John Wellings, my father, passed away at the age of 88. His career in education began as a physical education (PE) teacher before he made his way up to becoming a primary school head.
Born to a working-class family in Luton, Bedfordshire, John’s parents were Hilda (nee Odell) and Ralph Wellings, a police officer. Excelling in all sports during his schooling at Dunstable grammar school, he joined the Army School of Education in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, where he trained as a sergeant and also learned boxing. He later went on to receive teacher training at St Luke’s College, Exeter. In 1957, John took up the position of PE teacher at Kingsbury Technical grammar school in Dunstable, and around the same time, he married Esther Walton, a bank cashier.
Following his initial stint as a PE teacher, John switched gears and began his primary school teaching journey. He took on the role of headteacher at Little Munden primary school in Hertfordshire before being appointed as the headteacher at both Corner Hall primary school (1970-74) and Tudor primary school (1974-77), both being located in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
John was a member of the union and supported the Labour party while being a progressive thinker. He was always against corporal punishment and leaned towards modern teaching methods and the comprehensive system.
In 1977, John moved to Stalham, Norfolk, to become the headteacher at the new Stalham middle school, a position he held until his retirement in 1989.
A kind and empathetic human being with a positive attitude, John did everything in his power to support my brother Paul and I in terms of our cultural and educational development. Despite working long hours as a teacher, he made sure to spend quality time with us by taking us to the park for a game of football, and frequent trips to the cinema, zoo and football matches.
During his spare time, John was an avid enthusiast of model railroading and used to participate in miniature train displays, winning several awards in the process. He was also passionate about music and had a fondness for Bob Dylan, Steeleye Span, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Bob Marley. When he moved to Norfolk, John became the president of the Stalham brass band. His favorite film was ‘Brassed Off’ (1996), which was about the challenges faced by a colliery band after the closure of their pit.
John enjoyed a range of activities such as playing chess, folk dancing, reading Dickens, watching the comedian Tommy Cooper, and being an ardent sports fan.
Esther passed away in 2017. John is survived by me, Paul, and our five children, Eve, Nathan, Ebony, Gabriel, and Grace.
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