COOK’S LANDING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19732, 10 September 1938, Page 6

COOK’S LANDING

OCTOBER CELEBRATION HISTORICAL FESTIVAL PROPOSAL TO TEACHERS CO-OPERATTON OF SCHOOLS “If the teaching of New Zealand history in the schools is of importance —and I firmly believe that it is highly important —the people of Poverty Bay have a focal point for historical interest in the landingplace of Captain Cook. No one can dispute that this district was the first trodden by the men of Cook's initial expedition to the South Seas, and the memorial erected near his landing-place should become the centre of an historical festival of growing importance as the years pass,” said Mr. .1. A. Henry, senior inspector of schools for the Hawke’s Bay district, discussing with a pressman the historical importance of Poverty Bay.

Referring to the teachers’ refresher course just concluded in Gisborne, Mr. Henry mentioned that there had been evidence of really excellent results in the promotion of school music festivals. The festival idea, he believed should, be applied to the celebration of such anniversaries as that of the first landing of Captain Cook in New Zealand.

By giving the children a close interest in such anniversaries, it should be possible to establish traditional observances of the kind which play so large a part in the social life of the older countries.

Traditional Features

“It has been remarked that we have no traditional features in New Zealand worthy of comparison with those which every community m Great Britain, for instance, cherishes as survivals from olden times,” continued Mr. Henry. “We have broken with the festivals of the Homeland, perforce, and have not yet established our own in their places.

“Here and now is the place and time to consider what we can do to found our own national festivals. If is difficult to imagine anything more appropriate, as a starting point, than the anniversary of the first landing of the great navigator on these shores.”

Historical Episodes

Mr. Henry pointed out that however keenly the pioneers might have regretted the break with Homeland traditions, the circumstances of their days were such that no other course was open to them.

Scattered in small settlements throughout a primitive country, faced with a vast number of problems for which they had to find their own solutions, they could not keep festivals, or even commemorate fittingly the historical episodes in which they themselves were taking part. Possibly the historical significance of these episodes was recognised by a mere handful of the colonists.

To-day circumstances were a great deal more favourable, however, and in perspective the events ol the past 100 years were being assessed at their true values. With the approach of the centennial year, interest in the commemoration of history-making events must increase. The opportunity for establishing a comprehensive calendar of commemoration festivals never would be bettei, he thought.

Varying the Ceremony Since perpetuation of these festivals would be in the hands of. the children of the present generations, Mr. Henry considered that the cooperation of school staffs should Be sought, and that the children’s side of the commemorations should be emphasised.

The practice of laying wreaths upon the Cook Memorial might be varied sufficiently to remove the occasion from the category of the funereal, for instance. Garlands of flowers would be infinitely more effective, he thought, and parties from the schools might well be invited to carry out the decoration of the monument, either prior to or during the ceremony of commemoration;

The senior inspector had no doubt but that the Hawke’s Bay Education Board would give its support to functions with so pronounced an educational aspect, and he felt that the anniversary of Cook’s landing could well be made an annual holiday, business firms and other employers co-operating as far as possible.

Taranaki’s Example

The fact that no condensed history of Poverty Bay was available for school study was mentioned by . Mr. Henry, who instanced the provision of an historical work of this nature for the Taranaki schools.

In Taranaki, the Education Board had taken the matter up with much interest, and every school in the district had been supplied with copies of a short work covering the past events of that province. The result had been that Taranaki children had cultivated an interest in the history of their own part of the country, and in this respect were more forward than those of other provinces.

With many outstanding incidents of national importance to record, apart from the association of Poverty Bay with the early visit of Captain Cook to the country, a similar work produced here should have at least an eaual value.