Ray Kench

Dec 2021

Ray Kench…Over the Years

Born in 1935 at Leichardt, a suburb of Sydney. Attended the local Orange Grove primary school. Can clearly remember the air raid practice we had during World War Two. We were marched into covered trenches and sat wearing our gas masks and rubber pegs between our teeth. These were held when the Air Raid Siren sounded. Two air force planes collided above our school and the debris fell in the playground. Sad memories of the war that ended when I was 10 years old.

My father died when I was 3 and my brother a month old. Mum never remarried but struggled and raised my brother and me.

Went to High School at Burwood where I got to know Frances. Took her out on our first date to the Royal Easter Show at Moore Park on her 16th birthday. Frances went to Singapore and worked there for two years, but we wrote to each other weekly.. When she came back we got together again and married in 1959. We lived at Wahroonga in a new home that Frances’s father built.

Our first two children were born while we lived there and built our own home about 300 meters away and moved into it in 1965. We lived there until we sold up in 2018 and moved to where we are now.

I studied to become a High School teacher and started teaching in 1957 at my local Leichardt Junior Technical College. I taught there for 3 years and in 1960 started at a new school. Asquith Boys High.

At the time this was my “Country Service” and taught there till 1979. Took on many roles as Year Advisor and Sport’s Master.

In 1980 I took a promotion and was the Administration Master at Beacon Hill High School, my first Coeducational school. Spent about 8 years there and finished my teaching career at Turramurra High School in a similar role, retiring in 1995.

In my school career I taught in the Social Sciences areas, Geography Commerce Business and Economics. At Beacon Hill and later Turramurra, I initiated Environmental studies for year 7 and took Year 7 classes out on a 3 day camps at The Basin in Pittwater and Mangrove Mountain.

Introduced St John Senior First Aid to year 10 so year 10 students had a Senior St John First Aid certificate when they received their School Certificate. I’m still a Life member of St John Ambulance but no longer do instructing.

At Turramurra I developed a one unit Horticultural course For years 11 and 12, for students that didn’t wish to go to University. These Students often went to Ryde Horticultural College and did Plant related studies.

Spent about 7 years with Church Youth Groups called Pathfinders… like Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. Ran Church Clubs and ended up a District Director and Parade Marshal for Camporees of over 2000 Children and youth. Also spent a number of years with the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, taking participants through to their Gold Award.

Over the years have done a number of volunteer jobs and have to had to “wear several hats”. Six years with The medical Ethics Unit at the Sydney Adventist Hospital.. The San. 20 years as a Director of Avondale Tube Stock Nursery that provided plants all around Australia. A Board Member of Adventist Education that had control of several High Schools and Primary Schools in the Sydney area.

Frances and I have enjoyed travelling for a number of years, Sea and River cruised and touring parts of the world with groups and close friends. We sold At Wahroonga in August 2018 and are now at Cooranbong in the Adventist Lifestyle Village.

I still have a healthy interest in gardening and photography but have had to give the bushwalking a miss.

I was a member of Turramurra Probus for eight years and started a Camera Group there and also enjoyed being part of a Walking and Computer Group.

The Kuring-gai Horticultural Society catered for my gardening interests. Was an active there for about 10 years. Opened our home garden for visits on a number of occasions.

Now living at Avondale Lifestyle Village Cooranbong.