CENTRAL SCHOOL JUBILEE

Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1933, Page 3

CENTRAL SCHOOL JUBILEE

OLD PUPILS' ASSOCIATION

FORMATION AT NEW PLYMOUTH. MEETING OF OLD BOYS DECIDES. By the unanimous decision of a well attended meeting of former pupils of the Central School, New Plymouth, last night it was decided to form the Central School Old Pupils’ Association. There were about 50 present, Mr. F. A. Coleman presiding, and associated with him were Messrs. H. Dempsey and D. P. Evans (past and present headmasters respectively), A. Feakins and A. Dunkley (members of the school committee). The primary object of the meeting, said Mr. Coleman, was to consider preparations for the school jubilee, to take place in May, 1934. The school committee had drawn out a tentative programme as follows:—

Sunday, May 20: 2 p.m., church service at school grounds. Monday, May 21: 8 p.m., old boys’ smoke concert.

Tuesday, May 22: 8 p.m., old girls’ social.

Wednesday, May 23: To be arranged. Thursday, May 24: Jubilee ball. Friday, May 25: Present pupils’ jubilee tea.

Saturday, May 25: Gala day and procession at the school.

The programme was, of course, subject to alteration and addition yet, continued Mr. Coleman. The school was unique, he said, in that over the long period of almost 50 years since its opening it had had only three headmasters, Mr. Dempsey, Mr. Stratford and Mr. Evans. There had been another in the beginning, but his stay had been very short. On the committee, too, there had been very few changes in the officers. For the purposes of the jubilee arrangements former pupils were divided into decades, and it was proposed to have a sub-committee representative of each group and a delegate from each sub-committee on an executive working with the school committee.

Mr. S. Ward said that an association of former pupils, to be called the Central School Old Pupils’ Association, would be a far better arrangement, ensuring that after the jubilee celebrations were over there would still be some definite band among the past pupils. Put as a motion, the scheme received general and enthusiastic approval and was adopted unanimously. Sub-committees were set up, however, to assist the school committee, the convener in each case to constitute a member of the executive of the association. These sub-committees were elected as follows:— First decade (1884 —£894): Messrs. S. Ward (convener), H. Moverley, F. Whitcombe, L. Hammond, T. Smith, P. Hopkins.

Second decade (1894 —1904): Messrs. W. Girling (convener), G. Bradbury, E. Revell, J. Harvey, L. Blanchard, T. Corkill.

Third decade (1904—1914): Messrs. P. Shepherd (convener), J. Roberts, R. Wall, R. Hopkins, N. Way, R. Lealand. Fourth decade Messrs. A. Henderson, S. Billing, F. Steffensen, R. Williams, D. Carter, B. Carter. A committee to represent the last decade was to be left over for the time being, said Mr. Colenrfn, as the great number of pupils in that group necessitated a separate meeting.

With regard to the old girls' section Mr. Hammond suggested that the school committee should call a meeting in the same manner as this one had been arranged and do as the old boys had done. Mr. Ward moved that each sub-commit-tee elect a ladies’ committee to work in conjunction with it, a much simpler and quicker arrangement, he said. It was suggested by Mr. Girling that a more satisfactory arrangement would be to have one committee representing all the ladies concerned. Finally it was decided to hold an executive meeting of the association on October 9, when the reports of the various sub-committees would be received, and with the idea of calling a meeting of old girls as soon as possible,