Jack Castle
Jack is one of the “older” ex-students of the College. He is from the generation where you started at the bottom and work your way through many jobs before reaching a very satisfying retirement.
As a 3rd Former he was in the 3rd XV rugby team – he doesn’t remember any accolades or achievement of note but has the photo to prove it!
On leaving school he worked on the family farm firstly in Waharoa then Te Poi. His dad became unwell and Jack’s job on the farm ended. He did a couple of farm workers stints before gravitating back to Taranaki where his family had come from. At 18 he started work in a cheese factory where he graduated to Assistant Manager. At that time he married and he and Shirley have been together for 59 years. After some time they decided to go into business and started a grocery store in Vogeltown New Plymouth. As well as groceries then did the mail run and a weekly sports paper run. With such a tie to work Jack decided there was no time for family fun with his two boys so they sold up that business.
In 1963 they purchased their first home. At that time they ran a bed and breakfast in New Plymouth for six years and also got themselves two more residential properties which they leased out. In 1972 the family headed for Australia for a two year vacation but they never returned. In Aussie they have owned a motel, a hotel which they ran with family and finally shifted to Tasmania where they purchased a 450 cow farm. Now after all these wonderful jobs Jack and Shirley have sold up and retired to the south side of Brisbane and enjoyed fifteen years of retirement (so far).
They have travelled to South Africa following the All Blacks (or Wallabies!) For eight and a half months they travelled the world and returned to Aussie very appreciative of the South Pacific. Presently they caravan a lot and go into gem fields, fossil king as they call it. New Zealand is still on their priority list visiting regularly. Both their sons have now retired. They have two grandchildren; grandson practicing law in Brisbane and granddaughter is a phycologist. After years of hard work and fun they can sit back and enjoy their families and retirement.