A MARIST brother teacher who celebrated his golden jubilee as a member of his order spent 44 years in the islands without home leave.
Brother Plunkett Gilligan, who was born in 1888 at Mosgiel, Otago, New Zealand came to Fiji in 1926.
On June 2, 1970, he described to The Fiji Times the special bond he had with the many students he taught in the Pacific.
Brother Plunkett recalled with humour the various nicknames given him by his pupils. These included Chin, Blanket and Panakeke.
“Chin has been his favourite name by pupils in Fiji because of a rather prominent feature on Brother Plunkett’s face,” reported The Fiji Times.
“Blanket was the name given him by boys in Samoa when they found his correct name too difficult to pronounce; and Panakeke (Samoan for pancake) was also given him, partly because it resembled his own name and partly because he had always been thin.”
Brother Plunkett joined the Marist Order in 1919, and after three years novitiate at Mittagong (NSW) returned to New Zealand where he taught until he got posted to Fiji.
He began his islands teaching at the Marist Brothers’ school in Suva St, Suva, where he taught at primary schools.
Brother Plunkett said that during his first months in Fiji he was nervous when teaching, as he considered he did not understand his pupils.
He was unaware the boys were nervous of him for the same reason on their part. One day he observed from his desk a young Fijian pupil tickling the ear of the boy sitting in front of him with a blade of grass. As the boy in front scratched his ear and turned quickly to find the cause of the irritation, the offender would hurriedly hide the grass.
“I realised at that moment that despite all their differences boys everywhere were very much the same, and from then I relaxed,” described Brother Plunkett.
His affection for his pupils was well-known and this was reciprocated by those whom he taught.
“He was a kindly teacher with a warm interest in the boys’ outside interests as well as their school work,” said one.
“He had fatherliness in his manner which endeared him to everyone.”
Commenting on the adverse criticism which is leveled at the young people of today, Brother Plunkett says: “Today’s young are merely going through a phase which will pass.”
When Brother Plunkett left the Suva St school he taught at Naililili before going to Samoa in 1928 for five years.
He returned to New Zealand to teach for 12 months in 1933 and was then sent back to Naililili for three years and then to Samoa again for three years.
He spent 1940-45 teaching at Cawaci after which he was appointed again to Suva St.
He was taken off full-time teaching when he was 75 years old but continued teaching English and religion, part time.
His reading became more limited because of poor eyesight.
