Old school spirit

WARWICK SMITH/Manawatu Standard

FAMILY TIES: Alexandra Stone, 8, left, and Greer Stone, 7, are current pupils at Colyton School. Mother Linley Stone was a pupil from 1969-1977 and now teaches at the school. Father and grandfather Winstone Pearce was a pupil from 1945-1953. The painting is of the original school.

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There is a long history of education in Manawatu and this weekend two schools are celebrating 125 years of teaching. EMMA GOODWIN talks about the good old days with past pupils and current teachers.

On OOctober 8, 1884, Colyton School head teacher Mr James McDonald stood at the door of the single-room schoolhouse and welcomed his 38 new pupils to their classroom.

One hundred and twenty-five years later, the roll has increased to more than 100, and Colyton residents past and present will be coming out in droves to celebrate its jubilee this weekend.

Originally built with un-seasoned weatherboards, the building buckled and bowed, letting the Manawatu winds through the gaps in the walls, chilling its young occupants as they learned their lessons of the day.

After a year, the interior was lined, which gave a little relief from the outside elements. A second room was added during the 1920s.

By the time local lad Winston Pearce, the second generation of four who have attended Colyton School, arrived in 1945, there was terraced seating, with a designated pecking order of eldest children at the back and youngest at the front.

But there had been further modernisation with a four-feet-high coke-fired pot-belly stove for warmth.

"The desks were doubles, so if you wanted to get your books out, the bloke sitting next to you had to hold on to his stuff or it would end up on the floor," says Mr Pearce.

He also remembers the standard six (year eight) pupils being the ones in charge of bringing in the coke to fuel the heater. While there wasn't the issue of having to drink warm milk left out in the sun, the water supply left a lot to be desired. "The water we drank came out of a rusty tank with the odd possum floating in it."

But it wasn't all bad news.

During World War II, a welcome and surprising treat arrived. "God knows where they came from, but I remember apples were delivered to the school. I imagine because of the war, there was no-one to eat them so we got them."

The two other schools in the area, Waiata and Spur Road, were closed just before the war and these pupils merged with Colyton to increase the roll.

Ian Bussell arrived in 1946 as a fresh-faced boy, and has a strong connection to the school and district. Mr Bussell's mother, Edith, was an accomplished artist and painted a picture of the school, which hangs in the foyer, and the church.

While Mr Pearce recalls the pot-belly stove adding some comfort, Mr Bussell says the floor had a coating of waste oil as insulation.

The headmaster at the time and until 1950 was Mr C Short, who used to keep order through a leather strap that was laid, folded in half on his desk.

Both Mr Bussell and Mr Pearce remember a quick flick across the hand to bring them back into line. Mr Bussell also was on the receiving end of an early release from school one day by head teacher Miss Margaret Barnes, after an incident with an in-season mare and late-docked gelding that had not quite got the message that he was unable to do the deed.

It was commonplace for children to ride horses to school, and there was a designated paddock for the horses to graze in until the end of the school day. "I encouraged the other kids to go out and watch the goings on and got sent home because of it," says Mr Bussell somewhat sheepishly.

The Labour Weekend jubilee celebrations include a pet and gala day on Friday, a town parade on Saturday with a ball in the evening and a church service on Sunday at St Andrew's Church.

In Kiwitea, teacher Kate Shannon has a long history with Kiwitea School, but it is not as long as the school's history.

However, because she has been a vital part of the 125th jubilee celebrations, she has learned a lot about the school's history and various families. "We have quite a few here who have had several generations go through the school."

While in 1884, lessons began in the local hall for the community's children, the first designated school didn't open until 1892 with nine pupils.

The school was originally known as Kimbolton Road School.

As a pupil, Mrs Shannon left Kiwitea School in 1961, returning many years later in 1988 as a relief teacher. The principal of the time, Neil Duff, encouraged her to apply for a full-time job, and she still loves every minute of her time at the school.

"I suppose I can say I've been in a Kiwitea School classroom for 28 years."

Digging up the school's history has been easy, thanks to past record keeping.

"They kept log books from 1885, which have been a great help."

As with many schools of the day, Mrs Shannon can remember the source of discipline being the strap, and she herself was the recipient of some admonishment occasionally.

"It was pretty strict, but not too bad. If we were told not to do something and we did it, then we got the strap."

There have been obvious changes in the education system since Mrs Shannon was at school, and with all the pupils who have passed before her, she does remember a few in particular – one being Manawatu Standard reporter Michelle Duff in 1989. "She was very good at writing then."

One thing that hasn't changed is the community spirit, Mrs Shannon said.

"This is an amazing community.

"It was very strong then and it still is now. The support from parents is great.

"Unfortunately, a lot of rural schools haven't survived, but this one has and I believe the community will continue to be strong and remain here."

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