A NEW Ross man has created his own bit of history by passing his Leaving Certificate maths exam at the age of 70.
Denis North, from Brandon Park, studied for the exam in New Ross Vocational College where was attending a computer related course.
While working on that programme he decided to have a go at the Leaving Certificate maths exam and with the encouragement of school Principal, Suzanne Barrett, and Michael Ryan, he made the decision to begin studying for the exam.
The Echo visited Mr. North at his home where he outlined the reasons why he decided to sit the test.
“I retired at 63 and I decided I would do something to pass the days as it were,” he said.
“Also, I wanted to learn about computers so I started to go up there [New Ross Vocational College] and registered for a few courses,” he added.
“I got the idea last year then that I would try and do the Leaving Certificate maths because it was a subject I always liked.”
Because of the nature with which he was approaching the exam course Mr. North wasn’t able to study in class as such but one of the teachers in the school, Michael Ryan, gave as much time as he could to helping him with his studies.
“I had maybe half-a-dozen classes with him and I very much appreciate his time,” said Mr. North.
“If he has a free class and I had a free period from the course I was doing he would come in and help me then by giving me some pointers.”
For the most part Mr. North studied the course himself but he admitted to this newspaper that when he decided to do the course he didn’t realise that maths had changed so dramatically since his time in school.
“I left school in November 1960 so it was culture shock to say the least,” he said.
“It changed completely because of this Project Maths which meant that instead of like the old days you would get a question on fractions and then another on decimals nowadays they’re all combined so you could have three of four of them in the one question.”
He went on to say that initially he had some doubts about taking it on: “When I started it I kind of said to myself ‘what am I after letting myself in for here?’.”
“The kind I am I don’t quit on things but also it was probably easier for me to say I’ll give it a go because if I failed it wouldn’t have made any difference to me,” he said.
“I wasn’t doing it to go further or anything like that so any pressure I had was just pressure I put on myself just that I didn’t want to let down the school.”
Because Mr. North was doing four modules out of eight for his other course he had the time to study for the Leaving Cert.
“I had spare time and because of that I said I would give it a go.”
“My whole purpose in going up there was twofold because I wanted to learn a bit more and I also wanted to get au fait with computers,” he said.
“I was a rep on the road for nearly all my life so I never had anything to do with computers but now I am comfortable enough with them,” he added.
When asked what advice he would give to other people who might be considering doing what he did he replied: “Well, as the saying goes it’s never too late. You’ll only get out of it what you put into it and if somebody is wanting to go ahead with it think it through but if you want to do it then do it.”
“However, you must realise there is a commitment to it,” he said.
“I gave a lot of time up there and I gave a lot of time here doing my own work too,” he added.
“A lot of time and effort went into it but for younger people it’s definitely worth it; I turned 70 in May and I sat the exam in June so I was certainly the oldest one up there.”
Remarkably, Mr. North played down the significance of his achievement and commented: “I don’t see what I did as a big deal at all. I get these notions and then I try to follow through. This was something I wanted to do and I worked hard to get it that’s all.”
Active in the community Mr. North published a book a few years ago to raise money for the Community Hospital.
When it was put to him that what he did would give much inspiration to others in the community he admitted that he didn’t see it like that before: “I think a lot of people sell themselves short and there are certainly a lot of people out there who have more ability than I have.”
With regard to his results he said for him it’s not a big deal: “I don’t see it as a big deal. I was up there anyway. I took a cracked notion and it’s worked out; it didn’t put a lot of pressure on me but I put a lot of time and effort into it.”
“I will be eternally grateful to Michael Ryan because he took time out to help me when he could off his own back and I am really thankful to him for that and to Suzanne for encouraging me to do it in the first place,” he added.
His younger ‘classmates’ only realised what he was doing when the mock exams came around in February and he took his place in the room beside them.
“I went in and sat down and a lot of them I knew from around like Alan Murphy who hurls for Kilkenny,” he said.
“They asked me what I was doing and then why I was doing it,” he added.
“Some of them were astounded by it.”
He then revealed that he has also begun working on his second book which will be about the history of the Workmen’s Club in New Ross.
“It’s spanning three Centuries so a bit of effort will have to go into that as well but it all helps pass the time,” he said.
“I don’t feel 70 and my thinking is definitely not 70 and that is the important thing.”
“My target is to live to at least 92; whether I do or not remains to be seen but that’s my target.”
