In 1971, fresh out of university and just twenty-one years old, Canadian Tony Beckett boarded a plane bound for a surprising destination – St Paul’s Collegiate School in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Tony had just completed his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Geography at Carlton University in Ottawa and was preparing to start a Bachelor of Education when a cable (telecommunication) arrived from Mr Thomas de Winton, his former housemaster and geography teacher at Durham School in the United Kingdom. Mr de Winton (St Paul’s staff 1967-1982), newly appointed as Housemaster of Clark House at St Paul’s, needed a Geography Master and tutor urgently. Remembering Tony, he made the offer.

“After some discussion with my family, I accepted,” Tony recalls. A few weeks later, he flew to Auckland, then arrived in Hamilton, where he was struck by the unusual sight of Headmaster Tony Hart’s (Staff 1970 - 1979) old Bentley.

Tony’s Clark House residence was, in his words, “rustic” with a tin roof and holes in the floor. With no teaching experience, he relied on nightly lesson prep to stay one step ahead of his students. “They and the staff were wonderful,” he says. “I was probably a bit of a poseur, but everyone helped me find my feet.”

He also found himself in charge of tennis, despite never having coached before. “The students were mostly self-directed!” he says. His memories of St Paul’s include school trips to Tongariro, Mt Ruapehu, Rotorua, and Raglan – with one unforgettable moment pig hunting with PE teacher Richard Deacon (Staff 1968 - 1972) “who could outrun his dog in the bush,” says Tony. 

Tony arrived in September 1971 for the summer term and left at the conclusion of the school year, returning to Canada, paying for his own ticket with earnings from St Paul’s. He completed a Master of Public Administration, worked for the Federal government briefly in Ottawa, and then went on to Toronto to work for the Ontario government in health care finance, and then west to British Columbia. After some time with the Finance Ministry, his last ten years were spent in modern-day treaty negotiations with First Nations. “Some previous treaties in the 1860s had been modelled on the Treaty of Waitangi,” he notes.

Tony remained on the West Coast for four decades, playing squash well into his 60s - even after receiving two hip replacements - before retiring in 2003. In 2020, he met his partner, Margo, in Cuba, and what began as a Covid-era romance led Tony to relocate 6000km east to Nova Scotia, where they now live. His children and grandchildren continue to reside in Victoria, BC.

Reflecting on his journey, he offers this advice: “Travel. See the world. Gain different perspectives. Don’t get married too early. And never regret what you’ve done.”

Tony has fond memories of New Zealand and its people. “Kiwis are, pound for pound, the best athletes in the world,” he says. “I’ve always felt a kinship between Canadians and Kiwis.”

Years ago, Tony added St Paul’s as a beneficiary in his Will. Recently, he decided to make his gift in his lifetime. “I’m glad I did,” he says. “It’s great to see St Paul’s thriving in a co-ed world.”

For further information on gifting to St Paul's, please contact Andrea here. 

Durham School Photo: Tony is sitting to the left of Mr Thomas de Winton

St Paul's Staff photo from 1971: Tony is the top right

Work staff party 1971