Penrith headteacher quits for dream job in New Zealand

By Pamela McGowan

Last updated 09:58, Friday, 07 November 2008

He may have been born in the UK but it seems Cumbrian headteacher Allan Short has always been destined to become an honorary New Zealander.

Allan Short with his family, from left, Lachie, Kendra, Evie, Leilani and Owen

The 42-year-old, who heads Hunter Hall School at Penrith, married a Kiwi and is now ready to move out there to bring up their family together.

Mr Short will leave Cumbria at Easter after securing his dream job – a headship at a large state primary school near Auckland with 500 pupils.

It will be a big change from Hunter Hall, a small independent primary, and he admits he will be sad to leave. But ultimately he has to follow his dream of bringing up his four young children in the country he has grown to love since meeting wife Kendra.

It is not the first time he will have lived in New Zealand.

The couple met while Kendra was travelling in the UK several years ago. They fell in love and he followed her across the globe back to her home country, where they were married.

Mr Short taught over there for five years and held a deputy headship before securing his current position at Hunter Hall, prompting the couple’s return to the UK with their first child Owen, now aged six.

Mr and Mrs Short, who live at Calthwaite, have since had three other children – Evie, four, Lachlan, three, and 11-month-old Leilani – and now feel the time is right to head back to New Zealand to be with their large extended family.

“It’s partly because of our family being there but it’s also a beautiful place; a very green, clean country with a good family ethos, a really good quality of life and a lot of opportunities for our children,” he said.

They will pack their things and jet off overseas at Christmas, so the kids are settled in time for the new school year, which starts in January.

But after Christmas Mr Short will return to Cumbria alone for his final term at Hunter Hall School, where he says he still has work to complete. “I’ve still got a job to do here and if it wasn’t for family we’d be more than happy to stay at Hunter Hall,” he said.

“We never imagined we would make as many good friends as we have here in Cumbria. The school is like a big family, our own children attend so we know the other children and parents really well. It’s always sad to leave people but we are also very excited about the changes ahead and going back to such a beautiful country we both love.”