OTAKEHO SCHOOL PUPILS

Taranaki Daily News, 3 May 1934, Page 11

OTAKEHO SCHOOL PUPILS

ALAN GOOD FIRST SCHOLAR OPENING ROLL OF 29 PUPILS REGISTER OF TWO DECADES The Otakeho school was opened on September, 9, 1884, with 29 pupils, Alan Good being the first to be entered on the register. Others who started school on opening day were Hugh Good, Arthur Young, Margaret Amelia Young, Annie Young, Charles Frederick Young, Mary Jane Buckingham, John Buckingham, Mary Jane Bartlett, Lucy Agnes Bartlett, Alice Grace Bartlett, Michael John Carroll, Dennis Carroll, Richard Carroll, Jane Borrie, Elizabeth Borrie, Mary Borrie, Ann Borrie, Ronald James Dingle,. Millie Dingle, William Arthur Dingle, Herbert Henry Ogden, Harriet Mary Ogden, Florence Ogden, Elizabeth Davies, Grace Davies, William Yandle, Alfred Yandle, and Sylvanus Davies. ... Other early , pupils in 1884 were Elizabeth, Bertha, Alice and Florence trills, E. and Elate Blennerhassett, Margaret King, Catherine Ryan, William Steuart, Percival and Howard Knight, Catherine Carroll, Isabelle Goosey, Agnes Stewart, Thomas Coxhead, Joseph Symonds, Augustus Ogden, William Young, Isabelle. Davies, David Kemble, Robert Yandle, Ada Lloyd, Alfred Young, Abel, Helena and John Gamlin, Elizabeth, Frederick and George Smith, Norman A’Court.

The admissions in 1886 were Margaret and Joseph Young, Charlotte Buckingham, Blanche and Ida Knight, Charles Davies, Annie, Robert and James Hickey, William Leonard Blennerhassett, Victoria Ethel Cgden. The 1887 new pupils were Roger Steuart, Alex Barrow, Lily Dingle, Charles and Rudolph Honore, James and Archie Campbell, Ida, Ethel and Linda Parsons, Ella Knight, Annie Hayes.

The new pupils of 1888 were George Emily and Rose Moss, Douglas Barrow, Isabella Borrie, Roger Steuart, David Yandle, Agnes Steuart, Lily Lloyd, John Gillard, Ruth Breach, Susan Gillard, William Borrie, Mary Ellen Campbell, John Campbell, Dennis Ryan, John Ryan, Fanny Norris, Awatapu Ngaki. The 1889 list is Graham Barrow, Sissy Blennerhassett, Beatrice Davis, Herbert Smith, George Webber, Abraham Honore. ; The entries in 1890 were Michael Ryan, Ellen Hickey, Beatrice Davies, Charles Ogden, Edith Webber, Alfred and Harry Langwell, William and Isabella Walley, Ethel Langwell, James Yandle, James Borrie, Alfred Smith, Harry Parsons, Charles Ogden. In 1891 pupils to be admitted were Janet, Archie and Arthur Blair, Giles and Vita Blennerhassett, Walter Barrow, Frank Rendle, David Kelly, Louisa, Francis, Ellen, Robina, Maud and Rosa Dustow, John Nicholson, _ Margaret McCaul, Marian Smith, Vivian Young, Catherine and Florence -Henderson, Florence Davies, Bessie, Frank, Margaret and James McGovern, . Thomas Blair, Fred Pratt, Amy Dustow, Ebenezer -Briggs, Violet Ogden. The 1892 pupils were Annie Irving, Patrick Craig, James Nicholson, Edgar Young, May and Henrietta Briggs, Agnes Fraser, Amy Reay, Annie Wills, Agnes Barrow. » The 1893 entrants were Josephine A’Court, Lilian Wills, Thomas Ryan, Thomas Kelland, William Dustow, John McGovern, Thomas Gibson, Harry Davenport, Margaret Craig, Claiide and Ruby Williams, Nellie McCaul, Frank Wortley, Maraia Honore, John, Edward, Thomas, George and Beatrice Hunter, Maud Hopkins, Maud and William le Fleming, Elizabeth Fraser, Charlotte Yandle.

The 1894 pupils were Outram Young, Ernest and William Wasley, Harold Corrigan, John Borrie, Bertha Dustow, Frank le Fleming, Mabel Gibson, Edith Barlow. In the second decade the children admitted were:

1895: Norman .Blair, William Smith, Harry Irving, Margaret Campbell, George Ryan, Annie Craig, Walter Norman Wacker, Morton Rogers, William Robertson, Albert Wasley, William and Christina Coxhead, David Gillard, Whana and Paul Abraham, Henry Kershaw, Tutu Uitiwai, Edith Owen, Athol and Roy Grant. 1896: Kenneth Fraser, Margaret Borrie, Ellen Smith, Nelly Clemoes, Kathleen McGovern, Oecy Nicolson, Kopa Five Pound, Hawe Peppi, Amelia Craig, Thomas Kelland, Mildred and Reginald Devonshire, Hare Wharerangi, Laura Kelland, Andrew Ngatai, James Taylor, Clarence and Flora Davies, Martha le Fleming, Gertrude Owen, Edythe Barleyman, Piri Tarawhiti, Rupen King, Alexander Coxhead, Isabella, Freeman and Irene Willcocks. 1897: Walter Kelland, Harold Wills, Donald Robertson, Agnes Davies, James Ryan, Walter McCaul, Thomas Gibson, Alare O’Leary, Edith Surgenor, Edward Honore, Muriel, Ruby and John Prothero, Dorothy, Ruth, Phoebe and Molly Stott, Jacob Moeller, Norman Barrow, Monica Fowler.

1898: Fred and Edith Bowman, James Dustow, Dora Campbell, Monte Julian, Gerald, Mary and Alphonsus Leydon, Mary, Ferederick and Phoebe Wallis, Olive and Elsie Macbeth, Tpttie Adams, John and William Welch, Wilfred and Arthur Brooking, Mabel Coxhead, Leon-ard-Macbeth, Eliza le Fleming. 1899: George, Charles, Alice, Evelyn and Adelaide Bryant, Beatrice Prothero, Jessie Borrie, James Robertson, Robert Bowman, Percy Owen, Margaret, Henry and Edith Knappely, William Barr, George, Kate, Phoebe, Dora and Ivy Curtis, Emily, Thomas and Edward Hurley, Wilfred Chadwick, Olive Grant 1900: Lewis Curtis, Margaret, James, John and Oliver Robertson, Albert and William Knappely, William Robert Surgenor, Frank Gdldup, Charles Lewis, George and Effie Smart, Thomas and Kate Daj>, Jack Elliot, Thomas Joseph Surgenor, Thomas Barr, Herbert Rudkin, Jack Kelland, Annie Paterson, Spencer and Cyril Shove. 1901: Oscar and Mabel Bernie, Charles Blake, Emily Borrie, Albert le Fleming, Francis Stephen Boardman, Walter Robertson, William and Gladys Diamond, Edward Dustow, Alfred Wasley, Gertrude Hurley, Arnold- and Fleetwood Rowell, George Prince. 1902: Jessie Blake,. Nellie Curtis, Wallace Bennie, Joseph Burke, George and Rita Holmes, John Paterson, . James, Sterling, William and Violet Grindlay, Pearl Surgenor, Howard Shpve, Edward Taylor, Leonard Speight, Arthur, Leslie, Edith May, and Norman George Luxton, Gordon and Colin Sisley, Jean Hammond, William McMillan, John Leslie, Clarence Kelland, Fred Watson, Margaret Simonsen. 1903: Maraia Rudd, Laura Kelland, Earl Brightwell, Ernest, Alex and Douglas Paterson, Grace and Hilda Morrison, Sobina and Albert Tapp, Cyril Shove, Leo, Nelson, Victor, Louisa and Eileen Fraei, Eileen Brightwell, James Blake, Vera ’Spence, Leslie and Norman Taylor, May Parsons, Joseph and Frederick William Wright. 1904: Lloyd Tapp, Stanley le Fleming, David Borrie, Lucy Bennie, Ethel and Amy Rudd, Albury and Hilda Taylor, Cecil Colin, Frederick Joseph and Irene Speight, Neilson, Christopher, Cecil and Doris Souness, Elsie, Eileen and Florence Hunt, Francis Knapton, Stewart Borrie, Fred Tapp, Arthur Harrison, William and Herbert 'Laurent, Blair, Mary, Jack and Martha Robertson. PIONEERING OF OTAKEHO PROFIT FROM "TARANAKI WOOL” GRAZING AND TATTENING STOCK The land of the Otakeho portion of the Waimate Plains was sold by the Government in 1881, some being disposed of for cash, while a large portion was sold under the “deferred payment” system. Settlers under this method had 10 years in which to complete payment by 20 half-yearly instalments. Certain improvements had to be carried out each year, and there was a residential requirement. The Crown lands ranger had to make an inspection each year to see that the necessary improvements were made. The deferred payment system gave the man with little capital an opportunity of becoming a "freeholder,” and was the means of enabling many hard-working settlers to gain an independence. Most of the early settlers kept a few cows and made butter. This was taken fresh from the chum by the storekeepers as they made their weekly rounds with stores for the setlers.. The butter was all dumped together and worked by the storekeeper into something like uniform grade. In those day® there was no “finest” and very little “first” grade, and it was all “taken out” in stores. The bush settlers made an addition to their income by gathering the fungus that grew on fallen timber. There was a ready sale for this somewhat mysterious article of commerce, generally termed “Taranaki wool.” Mr Chew Chong, Eltham, was the principal buyer of fungus, and he shipped it to China. On the larger holdings the settlers did a great deal of cropping, and heavy yields of wheat and oats were obtained from the rich land of the plains. But owing to the moist climate at harvesting time cropping was always risky and there were the ravages of rust in the crops and caterpillars to contend with. The land and the climate were more suitable for grazing, and many thousands of bullocks and cows were fattened for the Auckland market. There were also thousands of “run” cows which reared their calves to stock the open and bush country as it was “brought in.” The breeds most favoured were Shorthorn and Hereford, with a few Polled Angus. As the land was cleared of the heavy flax, tutu, and fern it was stocked with sheep, and each year thousands of fat lambs were sent to the Waitara and Patea freezing wori-s. As the land became more valuable on account of the rapid development of the dairy industry fewer cattle were kept for fattening and the grazing of sheep gave way to dairy cattle. Now practically the whole of the Waimate Plains is carrying dairy stock, and there are only a few of the larger holdings still fattening cattle and running sheep.