Family history research in Australia is quite foreign to me. As far as I know, I have no lines that extend into that part of the world, and I've never travelled there, so I haven't gone looking for anything down there. However, my paternal uncle (who I only met once in person a few years before he passed away) did spend a short time in southern Australia in the 1970s teaching in the state of Victoria.
This would be Roy Alan Foltz, a 28-year-old American, teaching Humanities to Australian high schoolers in the early '70s. A few years prior, he had been stationed in Berlin, Germany with the U.S. Army during the Cold War, working in military intelligence.
We only have one photo of him at Orbost High School during this time that he sent back home to his parents:
Orbost High School, ca. 1973
It wasn't even exactly clear upon initial examination who he was in this photo. None of the males stood out as being the main subject of the photo, and he wasn't clearly marked. We assumed him to be the seated man in the tie toward the top, center of the photograph (next to the standing man with his hand up to his temple). His beard and mustache were two other features he hadn't been known for in previous years, and his writing on the back of the photo was nearly illegible.
Eventually his handwriting on the back of the photo was decoded and proved this to be the only known personal picture of his time spent at Orbost High. Thanks to the world wide web, it was possible to query students and teachers who were also there at the school during that time period. They confirmed the photograph was taken in the staff room at Orbost Secondary School.
Jo Pearce recalled, "It was very crowded and the teachers had tiny desks, some with bookshelves attached. I only ever went to the door, never inside".
Helen Macalister followed up with, "And these days it's a classroom. The staff room is now near the office - much more sensible location and a lot more space for the teachers!"
Susan Haylock remembers, "I was there 72 to 75 this photo bring back a lot of memories I had a few American teachers and yes that was there staff room I do remember your uncle but didn't teach me..."
Jude Hansen explained, "There was a shortage of primary and secondary teachers in the cities and country areas in the early 70's. That is when the State Government brought in teachers from OS...mostly U.S."
Charlie Fecondo (John) agreed, "...we did have staff shortages, especially in rural schools like ours so we had a number of teachers from USA and also UK at that time." After looking back through old materials from Orbost, he figured Roy had only been teaching at the school for 1 year in 1973.
Roy Foltz, U.S. passport photo and Australia visa, 1973.
Roy's personal resume corroborated that fact, listing his time at Orbost from only April '73 to February '74 as a Geography teacher. And his visa gave an entry date of 13 April 1973.
The school's magazine diary also highlighted Roy's start on the staff in April:
The staff room photograph jogged Deborah Hall's memory, "I went to school in that time his name rings a bell but alot of time has passed and I can't say school was exactly my favourite time John Phillip's was a teacher at the school he is right into history he would know about your Uncle".
The crowdsourcing helped identify some of the other faces in the wider photograph:
Mr. Richard Severs - Top Left, an American, Taught Humanities & Communication
Mr. John Phillips - Second Man From Top Left, Taught Woodwork (a/o July 2018 has association with Orbost Secondary College and also a keen interest in history; is involved with the Orbost & District Historical Society; responsible for compiling the last anniversary book for the high school)
Mr. Blake T. Walsh - Third Man From Top Left, Taught French
Mrs. Ethel Curtis - Seated at Desk Facing Camera, Taught Needlework (a/o July 2018 lives in Bairnsdale)
Mrs. Marion Brunt - Seated at Desk Facing Camera
Faye (Stuckey) Dunn - Seated Facing Camera
Possibly Greg Verso - Seated in Back with Glasses
Mr. John Bate - Man Standing Next to Roy w/ Hand to His Temple, Taught Math & Science
Mr. Ron Elliot - Bottom Right, Taught Chemistry
Mrs. Young - Unknown location in photo (perhaps center of photograph with head down?), Taught Arts & Craft
Charlie Fecondo (John) added, "I remember Mr Foltz, I can remember he had what I thought at the time a more southern-like drawl. Jenni is correct,Richard Severs in top left corner, John Phillips, Blake Walsh, Mrs Curtis, Mrs Marion Brunt, ?, Fay Dunn next to Mrs Brunt, Greg Verso (?), John Bate standing next to Mr Foltz. I agree with Jenni that is Ron Elliot bottom right corner. The teacher sitting in middle of photo with tinted glasses was also an American teacher but name escapes me. There was also an American physics teacher that taught us by name of Gordon Ryan I think at that time but I can't see him in the photo."
Ian Bowie remarked, "Remember a few U.S teachers partying at my house in Marlo during that period, the name is familiar..."
Pam Hermann shared a couple funny memories about the instructors: "I remember watching with interest as teachers Faye and Bruce's romance blossomed and then they became Mr and Mrs Dunn."
"One of our first lessons with Mr John Bates, he wrote on the board 'hammerchisit' and said that is what it sounds like when we Australians ask for the price of something."
Aside from that staff photo, the only other visuals left behind of Roy's time in Orbost come from postcards he purchased:
In his personal effects, Roy chronicled part of his time teaching:
"While in the Army, I was stationed in Berlin in the Administration Office of the Special Operations Command.
Upon graduating and getting my teaching credentials, I was recruited to go to Australia by a State High School. Taught physical, Economics, urban & world climate, cultural Geography and was promoted to Senior Teacher within five months.
Transferred as Department Head and Senior Teacher to a private girls' school (grades seven through twelfth), which covered high school and first year college curriculum. Was responsible for budget and reorganizing the department and improving the teaching methods, introducing new techniques and methods acquired from my course work at USC.
I then flew to Hawaii and taught World Cultures, grades 7 - 9 in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Moved again from State School to the private school of W. P. S. History & Science, grades 6 - 8 in Kailua, Hawaii."
The school he transferred to in Australia in '74 was Our Lady of the Secret Heart College in Bentleigh, Victoria. This school was in the suburbs of Melbourne, unlike the rural setting of Orbost.
It's possible the following snapshots were taken during this time, but they are undated and the location and other subjects are unknown:
Roy Foltz on bottom left
An alternate location for the above photographs (they appear to be taken at the same brick building) may have been Hawaii. After teaching there from '76 to about '78, Roy eventually returned to his home state of California.
The only first-hand story I heard from Roy about his time teaching down in Australia had less to do with his job and more to do with the military. He was convinced that the government was keeping tabs on him after his service in Berlin. In his words, they planted an attractive female teacher at the school, who paid him way more attention than a woman of her caliber would have ordinarily. But because he did enjoy her company, he wasn't bothered by the fact she was only sticking around to spy on him. He knew he had nothing to hide at that point, so he figured the government was wasting their resources on tracking him. Roy didn't name this mystery woman, but it's clear his own clandestine missions for the army had shaped the way he viewed the world after the Cold War years.
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