Dave Donald

1906-1938

The news of Dave Donald's death and of its tragic circumstances shocked us all, especially those of us who knew him well, had taught him, worked with him as a colleague and grown to feel a real affection for him. These are just a few simple sentences about one who was liked and respected by all who knew him. It so happened that the writer knew Dave Donald from a boy, knew his parents, knew his whole family. The Donalds were farming people, hard-working, reasonably prosperous, unpretentious and deeply religious. They wished to do the very best for their children and gave them every educational opportunity in their power. To this Dave responded well. He was one of the original pupils of the Wairarapa High School when it replaced the little district High School which he first attended. At High School he is well remembered. His teachers say that his interests were always literary. He had little interest in games, "possibly in second fifteen," but he wrote the school song, still in use, and wrote parodies and skits on local affairs to the music of popular songs, and these were sung and acted by the senior boys, he himself taking part. He entered V.U.C. in 1925 and was attracted to the subjects of philosophy and psychology, which he added to his interest in literature. He did well in his studies, gaining a senior scholarship in psychology, but things were not to go smoothly for him. Before he could complete his M.A. degree he became seriously ill with a rather mysterious affliction of the spine and had to leave College. He went home to the farm, but when he felt he had recovered sufficiently was determined to go on with his M.A. course, though his medical adviser insisted on his remaining in the country. The writer often saw him at week-ends and talked over his thesis with him. He had combined his two interests and wrote on the psychology of literary creation. He had few text-books, was not really well, and was sharing with his brothers the work of the farm. Yet he completed with honours. This showed real strength of purpose. He was always keen to discuss not only philosophy and psychology, which were to him more than academic subjects, but also the affairs of the world. On the farm at Te Ore Ore he read his "Manchester Guardian Weekly" from cover to cover. At this time he used to make occasional journeys to Wellington to renew his store of books, stay a day or two and go back laden, joking mildly about himself as a rural philosopher.

Dave came back to College as assistant in the philosophy department. He felt that he had much academic ground to make up and systematically set himself to read the important new books, even carefully reading through a large new dictionary of psychological terms and not letting himself be joked out of it. He assisted in running the W.E.A. discussion courses and wrote a course on psychology for the Canterbury College Box Scheme. All his work was most thoroughly and conscientiously done. He was absolutely dependable. He continued to write light verse and last year published a small collection. "Cheerful Rhymes," he called it. He would have been the last to make any great claims for his verse, but it showed a neat turn of gentle irony and a real personality came through it. Occasionally he would be serious, about war and social injustice. Early this year he planned to go abroad for further study with a view to equipping himself more fully for academic work. Then he seemed to become rather uncertain. Perhaps it was too late for him to go. No one can know just what determined his end. Doubtless a number of things combined together and there may have been some malignant factor of heredity. It is useless to speculate. Dave Donald was not a man of great or startling brilliance, but he had real ability, an originality of his own, and a quiet integrity that was impressive. He inspired affectionate regard and he served V.U.C. well and faithfully. It is thus that he will be remembered.

—I.L.G.S.