Member of the NZ Alpine Club:

"Monty McClymont died suddenly at his home near Dunedin on 21st May 1970. He had enjoyed an unusually full life, characterized by tremendous enthusiasm for any of the many activities that aroused his interest. He had a distinguished career in the teaching profession as a historian, as a rugby football player and coach, and as a mountaineer.

He was born in Lawrence in 1905 and was educated at the Tokomairiro District High School and the University of Otago. Graduating from the University of Otago with honours in history, he worked as an assistant master at John McGlashen College before joining the staff of Otago Boys High School in 1927. In 1954, he was appointed first assistant there. In 1961 he 'retired' from Otago Boys only to return to a relieving position at Kings High School. During these teaching years, Monty also held a lecturing position at the University of Otago and taught for shorter periods at schools overseas.

Keenly interested in sport, he was a member of the University, Otago and South Island rugby teams and was an All Black three-quarter, against Australia in 1928. As well as taking an active playing part in rugby, he coached the Southern team from 1931 to 1933.

During World War II he was overseas with the Second NZEF. Word has been handed down, from Club members who were in the Italian campaign, that Monty played an outstanding part in getting NZ personnel safely across the Sangro River by the application of river crossing methods learned in the Southern Alps. At the end of hostilities he was posted to the archives section of the New Zealand Division. His work took him through Greece, Crete and Turkey. He wrote one of the official war histories, 'To Greece'." (from the NZ Alpine Journal, Vol.XXIII, No.2, 1970) AWMM