Ex-High School Rector Revisits City

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 248, 21 October 1935, Page 6

Ex-High School Rector Revisits City

MR WM. GRAY, M.A., B.Sc., OF MELBOURNE

“The town has grown into a tine city, and everywhere I look I see wonderful changes.” The speaker was Mr Win. Gray, M.A., B.Sc., director of the Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Melbourne, and the first rector of the Palmerston North High School away back in 1902. At present lie is on sin months’ leave of absence and is touring the North Island accompanied by his son, revisiting the places lie first made the acquaintance of when chief inspector for the Wanganui Education Board.

Speaking to tko "Times,” Air Gray said he had the very happiest recollections of Palmerston North and tho kindness of its people. There was then evidence everywhere of a' spirit of goodwilL which he hoped had been maintained.

Touching briefly on matters educational, the visitor regretted that education boards had lost much of their entity. In the carfy days of his association with them, they were able to initiate l movements on their own account. However, he noted with pleasure tho great progress of High School and the place it held in tho community. When lie was in Palmerston North the High School was quite a new idea, but a wonderful public spirit had grown up around the institution. It was interesting to look back on old records and discover that the site for the Boys’ High School was given by the municipality, aud he hoped private individuals would sec to it in the nature of bequests that the schools were not entirely left to the mercy of the Government. More had been dono in that way to promote education than by grants from Governments.

.Mr Gray notices the great increase in the number of primary schools ii. the district. No ono could pass through it from Eactihi aud Taihape southwards without noticing that tilt pioneering stage had passed. In the days when he was an inspector the bush and stumps were everywhere, the roads exceedingly bad, accommodation of tho poorest type, and tho main means of locomotion tho horso and trap. Now' one saw beautiful farms, bitumen roads aud speeding motorears. In those days there were struggling settlers everywhere. Air Gray recalls with pleasure the names of such stalwarts in the cause of education as Pirani, Lethbridge and Bridge—men who, in their day and generation, did their best to promote education and worked hard to carry out their ambitions.

The problem of education was always with the people. Education could be by far the greatest enterprise in a community, and to-day, when speaking to the Palmerston North Rotary Club, Mr Gray will mention changing emphasis in education and indicate some lines on which the State systems should advance. As far as State systems wero concerned, New Zealand in its own way had perfected a wonderful system.

Mr Gray, who is looking exceedingly fit and well and hardly a day older than -when ho was stationed in the city, is tho guest ot' Mr J. Murray (rector of tho Boys’ High School) and Mrs Murray.