A MUCH-LOVED teacher who strove to make the subject of science fun is being remembered a year on from his death.

Paul Nicholson, or 'Mr Nick' as he was known to many students, was a teacher at St Francis Xavier School in Richmond for 35 years until 2001.

He died on January 18, 2016 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s and his funeral in Richmond was attended by nearly 200 people, with hundreds more sending well wishes and tributes.

Daughter Sara Robinson said that after the funeral she found a dvd of footage he had taken from SFX School the day before the old building was knocked down to make way for the new school.

“He walked around the empty buildings, telling stories and sharing memories as he went," she said. "I have shared clips on a past pupils page on Facebook and it has been really well received.”

Mrs Robinson said his sense of humour is what most will remember him for – choosing cheeky songs in advance for his funeral, including The Only Way is Up by Yazz and the Plastic Population.

“We only actually found that suggestion after the funeral but we played Alright Now, by Free, which was also his choice and Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by his beloved Monty Python.”

"Along with his will, he left his collection of poetry he'd written since he was 14 and a letter to his family, Andrew, Marianne and Sara, which included a request for one or more of his poems to be shared.

"It read 'It would nice to think that one of the pieces could be read at the time when I go up in smoke, just before you all go to the pub.'

One was read out at the funeral and another was shared on the back of the order of service.

The family will be raising a glass of elderberry wine on Wednesday in memory of Mr Nicholson and would like to thank everyone for their kind words, messages, and support.

To view clips of the dvd footage, visit the St Francis Xavier Past Pupils (Richmond) group on Facebook.