ORIGINAL AVONSIDE

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29866, 5 July 1962, Page 11

ORIGINAL AVONSIDE

This house, north of the main entrance to the Avonside Girls’ High School on a terrace overlooking the Avon river, means a lot to the earliest old girls. In it the first classes gathered when Avonside was opened in 1919 as a branch of the Christchurch Girls’ High School. The whole house was used for classes for 10 years and. even though many fine new buildings have been erected at the Avonside Girls’ High School since 1928, part of the house is still used for the nursery school. The rest is occupied by the caretaker.

The Avonside Girls' High School Board has agreed that this site will be used for a new two-storey block. “This terrace is an admirable site and it was inevitable that at some time this historic 80-year-old house must go,” said the chairman (Professor George Jobbems) yesterday. “Just the same," he said, “the board, early teachers, and old girls will regret the passing of the landmark."

Professor Jobberns said the board proposed to move the caretaker and the nursery school to the Davis homestead, another historic house

on the comer of Avonside drive and Woodham road, which is now part of the school property. The nursery school has long been one of the distinctive features for training of girls at Avonside. There, each Friday morning, 20 or 30 children between the ages of three and five are placed in the care of pupils in the homecraft course. The youngsters are under the expert supervision of a trained teacher and the girls learn to attend to all their needs. There is nothing quite like the nursery school in this area.