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Wednesday January 15, 2014
one on one with the Sun
The Sun
An opportunity to make a difference... As Springlands schoolteacher Denis Tocker leaves for the North Island, he talks to Glenise Dreaver about the twists and turns of his life pathway. Thousands of New Zealanders go to Then he made his first move into real estate university straight from school, “socialise” for eighteen months, but meeting Wellington freely, play sport and study little. hairdresser Donna Pope meant coming back Predictably they fail, usually everything to Donna’s home town of Blenheim in 1996. they sit, and decide tertiary education is not “We married here. It’s not a bad place to for them. Often they don’t talk about it. bring children up.” In Denis Tocker’s case, it was over two He spent 15 years as a sales rep with a brief decades and several careers later before stint as a househusband when Donna set up he woke up to the opportunities education the hairdressing business DML Hair. offered. But real estate became attractive again. It He decided to study as a primary school was “ flying” here, he said. “You could make teacher in his early forties, despite being a reasonable living.” a successful Blenheim He was supported by his real estate agent. children’s sport, including “It is important to coaching his son’s football Denis is frank that his graduation as a Bachlisten to different team. A chance remark from elor of Teaching and teacher Nicky Halligan who Learning, and then emwatched him work with the voices.” ployment as a primary children at Pollard Park teacher at Springlands changed his life, though it School has seen his income take a real hit. took several years. But the opportunity to make a difference to “She said I should consider teaching. I children’s lives, “well, some children’s lives pondered over that from my mid-thirties.” at least”, is adding huge value to his own. In his early forties he searched the net beIt isn’t what those who knew him would fore enrolling in a distance education course necessarily have predicted when he went on for primary teachers through Canterbury from uni to six months of training at Police University. College. “It did take a while to get my belief back There was a gap to fill before he was old in presenting writing after twenty five years. enough, so he took a clerical job for the But the tutors help you through.” Apple and Pear Marketing Board. And in your early forties, he says, you “Treading water until I was old enough.” have the focus and drive that you didn’t have He now realises how young a twenty-year- during early unsuccessful study. old policeman was. In his fourth – and final - year of teaching He remembers fingerprinting a man who at Springlands, Denis began a post-graduate had just committed a murder on Mount diploma in educational leadership. Victoria In Wellington. “Being that close to This term, he will move to Kapanui School someone who had just committed murder in Waikanae. was an odd feeling for a young guy.” Former Springlands principal Des Hedley Two years as a policeman saw him make is principal there and though he left before a lot of contacts and learn a lot about life. Denis arrived, he feels there will be a “Rights and wrongs. It was a good chapter Springlands element. in my life.” Donna is also fulfilling a promise that once But Denis’s real focus was serious rugby their children, Grace and Theo, were grown and he became a Wellington provincial up, they would return to the Wellington area. representative between the ages of 21-24. “We’ve been here 17 and a bit years and He worked for his rugby coach, Zuk it’s a really neat place, a good place to bring Marinkovich at Marist St Pats, one of two up kids.“ or three keen footballers who enjoyed the But especially in teaching, he says it is “low stress” living, with its regular hours at important to listen to different voices and O’Reilly’s Wines and Spirits. work with different leaders.
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