Biographical.

William Dean Lysnar (born in London in 1821) was trained at St. Mark's College, London. Before migrating to Sydney in 1856 he lived for some years in the United States. From 1859 till 1864 he conducted the “Lyceum” private school in Auckland, his pupils including the children of some of the most influential families. Upon his return to Auckland after teaching in Poverty Bay and Hawke's Bay, he opened a private school, known as “Eden Hall.” He visited London in 1897 to lay before the Royal Geographical Society some very old charts of Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific which one of his Dutch (or Flemish) forbears had taken to England in 1714. The date which he assigned to them was 1587 A.D. They are now held by a granddaughter (Miss W. F. Lysnar), of Gisborne. Mr. Lysnar died in July, 1911.

John George Henry Bull (born at Bunningyong, Victoria, in 1856) joined the staff of Gisborne Central School as first assistant in 1881, and became headmaster in 1892. Whilst he had charge of the sixth standard 50 per cent. of the scholarships made available for the Hawke's Bay Education District were gained by pupils taught by him. On eight occasions in nine years the Hawke's Bay Caledonian Society's gold medal for the most proficient pupil in the education district was awarded to a pupil in his class; on the other occasion one of them tied for the trophy, but it was given to the other competitor because he was the younger. In October, 1902, he became headmaster of Waipawa School, and, in 1907, first headmaster of Kaiti School. From 1918 till 1924 he was secretary to the High School Board. He died on 28 September, 1945. A son (Noel H. Bull) was elected Mayor of Gisborne in 1941, and still (1949) retains that position.