OBITUARIES It is with great sadness that we record the passing of the following members of the Camberwell Grammar School community since the last issue of Spectemur. CHRISTOPHER (CHRIS) BENCE 23 October 1942 - 29 August 2020
In 1953 a young Christopher Bence entered Grade 4 at Trinity Grammar School, and he was greeted by his teacher, a Mr. I. G. Mason.
Certificate of Ed, where he met his future wife Suellen. This initial qualification was later upgraded to a Dip. Teaching then a B.Ed. through part-time studies.
Ian recently recounted Chris’s athletics ability.
In 1966, Chris commenced teaching at Camberwell Grammar School where he was employed by Mr T. H. Timpson, Headmaster, starting a teaching stint which would last until 2002, when he retired from teaching but not from CGS.
“He was also a champion sprinter having broken 10secs. for the 100yds. Mind you, at CGS, we muttered something about it only being possible using ‘Trinity watches. Nevertheless, the AGS record for the Open 4 x 100yd relay was for many years held by the Trinity team which included, apart from Chris, Byron Williams, who ran in the 1962 Commonwealth Games; Gary Eddy, 1964/1970 Olympian, and a fourth fellow . . . Pildrie or some such name: Chris competed with the best.” Chris’s talents were not only displayed on the running track but also with voice. As a young man he was a member of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church choir in Kew. He was a founding member of Idlers Five, a pop group at its height in the ‘60s, when they were chosen to represent Australia in a world universities’ pop festival. They produced their number one hit, Melborn and Sideny in 1968, after which the group disbanded. On deciding to become a teacher Chris completed the two-year course at Mercer House, (Associated Teacher Training Institution), Malvern to obtain his 28
He quickly became a very popular teacher with students, particularly boys in his class 7B, their parents and members of staff at all levels of the school. For many years he acted as Middle School House Master of Robinson and coached soccer along with a strong interest in athletics. He was a regular starter for running events at House Athletics. Until recently he continued to attend the AGS athletics carnival with Phil Hutton and Ian Mason to assist with marshalling of competitors. In 1999 Chris was appointed Deputy Head of Middle School until his retirement in 2002. When I started at CGS in 1976, Chris introduced me to Bambara, the school camp. It was a weekend father and son camp for members of 7B. Following the end of the school day, on the Friday, it was off to the Balwyn supermarket to purchase supplies for the weekend, then drive to the camp, unpack the food, prepare the evening meal and wait for the fathers and their sons
to arrive. Chris did not stop all weekend preparing meals, supervising activities, including the father and son cross-country run making, sure all had a great experience. One thing I learnt from Chris that weekend was “Cook roast beef and vegetables, it’s so simple put it in the oven and forget about it. The fathers and boys love it and it is so easy to cook and serve.” After a highly active weekend, he was at work bright and early the next day full of life and smiles with many stories to tell. He was the same at Year 7 camps at Somers in February or Central Australian safaris during term holidays, making sure his 7B boys had a great time. Through his love of music Chris quickly became involved with the annual Middle School production. He wrote the lyrics and composed music for these, many which were based on J.R.R. Tolkiens book The Hobbit. In performances of Oliver he would take the part of Mr. Bumble with due sternness. In 1986 CGS celebrated its Centenary and the Middle School Play was written around the history of the school. Chris played the part of Mr T.H. Timpson the Headmaster who had initially employed him, another twist of connection for Chris. He was also a great supporter of the Music department and without having to be asked would volunteer for backstage duties at concerts.
