WOODFORD HOUSE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 64, 27 February 1935, Page 10

WOODFORD HOUSE

History of its Founding This history of the founding of Woodford House was written by Miss M. Hodge and was read nt the Annual Founder’s Dinner of the Old Girls' Association on Monday evening. It will no doubt be of interest to a large number of people who, though not actually attached to the school have always taken a very great interest in it. Towards the end of August, 1593, 1 arrived in Hastings to take over a small school by three maiden ladies of the name of Edwards, one of whom shortly afterwards became the second Mis. Hobbs. They kept school and lived m a little cottage in Avenue road silting in a garden of their own making, gay with flowers of every va ricty. I hat cottage is now inhabited bj a Mr. Donovan a wood and coal merchant - and the garden is a timber yard. tor the last term of 1893, 1 taught about 18 boys and girls in that small cottage and at the end of the term 1 said goodbye very reluctantly to my boys, lor 1 intended to open at the beginning of the year wiiat I then thought and hoped would be— a real school lor girls. Returning home from my first 11. B. Show one alternoon in October, I discovered what I thought would make a mure or less dignified housing lor a school. It was the house at the corner ol St. Aubyn stieet and Market street, then owned by Dr. Hamilton ami quite a big house lor that time. How to get the house was the next question, with no money in my pocket. However, 1 was much too used to that stale of things to be daunted by it, and, backed by two ol my brother s inends—Mr. Neale and Mr. Lanauze — 1 went to .Mr. Gaiway, of the Bank of New South Wales, and boldly asked him lor a loan ol £o(J0. He neither laughed at me nor turned me down, but accepted my guarantors and lent me the money, without which Wuudlurd could never have been. With inat money I paid an instalment on Hie house, bunt a large room uu lor a schoolroom and over it lour bedrooms lor boarders, who at that time existed only in my imagination, and began m haste to prepare for the opening of my school in bebruarv. 1891. 1 cannot tell you the thrill it was when I had my nrst application lor a boarder. 1 ielt it again when I went to my nephew's play the other night, but my first was the thrill of an enthusiastic anticipation, realising nothing ol the difficulties that were to beset my path. Ml second thrill was the thrill of acuicvemeiit and experience that had been bought and paid lor. THE FIRST BOARDERS. The eventful day came and Woodford began with four boaiders Nellie (,’otterill (now Mrs. Gonville Saunders), Meta Burke (Mrs. George Tripe), Ethel Burke (Mrs. Caro), and Dicky Buchanan (Mrs. Kenderdine), and eighteen day girls : a stall consisting ol myself and Miss Tendall as teachers of English subjects, French and German: an art mistress, .Miss I’agc—now dead — arid a music master and mistress, Mr. Hoben and Miss Greene. Later on, Mrss Large joined us as singing mistress and Miss Reda Evans, ol the Napier Girls’ High School, as our very capable and very loveable sports mistress. Stic, also, was not with us very long, tor she died after a very short illness, and her memory is kept alive al W oodlord m the “ReUa Evans Cup,” given us by her parents. Early in 19W we built the Kindergarten Hall in the paddock at the back where we played and won most thrilling hockey matches against the Napier High School and neighbouring teams, and 1 was very .soon able to buy the section next to the school belonging to Mr. Phillips, his cottage being turned mtn bedrooms tor my increasing number of boarders, and the kitehen into our first centre of the domestic science masses Even an old barn at the back found its uses as it was to be the birthplace ol our craft work, which became such a creative factor in the school work. The next thing wanted was a swimming bath —quite out of the question as tar as finance was concerned, but, where there’s a will there’s a way, and Mr. William Nelson—always so interested in my schemes—allowed us to use his beautiful lake, and it was a joy. Then, where to hold our sports. — quite out of the question in our little rough ana ready paddock. Again, one ot our many very helpful parents camo to the rescue—. Mr. Mason Chambers ottered us his beautiful grounds at fauroa. Not only lent us bis grounds, but what trouble he took to make, those sports a success and what a charming hostess Mrs. Mason Chambers made for us I What a thrill those first sports were and what a sensation they caused! SELECTION OF SITE. Our school grow and grew. I acquired two more cottages and having reached the number of 30 boarders and 100 day boarders, I felt that the school had outgrown its surroundings and that it it was to fulfil itself, it must go somewhere where it could stretch its wings. I had always “lifted up my eyes with longing unto the hills,” and it was there 1 lelt we must go. Again, I thought of mv understanding and sympathetic parents, and, armed with a preliminary sketch drawn liv Mr Rush to illustrate mv needs, I went to Waikoko to see Mr. Nelson, who seemed quite taken with my scheme and promptly discussed the matter with Mr. Mason Chambers, Mr. Crosse and Mrs. Frank Nelson, who all expressed themselves willing to do their best to see the plan of moving Woodlord to the hills carried out —a matter in which Mr. R"ginald Gardiner was also most helpful. After much tramping about the hills, my site, to which I always came back, was chosen. Money was found, the contract let to Mr. < amphell, the huildcr. and I really lilt my dream was to come true. In February, 1911. “Pood ford <"i the plans” bad gone to '‘Woodlord on the hill,’’ and was opened by Bishop

Averill in the presence of a large number of friends and parents. The next day, with a resident stall of six English mistresses, a French and a German lady and two visiting mistresses. and a roll-call of UU boarders only, school began. The day girls who were unable to come with me to Havelock 1 lelt with Miss Wilson, head of my Kindergarten, and she carried on the school in Hastings under tiie name of “Trinton.” When she was obliged to retire owing to ill-health, Miss Bullow iron) the Woodlord stall’ took it over and called it “Queenswood.” The old building in which so many girls had been educated was now rapidly becoming unfit lor the work, and Miss Bullow acquired the house iu Adson street, into which, alter some alterations, she moved. So thcie, nuw under tin very capable inanagenient ol Miss Bixon, in its pretty new home, a branch ol W'oodiord is stdl nourishing- even if it has changed its name, ami long may it continue to do so. Of the many mistresses who helped to build up the old school, 1 still hear from some ol them. Miss Sdnnetzer is in Australia attached to the Melbourne University, and Miss Itnv right (now Mrs. W. J. White), Miss Duff (now Mrs. Eaton), and Miss Large—-no less than 22 years a most helpful and popular member of the staff —are all nicuihers ol our association. Miss M. Hodge, born in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, educated at Katharine Lodge in London, after which she wont to Germany lor two or three years and was teaching at Woodford House School. Croydon, Surrey, before coming to New Zealand.