TECHNICAL COLLEGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23882, 9 August 1939, Page 6

TECHNICAL COLLEGE

RFnETH ANNIVERSARY JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS OPENED VALUE,TO EDUCATION The King Edward Technical College has played important part in the educational life of Dunedin and the Dominion during the past 50 years, and on the occasion of its fiftieth jubilee, the celebration of which was commenced yesterday, it car look back with satisfaction and pride on its magnificent work, begun in difficult circumstances and continued with everincreasing success until the present time. ■, The actual part which the institution has played and the work that it has carried but unremittingly were clearly demonstrated by several speakers in the .Town;': Hal I last. evening, when the opening function of the - elebrations : was held An impressive phase of its work to-day was also shown in the singing of the massed choir of pupils and the playing of the school jubilee orchestra, of over 100 pieces, which, provided entertainment of a high order. Tributes to the work of the founders of the college, the board of managers, and the principal and staff were paid by each of the sbc speakers; who also emphasised the importance of the college in the. educational life of the city, and in each case extended sincere congratulations on the progress that had been made since the inauguration of the institution. The chairman of the board of managers (Mr J. J. Marlow) presided, and various branches' of education were represented on the platform by the director of education (Mr N. T. Lambourne), the rector of the Boys' High School (Mr H. P. Kidson) the principal of the Christchurch Technical College (Dr C. E. Hansen), the Timaru College (Mr F, L. Tuck), and the Invercargill College" (Mr C. J. Stewart), and Professor G. E. Thompson, representing the Otago University. Others present were the Mayor (Mr A H. Allen), Mr P. O. Smellie, Dr R. Gardner, and Messrs G. S. Thomson, Alexander Burt. C. G. Hutton, Donald Marshall,' arid Mrs Oldam, relatives of the founders of the college, and Mr W. Begg> who was among the first 12 pupils at the college Progress of the College • " Our jubilee differs from most," said Mr Marlow, " in that we are not now simply recording a school's opening, and continuing to exist for 50 years. The movement to establish evening classes in Dunedin started several timet,- but always after a year or so faded, out of existence. On October 16, 1888, a meeting of 22 persons formed the first Technical Classes Association in New Zealand—an association that has gone on from success to success. 'During thOrst 1.0 years its difflcultiea seemed insurmountable, and its efforts', Jlke the .previous ones, seemed doomed to failure. It was only the lively faith and boundless energy of our revered founder—the late Mr G., M. Thomson—combined with the generosity of the Dunedin public, the unselfishness of the staff working without remuneration, and the encouragement and publicity so freely given by the press; that encouraged the Committee of Management to continue its good work. Our founder's name is commemorated in the Thomson wing, dw he has a finer memorial in the lives of thousands of our people, who, through,his labours; are better equipped to fight life's 1 battle, and are enabled wisely to use their leisure. '",,'' "After the first 10 years," he said. " the position of the college was assured, and to-day it'can take its place with the best educational institutions in the Dominion. A few years ago a Department of Music was formed.' You will receive some evidence of its progress to-night. Hundreds of our, pupils are through this school receiving; their.-ohly "musical training. Our latest' addition was the 'Art School, with nine new rooms. By Us erection, the pressure .uppnvspace was relieved, but groiwth has been such that to-day our coalctry; classes are being held in a; corrugated iron shed. The board. is ; daily, ejtpeotihg to receive, word that the.ibWldlngiof the domestic wing has been 'sanctioned—for what better work is thill* than to .train our girls in do-. mesitic science, so "that they may make better wives and mothers, with the reflex of happier homes and .healthier children. ;.■'.'- . ~ . ' •' • „ " Of the work the college is doing, Mr Marlow said, "I could not do better than quote the words of the late Joseph W„Mellon:,.greatest among all our old boys, who wrote them when he was about to embark on a career which was to bring him the Fellowship of the Royal Society, a tribute of amazed wonder from all the chenv ists of the world, and the gratitude of those who counted most in the British nation: 'I cannot too warmly thank yourself and committee for what you have done for me and for what you are doing for others. I started at nothing. As a result of your labours you have developed in me an appetite which is ever-growing. It is not exactly the amount of. knowledge one gathers in your classes, but it is the love for it which is engendered and developed. I speak from experience.' ", i Mr Marlow concluded by expressing thanks to the principal (Mr W G Aldridge) and the members of the staff for their able and faithful service; to the present members of the board for their loyal support and cooperation; arid to Dr Gardner for the manner in which he had carried out the duties of chairman of. the Jubilee Committee. A Great Adventure >. "I have been reading during the last few days the history of this institution," said Mr Kidson. "and it. is obvious that it is a far more interesting document than such histories usually are. The college has faced extraordinary difficulties, not only at the beginning, but also for a considerable period of its history. It is perhaps difficult for those who look on education as. it is to-day, an established fact, to appreciate this, but it is less strana« when we realise that in England some branches of technical education are only now coming into their own In this country we founded an institution of extreme value before other couri: tries did and this is more significant than the thought that its development was slow. Whatever difficulties this institution has suffered there Is n<» doubt about its ultimate success." The Otago Education Board. Mr Kidson said, had played a very creditable part ill" the development of the collegi;. and it was no mean city which could provide for such an institution the magnificent sum of £13,000 in contributions. In that respect he could not refrain from mentioning the extraordinary benefactions which the city had enjoyed from the Dunedin Savintfa Bank. ' _, , "The contribution to education Of technical schools in New Zealand has been very great indeed." he said, 'and they have provided a great social service. What is their destiny? Tech nical 1 education will always.be a great adventurer-it is part of the work of art educator to fortify and train the young to meet life by giving them what has been found by experience to be good, but it is the part of technical education to keep very much abreast of the times, and never to stand still; that is why it will always, be? a great adventure." Mr Kidson also paid a 'tribute .tor the work of the principal (Mr W G Aldridge) for his outstanding organising ability, and the staff and board of managers Ministerial Congratulations The director of education (Mr N. V. Lambourne) read a message of congratulation from the Minister of Education (Mr -P. Fraser) who expressed his deep regret at his inability to-be present at the celebrations. The Minister referred to the sound foundations laid by those responsible for the found-

ing of the college, and said that in the face of difficulty and hardship it had won its spurs, so that the opposition of the past had now completely disappeared. He expressed the belief in his message that the time was not far distant when the work in senior classes in technical colleges would allow students to continue their education at universities. In conclusion, he hoped that the college would retain its influence in the community and continue to provide trained students to take their place in industry. " This is truly a great occasion, ' said Mr Lambourne, "in the history of an institution that has come to occupy such an important place in the education of boys and tjirls in Dunedin. This college compares very favourably with any in other parts of the British Empire; its day classes provide practical and cultural education, and its night classes cater for artisans and craftsmen who wish to become more skilled and to gain culture in their particular crafts. 'On behalf of the superintendent ol education and his colleagues," Mr Lambourne concluded, " I wish the college continued and increasing success, and at the same time I congratulate Mr Aldridge and his staff and the board of managers on their work in the interests of technical education in Dunedin." . A Power for Good 'You will all agree that this college has been a tremendous power for good during the last 50 years." said the Mayor. " Technical education in the Dominion had its birth in Dunedin to meet the lack of education in commerce and trade that was apparent in the early days and in this city with V$ wealth of engineering and mechanical industries the colleee is a valuable qsset To-dav it represents one of the most up-to-date institutions in the Dominion and it is as vet really, only In its infancy In another 100 years it will be classed as one of the pioneer movements in *he city The congratulations of the University of Otago were conveyed by Pro fessor G E. Thompson, who said that the efforts of the founders of the college should be an inspiration to them to-day Many branches of education were represented at the meeting thai night, but they were all unified in their endeavours to fleht the good fight for education, and they each needed the help of the other. It was hard to measure success and to judge progress by ordinary methods of weight, but thai success and progress were nevertheless reaL , Value to Commerce On behalf of the commercial and industrial interests of Dunedin. Mr P. O SrnelUe. past president of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, extended hearty congratulations to the college. Commerce and industry, he said, were always on the lookout for trained men. and the college fulfilled a very necessary function in preparing students so that they could enter offices or workshops with grounding in the fundamentals of their trade. Training "on the job" was the best of all. but that did not mean that good grounding should be done away with. The pioneers of the college had faced great difficulties, but one had only to look at the names of the men associated with the movement to see that they thrived on difficulties and obstructions. He believed said Mr Smellie. that all men should be -taught a craft, whether they were going to be tradesmen or. bank managers; When production dropped, as it sometimes did, it was because of a shortage of carpenters or plumbers, not bank managers. Musical Programme The musical programme, which was presented by the pupils of the college, under the direction of Dr T. Vernon Griffiths, consisted of items by a massed school choir of 700 voices, the ordinary school choir, and the jubilee orchestra of well over 100 pieces. The work, both vocal and instrumental, was of a high standard throughout and reflected great credit on Dr Griffiths, who handled his large orchestra and choir in masterly fashion. The two outstanding vocal numbers in which the choir had the assistance of Dr V. E. Galway at the municipal organ, were the school song written by Mr Aldridge and put to music by pr Griffths, and "Let Us ,Now Praise Famous Men," the music for which was composed by Dr Galway. Both were brilliantly presented. » ~-. The orchestra also did good work in several overtures and marches, showing, a remarkable balance and ,P.reeision for a combination of school children. Part-songs by the- choir concluded the programme.'