Geoffrey Roscoe

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Geoffrey Thomas Roscoe (30 June 1900 – 7 June 1985) was an Australian educator and public servant who spent much of his career in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. Born in Brisbane, he trained at the Normal School and the University of Queensland. He began as a schoolteacher in Brisbane in 1921 and later became a headteacher in Condamine. He married May Webster O'Donnell in 1928, and they had three children. Roscoe taught at Brisbane Teachers College from 1929 and earned a Master of Arts degree in 1931. During World War II, he served in the Volunteer Defence Corps.

After the war, Roscoe became headteacher of Charters Towers State High School in 1945. In 1947 he was appointed Chief Inspector of Schools in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. He rose to become Chief of the Division of Native Education in 1956. In 1958 he was appointed Director of Education and also served as an official member of the Legislative Council. His appointment came as a surprise, with his predecessor reportedly opposing it.

Roscoe retired in 1962 and returned to Australia, where he taught again and earned a graduate diploma in library science from the University of Queensland in 1965. He died in Brisbane in 1985.