A TAVISTOCK teacher is retiring after more than four decades at the same school.

Melvyn Hunt joined Tavistock College in 1970 as a newly qualified teacher and has spent the whole of his teaching career at the college.

Mr Hunt has had a wide rage of roles at the college, including head of physics, second in science and head of science. He introduced electronics to the college and taught this successfully at GSE and A-Level.

Mr Hunt entered fully into the life of the college and ran the thriving surf club. He also gained lifesaving and mountain leadership qualifications in order to support young people in the outdoors. He was chair of the Outdoor Activities Forum, which is still going strong.

In 1994 he learned how to play the clarinet and he is now well-known in the musical circles of Tavistock. A year ago he bought a saxophone and is now learning to play that.

Principal at the college Helen Salmon, said: 'Melvyn has given many years of great service to the college and he will be missed.

'He has a lovely self-depreciating sense of humour and colleagues in the science department enjoy working with him. I wish him a long and happy retirement, and I am sure that surfing and music will certainly feature.'