SUTTON SCHOOL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26748, 17 April 1948, Page 8

SUTTON SCHOOL

FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS GATHERING OF EX-PUPILS Fifty years ago yesterday the first small group of pupils trouped through the doors of their new school at Sutton. Yesterday some of those same people answered the roll call in, perhaps, lighter mood. The old school has become a teacher’s residence, a new school has been built, and the windbreak of fir trees has matured in the half century, but to the many old pupils who gathered for the first day of the jubilee celebrations yesterday the school and its surroundings must; have shaped up in memory as they were three, four, of five decades ago. It was remarkable that over 200 people should have been present at the little school yesterday, for the roll has always been small. But the opportunity to meet old schoolmates and exchange time-mellowed memories makes a powerful magnet, and the buzz of conversation yesterday suggested that many a youthful prank was being recalled and old friends brought back to mind. The earliest ex-pupils present were Mrs Agnes Tucker and Mrs Agnes Steele, who were numbered 5 and 6 on the original roll respectively. Messrs John and Robert Marshall shared the honour of being the “ oldest old boy” present, and ex-pupils had come from as far afield as Auckland and Otautau for the event. Original Building A resume of the school’s history was given by Mr E. Kinsman, who represented the school committee. The original building had been erected in 1897-98, he said, and had comprised two rooms and a schoolroom. The roll number during the first two decades had been large, as there had been no school between Wingatui and Sutton at that time, and pupils used to come by. train from a considerable distance. A new school had been built about 1914 and for a time two teachers had been necessary. The establishment of other schools had, however, cut into the roll numbers and for many years it had been a sole teacher school. In the provincial centennial celebrations, he had been particularly impressed by the place of importance given to education, said Mr W. A. Bodkin, M.P. This was hardly surprising in a Scottish settlement, for attention to learning had always been a Scottish trait. The educational institutions established by the pioneers had brought honour to both Otago and the country as a whole. The early settlers had taken care to ensure that education was available for the children through the rural areas as in the centres, for they had realised the part which sound schooling played in developing the character of the individual. There were mo friendships quite like those made during school days, he said, and he knew that the opportunity to renew those friendships afforded by the jubilee would be eagerly accepted. The congratulations of the Otago Education Board were conveyed by its chairman, Mr J. I. Fraser, who stressed the importance of ex-pupils retaining an active interest in their old school. It was, he said, the duty of every parent to take an interest in the local school, irrespective of whether they happened to be ex-pupils. Only in this way could- the close liaison between teachers and parents, which was essential, be maintained. Brief congratulatory messages from the district R.S.A. and the County Council were conveyed by Mr R. Knapp and Mr T. Carruthers. Roll Calls Roll calls taken by decades, each decade being read by a former teacher of that group, occupied some time, and photographs of the groups were subsequently taken. The former teacher who read the first decade roll was Mr L. G. Reilly, and he was followed by four other former teachers—Mrs E Kinsman. Mrs Hay, Mrs Brown and Miss G. McHardy. Afternoon tea was served in the schoolroom. Last evening a jubilee ball was held in the A. and P. Hall, Middlemarch, and was well attended. The celebrations will be continued to-day with a parade and sports gathering in the afternoon and a social evening in the school. A non-denominational church service will be conducted by Mr R. Knapp at 2 p.m. to-morrow and this will end the observance of the completion of five decades at Sutton School.