GROPERS BUSH

Southland Times, Issue 22488, 24 January 1935, Page 4

GROPERS BUSH

SCHOOL JUBILEE SIXTY-TWO YEARS IN REVIEW 1872—1935 (By “Old Boy.”) In 1872 a school was opened at Gropers Bush in a cottage opposite to Messrs Younger Bros’, homestead, on the main ro?d between Riverton and Otautau. Under Mr Eric K. F. MacKay there was an attendance roll of 29 pupils. After 62 intervening years I can remember 24 first scholars:—Annie, Isabella and Margaret Johnston; Elsie and Ellen Cummings; Thomas, Charles, Henry and George Ward; James, Kate and Patrick Molloy; James and Rosanna Valli;- Elizabeth and James Brown; Alexander and Margaret Officer; Jessie and James Borland; William and Francis Ford; and Patrick and Malachi Hanley. lam uncertain about others. Mr E. K. F. Mac Kay was well educated at St. Andrew’s University. He had a real interest in education and literature, and could teach Latin, Greek and Euclid; but his natural and acquired ability as a teacher was discounted by a hasty temper, which caused him sometimes to treat violently pupils who displeased him. After about two years we removed half a mile to a new school bn the Thornbiiry road, near Sheridan’s, corner. The. scholars already named went there, and the attendance increased largely, many of the newcomers being younger members of families who had been represented in the humble cottage. After about five years in charge of Gropers Bush school Mr Eric Mac Kay removed to Campbelltown (now Bluff). I think his next school was at Makarewa, where he died many years ago. His wife was a Miss Cameron, one of the early family of that name located at “Bonniefield,” now owned by Mr H. Playfair. She also is dead. The sons and daughters mostly adopted either the teaching or the nursing profession. One daughter, now at Pahia, survived the “Marquette” disaster. A son was killed in the Great War.

Mr Thomas Jolly, of the West Coast, was the second master at Gropers Bush, During the weeks required for his shift across country, D. McFarlane and J. Borland kept the school going. They received no pay on the ground that they had not passed as pupil teachers. After a few years, Mr Jolly removed to West Plains, where he farmed as well as taught. Later he went farming in Wairio district. He died soon afterwards. His widow was killed in a tragic railway accident. Mr George Adams had charge of Gropers school for about a year. I did not know him personally, but I believe he was efficient and liked by the scholars. He died not long after he left Gropers. Mr John M. Dark was his successor. He was noted for his unusual height and good penmanship rather than for scholarship, but he was fit for his position. I think he had an unhappy experience of parties conflicting in local affairs.

Mr Dark was succeeded by a young uncertificated man named Alexander Inglis, who proved to be an efficient teacher and a keen and successful student. He became Master of Arts

and Master of Science, although he attended Otago University just for a few months before taking his degree in science. He had the headmastership of some of the best primary schools in Southland. He began humbly at our small country school, and finished as inspector of schools in our province. After Mr Inglis we had another young man, Arthur Eversfield Featherstone, also destined to make his mark in education in Southland. He did not aspire to high scholarship, but as headmaster of primary schools in Southland he attained a record second to none. Those young men also started their matrimonial careers locally. Miss Agnes Johnston, Gropers, became Mrs Inglis, and Miss Ella Meek, Fairfax, changed to Mrs Featherstone. After Mr Featherstone’s departure, Miss Jean Russell taught at Gropers for a few years, but owing to declining attendance had small chance to prove her ability. Local children of school age had become so scarce that the residents of Fairfax district agitated successfully to have the Gropers schoolhouse shifted to their township. So our third building, erected in Mr Jolly’s time, now stands at Fairfax. It is more than 50 years old. Miss Russell could have had the position of teacher at Fairfax, but she resigned to be married to Mr Albert Horman, Makarewa. Subsequently there was an increase of children at Gropers, but both Fairfax and Ermedale schools are within reach by them.

During my school days at Gropers, we had visits from four different inspectors. The first was Mr John Hislop, who afterwards had LL.D, conferred upon him and as Dr Hislop took a very prominent part in education in Otago. The second was Mr William Taylor. We felt at ease with those two inspectors, for they were homely men. Afterwards we had Messrs Patrick Goyen and Donald Petrie to put us through our facings. They were highly educated, but had an official, not to say overbearing manner not conducive to getting the best out of country scholars. They over-awed us. The members of the school committees naturally varied, but either Mr William Johnston or Mr David Reidie was usually chairman.

In 1880 a public library was started in Gropers school-house under the auspices of the Southland Education Board. Among those who took a prominent part in establishing it were Messrs W. Johnston, D. Reidie, E. Willett, C. McDougall, Geo. Cumming and Thos. Jolly. Mr Johnston was elected chairman and Mr Jolly secretary, treasurer and librarian. The books chosen by the founders were in remarkable contrast to the kind which soon became popular with subscribers and have continued so. In both binding and contents the former were milch more substantial than the latter. The library has had its ups and downs and sometimes merely existed. There was an attempt which failed to have it shifted to Fairfax with the school. The Southland Education Board favoured us, and we retained our library, but had further trouble over the site which the board granted us. Our first library building was very small. A few years ago the late Mrs J. R. Reidie took an active interest in the library. Under her organization fresh life was infused into it, and it has become popular not only for its books but also as a centre for social gatherings. A tablet to Mrs Reidie’s memory testifies to what she did for the institution.

Without complete records it is difficult to give an accurate list of Gropers’ pupils of the first decade. I am going to do my best with aid from some records and the recollections of other expupils. At the head should be placed the 24 cottage scholars named at the beginning of this article. After them the following is an approximate list:— Agnes, Jemima, John and Mary Emily Johnston; Isabella, Donald, Jane, John and Elizabeth McFarlane; Thomas, Sarah, Marion and George Brown; Richard, John, Robert and Elizabeth Stenhouse; • Thomas, Robert, Jane and Henry Cuppies; Albert, Laura and Alfred Willett; Eliza, Annie and Alice Cumming; of John Ford’s family, Laurence, John and Margaret; of Patrick Ford’s children, Michael, John, Maria and Anthony; Elizabeth and Thomas (2) Borland; Elizabeth, Jessie, Agnes and John Reidie and their girl friend Susan Ross; Ellen, James and Jessie Miller; Alexander, Betsy, Charles, Annie and Malcolm McKinnon and their cousin Malcolm McLeod; Alexander, Thomas, Maggie and Nellie Gilchrist; Alice, Nellie and John Sutton; Jeannie and John McNaughton; William, Christina and John Saunders; William, Alfred, John and Mary Calder; Hugh and William Molloy; Antonio, Dominica, Joseph and Annie Valli; Mary and Peter Hanley; Jane and Margaret Younger; Harold and Alfred Hodgkinson; Benjamin and Edgar Ward; Archibald and Garnet Fletcher; Mary and William Mitchell; Mary and John Clifford; Alfred Officer, Thomas McClymont. Thomas Smith, David Manson, John Broadby, and George Webb. I am doubtful about Elizabeth, Thomas and Fred Stroud. Three families about mid-way between Gummies and Gropers patronized both schools. They were Saunders, Carmichael and Clark. Without records it is hard to say when they were at one school and when at the other. Of. the Saunders family there were William, Christina, John, Elate and Jessie. Of the Carmichaels, Isabella, Elizabeth, Ellen, Annie, John, James, George, Jane, Jessie and Margaret. Of the Clarks, David, John, James, Robert and Martha. Excepting unintentional errors and omissions, this is a fair list. It is remarkable that all the members of some families of school-mates are still alive, and in other cases all or nearly all are dead. There has been much disparity in length of life of pupils of similar ages. Some died before finishing their primary education, and others of the same age group have outlived them by 60 years. Gropers’ Bush School. Alexander Inglis, Timaru, 5/11/85 — 30/4/89.

Arthur E. Featherstone, 13/5/89— 20/2/94.

Jeannie Russell (Mrs Hormann), Wallacetown, 3/94 —School closed.