SIXTY-FIVE YEARS ON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21924, 8 April 1933, Page 9

SIXTY-FIVE YEARS ON

ST. LEONARDS SCHOOL JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS A RECORD OF PROGRESS Pounded in 1868 as the Upper Harbour•ide School, and renamed 50 years ago, the St. Leonards School has now taken its place among those schools in the province that have attained the proud honour of having celebrated their sixty-fifth jubilees, and yesterday ex-pupils and teachers from far and near gathered at the schoolhouse to commemorate the sixty-fifth anniversary of the institution , of which they are rightly proud and to which they owe so much. i The day, even during the formal proceedings during the afternooju, was essentially one of reminiscence, and it was the early history of the school land the memories associated w'ith it that were the subject of most of the addressee, and of the conversations. A happy spirit of comradeship pervaded the gathering, and with the renewing of friendships of a generation ago, and the recounting of incidents of the very early days, the time passed pleasantly, and for the majority of the visitors all too quickly. The organisation was complete m every detail, and the efficient manner in which a lengthy programme was carried’through ■was a tribute to the work of the Jubilee Committee. CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS. Mr C. J. Hayward, chairman of the Jubilee Committee, on behalf of his executive, extended a cordial welcome to those present, and expressed the hope that they would renew many old firiendships and thoroughly enjoy the various functions. He took the opportunity ot thanking those who had worked so mdefatigably to make the celebrations a success. In common with other schools; St. Leonards School had contributed its quota of men and women to the service of the country, both in peace and in war, ajnd a record that its pupils should be particularly proud of was the fact that no qswer than 40 old boys had seen active service in the Great War, EARLY HISTORY.

The following details of the early: history of the school, narrated by Mr Hayward, were listened to with keen interest, especially by old pupils who had attended the school in its earlier days;— In 1868, the school, which consisted of it classroom and two small rooms to be used as a residence by the teacher, was erected on land belonging to Mr John Drake, at a cost of £132. The sole furnishings were a chair, three forms, and a blackboard, the total cost of wh|ch was £2 13a 6d. Of the total amount of £134 13s 6d, £lO2 was a grant from the Education Board, and the balance was raised locally by private subscription, lectures, church collections etc. In 1869, the first committee was set up and consisted of Messrs Davie Thompson (chairman), Joiiu Drake (treasurer), George Foreman, Peter M'Lean, W. Williamson, John Treasurer, and John Bambery, and at the first meeting of this body it was resolved that any money raised by collection should be used for no other purpose than to pay interest and debt on the school buildings. The same year,-the use of the schoolhouse was' granted for preaching purposes one night a week, and it was decided that a collection be made on the first Sunday of every month to pay off the debt on the school buildings. Mr D. Murray, the first headmaster, resigned in 1870 to take up a similar position at Sawyers’ Bay, and was succeeded. by Mr Alexander Kyle. Mr Kyle remained as headmaster until 1872, when he also resigned, and. Mr (now professor) D. R. White was appointed to the vacancy. In 1874, fees were increased to 6d per child per quarter; to provide funds for cleaning the scnool,| and on February 16 of the same year Mr White tendered his resignation. In 1875 it was decided to make additions to the teacher’s residence and Mr John Drake’s tender was accepted for the job. By this time the roll of the school had increased considerably and with the necessity for an increased playing area, the committee requested the Education Board to purchase the land betweeh the school and the Main road for school purposes. After a lapse of three months the land was duly conveyed to the board, Mr E. Stout holding the conveyance. In 1883 the name, of the school, which had been up to that time known as the Upper Harbourside School, was changed to the St. Leonards School, by which title it has been more familiarly known by the pupils who have attended it during the past half century. The names of the head teachers since the opening of the school to the present time are as follows:—1868-1870, Mr D. Murray; 18701872, Mr A. Kyle; 1872-1874, Mr (now Professor) D. K. White; 1874-1878, Mr Fraser; 1878-1892, Mr T. Johnston; 18921901, Mr Southwick; 1901-1907, Mr W. Phillipps; 1807-1915, Mr 6. W. Carringcon; 1913-1921, Mr J. F. Botting; 19211925. Mr C. M'Kinnon; 1925-1931, Miss T. T. Currie was appointed in 1931 and is still headmistress of the school. A TEACHER’S VICISSITUDES.

Professor D. 11. White, in an interesting address, told of the early days of the school, investing hia remarks at times with « touch of whimsical humour that proved highly diverting to his listeners. It was in July, 1872, he said, that he was appointed headmaster of the St. Leonards School. He knew nothing of the circumstances under wlxich he was appointed, but he was told that the Education Board would provide him with a residence — all he had to do was to get furniture. In those days there were no stores in the district where provisions could be procured, so that he had to buy all his goods in Dunedin. Worse still, he had to learn the art of cooking, and after considering his new position from all angles, he felt a little discouraged. Still, he resolved to make the best oi it, and as there were no roads or railways, he boarded. the steamer Golden Age, his belongings being so extensive that it could easily have been imagined that the vessel was chartered specially for him. He landed at Burkes jetty, and, leaving his impedimenta, set off to see if he could find the school. He was hailed by a friendly voice, and a good Samaritan procured a small boat ami rowed him across the bay. On rounding the point, he saw the new school for the first time. It had one room and attached to it were two other rooms, which he was informed were the teacher's residence. That was on a Saturday, and on the next day, much to his surprise, he saw people foing to church in the schoolhouse, and e then recognised that the settlers in the district were men and women who had faith in the school and the church as mediums for the formation of national character and prosperity. On the Monday he met his pupils (about 30 of them) for the first time, and they all looked very happy. He, however, was not so happy, for he did not mind confessing it after all these years—he knew nothing whatever about school teaching. The pupils were well-behaved, and in this respect he had to pay a tribute to his predecessor, Mr Kyle, who had trained them so well. The day began with a reading from the Scripture and a prayer, and then there came the singing of a hymn. He himself had not the courage to start the singing, and he eventually got a boy named Drake to act as precentor. This boy, on being asked, admitted that he knew “Mothers of Salem”; unfortunately, it transpired later that he knew no other, but he led them admirably in “ Mothers of Salem.” He then, continued Mr White, got everything working smoothly, . and settled down to study, but one evening he was surprised to hear a bombardment of atones on the roof. He countered by inaugurating evening classes, and these were so well attended that there was no more stone throwing. His week-ends were mostly spent in going to Dunedin for provisions. The DunedinPort Chalmers railway was opened, he thought, in 1873, and this was a gala day for the children, as he took them down to see the engine Josephine puffing past. They gave three cheers for the Josephine, and he then took them inside and attempted to explain the principles of the steam engine to them, without, he was afraid, much success. He was credibly informed that the first freight drawn by the Josephine included three casks of beer from Burkes’ Brewery, consigned to an hotel in Port Chalmers. Salary, in those days, was a matter to which he did not attach much importance; the subsidy from the Education Board was £6O per annum, and in addition he received teaching fees amounting to £25 or £3O during the same period, so that he was passing rich on a little less than £IOO a year—and was perfectly happy. The first inspection of the schools car-

ried out by Mr Hielop, the then secretary of the Education Board, was not at all satisfactory, and according to Mr Hielop nothing was right, but iu the following year he was go pleased with the progress of the pupils that he granted them a half holiday while he and the speaker went off to town. Shortly afterwards — in 1874—said Mr White in conclusion, he was appointed to the Old Stone School, and the greater part of the rest of his life was devoted to the training of teachers, especially for small-class schools. He considered that he was fortunate in commencing in a small school as the experience he gained at St. Leonards proved invaluable to him in after life. WELCOME BY MAYOR. The Mayor of West Harbour (Mr T. H. Harridge) extended a welcome to the visitors and paid a tribute to the workers who had given so much time and service towards making the function a success. A GOODLY HERITAGE. Mr J. W. Munro, M.P., said he wished to remind his hearers of the great heritage bequeathed to them by the early pioneers.. They were apt to forget that the first school jubilee in New Zealand w_as held in Otago, and the province was still holding more of these celebrations than any other province in the Dominion. He took it that the reason for this was that one of the first things the early settlers in Otago considered was the establishing of schools, and the great heritage of education which they had left to the people of to-day should be prized and fought tor to the last ditch, because in these times of stress and trouble there was a danger of some of it being taken away from them. He wished success to the function, which he hoped would instil into the minds of the young the traditions of the school in which education and character had been given to their parents by the teachers of the past, TRIBUTE TO YOUNG TEACHERS. The congratulations of the Otago Education Board were conveyed by the chairman, Mr James Wallace, who said that the board was keenly interested in the jubilees of the schools under its control. The board had uot at the present time, perhaps, a great deal of power, but it still took an interest in education, and was doing its best to assure the young people of an education. The matter of finance, of course, came into the question, but he, and he thought his board, did not oppose the economies imposed by the Government, with the exception of the closing of the Training College. He still held that if not a college, there_ should be a training centre for students in Dunedin, and he was satisfied that if they went the right way about it, they would have one before many years were past. Mr Wallace concluded by referring to Professor White’s remarks regarding his early experiences at St. Leonards, and said that although conditions were still hard for young teachers in the backblocks, he was glad to say that they buckled down to their work with the same spirit as Professor White did in his young days. OTHER SPEAKERS.

Mr G. W. Carrington, who was headmaster of the school from 1913 to 1921, expressed pleasure at seeing so many pupils and ex-,teachers whom he had known 18 to 20 years ago, and he had grateful recollections of the many kindnesses extended to himself and to the school during his term as headmaster. He hoped that the events on the jubilee programme would prove an inspiration to all the ex-pupils present, and give them an opportunity to, broaden their outlook on and deepen their sympathies with the traditions of their old school. Two later ex-headmasters —Mr J. F. Botting and Mr C. M'Kinnon—also spoke briefly, and congratulated the committee on the success of the function. Mr A. M'Lean, the oldest ex-pupil present, who was at the original opening of the school in 1868, spoke in reminiscent vein and recalled that Professor White had started him on his Latin course. Although, since his school days, he had wandered far and wide, he even , now often thought of his old school and visualised it as he first saw it. FOR REMEMBRANCE.

The addresses concluded, bouquets were presented to Mrs D. H. Rogers, the first mistress of the school, and to Mrs Isabella Thompson (nee Colvin), the oldest lady ex-pupil present, and buttonholes to Professor White and Mr M'Lean, JUBILEE BANQUET. The gathering then adjourned to the hall, where, after the roll had been called by Mrs Rogers, over 150 guests sat down to a banquet prepared by the ladies of the district. The supper room was tastefully decorated, and the well-laden tables bore ample testimony to the wholehearted manner in which the Ladies’ Committee had thrown itself into its task. Later in the evening a tribute was paid to this committee by Mr Hayward, who ■said that had it not been for the willing services given by the ladies comprising it, especially Mesdames Bardsley, Middleton, and M'Donald, the day’s functions could not have been nearly as successful as they were. On Mr Hayward’s call, three hearty cheers were given for the Qommittee.

The banquet brought the formal proceedings to a close, and after a pleasant social hour had been spent, the final function of the day—the jubilee dance —■-was held. > The celebrations will be continued todny, when a picnic and sports will be held in the school grounds, and will be concluded to-morrow afternoon, when the fu notions will be the unveiling of a war memorial at the school and a jubilee service.