Following the Dream…

John Hunter graduated from Stranmillis in 1963 with a specialism in Physical Education, and he was also President of the Students’ Union. Below he describes the ‘lasting effect’ that his time at Stran had on him:

‘I started at Stran in September 1959, studying Physical Education (Secondary) for my Teachers’ Certificate. I ended up there against the wishes of my parents who wanted me to continue with the BSc course I had embarked upon at Queen’s University. However, I was proved right by my decision – both in the short and long terms. I enjoyed studying mathematics at Queen’s, both pure and applied, but physics and chemistry left me cold!

I had four very happy years at Stran studying Physical Education, particularly in those days where we had a 4th year specialising in our chosen subject. I remember the PE staff with affection – Jimmy Bogan (Head of Dept.), Harry Mitchell, Bertie Smyth, and Jos Lapsley. I determined, there and then, that I was going to become a PE lecturer like them – which I did (more later)! Whether it was Harry’s excellent athletics lectures, Bertie’s ‘way ahead of his time’ football sessions, or Jos’s similar high standards in rugby, all left an imprint that has stayed with me throughout my working life. All was neatly rounded off by Jimmy’s gymnastics lectures; these were in many ways the hardest task, gymnastics being a sport that very few of us had a background in. I remember with affection Harry’s ‘Indoor Athletics’ meetings – again ahead of his time – and I still have a photo of us competing against a Northern Ireland AAA team in the 45 yards hurdles, when we defeated them!

I was elected President of the Students’ Representative Council in my final year. The high point of my time in office was proposing the vote of thanks to the Minister of Education at the graduation ceremony in 1963. (Incidentally, I became Deputy President of the Union of Students in Ireland for the next two years.)

During my final year at College I was appointed to the staff of the Royal School, Armagh. There I spent nine equally happy years, becoming Head of Physical Education in 1965 on the appointment of a new headmaster (the late Jim Brennan). The tremendous progress that the school made during my time there in athletics, basketball and rugby were, I hope, some testament to my teaching.

In 1972 I was recommended to go to the University of Leeds by the then Inspector of PE for NI to take the degree-equivalent Diploma in Physical Education for teachers like myself. This I did and my mathematics background came to the fore as I specialised in Biomechanics, with subsidiary Statistics. In 1973 I was offered a place on their MA course in PE (the only Master’s course in the UK at that time), which I happily took up, graduating in 1974. During my MA year, I took up a lecturing post at Borough Road College in London, the oldest teacher training college in the UK (1804) and famed for its PE. After nine years I became Head of Physical Education, and during my time there it became the West London Institute of HE. I started with a full-time staff of nine but we expanded into the subject area of Sport Sciences/Sport Studies and subsequently became the School of Physical Education & Sport Sciences. I remained Head of School for 14 years, through our subsequent change to become Brunel University College. One of my proudest moments was to launch the first Master’s degree in Sport Sciences in Greater London and we subsequently took on research students (PhD & MPhil). When I finished we had over 800 students and over 30 full-time staff. I was honoured, along the way, by being made a Fellow of the Physical Education Association of the UK.

All of that seems a long way from my days at Stranmillis, but they were days that prepared me well for what was to follow. The happy days of my teaching career started with my time at Stran, continued in Armagh, and finished off in London. I’ve been very lucky – following my dream.’