Peter Board (27 March 1858 – 12 February 1945) was an Australian educationist and public servant best known for his advocacy of education reform in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. Board was born in

Wingham, New South Wales Wingham is a town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia in the Mid-Coast Council area north of Sydney. According to the , Wingham had a population of 5,395. History The first land grant in the area was made at The Big ...

, the son of a Scottish immigrant. He studied teaching in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and later became a school inspector in country New South Wales. In 1905 he was appointed under-secretary and director of the Department of Public Instruction, a position he would hold until 1922. He oversaw the establishment of

Sydney Teachers' College The Sydney Teachers College was a tertiary education institution that trained school teachers in Sydney, Australia. It existed from 1906 until the end of 1981, when it became the Sydney Institute of Education, a part of the new Sydney College of ...

in 1906 and reforms such as a standardised curriculum overseen by a curriculum council and a high school

leaving certificate A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination. For each leaving certificate ...

. Board was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1916. He retired as Director of Education in 1922, to be replaced by Stephen Henry Smith.

Personal life

In 1880, Board married Jessie Allen Bowes, daughter of suffragette and temperance activist Euphemia Bridges Bowes. Their only child was

Ruby Board Ruby Willmet Board CMG (15 October 1880 – 25 December 1963) was an Australian community worker. She was known for her long association with the National Council of Women of Australia and with diabetes organisations. Early life Board was born on ...

, who became a prominence women's activist. Board and his wife retired to

Leura, New South Wales Leura (postcode: 2780) is a suburb in the City of Blue Mountains local government area that is located west of the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the series of small towns stretched along the Main W ...

, in the early 1920s. He was widowed in 1932 and died in Chatswood on 12 February 1945, aged 86.

References

1858 births 1945 deaths Australian people of Scottish descent Australian schoolteachers Public servants of New South Wales Australian educational theorists Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Colony of New South Wales people 19th-century Australian educators {{Australia-bio-stub

Personal life

See also

References