This interview was done as part of the Lioness project - the brainchild of Mr. Archie Hartwright - and was an IT project devised in 1999 to familiarize us with the workings of websites, as well as to provide insight to the life at KGV.

This, perhaps, is the first idea of an "electronic" version of the Lion. One of the people interviewed at the time was Mr. Barnes, my IT teacher at the time.

For those that know him, I hope that this interview will bring up fond memories of our time with him.
For those that don't, I hope that this interview will bring some insight and perspective to the man that meant so much to so many.

Mr. Barnes teaches IT and Maths at KGV. He is a dedicated worker and respects his students. He is a good teacher, and many people, when asked about him, comment on his everlasting humour, his great teaching skills, and his friendliness.Good teachers are often strict, however, and Mr. Barnes is no exception to the rule.  He enjoys coaching the KGV football teams and his interests include music, history & scuba diving.

Why did you come to Hong Kong and KGV?
Well, really, I was coming to Hong Kong to get a job and I never really liked the UK education system: the conditions for teachers were not that good at that time, so I came to Hong Kong. There was also a small matter of a wedding!

What subjects did you enjoy in school?
History! Mr. 'Wild Bill" Dewey was a great teacher. He could make these amazing noises by squeezing his hands together while coughing! He had a rather graphic knowledge of early forms of execution. Do you know what happened to the lover of the wife of George I of England?

In that case, why did you choose to teach maths?
I was not really great at maths. Music was my best subject. In Year 10 I had a maths teacher called Peter Hudson who was quite inspirational. My maths improved so much that I finished the course we were doing and used to help him teach the rest of the group.

Where did you work before coming to KGV?
I worked in a school called St. Edward's in Romford which is in the east of London. I used to teach Maths, IT, and Physics.

Where did you go to school?
I went to school in Norwich, in Norfolk. After I left school I went to Queen Mary College, London, to study Astronomy. I obtained my teaching qualification from the University of East Anglia, Norwich.

What do you believe in most?
I am very fond of the area of England that I come from. The countryside is great, and the people are reserved but friendly. I feel sad that the local dialect of English that we use in that area is dying out. The words we use are very descriptive and often quite different from standard English. I would like to learn to speak and read more Chinese than I do at the moment.

If people could have three words to describe you, what would they be?
Fat, frightening and friendly. I like students to feel relaxed in my lessons, but I also like to let them know when I think that they are acting in an inconsiderate fashion towards others.

Do you do any other things in school?
I still enjoy coming in to work at KGV after just over seven years. Most people know me for my involvement with football and music. It seems that I have a bit of a reputation too. One of my sixth form group was telling me that the P6 students were quite scared when they passed P4!!! (my room)

Interviewed by Jason Pang - June 1999 // Photographs by Jason Pang - June 1999

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