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100 years young - Emeritus Professor Dr Bruce Harris '34 AM
Monday, 8 March 2021
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On Sunday 7 March 2021, Emeritus Professor Dr Bruce Harris '34 AM joined an elite group of Old Boys when he turned 100 years old. Dr Harris started his five years at Auckland Grammar in 1934 and when he left in 1938, he was a Prefect, the vice-captain of the 2nd XV Rugby team and was awarded Dux for being the top student in the School. A World War II veteran, after his many years of service, Dr Harris was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Balliol College at Oxford, before returning to a position at the University of Auckland. Bruce's name appears on the Rhodes Scholars’ Honours Board in the Great Hall, one of just 26 names going as far back as 1908. Dr Harris and his family moved to Sydney in 1970, where he was involved with various projects at both Macquarie University and the University of New South Wales. He was one of the first lecturers in Ancient History at Macquarie University and is a former associate and head of its School of History, Philosophy and Politics. Dr Harris is a valued evangelical and highly respected in the community, which culminated in him being made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours for significant services to higher education, to veterans and to the community. A regular attendee at veteran events where he spoke of his faith amid the turmoil of war, Dr Harris was honoured by the Maori veterans in NSW with a feather cloak (a Korowai) as a sign of respect for him. Says his youngest son, Bishop Tim Harris: "On his 98th birthday they turned up at the nursing home and sang him the songs of respect for a Maori elder. Dad is probably one of the last survivors of his generation. "He always wore his learning very lightly and won respect for who he is as a Christian gentleman. He's a very humble man and a great encourager in faith. In our family, my parents’ witness - and Dad's example of faith in that space as a public intellectual - has been a very significant legacy down the generations." |