Ewen Neil McQueen
Encyclopedia
Ewen Neil McQueen was an Australian headmaster, prominent educational innovator, scientist
, psychologist
and General Practitioner
. He was most often known as Neil McQueen or E. Neil McQueen.
, McQueen was the fourth son of Rev. Finlay McQueen, a minister at Skipton
, near Ballarat
, and his wife Emma Selina Bruton. McQueen's parents had earlier emigrated from the Scottish Highlands
.
McQueen was educated at his local primary school, performing so well that he received an open scholarship
to the Scotch College, Melbourne
. At Scotch, McQueen proved himself as a scholar, becoming dux in classics
in 1906 and winning a scholarship to Ormond College
at Melbourne University
in classics and mathematics
. He was also a talented tennis
player and athlete
.
McQueen had originally wanted to study Medicine
at university, but was persuaded by his father to take up Arts
. He was awarded a number of exhibitions and graduated first place in his final honours exam. In 1910 he won the Wyselaskie Scholarship which enabled him to take his M.A. degree.
On 13 April 1913 he married Florence Isabel Dunn of Northcote
, with whom he had four children, Ewen Garth (born 1916), Patricia (born 1925), Sheila and Barry (born 1931).
After graduating from university, McQueen went to the University of London
where he studied both general and experimental psychology
taking out a first class honours degree in Science
. He continued his research in Psychology at the Psychological Laboratory of University College London
, specialising in testing and measurement, where he was supervised by Professor Charles Spearman
, one of the early psychometricians. McQueen focused his work on the "Distribution of Attention" in individuals, rejecting earlier claims that there were certain individuals types who possessed general powers of an extensive attention span capable of taking on a number of tasks at the same time. The result of this study was published in the British Journal of Psychology as a monograph supplement in 1917.
The time spent in London was important for McQueen as it allowed him to come into contact with the latest British educational thinking. It was at this time that were sown the seeds of his later "radical" approach to education.
, McQueen intended on enlisting but was asked to assist at a state school in Gippsland
. Three months later, in 1916, he returned to teach in Melbourne, and shortly after was appointed Vice-Principal of two Sydney
'sister' schools: the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Croydon
and the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Pymble
.
In 1920, the Principal of these two schools, Dr. John Marden
resigned due to ill health, and McQueen was subsequently made Principal of the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Croydon (P.L.C). It was here that McQueen gained his reputation as a "radical" and innovative educator.
During McQueen's first three years at P.L.C, he made only minor changes to existing policies and routines, preferring to do as Marden had before him. It is said that at this time he may have even been more conservative than Marden, for example, in 1921, he recommended to College Council that no Roman Catholic should be appointed to the staff, whereas Marden had appointed Roman Catholics. McQueen did however campaign for playing fields and a swimming pool
at the school, believing that sport should play an important role in the education of young ladies, a somewhat unorthodox idea at the time. His other change in these early years was to allow the pupils a greater say in the election of the School Captain
and Prefect
s.
By 1922, McQueen seemed to be established as the Principal and the school was prospering with its highest enrolments ever seen, and he obviously thought it time to introduce changes in line with his own philiosophy. The first tangible product of this philosophy was the institution of the school's own Intermediate Leaving Certificate which more accurately represented what his school stood for. He did not think that the State's Intermediate Certificate did so, concentrating as it did on exams only. As McQueen said:
The school's certificate was awarded not purely on exam results but on the record of a girl throughout her whole course. It was only awarded after a girl had reached the required standard in scholarship, sport and school life. The girls had to demonstrate "on the playing fields and in the school life that they possess those qualities of womanhood for which the school stands," These certificates became keenly sought after and were very highly prized by the girls of the college.
McQueen's next change occurred in that same year, when Lindley Evans was appointed as music
teacher. McQueen believed that the teachers appointed to his school should not only have great ability in their chosen field, but also have imagination and be prepared to be innovators. McQueen saw this in Evans and felt that he could lift the standard of music at the school. This did indeed happen. For many years, P.L.C won the coveted 'Dempster Shield' for choral singing
. The school won it so many times in fact, that the shield became the permanent property of the school.
In 1923 McQueen became more innovative still. He reorganised the school along the lines of the Dalton Plan
, an educational concept created by Helen Parkhurst
. This scheme originated in Massachusetts
, and was based on the importance of experience and of allowing the pupil to be "free to continue his work upon any subject in which he is absorbed." It also encouraged the "interaction of group life."
McQueen's arrangement was a modified version of the original Dalton Plan. At least one formal class lesson was given in each subject each week. During the rest of the week, about half the periods, students spent their time in practical work, reading texts and other references under the direction of a teacher who was available for individual and/or group consultation. All work was divided into monthly portions and set out in "Monthly Assignments". Charts in each subject room indicated pupils' progress in that subject and pupils kept their own progress charts as well. Girls who fell behind were required to make up their work on Thursday and Friday afternoons.
The reaction of the girls was, on the whole, favourable with the senior girls "almost unanimously" in favour of it. Younger girls however found it harder to adapt as they "had got into the habit of depending on teachers for everything". Two surveys of the scheme among the girls and staff twelve months apart indicated that most were in favour, especially as time went on.
The Dalton Plan was McQueen's major reform and by it he attempted to transform the whole school. He was however also greatly influenced by at least two other teaching procedures. The first of these was the project methods which was based on the ideas of W. H. Kilpatrick who in turn was influenced by John Dewey
. The project method set out to "allow children to follow their own ways in purpose, planning and execution and judgement." Many other schools at the time were also introducing similar methods based on Kilpatrick's work.
The other influence on McQueen was "The Play Way" of H. Caldwell Cook which stressed the importance of "original thought and fancy" in children's activities.
The outcome of these two philosophies on the school was the use of drama
(often in the form of pageant's) to aid self-expression and the introduction of lectures and self-government.
In 1926 McQueen introduced some peer assessment, whereby girls' estimates of each other's work and worth was taken into consideration in the allocation of prizes. As McQueen said:
McQueen also introduced a house system
, school camps to Mittagong
, and a course in infant
care that same year.
In August 1923, the Chairman of Council, Rev. John Ferguson
, retired due to ill health. Up until this stage it appeared that Council was quite happy with McQueen's new ideas and organisation, however, as soon as Ferguson had retired, relations began to deteriorate between McQueen and Council.
On 15 November 1923, the new Chairman of Council, Mr R. W. Gillespie, chaired his first council at Croydon
. At this meeting the matter of the College's own Intermediate Certificate was raised. It was moved that:
This motion was later withdrawn due to McQueen's powers of persuasion. However, McQueen's problems were not over. Council moved to reduce his authority by insisting that he produce a Principal's report for each Council meeting. This also highlighted Gillespie's lack of confidence in him as this had never before been the practice at Croydon, nor was it the case at Gillespie's other school, Knox Grammar School
. This clash of personalities continued for another six years with the authority of the Principal being eaten away year by year.
Despite this tension, McQueen remained undaunted. He continued to advocate and suggest ideas and plans which he wanted implemented for the good of the school and the girls.
In 1926 P.L.C Croydon began to show a financial loss and enrolments began to fall. Council's concern at the "deteriorating" situation was manifest by further attacks on McQueen over the manner in which he was managing the school. As the situation worsened, so did Council's relations with McQueen. As a result, a committee was formed to investigate the management of the school.
In May 1929, McQueen was given leave to travel overseas and present his paper in person about his work at P.L.C. The leave was to be for two terms. In his absence, the committee investigation laid all the school's problems at McQueen's feet. It recommended sweeping changes to the curriculum, the abandoning of the Dalton Plan, because of the unhelpful effects on discipline, and finally:
McQueen was informed of this decision and cut his leave short, returning from overseas. At a meeting on 11 December 1929, Council unanimously resolved that Dr McQueen's appointment be terminated. Rev. A. M. Ogilvie, Minister at Beecroft
, apologised for his absence and by letter indicated that he opposed the motion. He was McQueen's sole supporter. Subsequently, Messrs R. Vicars and F. Thompson interviewed McQueen to "invite his resignation". McQueen, gentleman to the end, advised Council to take any action that it deemed necessary. McQueen's "resignation
" agreement was that he would be paid £1,209 in lieu of notice and that his two daughters would be accepted at the College at the pleasure of Council, as day scholars free of ordinary school fees. When news of McQueen's "resignation" became known, a number of parents were said to be outraged by the Council's action and withdrew their daughters immediately, thereby, incidentally, worsening the enrolment situation. A number of staff resigned in protest, Lindley Evans among them.
The P.L.C. Speech Day of 1929 clearly illustrated the degree of support for McQueen among parents and students. It is said that when the official party came on stage, there was no applause until McQueen appeared. Vicars, the Chairman for the occasion, referred to McQueen once towards the end of the ceremony but was drowned out by cheering and clapping "during which Council were a peculiar greenish hue about the face, especially Gillespie and Vicars." Further, after the National Anthem
was sung and the officials were about to leave the stage, Rev. William Duffy, Minister at Wollongong
and a parent of a P.L.C student, stood up and asked the Chairman to be seated. He said that McQueen had been wronged and what was more, he was not even allowed to say good-bye. Council subsequently rushed out quickly and locked themselves in the dining room
. In the Assembly Hall all was confusion with everyone cheering, stamping their feet and shouting. The stamping continued for so long that the Hall became full of dust, making it hard to see. Eventually, Mr. Duffy was able to quieten the gathering and McQueen was able to speak. He thanked those who had helped him and added:
Parent and ex-student protest
meetings followed, and the matter was taken up in the press, however all efforts failed. McQueen is often remembered by ex-students as a great man who made learning interesting and relevant.
. After graduating, he practised successfully as a general practitioner in the Ashfield
district of Sydney for many years.
McQueen died in 1967. He was survived by his wife and four children.
are named after him.
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
, psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
and General Practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
. He was most often known as Neil McQueen or E. Neil McQueen.
Early life and training
Born at Carlton North, VictoriaCarlton North, Victoria
Carlton North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Melbourne and Yarra...
, McQueen was the fourth son of Rev. Finlay McQueen, a minister at Skipton
Skipton, Victoria
Skipton is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is situated on the Glenelg Highway 166 kilometres west of the state capital, Melbourne and 52 kilometres south west of the regional centre, Ballarat. Part of Corangamite Shire Local government area, Skipton is on the banks...
, near Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
, and his wife Emma Selina Bruton. McQueen's parents had earlier emigrated from the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
.
McQueen was educated at his local primary school, performing so well that he received an open scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to the Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
. At Scotch, McQueen proved himself as a scholar, becoming dux in classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
in 1906 and winning a scholarship to Ormond College
Ormond College (University of Melbourne)
Ormond College is the largest of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne. It is home to 332 undergraduates, 30 postgraduates and 27 professorial/academic residents.-Establishment:...
at Melbourne University
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
in classics and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. He was also a talented tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player and athlete
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
.
McQueen had originally wanted to study Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at university, but was persuaded by his father to take up Arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
. He was awarded a number of exhibitions and graduated first place in his final honours exam. In 1910 he won the Wyselaskie Scholarship which enabled him to take his M.A. degree.
On 13 April 1913 he married Florence Isabel Dunn of Northcote
Northcote, Victoria
Northcote is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin...
, with whom he had four children, Ewen Garth (born 1916), Patricia (born 1925), Sheila and Barry (born 1931).
After graduating from university, McQueen went to the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
where he studied both general and experimental psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
taking out a first class honours degree in Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. He continued his research in Psychology at the Psychological Laboratory of University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, specialising in testing and measurement, where he was supervised by Professor Charles Spearman
Charles Spearman
Charles Edward Spearman, FRS was an English psychologist known for work in statistics, as a pioneer of factor analysis, and for Spearman's rank correlation coefficient...
, one of the early psychometricians. McQueen focused his work on the "Distribution of Attention" in individuals, rejecting earlier claims that there were certain individuals types who possessed general powers of an extensive attention span capable of taking on a number of tasks at the same time. The result of this study was published in the British Journal of Psychology as a monograph supplement in 1917.
The time spent in London was important for McQueen as it allowed him to come into contact with the latest British educational thinking. It was at this time that were sown the seeds of his later "radical" approach to education.
Career
On his arrival back in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, McQueen intended on enlisting but was asked to assist at a state school in Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
. Three months later, in 1916, he returned to teach in Melbourne, and shortly after was appointed Vice-Principal of two Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
'sister' schools: the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Croydon
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia...
and the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Pymble
Pymble Ladies' College
Pymble Ladies' College, , is an independent, non-selective, day and boarding school for girls, located in Pymble, a suburb in the North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
.
In 1920, the Principal of these two schools, Dr. John Marden
John Marden
Dr. John Marden B.A., LL.D was an Australian Headmaster, pioneer of women's education, and Presbyterian elder.-Early life and training:...
resigned due to ill health, and McQueen was subsequently made Principal of the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Croydon (P.L.C). It was here that McQueen gained his reputation as a "radical" and innovative educator.
During McQueen's first three years at P.L.C, he made only minor changes to existing policies and routines, preferring to do as Marden had before him. It is said that at this time he may have even been more conservative than Marden, for example, in 1921, he recommended to College Council that no Roman Catholic should be appointed to the staff, whereas Marden had appointed Roman Catholics. McQueen did however campaign for playing fields and a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
at the school, believing that sport should play an important role in the education of young ladies, a somewhat unorthodox idea at the time. His other change in these early years was to allow the pupils a greater say in the election of the School Captain
School Captain
School Captain is a student appointed or elected to represent the school.This student, usually in the senior year, in their final year of attending that school...
and Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
s.
By 1922, McQueen seemed to be established as the Principal and the school was prospering with its highest enrolments ever seen, and he obviously thought it time to introduce changes in line with his own philiosophy. The first tangible product of this philosophy was the institution of the school's own Intermediate Leaving Certificate which more accurately represented what his school stood for. He did not think that the State's Intermediate Certificate did so, concentrating as it did on exams only. As McQueen said:
The school's certificate was awarded not purely on exam results but on the record of a girl throughout her whole course. It was only awarded after a girl had reached the required standard in scholarship, sport and school life. The girls had to demonstrate "on the playing fields and in the school life that they possess those qualities of womanhood for which the school stands," These certificates became keenly sought after and were very highly prized by the girls of the college.
McQueen's next change occurred in that same year, when Lindley Evans was appointed as music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
teacher. McQueen believed that the teachers appointed to his school should not only have great ability in their chosen field, but also have imagination and be prepared to be innovators. McQueen saw this in Evans and felt that he could lift the standard of music at the school. This did indeed happen. For many years, P.L.C won the coveted 'Dempster Shield' for choral singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
. The school won it so many times in fact, that the shield became the permanent property of the school.
In 1923 McQueen became more innovative still. He reorganised the school along the lines of the Dalton Plan
Dalton Plan
The Dalton Plan is an educational concept created by Helen Parkhurst.Inspired by the intellectual ferment at the turn of the 19th century, educational thinkers such as Maria Montessori and John Dewey began to cast a bold vision of a new progressive approach to education...
, an educational concept created by Helen Parkhurst
Helen Parkhurst
Helen Parkhurst was an American educator, author, lecturer, the originator of the Dalton Plan and the founder of The Dalton School....
. This scheme originated in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and was based on the importance of experience and of allowing the pupil to be "free to continue his work upon any subject in which he is absorbed." It also encouraged the "interaction of group life."
McQueen's arrangement was a modified version of the original Dalton Plan. At least one formal class lesson was given in each subject each week. During the rest of the week, about half the periods, students spent their time in practical work, reading texts and other references under the direction of a teacher who was available for individual and/or group consultation. All work was divided into monthly portions and set out in "Monthly Assignments". Charts in each subject room indicated pupils' progress in that subject and pupils kept their own progress charts as well. Girls who fell behind were required to make up their work on Thursday and Friday afternoons.
The reaction of the girls was, on the whole, favourable with the senior girls "almost unanimously" in favour of it. Younger girls however found it harder to adapt as they "had got into the habit of depending on teachers for everything". Two surveys of the scheme among the girls and staff twelve months apart indicated that most were in favour, especially as time went on.
The Dalton Plan was McQueen's major reform and by it he attempted to transform the whole school. He was however also greatly influenced by at least two other teaching procedures. The first of these was the project methods which was based on the ideas of W. H. Kilpatrick who in turn was influenced by John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
. The project method set out to "allow children to follow their own ways in purpose, planning and execution and judgement." Many other schools at the time were also introducing similar methods based on Kilpatrick's work.
The other influence on McQueen was "The Play Way" of H. Caldwell Cook which stressed the importance of "original thought and fancy" in children's activities.
The outcome of these two philosophies on the school was the use of drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
(often in the form of pageant's) to aid self-expression and the introduction of lectures and self-government.
In 1926 McQueen introduced some peer assessment, whereby girls' estimates of each other's work and worth was taken into consideration in the allocation of prizes. As McQueen said:
McQueen also introduced a house system
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
, school camps to Mittagong
Mittagong, New South Wales
Mittagong is a town located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. At the 2006 census, Mittagong had a population of 7,460 people. The town can be seen as the gateway to the Southern Highlands when coming from Sydney. The town is close to Bowral, Berrima,...
, and a course in infant
Infant
A newborn or baby is the very young offspring of a human or other mammal. A newborn is an infant who is within hours, days, or up to a few weeks from birth. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth...
care that same year.
Resignation
A number of school pageants and open days to show the Dalton Plan at work enabled McQueen to give practical demonstration of his theories. Overall, they were enthusiastically received. However, the conservative P.L.C Council remained unimpressed.In August 1923, the Chairman of Council, Rev. John Ferguson
John Ferguson (clergyman)
Rev. John Ferguson was a Scottish born Australian Presbyterian minister.-Early life:John Ferguson was born on 27 December 1852, at Shiels, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the third son of William Ferguson, a farmer, and his wife Elizabeth, née Mitchell...
, retired due to ill health. Up until this stage it appeared that Council was quite happy with McQueen's new ideas and organisation, however, as soon as Ferguson had retired, relations began to deteriorate between McQueen and Council.
On 15 November 1923, the new Chairman of Council, Mr R. W. Gillespie, chaired his first council at Croydon
Croydon, New South Wales
Croydon is an affluent suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Croydon is located 11 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district. Croydon is split between the two local government areas of Burwood Council and the Municipality of Ashfield.The...
. At this meeting the matter of the College's own Intermediate Certificate was raised. It was moved that:
This motion was later withdrawn due to McQueen's powers of persuasion. However, McQueen's problems were not over. Council moved to reduce his authority by insisting that he produce a Principal's report for each Council meeting. This also highlighted Gillespie's lack of confidence in him as this had never before been the practice at Croydon, nor was it the case at Gillespie's other school, Knox Grammar School
Knox Grammar School
Knox Grammar School is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Wahroonga, an upper North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. This clash of personalities continued for another six years with the authority of the Principal being eaten away year by year.
Despite this tension, McQueen remained undaunted. He continued to advocate and suggest ideas and plans which he wanted implemented for the good of the school and the girls.
In 1926 P.L.C Croydon began to show a financial loss and enrolments began to fall. Council's concern at the "deteriorating" situation was manifest by further attacks on McQueen over the manner in which he was managing the school. As the situation worsened, so did Council's relations with McQueen. As a result, a committee was formed to investigate the management of the school.
In May 1929, McQueen was given leave to travel overseas and present his paper in person about his work at P.L.C. The leave was to be for two terms. In his absence, the committee investigation laid all the school's problems at McQueen's feet. It recommended sweeping changes to the curriculum, the abandoning of the Dalton Plan, because of the unhelpful effects on discipline, and finally:
McQueen was informed of this decision and cut his leave short, returning from overseas. At a meeting on 11 December 1929, Council unanimously resolved that Dr McQueen's appointment be terminated. Rev. A. M. Ogilvie, Minister at Beecroft
Beecroft, New South Wales
Beecroft is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Beecroft is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Beecroft is considered to be in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney.- History :Beecroft...
, apologised for his absence and by letter indicated that he opposed the motion. He was McQueen's sole supporter. Subsequently, Messrs R. Vicars and F. Thompson interviewed McQueen to "invite his resignation". McQueen, gentleman to the end, advised Council to take any action that it deemed necessary. McQueen's "resignation
Resignation
A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock...
" agreement was that he would be paid £1,209 in lieu of notice and that his two daughters would be accepted at the College at the pleasure of Council, as day scholars free of ordinary school fees. When news of McQueen's "resignation" became known, a number of parents were said to be outraged by the Council's action and withdrew their daughters immediately, thereby, incidentally, worsening the enrolment situation. A number of staff resigned in protest, Lindley Evans among them.
The P.L.C. Speech Day of 1929 clearly illustrated the degree of support for McQueen among parents and students. It is said that when the official party came on stage, there was no applause until McQueen appeared. Vicars, the Chairman for the occasion, referred to McQueen once towards the end of the ceremony but was drowned out by cheering and clapping "during which Council were a peculiar greenish hue about the face, especially Gillespie and Vicars." Further, after the National Anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
was sung and the officials were about to leave the stage, Rev. William Duffy, Minister at Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
and a parent of a P.L.C student, stood up and asked the Chairman to be seated. He said that McQueen had been wronged and what was more, he was not even allowed to say good-bye. Council subsequently rushed out quickly and locked themselves in the dining room
Dining room
A dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level...
. In the Assembly Hall all was confusion with everyone cheering, stamping their feet and shouting. The stamping continued for so long that the Hall became full of dust, making it hard to see. Eventually, Mr. Duffy was able to quieten the gathering and McQueen was able to speak. He thanked those who had helped him and added:
Parent and ex-student protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
meetings followed, and the matter was taken up in the press, however all efforts failed. McQueen is often remembered by ex-students as a great man who made learning interesting and relevant.
Later years
After leaving P.L.C., McQueen returned to his first love, medicine, at the University of SydneyUniversity of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
. After graduating, he practised successfully as a general practitioner in the Ashfield
Ashfield, New South Wales
Ashfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.The official name for the...
district of Sydney for many years.
McQueen died in 1967. He was survived by his wife and four children.
Legacy
The "E. Neil McQueen Block" and the "McQueen Seminar Room" at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, SydneyPresbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia...
are named after him.
Further reading
- McFarlane, J. 1998. The Golden Hope: Presbyterian Ladies' College, 1888-1988. P.L.C Council, Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney. ISBN 0-9597340-1-5.
- McQueen, E.N. 1930. The Golden Key: The Presbyterian Ladies College, Sydney - A school which left the beaten track. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.