DAVID PALMER

I moved from Gisborne to Matamata in 1951. My Dad had been appointed Head Master at Matamata Primary School.

Ewan Merry was my teacher in Forms 1 and 2. I have happy memories of the teachers at the College including Doug Olsen, Ian McLeod, Vic Lewis, ‘Doc’ Bibby, Percy Stone, Eric Fisher, Doug Scott, ‘Killer’ Kane, ‘Arsenic’ Perrin, Judy Young, Miss Jellie, Miss Tompkins, Miss Cranswick, and our Principal Gordon Salt. I was Head Boy and Dux in 1957.

I graduated from Otago University in 1961 with a BSc in Physics and Mathematics, and in 1963 completed an MSc in Physics. I was awarded a fellowship from WRONZ and studied at Imperial College graduating in 1963 with a PhD in Physical Chemistry from London University.

On returning to New Zealand I worked for WRONZ (Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand) then in 1970 moved to the Pulp and Paper Industry where I held both technical and managerial roles.

In 1984 I moved to the United States and became involved with the technical side of water and wastewater treatment. I have never stopped learning and continue to delight in exploring the wonder of the world that surrounds us while seeking to better understand how it all works.