WAIHI SCHOOL JUBILEE

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28415, 23 October 1957, Page 11

WAIHI SCHOOL JUBILEE

Celebrations Next Week-end

Waihi School at Winchester, which is to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary at Labour Week-end. may not have such ancient traditions as Christ’s Co’lege. to which most of its pupils eventually graduate. but the traditions it has can have counterparts at few other preparatory schools in the Dominion.

At Waihi. founded in September. 1907. by its first headmaster (Mr J. R. Orford), even degrees of corporal punishment are dictated by’ tradition. Whereas at most schools the headmaster would use the cane and, by delegation of authority, severity of punishment would descend by degrees from that level, at Waihi a large wooden jam-spoon holds pride of place. This has apparently’ always been the case. Mr J. W. Rolleston. who attended the school from 1920 to 1925, says in an article written for the school’s jubilee magazine: "If we were beaten, the head used the j?m-spoon, the masters the strap, and the prefects the cane.” A small modification has been made since, however, and the prefects now chastise their fellows with a slipper. Another punishment handed down by tradition is called, simply, “stones.” The schoolhouse in its early days stood at the edge of a stony paddock and it was the recognised punishment for small offenders to be instructed to gather a box of stones from the paddock. Today it is a smooth, green playing field but the punishment retains its name.

Other cherished traditions are the organised game of swordfighting with keraddi sticks—instigated early in the century by two boys inspired by’ Conan Doyle’s “White Company”—and the use of pick-handles by the old boy’s in their annual cricket match with the present-day pupils.

Two of the school’s first three pupils. C. F. Dalgety and F. W. Svrcombe. are expected to be among the 235 old boys attending the jubilee celebrations and past pupils of Waihi school who are now at Christ’s College are to travel to Winchester for the week-end. The other first-day pupil, C. G. Harrison, was killed at Bourlon in 1917.

The main building was completed before the school opened in 1997 and a drawing room and dormitory were added several; years later. A cottage class-room was built in 1924 and in 1934 the baths were built in the corner of the cricket field. Another room, an art room, was added to the building in 1953.

Home and away cricket matches are played each year with Medbury school and games are also played annually with Cathedral Grammar School.

Mr Orford was headmaster of the Waihi school until June, 1924, and the present headmaster (Mr J. L. Stone-Wigg) has held the position since. There are also two assistant masters.

Mr Stone-Wigg expects about 500 visitors for the jubilee celebrations, which begin on Saturday,

with sports. There is to be a cocktail party after the sports and on Sunday morning a service is to be held in the Winchester Anglican church. The Bishop of i Christchurch (the Right Rev. A. K. Warren) is to preach at the service, which will be taken by the Rev. W. C. Wisdom, a former vicar of Temuka.

After the service there is to be an Old Boys’ luncheon and various cricket matches are to be played among the past and present pupils on Monday.