Page 90 - Volume 1

1952 1952 Classes
Primer BRAND Tui
Enrolments Primer MacDONALD Christine
Primer NEPE Charlie
Feb-04 1952 P MacDONALD Christine
Primer NEPE Jean
Mar-10 1952 P NEPE Charlie
Primer PURU Betty
Sep-15 1952 P4 PURU Daniel
Primer PURU Daniel
Mar-10 1952 P TOHE Joe
Primer TOHE Joe
Jun-17 1952 P4 WHALWASSER George Billy
Primer YATES Glenys
Feb-04 1952 P YATES Glenys
Primer 4 BRAND Arnold
Teachers: Mr O Whaley & Mr A D Bartlett (30 July) Primer 4 WHALWASSER Bill
Std 1 BRAND Richard
Std 1 MacDONALD Sandy
Std 1 PUTERE Leo
Std 1 WILKINSON Glenys
Std 3 PURU Ronald
Std 3 PURU Vina
Std 4 JOHNSON Mary
Std 4 MacDONALD Stancy
Std 5 AHU Jimmie
Std 5 DAVIDSON Joyce
Std 6 DAVIDSON William
Std 6 JONES Myra

Looking Back a Year or Two Walking to school across the playground in
The schoolroom was unlined in any way but the morning ran the risk of having one’s legs covered
very secure against the weather and the wind. Displays in the sticky paspalum seed-heads when the grass
were fixed to the walls by drawing pins, until hadn’t been mown. Those with hairy legs suffered the
sellotape became available. ordeal of pulling off the tenacious attachments before
The Education Department supplied funds to they dried and made the job too painful.
the school for cleaning purposes, so, instead of Until it was discontinued a daily ration of half-
employing a daily cleaner, students were rostered to pint milk was compulsorily available each morning
sweep and clean after school each day. The money interval. The milk was delivered in glass bottles and the
‘saved’ went to buying end-of-year gifts for departing crate left in the milk shelter just inside the school gate.
Straws were supplied and the milk taken (under
students and other school necessities.
A regular activity for some of the senior students supervision). In winter the milk was delightfully cold,
at the end of the school year was the scraping of the and often converted to hot cocoa. In summer the milk
desks. Broken shards of window glass were was tepid and most unappetising.
recovered from underneath the school and used to Senior boys had the job each day in winter of
scrape off the top layer of varnish from the desks so that firing up and tending the pot-belly stove that stood in
a fresh coat could be applied. Surprisingly few cuts were the room. Coal was supplied by the mine and there
were often competitions to see which pair of “duty
experienced. boiler-makers” could send the cherry-red glow of the
Before the days of fountain pens and ball-points,
ink monitors were appointed every term. fired-up stove the highest up the bare
It was their job to top up the inkwells in chimney. The milk for the cocoa was
the senior desks each day from a large heated on the stove in a large billy.
supply bottle that had a thin neck and a Times tables and the alphabet were
pronounced lip like a squeezed milk jug. learned by chanting under direction of the
teacher or senior pupil.
The dip pens had to be used carefully.
The morning fingernail parade The juniors had a part-time activity as
was only looked forward to by those shelter-shed climbers during intervals
who had not played outside before school began each where they wedged themselves into the
morning. On instructions from the teacher all pupils corners of the shelter-shed and stepped their way up the
would place their hands on the desk, palm down, so lapped boards until they could touch the roof. The
that the cleanliness of the fingernails could be distance down to the earth floor seemed to get less
inspected. A telling off and a quick trip to the sink with every year!
a small pair of scissors was the result of any dirt being A number of improvements were made to the
discovered. school by the School Committee between 1947 and
Boys who incurred the ire of the teacher 1957: School grounds levelled - Asphalt playing
were strapped in the porch area while the rest of area combined with tennis court - Grassing of grounds
the school listened in silence, if such strapping (previously blackberry & ti-tree) - Electricity connected
occurred during class. There was one occasion where all to the school - School lined and ceiling installed -
the senior boys were lined up for strapping for failing Cupboards built, school painted - Town water supply
to hear the bell and were late arriving to class from connected & septic tank installed.
playing in their grass hut 100yards away at the edge of
the playing field!