HAWERA SCHOOL IN THE EARLY DAYS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLIV, Issue XLIV, 13 March 1924, Page 5

HAWERA SCHOOL IN THE EARLY DAYS.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Being in the district and reading the interesting remarks concerning the early days of the school, I thought a few notes of my own would not be out of place. I think it must have been about 1875 when I was in charge of the ■ Hawera school. In those days the education affairs of the district were administered by the Patea Education Board, whose rule extended from the Waitotara river to Normanby, or Ketemarae as it was called then. Beyond Normanby was a terra incognito inhabited by the Maori, the wild pig, and wild cattle. There were no local committees at that time, the Patea Board managing its eight schools (Ketemarae, Hawera, Manutahi, Kakaramea, Patea, Whenuakura, Waverley, and Waitotara). The chairman was Mr. Tom Middlemas. Mr. John Milroy and Mr. Forlong (storekeeper, Hawera) were two members, and Mr. Wm. Cowern was secretary. The school, which consisted of one room, had 50 or 60 children. Sometimes I had an assistant, sometimes none. There was no provision for ventilating the building, and I well remember the chairman coining up to the school iji a great rage to know why I kept the windows open on such a cold day. As the Patea Board could not afford an inspector of their own they employed Mr. Robert Lee, the Wellington inspector, to visit their school. This he did once a year, the journey from Wellington occupying several days. This examination being the only important function in the school year, many of the parents used to visit the school on that day, and were no doubt edified by seeing the inspector put the children through their paces. Hoping that some of your readers may find these few crude remarks interesting,—l am, etc.,

J. HARRE