WAITAKI HIGH SCHOOL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22354, 30 August 1934, Page 7

WAITAKI HIGH SCHOOL

OLD BOYS’ DINNER. ' The annual dinner of the Dunedin branch of the Waitaki High School Old Bovs’ Association was hold last evening, the president (Mr,F.. Stuart Qlemhmng) occupying the chair; There was an attendance of about -10. The toast of “ The School " was in the hands of Dr C. H. Tail, who said that a man who had nothing to boast about was like a potato, fit only to he tinder the ground. All who had been at Waitaki. however, had something to boast about. Thev were all proud of their rector (Mr F. Milner), and they all knew of las conquest of America, and were the more proud of him for that reason. ihe school meant a very great deal to Mr Milner, and he had a remarkable loyalty to it- llis vigorous ideas on education wove wdi known, uiciuy of tliGui. lluci reason to be thankful for ..those .ideas, ’fhc school, they found in alter me, had moulded them Into the line of its own traditions, which year ,li« year were growing stronger, ' r l he;old' boys were very; proud to honour. an Institution suolr as., Wait aid. Its old boys wCro to bo found in all walks of life, occupying places, of honour, and theit ability- 1.0. do so was to be found iii the; fqct that m their younger days the school imparted to them the blessing of personality, ' The speaker wont dti to sa.y that nicro scholastic fittainments were' not the ultimate aim of Waitaki, but a broader outlook was adopted. In the speaker’s time the boys had been encouraged to take an Imperialistic outlook, but now it was a national outlook that was taught. These were much thd same thing, however, and Mr Milner’s idea, was to turn out hoys with the right mental attitude to face. and overcome the difficulties they would meet with ns they went down the years. Mr Milner, replying to the toast, said he wished first of all to tell the old boys how proud he was of their allegiaucc to

the school.' The various branches of the Old'v Boys’ Association. were doing excellent \vdrk and rendering the school that support which was so necessary to its well-being.,;,/This had been brought home to hifiv On his return from a trip abroad. The niany functions at which he had been entertained on his arrival in the Dominion had shown him that the old boys organisations were alive, and this- fact had a tonic effect on the school. yyhen at Home he had been told how highly thought of the school was) and, tins was borne out by the fact that functions given for him in London had been attended by some of the most notable men of the time. These were men who would not have attended unless there had been some justification for their interest in the educational ideals of Waitaki. One of the reasons the school had attracted so much attention wag the record it had in the Great War. Many of its ex-pupils had made the supreme sacrifice, and the list of those who had served King, and Country Wag a long one. Speaking of the old’ boys’ clay next month, • Mr _Milner asked all ex-pnpila to visit the Hall of Memories and sec there the remarkable number, of flags and trophies, which had been presented to the school. These symbolised the unity of Empire. Referring, to secondary education in New Zealand. Air Milker said that there was no need for .anyone to be ashamed ot either the ideals or practice of education here. He had surveyed the position in the countries he had visited recently, and had been favourably impressed with his own country. New Zealand schools prided themselves on the esprit de corps which existed ,in them, and they had to thank the English public school system for that heritage. Here, however, they had an advantage over England in that the foundations of secondary education were laid on a wider and more democratic basis. The spirit of the English schools was carefully preserved, however, by the games and school institutions. In this respect he had found the schools of Canada lacking. There was not the same collegiate spirit or the scholarship which the schools here strived to develop. The pupil there was faced with a multitude of options regarding "the course be wished to take,’and the

result was a lack of fundamental unity. Consequently, when the pupil, went on to university he could offer nofoundation on which; a’: higher 'education' might be built. r •. i "'V"- 1 ...'* •• ' 1

Mr G. W. Fo'rens 'proposed the toast of “Branch ■Associations' and’ Absent Old Boys.’’ , He said : that the other branches of the .Old Boys’.-Association were fully as. IpysJ to their; school ..as was the Dunedin.branch, and there'was every reason to believe that the school would never lack the support of its old boys. Mr Milnei; had referred to the trophies and flags in the Hall of Memories as being symbolical. He thought that the hail itself was symbolic of those old boys who had passed on.

The final toast, that of "Kindred Amo-, ciations,” was proposed, by Mr J. Ri Laidlaw, who said that every old boy of every school should be convinced that bia own school was the best. ’ Messrs E. Woods (British Public Schools). W. F. Waters (Otago High School Old Bojfs),. and .C. J. Wood (Christchurch' High School Old Boya) briefly replied. . -.1 -Jt