My contract to teach with the British Forces in Hong Kong was for two years, so during the Spring of 1969 I began to consider where my future might lie. Our home had been a place for 'rest & recreation' for American soldiers on R&R from Vietnam, so it came as no surprise when an invitation was received from a director of education in San Francisco, inviting me to travel there, with his assurance of a teaching post when I arrived. We began to pursue this possibility.
Until that time, all civilian personnel working with the British Forces could find their own way 'back home' at the end of their tour of duty, all reasonable expenses being met by the British Government. Their allowance for me would be more than enough to get us all from Hong Kong to San Francisco. However, in May of that year, a mini budget was brought to the Westminster parliament, included in which was the provision that all military personnel (and civilians attached like me) would be repatriated direct to UK by military VC10 planes. I certainly could not afford to pay for us all to go on a speculative visit to California, so - another closed door!
Knowing how difficult it was for teachers returning from overseas postings to obtain posts in the UK due to non-availability for interviews, the British Government was willing to pay a teacher full salary for four months on arrival back home. This would enable one to seek a position for the following term, in my case, January 1970. A requirement was that I had to obtain four 'refusals' showing I had made the effort to apply for at least four positions from my overseas post. I dutifully sent off applications to several high profile schools and waited for the 'refusals' to come.
We arrived in Wales at the end of July 1969 armed with the necessary 'refusals' and content to relax until I needed to seek employment for the following January. Our own home in Bridgend had been rented out during our six year absence and we now had to wait until the current tenants completed their lease. In the meantime, we and our three young daughters squeezed into my in-laws home thirty miles away. Soon September arrived and it was necessary to place the girls in infant/primary schools. As we would be moving to our own house in Bridgend in a little over two weeks, I decided to call the Bridgend Education Office to ask their advice.
A young lady answered the phone. I told her of the situation and asked if she considered it necessary for me to enrol the girls in a local school knowing they would be moved from there in just two weeks time. She thought this was unnecessary seeing that they were still quite young. I had no cause to tell her my name, nor that I had recently returned from Hong Kong, so it was quite a shock when she suddenly asked me, "Are you by any chance, Mr Evans, Gareth Evans from Hong Kong?"
On receiving my wondering acknowledgement, she went on to tell me that they had been waiting for my call and that there was a teaching position waiting for me at Ogmore Grammar School, just nine miles up the valley from my home in Bridgend. They had not been able to appoint me when I had written from Hong Kong, but had waited until I arrived home, hoping I had not taken up another position in the meantime! The following day I was at my new position, Head of Physics Dept. in Ogmore Grammar School, a prestigious school possibly best known for Lynn 'the leap' Davies, for many years the world record holder in the long jump. While I was making my plans for leaving the army, God had already determined where I should next teach!
I spent five very happy years at Ogmore - the last of which became very important in God's continuing leading in my life. It was during 1975 that I was appointed to two positions. Three schools were being combined to form a large Comprehensive school to be situated at the foot of our valley, so the combined staffs met to establish a Staff Association to have a say in the designing of the new buildings. They appointed me as their first President. Also that year, the Government in Westminster had declared that every Secondary School had to have a teacher representative on the Board of Governors. I was also elected to be our school's first representative.
I was very surprised at these unanimous appointments, but very gratified to be told that the reason for my colleagues' support was that "we all know you are the only one we can always trust to speak the truth!" How I rejoiced that evening as I drove home to tell Anne what had transpired. "They that honour Me, said the Lord, I will honour." (1 Samuel )
Little did I realise that within a year I would be in Canada and that these two entries on my C/V would have a major impact in my final appointment as a teacher. See Leading #6. The Lord was still planning to complete what He had started by closing the door to Danforth Technical College in 1967.
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Gareth Evans ( - )
Gareth Evans is an itinerant pastor/teacher with a burden to minister to the hurting church his ministry website is Gareth Evans Ministries. Formerly a Physics teacher in the UK and Canada, he became a pastor with the Christian & Missionary Alliance in Canada in 1979. In 1991, he was invited to serve as pastor on board the M/V Anastasis, a medical, missionary ship operated by Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Since leaving that ministry four years later, Gareth has traveled to many countries, encouraging pastors and missionaries.He is married to Anne and they have three married daughters, nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Gareth and Anne live in Victoria, in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Some of his main burdens is to mentor young men to see them walk in the anointing of God and soar on wings as eagles. He has also prayed for revival and moderated many revival conferences across the world.