CENTRAL SCHOOL GATES

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1935, Page 14

CENTRAL SCHOOL GATES

OFFICIAL OPENING HELD COMMEMORATION OF JUBILEE. ERECTED BY FORMER PUPILS. Erected in commemoration of past pupils, the new stone entrance gates to the Central School, New Plymouth, were officially opened on Saturday afternoon by the Hon. S. G. Smith, Minister of Education. After the ceremony a programme of outdoor dancing and singing was given by the children, and about 100 adults guests, including representatives of the Department' of Education, were served with tea. ... . Official guests were the Mayor (Mr. E. R. C. Gilmour), Mr. J. A. Valentine (chairman of the Taranaki. Education Board),-Mr, H. Dempsey (former headmaster), Archdeacon F. G. Evans, Mr. H. R. Billing (chairman of the High Schools Board), Mr. S. A. Ward (chairman of the Central School Old Boys’ Association), Miss M. Papps (former infant headmistress), Mrs. G. Martin (former infant mistress for many years), and Mesdames S. G. Smith, H. R. Billing, S. A. Ward and D. P. Evans, wife of the headmaster. Apologies were received from. Mr. R. E. Thomas, headmaster of the Fitzroy school, and Mr. W. H. Moyes, headmaster of the Boys’ High School. In a letter Mr. Moyes stated a large. proportion of pupils from the Central school had passed through his hands during the last 20 years. He took, opportunity of expressing . the great appreciation of post-primary schools for the splendid spirit of service that characterised senior pupils of the school, and he was sure the memorial gates would be a fitting reminder of the sacrifices made by .former pupils arid a further incentive to present and future pupils to live up to the traditions of the past. - ■ Several months ago the school held a very successful gathering to celebrate the 50 anniversary of its existence, said Mr. F. A. Coleman, chairman of the committee. ' Old boys and old girls had made contributions to provide some memorial of the jubilee, and the school committee and the Old Boys Association had decided to erect an archway with the money. Mr. Coleman welcomed so large an attendance, particularly on a day that fine weather made excellent for sport. He introduced. Mr. Smith and Mr. Gilmour as old pupils of the school who had done remarkably well in the administration of the affairs of town and country, and he congratulated Mrs. Smith on her recovery from a recent severe illness. Nola Bellringer, a senior pupil, presented Mrs. Smith with a bouquet.

INSPIRING ACTION.

“It was ,a very inspiring action on the part of former pupils that as a climax to the jubilee celebrations last year they should erect this archway in commemoration,” said Mr. Gilmour. “It is fitting they should thus acknowledge the great debt they owe the school and the training they received within its portals. This archway is intended to commemorate the golden jubilee; it will do much more. It will serve as an expression, of the pride former pupils still feel in their old school, and of their gratitude for the good they received from their association with it , “The Central school has proved itself an admirable institution. During 51 years of existence it has grown and progressed with the town and has become a part of the life of the community. Progress of the right kind is a very important thing, but in no other direction has progress such a far-reaching effect as in education. On the manner in which children are educated to-day depends the civilisation of to-morrow, and on the methods adopted to .build up the character of children depends the whole character of the community. “In this direction the Central School has always giyemsplendid service, produced many excellent, citizens'afiH the

fine qualities they show in their every- , day lives are due to their training at school. The great traditions built up by the school will never die but, added, to and expanded as they will be, they will continue to exercise a wonderful influence for good upon the lives of those who may from time to time have the good fortune to become its pupils. PRIDE IN ACHIEVEMENTS. “The school can look back with pride on its achievements of the past. Under the leadership of the present headmaster, the guidance of an energetic and capable school committee and the beneficent blessings of an equally energetic and capable Board of Education it can look, to the future with every confidence. Its influence in the past has been great, but I have no doubt that it will exert in the future even greater influence upon its pupils and so upon the whole community. “To the future pupils of the school I trust that this archway will not be looked upon as a mere memorial of the past,” concluded Mr. Gilmour. “I would like to think that it will be looked upon as a veritable entrance to the hall of learning, as an invitation and an inspiration to all who pass under it to uphold and maintain the great traditions of the school and the ideals of truth, justice, honour, courage and persistence upon which those traditions are based.” Before unveiling the memorial tablet on the gates Mr. Smith referred appreciatively to the inspiration he had received from his association with the Central school. He was glad to see at the ceremony Mr. Dempsey, whose virtues as a headmaster he well remembered . It was interesting that though the school had been in existence for 50 years it had had only four headmasters. “And two are here to-day,” said Mr. Smith. That shows how good the climate is and ’what good children we were not to wear them out.” Old pupils remembered with pride what the school had done for them; it had had great teachers, those who used the supplejack and those who did not. MUCH IMPROVEMENT. Since he went to school there had been much improvement, continued Mr. Smith. Now children h£d plenty of sun, good lighting and good heating. Next year the Minister hoped to have the opportunity of completely revising the educational 1 system of the country, taking advantage of progressive steps taken abroad. It was his earnest prayer that in the next 50 years boys and girls passing through the memorial gates. would see peace and goodwill in New Zealand and all over the world. . . L ' The Education Board was proud to'have the Central school belong to it, said Mr. Valentine. Any school that turned out good citizens was a good school, inat the Central school had done in the past and would do in the future; its record was a fine one. The archway would remind children that someone had thought of the school for good, and that would encourage them to do their best and prove themselves the equal of their fathers and mothers. AU-who passed under the arch would receive inspiration to Become good citizens for New Plymouth and for New Zealand. . . , Mr. Dempsey spoke of his interest in old pupils and his pleasure at meeting them. He was always glad to know what the school had done and was doing. Mr D P. Evans, headmaster of the school, ’particularly thanked Messrs. Smith, Gilmour and Coleman, Mrs. Martin and Miss Papps for their presence at the opening. ■ _ The children’s programme of dancing was in charge of Mr. G. Caiman, marshal, and members of the staff. Miss Ofa Wemham and Mr. R. J. Short played accompaniments. The items were: Folk dancing by standard sb, Helston Furry, If all the World were Paper and Indian Queen; I Highland fling, Violet Quay; singing by ’ standard 4a and 4b, Pokare Kare Ana and 'The Mermaid; folk dancing by standard 6a, 6b and 6c, Sellinger’s Round and All Black Brothers; singing by standard 5a ; and sb, Now is the Month of May, Haste Thee, Nymph, and The Sunset Tree; tap dance, Merle Julian; folk dancing by standard sa, Ruffty Tuffty and Sweet Kate; singing by standards 6a, 6b and 6c, Light is My Heart and Flocks are Sporting. The new archway, designed on strong

simple lines by Mr. C. Clarke, New Plymouth borough engineer, was built almost entirely by former pupils. The colour at present is a bright ochre but this will soon dry and the arch will be the same shade as the facings of the new brick school. Across the archway top are the words, “Central School, 1884-1934,” and on each side are metal tablets. One bears the inscription, “Erected by past pupils of the school to commemorate the jubilee” and the other has a list of the headmasters. These are: R. Foulis 18841885, H. Dempsey 1885-1919, H. A. Stratford 1919-1923, D. P. Evans 1923. ,