Brian Hanson Lewis (1951 W) was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire before joining Sutton Valence in 1947. After four years as a boarder in Westminster, he completed two years of National Service in the Education Corps and the Intelligence Corps as a Russian specialist. Upon completion of his service, he joined Queen’s College, Cambridge to study English. 

He decided, upon graduation, to enter the teaching profession and he undertook a PGCE. Initially, he taught at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Credition, Devon, but had met a young lady from Tasmania and in 1960 he moved there to marry her. 

In 1963, he joined Mentone Grammar School in a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, teaching primarily English, but also French and Russian. He rapidly moved through the ranks to become a housemaster, Head of English, Commanding Officer of the school’s CCF and finally, Deputy Headmaster. As a school master, Brian focused on pastoral care, though he was also an excellent administrator and able teacher with an excellent self-deprecatory, ironic sense of humour. A compelling personality who believed in challenging his pupils, he enjoyed great respect and authority, but was always willing to put himself out to help a student in trouble. 

In 1984, he retired from Mentone to help in the early development of Newhaven College  on Phillip Island, about 90 miles from Melbourne, where the family had a holiday home. He was tempted back to Mentone though and returned to teach there from 1987 until 1989. There was then a final spell of teaching at Newhaven until 2002 and then from 2010 he helped in the archives at Mentone.