James Ralph Darling

Sir James Ralph Darling, CMG, OBE (18 June 1899 – 1 November 1995) was the English-born Australian headmaster of Geelong Grammar School (1930–1961), and Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (1961–1967). Early life Darling was born in Tonbridge, England, the second child of an Englishman, Augustine Major Darling, and his Scottish wife, Jane Baird, née Nimmo. He was educated at the preparatory school in Tonbridge run by his father, then at Repton School, a boarding school in Derbyshire. He served as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery in France and occupied Germany in 1918 and 1919 before reading history at Oriel College, Oxford. He taught from 1921 to 1924 at Merchant Taylors' School in Liverpool, before joining the staff of Charterhouse in Surrey. Headmaster He was appointed as Headmaster of Geelong Grammar School in 1930 and the student population of the school grew from 370 to 1139 at the time of his retirement. He was a founding member of the Headmasters' Conference of the Independent Schools of Australia and was its sixth Chairman. During his time at Geelong, Darling set up the Outward Bound campus Timbertop in the foothills of the Australian Alps between Mansfield and Mt Buller where academic work was supplemented by a wide range of physical activity. Notable pupils included future prime minister John Gorton and Charles, Prince of Wales. Darling was a founder and first National President of the Australian College of Educators. Darling served from 1933 to 1971 on the Council of the University of Melbourne and he was a member of the Universities Commission from 1941 to 1951. Darling believed that it was of primary importance in education to cultivate sensitivity in students, but that toughness was also required for effective leadership. He revolutionised Geelong Grammar School with his educational philosophy, overhauling the curriculum and focusing less on achievement and more on learning. He encouraged selflessness and hard work over competitiveness and idleness.