CRADLE OF EDUCATION IN N.Z.

Northern Advocate, 28 October 1935, Page 8

CRADLE OF EDUCATION IN N.Z.

SCHOOL AT WAIMATE NORTH , JUBILEE CELEBRATED ON .; Saturday.,, FIRST ESTABLISHMENT i MUCH j . -EARLIER. An -anniversary, important to the whole of New Zealand, was celebrated at' Waimate North on Saturday afternoon when the jubilee of the school was observed. The celebrations had a far wider significance, however, for Waimate was the cradle of education in the Dominion and, as far back as T&sl, a school was established, at wjrich the children of the early pio--neers were taught and fitted for their entry into the outride world. Since" the date ' of’ Waimate’s foundation as a whitfe isettlemerf.t, there "has been a schdol wihout a brfeak. The present school has been established on its site since 1885, but interesting details of earlier establishments were given at Saturday’s function. --’Tho "Chairman of- the School Gom- ; mittee, Mr H. T. Atkinson, presided, „ and welcomed .old pupils and visitors -in the;; school grounds, amid the »beautiful surroundings of old trees ’and unrivalled landscape. The only ; misfortune was a strong wind, with r Occasional showers. *, Early Rolls Burned.

“I wish to explain,” lie said, “that •the committee had great difficulty in : compiling the rolls, as most were '.in the school ..which was burned down >a few years ago, all the rolls perishv ing with it, except the original 1885 "roll. As far as the mill school roll ;is concerned if any names have been • left out, we apologise and hope you "will realise how it came about. , “I think that Waimate may justly be called the cradle of - education in New Zealand. It is the only district in the Dominion ; which has had a school continuously i since its inception,

“This gathering is not only to celebrate the jubilee, of the present school ■building, but also to celebrate the of secondary education in New Zealand 93 years ago. As far as we can trace the first school recorded was in 1831. It was opened in March* of. that year by George Clark, Esq., with a roll of 80.”

Mr Atkinson said that the Waimate ■district was made the headquarters of education in the Colony and it was controlled by the Church Missionary Society. Waimate’s First School. About this time, in 1842, the first secondary school was opened in Waimate. It was founded by the late Bishop Selwyn in the present vicarage, and the first headmaster was the Rev. Thomas Whitehead, M.A„ a Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge. This school was known as St. John’s College and King’s College, Auckland, eventually . grew, from it. It was a great pleasure that a representative of King’s College had been able to attend the celebrations. -After the C.M.S. withdrew, the school was carried on by private individuals among whom were Mrs Burrows, the late Miss - Bedggood, Mrs Clark, the Hon. Mr Stapleton and later Mrs Hilton. The Mill School. The Waimate School was first held at Mr Fairburn’s residence, near the present site, ' and later- at the mill, under Mrs Hicton. In 1873 the Education Act was passed. For .12 years the school was carried on at the mill and then Mrs Hicton resigned, the Education Department building a school on the present site. The building &as opened 50 years ago with a roll of 42, the late Mr D. Garner Jones being headmaster. He was followed by Mr Bishoprick (who sent congratulations), Miss Martin, the late Miss Ryan, the late Miss "Anderson, the late Mr W. J. May, Mrs Kennedy, Mr R. V. Burton, and the I present headmaster, Mr C. R. Olliver. Records Lost. Nine years ago the school was burnt dqwn, and, with it, were lost all the records except the jubilee roll of 1885.

, The first girl.to obtain a certificate of proficiency was Maud Atkinson, and the first boy Marshall Atkinson. Mr Atkinson said that they would agree that a great debt was owing to the old pioneers who sensed the need for education, not only for their own' children, but for the Maoris as well. Their great . idea was to render themselves more serviceable to their fellow creatures and they had passed on this wonderful heritage. It was the duty of the present generation' to carry this tradition on, pure and unsullied.

The original roll of the mill school was as follows, those present at Saturday’s function being marked with an asterisk:

Walter Atkinson*, Alice Morgan, Harry Bedggood, Maud Norris, Eva Barker, Edith Norris, Emily Parker, Maud Atkinson*, Hariett Parker, Edith Hewitt, Elizabeth Morgan, Frederick Fairburn, Ken Alexander, John Holt*, William King*, William Gofle, Norman Newmann, Edith

Morgan, Francis Kemp,* Fred Atkinson, Fred Hewitt, William Fairburn, James Bedggobd. 1885 Roll. Harry Alexander*, Marshall Atkinson*, Audie Barker, Augustus Bedggood, Beatrice Barker, Julia Cook, Percy Davis, Herbert Fairburn, Ernest Hargraves, Edwin Percy Holt,* Arthur Holt, Amy Jones, Sarah Maihoa, Allan Newmann,* Henry Parker, Henry Wright, Elsie Bedggood, * W illiam Alexander, * William Baldwin, Ernest Bedggood,* George ’ Bedggood,* Fred / Clarke, Margaret Cook,* Matilda , Cook, Harry Dixon, George Fairburn, Harry Holt,* Annie Holt,* ' Annie Jones,* Norris Kemp, Otto Newmann, Harold Scally, John Kemp, Hayward Wright,* Hilda Newman.* ■ (The • maiden names of the ladies are given in each; case.) A number of congratulatory messages' were received from ex-pupils i and others. The headmaster of the Kaikohe District High School hoped that the school would prosper, and go on producing the fine type of pupil they had learned to expect fromWaimate. . Native pupils at the school at this stage gave a haka of welcome. Other Congratulations. Mr C. F. Collins, Northern representative on the Auckland Education Board, apologised for the absence of the chairman of the board, Mr T.- U. Wells, who, he said, would have liked to have been present. In expressing his congratulations, Mr Collins referred to the wonderful site the old pioneers had selected for their settlement. He hoped that the school would progress as rapidly in the years to come .as it had done in the past.

Mr H. Revell, representing King’s College, Auckland, said he brought greetings and congratulations from a school which traced its origin from the school started in Waimate under Bishop Selwyn. Mr Hevell outlined the history of this school and the eventual amalgamation of St. John’s College and King’s College as one. In 1930 King’s College had again become connected with the senior college of St. John by being placed under the same board of governors again. Debt To Church. Mr H. M. Rushworth, M.P. for Bay of Islands, said it was a great privilege indeed to be present at the function. Fifty years was a mere moment in history, but a not inconsiderable period in the life of the community. They owed a deep debt of gratitude to the church for its preservation: of the educational system throughout the ages. Here in New Zealand education was grafted into the life of the community through the agency of the church.

Mr Marshall Atkinson, representing old pupils, said ho had come over 500