WELLINGTON GIRLS' COLLEGE

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 24, 30 January 1933, Page 5

WELLINGTON GIRLS' COLLEGE

JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK

; A HISTORICAL OUTLINE

SchOlastically, sound, the'-school has . been pre-eminent among- the girls', colleges of the Dominion, for many years. The value of a .college, how: ever, is not measured by its examination results alone. The-Wellington-Girls' College has been in "existence long enough to make tradition, and to mould history. Its aim ..has. been an all-round character building education ;■ its motto has been "Lumen Accipe' et Imperti" ("Receive Knowledge and Spread it Abroad"); its pupils ;have entered the college to learn, and have gone out to serve; and last, but not least, it has striven to make those who havevpassecf -.through its portals good-friends-'with themselves, and to make, them sane and-broadminded citizens.fit to mould the lives of the future generation of New Zealand. May it long continue to be in the future, as it has been in the past, a'yery Vital influence in- the character-building of the giri-. hood of Wellington.''" .The college; "was formerly, known as: the Wellington Girls'" High School and was opened .early in ' February, 1883." The .teaehersv-wei-e'Miss M. G. Hamilton (principal), Dr. J. Inncs, and Miss Margaret Richmond (the late Mrs. W. Fell). -Later, Miss 7Florence Gillon (Mrs. G. "V. Hudson) was apponteij to - th,? .staff. , -.The ..Board .'of Governors,-" included^V tlTe-.'-HonV-. A. de El Braitdon | .>(ch'aiiin'an),-' _ii - (after, wards- ,Sir .'James)"-';H;e'e-or,* i- the 7 Rev. Mr. Paterson, :_vlr.'. J:: R.. Blair, Dr. Newman, and-thoMayor.: The secretary was Mr.:)C. P. R.owles.' The building used was.' a small .five-roomed cottag© approached: by, a- lane off "Upper .Abel Smith- street. Above-it was Archdeacon : Stock's house, -and close by were the homes of' Mr. Henry Blundell and Mr. T. K. Maedonald- ~ ' ,__iss Hamilton attended at tho cottage to cnrolthe pupils and was surprised at the number who presented themselves."" "Unfortunately no 7 record . was kept of the order of enrolment, but ;the tptal.number in;T;_e first year ap_, , proached 100. An incomplate list in - the possession of Dr. Innes .contains the signatures of 69 pupils who attended the- first year. There were four forms, the fourth-being the highest, but a fifth form was instituted the following year. The board did not expect. to, aim. .op high as matriculation, biit in the second year, two of the senior pupils, Ernard Krull and Rosamund Rolleston' 7(daughter' of the Hon. W. Rolleston), passed the examination. The following year three girls, Elvira Dransfield, Mary King, and May Morrah, attained matriculation- standard. The number of passes incrased" each year until in 1890 there were twenty, in.addition-to junior scholarship passes...--;; -' ' ,:' ■• "-;,; 7 CE__MP'£D conditions. ■It is ;,easily "understood that with consideralllyiQv'Bi.lQpjpupilsin a small cottage great "fn'ej^-^^ieiiee- was fclt^iespecially as' the fiffmbers: were increas'* • iri'g each year. TBeiiig the smallest, tho"1' highest class was'^ftcn taught on the verandah or porch, where the rain boat in and the wind blew over the pages of the open books. Persistent ap'-. - peals were made for better aecommo- ': dation, but in vain. The school held ■ an endowment,' but that endowment was in the Forty Mile BiisV-'and from • its Temoteness from settlement, was- : practically valueless. ; Both hewspapers in' Wellington urged the provision of a suitable - building, but for nearly five years the pupils remained crowded in the cottage with no play: ground .but the lane and a few yards of hillside. For the geography les-; sons the maps had to be hung on the, backs of the classroom doors, and there was much delight on one oefcasion when the Premier, the Hon. Robert Stout, found himself unable to enter one of ' the rooms until the map had'been rolled up out of the way.. Of course Miss; - Hamilton, the teacher on that occasion, knew the Premier was coming, but she had an ulterior motive in allowing the map to obstruct the entrance to the room. In the same year a deputation waited on the Premier, who was also Minister of, Education, requestingassistance by way of legislation; to' enable the reserves to be. leased"on bet,ter terms, and iiy a grant of 7 moneyv The Premier. agreed . that the school laboured' under" " great disadvantages; and was surprised that those in charge had been able to do such gOod work. Ultimately it was - arranged for the' transfer-to the Board of Governors of b, vacant section in "Pipitea street, and on 23rd' November, 1886, the Building Committee yisited the spot and selected a site.- A month later a contract was. signed between the board and the builders, Messrs. Scoullar and Archibald. The-.architect was Mr. W. Turnbull, and work on. the new building was begun in January the following year. The contractors were not paid for their work, the total, amount of. £7000.remaining as a debt, to them on the security of the board's leases. /It was a long time before the burden of the debt was remove., "and for years the school remained ,iii.:,financial straits. "The .new building was opened by Sir . William Jervois toward tho end of 1887^ and the pupils were transferred "to it for the last term of that year. , With the opening.: of the new school the number increased by" sixteen. SCHOOL CURRICTTLUM. The curriculum .included English, French,-Latin,-and German. The largest class in German consisted of five pupils. There was. very little science, as there was neither, room nor appliances to teach it. The lower forms took' physiology, and botany became a general- school subject under Miss Gillon. Shorthand was also taught, although the day" of' the shorthand-typist had yet to come.- - - From the beginning Indian.c-lub drill was a feature of ■the school work. I n December, 1885,- Mr. •J. P. Firth, then atf assistant master at the boys.' college, wrote:— "It was with great pleasure "that I acted-as judge for the Indian club competition. - I 'cannot 'speak in too high terms of the way in which the work was done. When the junior division began their competition I was completely and most agreeably surprised at the finish and accuracy of their work. In the senior division the work was splendidly done. The graceful mannef. in which the clubs were swung would have excited the admiration, if not the envy, of our boys had they seen the performance. It must be remembered -that in this form of drill, as in many other things, the school was breaking now ground. What seems a matter of course-to the'pupils; to-day'was by no means' such to the girls of fifty years ago. One'parent objected that the use of the clubs would make her daughter's wrists coarse.^. Annual sports were held with ruhnirig'a'hd jumping events, but at that time there was not much scope for this kind of thing. At the "break-ing-up" ceremony in 1886, the chairman of the board remarked: "running

On Friday next, the Wellington Girls' College will commence the celebration of its jubilee, the school diaving,-been opened at the beginning of February, 1883. The college-^hfls turned out ovei-76000 pupils stamped indelibly with its --tradition, and scattered them throughout the world, but this week hundreds from all parts of New Zealand will answer the call to pay homage to their Aimer Mater on the occasion of. its fiftieth'birthday "

» contests had also been held, though they '. were- not perhaps of a character quite • suitable for girls." .It was not until >: the that the ' girls played ■ hoek'ey: '-They', used ' the,' reclaimed i' ground between the station and i Thorndon Quay. Competitions were also | carried: out. in swimming and diving, iat first in the Te Aro Baths, and after- > wards'.,-in;,the7baths- on the Thorndon ■ Esplanade. " '"" ' " For- some years there was -no official > inspection, but subsequently the > Inspector General of schools (the Rev. ; William J. Habens), who occupied the 1 position now held by the Director of Education, used to make an annual -visit.;of inspection lasting two days. - -It was customary for the board to have the whole school rigorously examined :by outside examiners, who submitted ; marks and a report. This method 1 saved the .teachers the work of a" final • exiinnnation, but as the marks did not ' coin, in all together; and were generally .very_late, the closing, days of the year ivere exhausting, 'little time' being "left for the selection, of appropriate prizes. Among the early examiners were the Rev. Dr. West, Mr. A. . Macgregor (Parliamentary - librarian), Mr. K. 1 Wilson; and' Professor' Maemillan Brown. Other examiners in special subjects, were Dr. Hutchinson (physiology), Archdeacon Stock (scripture), and the Rev. Mr. Habens (elocution). The employment of outside examiners ceased in 1890. -It-was costly, and became unnecessary, as the matriculation and junior., scholarship examinations provided a test of the., standard of work, and the teachers' own marks gave the most reliable tests of the relative merits of individual pupils. .-. In the first year the dux of the school was Ernard Krull, but there was no medal for this honour. Next year, however, Miss Krull received a medal as dux,.Rosamond Rpllestpn being proxime, 'ae_.__sit:,.'.;riie next' medallists in sue-;' cession were M. E. King, M. *C. Morr'ah, :E. A. Marchant, E. M. Wilson, and J. Nairn. Many of these girls later rose to great heights." . With the exception of a few private institutions, the school was, for many years, the only one for; secondary edu? cation among girls ;in~"W"ellirigton, and it is interesting to see on the early roll the names of old-Wellington families. Among them are Barber, Bethune, Gillon, Morpeth, - Rolleston, Zohrab, Kebbell, Blundell, Fairehild, George, Kirkcaldie, .'Topmath, -Sidey, .and Sanderson. -.-■•.'■-■ . .MISS McLEAN'S TERM. In 1900 Miss M. McLean, C.8.E., M.A., resigned her position as principal of the Timaru High School to be? i .come tho principal of the,. Wellington Girls' College. She was head of the school until 1920, and during her regime the i-01l grew.from 150 to its peak of* :;850,^ .The-school stands largely as: a .monument to her ability and zeal,.and for a quarter of _- century, she played a very influential part in the/lives of the girlhood of the province. Associated with her were teachers of outstanding' ability. During her term the : staff; increased from eight ,to thirty'fivey with extra part-time teachers. Among them will be remembered Miss Batham (principal of the Wellington East Girls' College),, Mrs. Dall (Miss . Newman), Mrs. Mulgan (Miss Pickmere), Miss Gellatly, who is coming from Dunedin to attend the celebrations, Miss Rainforth, Miss Edith Howes, Miss Elsie Johnston' (principal of the Auckland Girls' Grammar School), the late.Miss Gladys Cameron, the late Miss Ecclesfield, Miss D.' Allan (principal of - {he New Plymouth High School), and many who afterwards became the nucleus of the Wellington East ; Girls' College staff. So .large did the school become at this that pupils were admitted in order of application, and overflow schools were conducted in part of tho Normal School, St. Paul's Schoolroom, in houses, in .Sydney street and Moturoa street, and -in a.portable schoolroom in the college boarding-house grounds. For some years a flourishing junior school7was conducted, the -various heads being -Miss Edith "Howes, Miss Lucy .Kershaw, and Mrs. Ward. Many girls, began their school life in this preparatory school, and - passed right'through the uppOr school. " - For ' a ■ considerablo time there has been a Successful boarding establishment, conducted at first in Hill- street by Mrs. UrquhSr.t; and afterwards at its- present site in Hobson street under the'capable management of Miss Murison, and later by Miss Greig, who is still in . charge. Many a country girl will have happy memories of her boarding school life. With the growth -of the school, and the consequent enlargement of ' the staff, there was added a large brick wing to. the old building. Here the science laboratories, and rooms for the teaching of technical, subjects were provided. The technical (Course grew steadily until to-day there are specialists in classics, arts, music, home Science, and "commerce. The physical culture aspect of the .school.has .been'well cared for since the .time of the first physical instructor, Mr. Harrison, and there has been on the staff ever since an experienced physical culture instructress. The present . instructress is ' Mrs."• L. Taylor. Music has always'been a feature of the . school curriculum, and in addition to a host of pianoforte teachers, those who have conducted class singing include Mr. Robert Tarker and Mr. Lawrence -Watkins. THREE CHANGES. During Miss- McLean's term of office there were three outstanding changes— the introduction of the free-place system, the building of Wellington East, Girls-' College, made necessary by the increased.roll, number consequent upon the introduction of. the free-place system, and the formation of the Parents' Association, which .was the pioneer parents' "association among - secondary schools in New Zealand. In 1926, "oh the'retirement of Miss McLean, who was honoured by the Empire as well as by her own city, Miss V. M. Greig, 7M.A., B.Sc, headmistress of the Napier Girls' High School, became - the principal, and she has maintained the 'same high standard. It was soon evident that she was going to give of her best to the college, and, like her predecessor, she brought not only ripe learning,, but experience gained by wide travel and inspection of schools abroad. From the earliest days the- policy of the school has been wisely guided by- a board of governors, and for many years prior to the taking over of the seeond,ary schools by the Education Department, they had complete control of the J school's policy. Among the men who have _ given of their- time gratuitously mention should be made' of the various chairmen—Mr. A. de Bathe Bran

dpn, m Mr. W. F. Ward, the late Mr. W. Aitken, Mr. W. :_>'." 'Bafb'.r,' arid the present chairman, Mr. G. Mitchell. For many years the late Mr. C. P. Powles was the valued secretary to the board, and on his retirement his assistant, Mr, G. F. Judd, was appointed. Prior to the advent of the Parents' Association the playing fields were cramped, but after the formation ox the association new tennis courts -were formed and much of the newly-acquired land was levelled^ Although the grounds have never been large enough in proportion to the number of pupils, they have been greatly improved and are well cared for. Social service work has always played a large part iii the lives of the pupils. There are a Junior Red Cross Circle, and ' a strong branch of the Christian Union. Wonderful . service was rendered by the girls during the war and after the Hawkes Bay earthquake."'"; '"'.'"» '.','' 7 _"■■'■;■-■;. :'■■■ ■ ■■■■: ' , OLD GIRLS' ASSOCIATION. For .many years there has- been a flourishing Old Girls' Association in connection with the school: 7 This, association,-' in addition to standing by the college in all its-.work, has donated two handsome honours boards and an Old Girls' Scholarship. The members have,-been keenly interested in -social work, of- every description, and have undertaken the endowment of' a cot in the children's ward of the Public Hospital, and the care and financial responsibility -, of a child in the St. Barnabas Home. -Their, contribution to the jubilee, is the handsome school gates, which are to be opened by the Gover-nor-General at the garden party on Saturday. . The cost of the gates has been met by old girls all over the Dominion and abroad. In addition, ex-pupils are erecting a bronze tablet of service, on whichNwill appear the names of the principals and - their years of service with the inscription, "A tribute of lasting gratitude." This is to be unveiled by Miss Mary Richmond on behalf of her sister, Mrs W. Fell (Miss Margaret Richmond), a foundation member of the teaching, staff,, on Frielay afternoon. Both these functions. will bo* open to parents and friends of pupils of the college. It is impossible to single out girls and teachers who have passed through' tho college, but reference should bo made to the many .who helpeel to uphold the traditions of the school, to the hosts of home-makers and useful citizens; to. the-leaders in scholastic and commercial life; ',to the missionaries and the girls who are at present studying abroad or are members of university staffs in -America..and Canada; and to those ex-pupils of outstanding ability who have earned for the college a reputation abroad of. being a high seat of learning. Included in the latter category were the late Kathleen Mansfield, and .'the late Marjorie Nicholls (Mrs. Hannah);'' ' [ ' '