Page 154 - Kimihia Volume 2

hall” comments the 1957 jubilee booklet.
Principal John Robinson wants the hall to be
a focal point for the community because it is a
“community hall”, he emphasizes.
The hall project began with the establishment
of a committee in June 1986. Whilst being
singularly unlucky when it came to attracting large
scale funding from major sources, the community
has stuck to the project tenaciously with
fundraising and at the eleventh hour has finally got
a grant from the Ministry of Education.
Over the years the Kimihia Fun Run
became an established and popular item on the
local calendar of events.
Other memorable occasions were
performances by show-biz personalities and ex
Kimihia residents the Topp Twins, a monster
Steptoe Auction, a Silver fern Railcar trip to
Waiouru Army Museum and regular raffles.
The community raised $70,000 and
received grants from the Lotteries and Hillary

Commission.
After dragging its feet the Ministry has
finally agreed at the fourth request and after
initially offering a two to one dollar subsidy, to
contribute a very welcome $80,000. Architects and
project managers were 5+1 Architects Ltd and
builders Jennian Developments Ltd.
On Thursday march 19th there was a
ceremonial blessing of the site, known as a
Poutokomanawa, which involves laying the
Waikato Times 20-11-92
foundation peg at the main door entry.
‘Flash’ school hall opened Seven months later, on October 7, the
newly completed hall was blessed in a Māori
When Len Rosser went to Kimihia Primary ceremony and began to be used.
School there was one room for the school’s 30 pupils. Now the finishing touches have been made,
He thinks it’s “just great” the school, near shrubs and trees planted around the attractive
Huntly, celebrated the completion of its community hall building and a celebration is planned for
today. Friday November 20 with afternoon tea, a
Mr Rosser was born in Huntly in 1912 and moved barbeque and evening social.
out to Kimihia as a five-year-old in 1917.
He’s been there the rest of his 80 years, raised
one child, is the proud grandfather of two and the
great-grand father of two more.
Mr Rosser said the new hall was a great tribute to

the community who fundraised, dug the foundations ———————————————————
and helped with the hall’s construction. —PUBLIC NOTICES 30-9-92 (Huntly
“I’m a bit old for most of the work but I helped
Press)
out with the raffles and that sort of thing.”
The hall included a modern kitchen, toilets ————————————————
and storage room and the basement will house the KIMIHIA SCHOOL
caretaker and double as the school resource room.
School principal John Robinson said the hall ANNOUNCES ITS
would fill many of the school’s needs. School-Community Hall
“Now we have a place for assemblies, cultural
group performances, plays.” Opening Ceremony
Mr Rosser said what few functions were held in
his day were all held in the school’s solitary classroom. Whakapuaretanga o
“So it’s just great we’ve got this flash thing to hold te Whare
them in now.”
Kimihia used to have a beautiful lake, and no Wednesday,
hall. Then for a long time it had neither. Now, after
six long years of fund-raising, it has a hall. 7 October 10.00 am
The primary school, first established in the
Kimihia community 120 (sic) years ago, has Ring 828-7495 for details
always been “the centre of district affairs from
kitchen evenings to political meetings as there is no