OLD MASTERS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 14 May 1925, Page 4

OLD MASTERS.

FROAI DATE OF OPENING. Since the school was built and opened in 1875, there have been, during fifty years only eight headmafe-ter-s, and of them three held control o-f the school for no less than forty-six of those years—Air. O. A. Stra-ck, 29 years, Mr. Alex Alair, 14 years; Air. E. C. Al. Harrison, three years. Air. F. A. Bates, the present headmaster, has been here but a year, during which time he has- shown that- he is keeping the -school well up to- the standard of his noteworthy predecessors. Tlii® will mean that practically the three men mentioned have directed the destinies o-f the school for close on half a century. This is in itself a. great record, especially when the wonderful progress made and the- remarkable growth of the school are recalled. The complete list- of those who have been in charge is as below, with date of taking over the duties: May 13, 1875. —F. J. Dunne (first head of new school). 1576. —Air. Chamberlain and Air. Thompson (for a few months only). October 2,187 S.—Alexander Alair. May 15, 1876. —John. Ha-rre. July 1, IS92.—Alex. Mathieson (acting). July 25. 1892.—-E. O. Al. Harrison. November 28, 1895.—Gyr-riHarHhon (acting). H January 27, 1896.—C. A. Straok. March, 1924.—J. Naim, (acting). April, 1924. —F. A. Bates (present headmaster). ASSISTANTS. 4PISS7. —Air. Alex Grant. V ISB9.—Alex Alathicson. | 1892.—0. H. Warden. 1883. —Air. A. Tompkins. 189 S.—Air. H. M. Payne. 1902—Air. T. A. Blyth. 1911.—Air. F. A. Bates. The only 7 male p-upil-tcaclier of the very early days was Air. Wm. Douglas, appointed in 1877 and resigned about throe years later. EASILY LADY TEACHERS. Only a few of the lady 7 teachers who worked in. the- earlier years have been given. It was impossible' almost- to get all the large number who have been on the -staff since. Those recorded in the log book are: 1577. —Mies F. Alexander. 1878. —Miss Phillips. ///_ r\ h 1879. Miss R-. Williams.Cr 3 1 18S0.—Miss Corn foot, Miss A. Woodhead , Aliss Hills. ISBI. —Alits-s Verdon, Aliss A. Hobbs, ISS2.—Airs. H’orueiUa.nn, Aliss S. Evans. 1883. —Aliss Agnes McLeod. 1885.—Miss Alice Ale Kay. 1887.—-Aliss E. Low. 18S0. —-Aliss A. Brunette, Ali-sw E. Eeclesfield.

ATE. E. C. AI. HARRISON. HEADMASTER. 1890-95. (By one who worked under him at Hawera School). A.,- few notes on a master whose name- is still revered hy many teachers who served with him, and by hundreds of boys who went through the school while he was their esteemed head, are. contributed bv one of those masters. He says:—“Mr. Harrison wag a ‘fine old English gentleman,’ a type of man who had a great influence on the character of those who co-operated with him. and also on the-character of the hoys and girls who attended the school. He inspired boys to be manly first and student-.* afterwards. ‘He lured to brighter, fields and led the way, ‘and his removal from the Haver a. scliool was a great loss to the young citizens who were growing up in his ways. An old pupil said to me, only a few months ago,* ‘Air Harrison always reminded me of the gieat school master—Arnold l —it was a shame to tell Harrison a lie lor lie always believed pou.” It was now 3(j years since he taught the slogan, “men first —scholar next-,’’ and apart from Iris staff and a few light, thinking people, lie gained but little recognition ; for in those days the subject, and not the child received most consideration, and inspectors looked for results in examinations as the only objective in education No doubt, somewhere in the precincts of the school the spirit of his stately presence and kindly tolerant natuie, still helps some struggling soul to find school life worth while. A school master like Air. Harrison, took out of the school exactly what lie put into it —a sacred memory of duty.” A STORY ABOUT A SCHOOL BETA*.

A story js told concerning a bell which was intended for tlie school, and is now in use at the Presbyterian Church. The late Air. Jus. Davidson, then chairman of the committee, sent to J. Duthie and Co. of Wanganui, for a school bell. They 'sent a big church bell, and Air. Davidson wrote to the firm telling, them a mistake*' had been made and that he would send back the bell at their expense. It was no easy matter getting goods sent upi and down, so the end of the matter was that the bell remained here, and eventually was taken o'er by the P-esbvterian Church, who still have it in use. AIR. C. A. STRACK. (An Appreciat bn). A’ ■ C. A. Struck took up office as headmaster in January, 1896, and re- '' -'d : v nni Hie position in Ala,rob, 1924, .liter 28 years of close and consecutive

service. He was fittingly farewelled on his retirement by a large gathering of old boys and girls of the school, citizens of the town, and. visiting officials from the Education Department. The large assembly hall at the school was pacned to the doors on that occasion, when leading citizens, including the member of the district and the Mayor of the town, education officials, and old boys and girls of the school representing ex-pupils of Mr Struck’s, delivered eeoniums of his headmastership. tie and Mrs Struck are now living in retirement in Dunedin, where his eldest daughter also resides. When Mr Struck was appointed the school register stood at 300 pupils, and on his retirement the number was about 700. During his time some 7000 children passed throughthis hands. The work that teachers do in the service of others’ 'lives is not too generally recognised. One enters school bereft of all save one’s hereditary faculties,and such attainment of manners as the home life lias given; but one goes out from one’s school with scholastic knowledge, a due regard for constituted authority, one’s character moulded by contact with one’s fellows, and equipped for the battle of life girded about with the weapons of its warfare. Discipline, learning, reverence and appreciation of others’ ability all find their foundation of one’s character in the school life.

Mr Strack had a high ideal of a. teacher’s work and his responsibilities. With him not only had the pupils to learn, but his teachers likewise. Do we fully realise the tasks of the headmaster of a primary school? Before school opens in the morning he lias classes of his younger teachers to impart to them a knowledge of the profession, during the day 'there is the whole school with its lessons and its games to superintend, from infants to iusty boys and girls, and in the evening there are the preparations for the next'day’s work. The cares of parents over their children, the trials cl' the little folk themselves, the rules and regulations of the school governors, the examination tests, all add their quota to the burden. In Mr Strack the Hawera. School had one who never shirked his work, and managed to impart to many children lessons that, without any secondary education, have til ken the'm far in life.

Mr Struck had with him an admir- 5 able help-meet and coadjutor in liis wife. Mrs Strack, for lier many kindnesses and regard for the comfort of the pupils during her long reign as mistress of the (school house, touched many, hearts and ennobled many a boy (and girl. / During Mr and Mrs Strack’s regime there were the trying times of the war, which' added not a little to their tasks. Old boys, in whom high hopes were built and gieat expectations were nurtured in their old head-master’s breast, fell ear ! v in life. Mr and Mrs Strack themselves lost a son of much promise in France, their fourth son, Karl. It is not to be doubted that whilst pupils at' school some of us thought the head was sometimes too severe in his disciplinary'measures. But when one thinks of some of his aggravating pupils,-such as “Toby” Dabinett with his cannon, and ‘‘Polev” Bacli with liis Punch and Judy show, one i.s inclined to let the head down lightly and wonder if we would have been any the less severe in his place. “Toby” used to- load his own-made 'cannon with shot and powder and fire it in the school grounds, irrespective of where it was pointing, and “Poley,” with his' remarkable “show.” given from a barrel in the wood cellar under the school, used to keep .many a scholar “wagging” it till long after school had gone in. It was not until after some time had elapsed in energetic searches for the culprits that they were discovered by the head. Reprisals resulted. lu addition to his work at- school itself. Mr Strack took an interest _in the general knowledge of his pupils, and with that end organised trip's with his scholars'to such places and occasions as Parihaka, Mt. Egmont, the Christchurch Exhibition, and the Duke of York’s visit to Christchurch. Mr Strack was responsible for a great deal of the design and formation of tlie present school buildings, as they were enlarged twice during his time. AA'hen he,came, the school consisted of two small rooms in front, located at the back of the building—the two rooms now detached on thq west side of the school, and the. room immediately behind the boys’ corridor. As Mr Strack was known to his pupils in the early days of his heaclmastership. he was the embodiment of eleetrica’ energy, and the mystic and terrible significance of the letters “C.A.S.” appended to ascholar’s work or his teacher’s note to the “H.M.” was magical in its significance;

in later days, however, Mr Struck had ripened into a kind-hearted indulgence to liiS scholars’ vagaries, and himself said at Jus farewell that for nearly three years past he had not administered punishment to a pupil. Mr Struck gave the school its motto, “ Whaia-te-Matain atiga” (“Aim high”), had the school hag-pole erected from one of the masts of ■ the barque “The Lizzie Hell." which was wrecked on tlic Oeo beach, saw the school raised' to the dignity.of a district high school, and pass on from that to its present status of the Main Haw-era Primary School. In Hawera has since been added the Technical High School and the Tawlriti Primary School Mr. Struck taught while at school many children of former pupils of his. and he told me before he left that some. families in this district had not been without a repicsent'ft'tve whilst he was in office. Mr. and Mrs. Struck entered upon a noble and lasting work at Hawera, which be--a me r. lmo.it theeir life’s.task, and they n<> I- accomplished that work.