MORE than 30 years on, the legacy of one of Casterton’s best-known education figures has been immortalised in the same ‘Casterton High School’ woodwork classroom he taught in.

Allan Spratling’s family visited the now Casterton Secondary College on Friday, to view the plaque commemorating his 30 years as a teacher in Casterton, with sons David and Ian, David’s wife Sandra and Ian’s daughter Amber - who is a student at the school – on hand to see the plaque’s unveiling.

Even so long after he passed away in 1988, Allan is still remembered fondly by those who knew him.

“He was everybody’s friend,” David Spratling said.

“He had a heart as large as an elephant – he was always willing to help anyone in the town.”

Originally from ‘the city’, Allan began teaching woodwork at Casterton High School in 1958.

Known widely as ‘Spratto’, he went on to marry local girl Doreen and raise a family of four children in Casterton – David, Ian, Mark and Anne – all four of whom he taught, at the school.

David said being taught by his own dad not only proved an excellent method of keeping out of trouble – ensuring he could not skip school without being found out – but provided some humorous moments.

“It was funny, (the students would) yell out ‘Spratto’ and there was four of us at once and we’d all turn around to look,” David said.

David said his father was also one of the first teachers to allow music in the classroom.

“He used to have a big cassette player in the corner,” David said.

“Someone asked him: ‘How do you get the kids’ attention?’.

“He said: ‘Easy, walk over, turn it off, they’re all up’.”

He also said there were events when the importance of woodwork safety measures would prove itself, such as one occasion when Allan was cutting timber through the circular saw.

“(The wood) was in his hand one minute, gone the next,” David said.

“It went through two classrooms and ended up out in the fields.”

Allan’s work in the school went beyond teaching – he marked out the oval leading up to sports days, helped out at the canteen when it was short on staff and constructed many different props for drama productions, store rooms and outdoor lunch settings.

He had also been the school handyman, replacing broken windows, repairing lockers and engaging in any other repair jobs, as they came up.

Outside of his dedication to the school, Allan was involved in a wide range of community sports – from tennis and basketball to golf and cricket – and also ran evening classes for adults to teach them carpentry skills.

While 30 years is a long time since Allan taught, David said he could still identify the works of his dad throughout the woodwork classroom and college, at large.

“I look around and I can see him everywhere in here,” he said.

“The shelving, the boxes, he’s built these and a lot of the benches, I know he’s probably made.

“A lot of the trophy boards and the honour boards that are at the front of the school.

“His essence is everywhere in this place and it will be for years to come.”