Page 337 - Kimihia School Vol 3 (1998-2023)

moved into farmer Len Rosser’s original home at 12 sagging to form a blob on the plate! My creation had
Russell Road, later to be re-numbered as 21 Russell died!
Road. th
I was not to know that December 10
Walking to school entailed heading 1977 would be my last day at Kimihia
north on Russell Road and then School.
heading down a farm access road
(now called McVie Road) which I attended Huntly College followed by
terminated after 100 meters at the two years at the Hamilton Teachers
gates of the farmer who later sold his College where I trained as a Primary
land for the building of Kimihia School Teacher. That Training College
School on the newly constructed was later expanded to become the
Waikato University. My Probationary
Tamihana Avenue in 1967.
Assistant year was spent at Huntly West
Those of us youngsters who lived in Primary School which was followed in
the Russell Road area, and who did 1966 by being a qualified teacher back
not bike to school, carried on from at my original Kimihia School.
that farmers gate and down a cattle
track to the mine-access railway line. There were three of us – Principal Mick
Heading along the railway line we Mather taking the senior classes in the
needed to be aware of possible train original building, me with the middle
movements as the only way to safety, school of Primers 3 & 4, Standards 1 &
if the train, came was into the swamp 2 in the prefab, and Marion Bogie in the
that bordered both sides of the track. second prefab with the new entrants and
juniors.
A few times I rode that way on my
bike either along the bumpy rail ties The school also now boasted a small
or along the extremely narrow trail staff room beside the main building.
between the swamp and the railway 1966 staff member Marion Bogie I cannot recall much more about my
ties. with 1966 teacher Sandy MacDonald teaching time, just that I loved my class
Occasionally I made more use of my bike, which of nearly-perfect pupils who would,
boasted balloon tyres, and headed from Russell Road to today, be in their mid-60s!
school along Kimihia Road. I dreaded the part of the One incident that has remained with me throughout my
journey that took me downhill from the Yates gate teaching career was when I set the class an activity that,
(where the water tank is now situated). The gravel was when completed, the first four could claim their
loose and it was worse at the bottom of the incline rewards from off the shelf by my desk. The rewards
where the road veered left past house number 171 were lollies.
Kimihia Road.
No sooner had I stopped talking and turned my back
My heart was in my mouth as I headed down the hill at than a large number of boys launched off their seats and
speed and tried braking in time before I hit the headed for the sweets. It was chaos.
accumulated loose gravel at the bottom to get around
the corner safely. My bike brakes did not always There were some yells and shouts and the crashing of
operate efficiently, giving me visions of coming off and desks and chairs. The aftermath resulted in a pile of

body-surfing along the rough gravel. furniture and several small injuries. I never tried that
again!
The 1957 Form 2 class comprised just me and Glenys
Wilkinson, the daughter of the Kimihia Mine Manager. For the first half of 1966 I biked to school along
As seniors we were given our week’s work assignments Kimihia Road (McVie Road did not exist). In the
st
in a notebook. I enjoyed Arithmetic so I would spend second half of that same year for my 21 birthday I was
all day completing the whole week’s assignment before gifted a car through my grandfather’s will and drove,
moving on to more boring ones like English or Social saving time and being able to park in the off-road bay
Studies. I was quickly found out and told to stick to the by the school gates. That was the same area used in the
daily schedule as given. earlier years for students to hitch the horses that they
rode from their farmhouses as there was no road access
th
That year of 1957 was the School’s 60 Reunion year.
All the pupils worked hard in preparing displays. I to the school for the first 43 years of its existence.
constructed a large dragon out of plasticine and placed In conclusion I would like to read out the names of the
it on a table, along with other displays, beside a window 24 who were my pupils. Two names I have forgotten,
where it could be brightly lit. My jobs was to supervise and I would appreciate anyone who could complete my
the displays while the Reunion activities went on memory by placing those missing names under the
outside, prior to the adults coming back in to see what 1966 class photo on page 187 in Volume 1 of the

we had done. As the sun streamed into the room and school history books.
across the table I saw my dragon slowly softening and