships that he had established from day one. Former staff members Pat Plant and Graham Campbell (staff 1982-2006) both formed special bonds with Evan during their time at St Paul’s.
Pat says Evan had an incredible ability to inspire friendship in a huge variety of people. He and Graham both proof of this.
“We had very little in common,” said Pat, who was a Science and PE teacher. The complete opposite from Evan who revelled in all things English and Music.
“Evan was urbane, incredibly talented musically, had excellent sartorial and artistic taste, was a superb cook and always had the most desirable motor vehicle in the school.”
It was true. Most Old Collegians will remember Evan’s three MGs, two Alfa Romeos and a blue Volkswagon Beetle with its number plate Oui Mac.
Despite Pat and Evan’s unlikely pairing, they remained friends for 55 years. The same goes for Graham, he shared a special friendship with Evan for 46 years after the pair met at Graham’s very first staff meeting as a “new and raw recruit.”
Since then, hardly a week has gone by where the pair haven’t seen each other. Evan was often at Graham’s house for dinner or a family celebration. They shared significant milestones including Graham’s wedding, where Evan played the organ.
“He became my advisor, mentor and sounding board,” Graham said.
They shared a strong belief in the ethos of St Paul’s, the pursuits of excellence and motivating young people to succeed. They were also two “grumpy old men” who shared a love of the English language.
“We delighted in misplaced apostrophes, spelling mistakes and grammatical atrocities.”
Although St Paul’s was his world and a place where he formed many unwavering friendships, the St Paul’s community and Evan’s family are not the only people who will miss him.
Evan has family all over the world, he was a philanthropist who unofficially adopted a Fijian boy and five Indonesians. He would provide funds when he could afford it and resources like generators for electricity and motorbikes for transport.
Evan is survived by his dearly loved brother Alec; sister-in-law Jenny; nephews Andrew and David; Andrew’s wife Deidre and his two great-nephews Jeremy and Dylan.
A memorial fund has been set up in Evan’s name, with donations being allocated towards music at St Paul’s. If you would like to make a donation please contact the Foundation on 07 957 8818 or foundation@stpauls.school.nz
