OLD BOYS

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 31, 5 August 1921, Page 3

OLD BOYS

AUCKLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL'

Old boys of the Auckland Grammar School have formed a branch ;of their association in Wellington, and last night they held a reunion, at which the Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister of Education, was the chief guest. Mr. Barry Keesing presided. A message conveying good wishes was received from Mr. J. W. Tibbs, headmaster of the Grammar School.

In proposing the of Mr. Parr, as one of the school's most distinguished old boys, the chairman referred to the good,which a branch of the association could do in keeping alive the memories of school days. The great traditions of the school should be always remembered. Mr. Parr, in his reply,' said he felt that the Auckland Grammar School was one that a man might, be especially proud of. Its scholastic record was second to none in New Zealand. It had won more University honours than any of, the other Dominion schools —perhaps more than had all the other schools put together. It had gained Junior University scholarships consistently, and those scholarships were the blue ribbon of secondary school attainment. "The Grammar School," said Mr. Parr, "is a school that has not only fostered the,scholastic side. It has endeavoured to make men of its boys,' to build their characters. Such a school depends on the personality of its headmaster and in Mr. J. W. Tibbs the school has one of the greatest schoolmasters in New Zealand-^ne of the greatest in the whole British Empire. He always required a high standard, and always kept it himself in whatever he did." The high schools of the Dominion had trained tho country's leaders—its professional and its business men—always enforcing ;i high standard of character. There were other headmasters in New Zealand, such as Mr. J. P. Firth (Wellington College), Mr. Frank Milner (Waitaki Boys' High School), and Mr. C. E. Bevan-Brown (Christchurch Boys' High School), who had contributed their share towards training the men who did their utmost for the community. "Tho motto os the jschool," said Mr. Parr, "is 'Per augusta, ad augusta.' To my mind a free and very true translation of it is 'By hard" work we may achieve great things.' That is the keynote of the school. .They may talk of luck in (.his world; but the luck is always with the man who burns the midnight oil !"■'"'■ Mr. Parr spoke at length of his contemporaries, among whom were the late Professor Richard Maclaurin (Smith's prize man at Cambridge, and afterwards president of the Boston Technical Inßtitue), and Dr. Gillies, of Sydney. Mr. Parr went on to say that in his time there were n0t.200 pupils at the Grammar School, which had then but recently been shifted from the old police barracks in Princes-street to the next "home" in Symonds-street. Of the 200 pupils, about 170 paid fees. What the fees were he could'not remember. 1 "To-day there are about 950 pupils, and the school is one of the largest south of the Line. And I don't suppose 30 of those boys pay fees!" '