DUX MEDALLISTS MEET AGAIN AFTER 60 YEARS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27499, 5 November 1954, Page 12

DUX MEDALLISTS MEET AGAIN AFTER 60 YEARS

"The Press” Special Service

WELLINGTON. November 4. In 1894 a 12-year-old girl, Irene Lindsay, and a 12-year-old bov, George Dawson, shared the honour’of being dux ot the Oamam North School. The boy and the girl now in their 70’s, met again in Wellington this week for the first time in 60 years. Mr George A. Dawson, of Hataitai, lrene Lindsay, now Mrs Irene Cotton of St Clair, Dunedin met for afternoon tea. They chatted and laughed, talking about their schooldays together at the end of last century. two met again through the death of Mr Dawson’s sister who was a friend of Mrs Cotton. Mrs Cotton wrote a letter of condolence to Mr Dawson and in his reply he asked her to get in touch with him if she ever came to Wellington. Mrs Cotton is visiting her daughter who lives at Lower Hutt and so the meeting was arranged. Mrs Cotton wore a blue coat and hat for the occasion so that Mr Dawson would be able to identify her but it was not really necessary, said Mr Dawson. Mrs Cotton said of Mr Dawson: “I don't see a bit of difference in

“It’s a long time since we were all playing together at school, Irene ” Mr Dawson said, as they sat discussing their childhood. Mr Dawson remembered the time his father had cmight him smoking, and Mrs Cotton recalled how horrified her parents had been when they found her smoking. “Nowadays people think you odd if you don’t smoke,” she said Then they spoke of how they had shared the’title of dux of the school though they were the youngest in the £ a “- and 1 were dux equal. « 1 1 was half a mark ahead of me, Mrs Cotton said. . After he left school, Mr Dawson took up a banking career, later turnJM to accountancy and then to the

insurance business which he has h®in ever since. Mrs Cotton said she a been “hidden in the backblocla J ( the last 42 years. She has lived sheep run in a gold mining OB' 11 !:,,. Central Otago. She "learnea a gold mining, too." .