About six decades later, at 76, he knows his teacher was right.
For the past 30 years, Mr Heather has been working at the Salvation Army, managing different family stores across the South Island.
But for the past two decades his main job has been as a court and prison officer, supporting offenders and their families though the rough time as well to reintegrating them in the community.
On Thursday he farewelled his role.
His days often started with a visit to the police station’s cells to deliver breakfast for people who had been arrested overnight; he would then go to the Invercargill Courthouse to support those who had a scheduled appearance, and then ended the day visiting about 160 prisoners at Invercargill Prison.
While many people could have a pre-conceived idea of the environment he had been working in, he said it was no different from many others.
"It’s a dangerous environment but so is farming or forestry ... They’re all dangerous.
"The way I see it is you need to treat the guys the way you want to be treated ... and everybody deserves a second, third or even a fourth chance in life."
His position had grown far beyond his expectations, and he had been privileged to meet many interesting people, he said.
It had been a rewarding feeling to be able to contribute and see people’s lives turning around, he said. To do his job, he had needed to have a bit of toughness, but also kindness, and most importantly he needed to not be judgemental, he said.
"One of the things that ... impresses me is the amount of talent that is in prison. There are some carvers, painters and artists ...
"There’s numerous stories of guys and their families that you feel you could help them. One of the guys invited us to his daughter’s christening ... recently, I’ve been asked to do two or three weddings in there.
"The majority of the guys are pretty good."
There had also been occasions when he was called into prison out of hours to help with sudden deaths and prayed with people in some of the most unlikely situations, he said.
As with any support person’s job, sometimes the job took a toll on his own wellbeing.
The secret to dealing with that was support from his wife Ann, to whom he had been married for nearly 55 years.
"It is important to have someone to talk to about it, and she had also worked in the prison until last year, so she knows how it can be."
After many prayers, encounters and highlights such as leading the Anzac Day services in Bluff and Stewart Island, Mr Heather has bowed out.
After he had a stroke in March, he started thinking about his retirement.
While he admitted he would miss the job , he was excited to have more time with his family, as well as to travel the country in his caravan.
"I shall miss my ministry and I’m sure there will be days when I’ll call into the police station to see friends and probably go into court too.
"But I’m looking forward to it."
