Year: 1946 - 1950
Occupation: Typeface Designer

In 1962 Joseph started his freelance practice ‘Advertising Art Studio’s’. which grew into Churchward International Typefaces, and, at one point, New Zealand’s largest typesetting firm. In 1969 his first break-through in the commercial application was an original design typeface ‘Churchward 69’, designed specifically for Woolworths supermarkets advertising. To date, Churchward has handcrafted over 600 original typefaces and his letter designs feature on billboards, record sleeves, newspapers, and in digital media all over the world. In 1971 he was awarded seven merit prizes in the American Lettergraphics International Design Competition and in 1984 a Silver award in the Japanese Morisawa Award Type Design Competition. The Kling­spor Museum of typo­graphy and calligraphy in Germany lists Churchward amongst the world’s most eminent typographic artists. In 2008, a special exhibition was set up for his art at the Museum of New Zealand?, Te Papa Tongarewa, in which they have also acquired a selection of his works; and a biography on his life and work was published early in 2009. He also received the New Zealand Design Institute’s ‘John Britten Award’ for lifetime achievement. Joseph has published a book of his designs and recently gave one to the school library – the Librarians came running across the library to see it as it is so sought after.

Year: 1946 - 1949
Occupation: Entrepreneur & Inventor

At Wellington Tech, Barrie undertook an engineering course in which he revelled. He says it him set up with for skills for life. He went on to get a grounding in economics, and spent several years farming during which he obtained an agricultural diploma at Massey College. When television began, he developed a repeater system that included 37 trasmitter stations so back country Taranaki got TV long before NZBC supplied the service Following on from that he developed the Electronic Dog Training Aid – which was featured on Country Calendar at that time. He established a manufacturing facility initially in the little village of Awakino and went on to market the Training Aid worldwide. Numerous other farming products followed. In the 1980’s he established New Zealand’s first and subsequently the largest thick film microcircuits manufacturing facility- Precisionmicro. Thickfilm technology is used wherever high reliability is required, such as in space satellites and heart pacemakers. Circuit elements are physically printed on to thin ceramic sheets and then fired at high temperatures to form working electronic modules. When he started, Thickfilm technology was not known to be suitable for high temperature applications. However raw research and development, normally undertaken only by large multinationals, yielded a dream result in a relatively short time. This was largely due to an Barrie’s intelligent initial choice of raw materials – a measure of native instinct and good luck – which combined to produce working prototypes within just two years. Now Precisionmicro is supplying the larger NZ manufacturers, but the majority of the microcircuits are exported China. Barrie has won innovation and manufacturing awards for his inventions. He says “At 78 I am not particularly interested in retiring. Having too much fun. Thanks for the great years I had a Wellington Tech. Loved Mechanics, failed English! – Poor old Max Riske.

Year: 1944 - 1946
Occupation: OBE, FNZIA Architect, Yacht designer and Olympian

Hal began private practice as an architect in 1959. In the 1980’s Hal was a member of the governmental Building Industry Advisory Council. In 1987 he was awarded Fellowship of the NZIA to mark his contribution to architecture and the institute. He served two terms as the councillor of the Borough of Eastbourne. All his life Hal has been a keen yachtsman. He served on many committees of Yachting New Zealand (YNZ), and elected President in 1989. In 1998 he was awarded the ISAF Gold medal and individual life membership. As an ISAF International Judge and Umpire, Hal officiated at more the 50 major international or World championship regattas. Hal raced yachts until 2009, winning national, South Island and North Island titles along the way. He also designed yachts. His designs have won most of NZ’s centreboard-boat national events and many New Zealand and overseas keel-yacht trophy races. The Dorling-Kindersley ‘Encyclopaedia of Yachting’ (1989) listed Hal among the world’s top designers. In 1994 Hal was awarded membership of the NZ Olympic order in recognition of outstanding service to the Olympic movement.

Year: 1943 - 1946
Occupation: Teacher & Writer

After school Noel graduated for Victoria and Canterbury Universities. He worked as a journalist at the Southern Cross and Dominion. He then trained as a teacher and had a long and distinguished teaching career which began at Wellington Technical College. He started the journalism school at the Wellington Polytechnic which became the school of choice for budding journalists. Noel then became the deputy Director of the Wellington Polytechnic and CEO of Northland Polytechnic. Noel is also a writer. He was writer-researcher for the NZ Maori Council, Te Uri –o- hau. He wrote The School that Riley Built; Latimer: a biography; Banks: Behind the Mask and many regional histories of Northland. Noel is one of the school’s heroes. By writing The School that Riley Built he preserved the history of the beginning of this school and that knowledge empowers the school today. He is currently writing a novel about Newtown.

Year: 1937 - 1938
Occupation: Painter and Textile Designer

Avis began her career and was soon the Head Designer for Silk and Textile Printers in Sydney, a firm famed for its avant garde approach to textiles. With her inspired and refreshing ideas Avis quickly earned a reputation as one of Australasia’s most innovative textile designers. Avis is listed on an Australian Government website as one of four “key historical figures” in Australian design Returning to New Zealand in 1948 Avis created a portfolio of designs featuring Australian and New Zealand motifs. It was these designs that later caught the attention of design historian Douglas Lloyd Jenkins, who curated the touring exhibition Avis Higgs: Joie de Vivre in 2000. Her extraordinary talent as a textile designer is now preserved at the Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery. Throughput the 1950s and 60s Avis was an active member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Art, the Architectural Centre Gallery and the Helen Hitchings Gallery. She was a foundation member of the Wellington Society of Watercolour Artists and later she became President. Exhibiting widely throughout New Zealand, Avis won numerous awards including the National Bank award for watercolour in 1964 and the IBM New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts Award for Townscape in 1985. In 2006 Avis was awarded the Governor-General’s Art Award for her contribution to New Zealand art, and held a retrospective of her work at the Academy of Fine Arts.