School days and playgrounds of the Past
When I was much younger I considered school reunions right up there with rest homes, I knew what they were but never wanted to attend either. But as I’ve creeped closer to a, let’s say more mature age, both are now looking a little more appealing. Let’s face it school reunions can be rewarding experiences.
So when I browsed good old Facebook and discovered that a school of my early years was celebrating I saw it as an opportunity to travel down a path and turn back the clock more than 30 years
It was 50 years ago, my intermediate school (which taught year 7 & 8 students) opened in my home town of Pukekoke. And during the years of 79-80 I spent putting on my first ever school uniform and cycling ( yes we made our own way to school) the 2 km from our family home each day to school.
Dressed in our grey shirts and shorts and red banded v-neck pullover to match, we looked smart and felt a sense of being part of a larger school.
Walking the grounds memories flooded back.
Miss Stephenson (Margaret) was my first teacher in what was once called room 12 (now room 4). Standing outside and staring through the window I recall sitting on the wooden chairs behind our flip top desks that would store our pencil cases, exercise books and straw peas shooters that we’d use to fire chewed pieces of paper across the room the either annoy another classmate or signal to that girl we liked them. One of my fondest memories of Miss Stephenson was the reading the book “I am David”. This book impacted so much on my life that years later I had to find it and read it again.
Sadly one teacher I knew had passed away. Mr Twist ( Bill) was the only teacher you wanted to teach when your class teacher was sick. As our substitute I’m sure he didn’t follow the plan set for the day, instead he’d tell stories of history the had us hanging off every word. The tale of how Colombus sailed to America and returned to Europe with tobacco. The Europeans thought in incredibly strange to set fire to a dried leaf…. ” what a daft idea” are the word ringing in my head.
Gone now too was the stage in a school hall, as numbers have swelled the morning assemblies are now held in the town hall, a cross from the back entrance to the school.
As the school has grown classrooms have replaced the old confidence course with its tall tire wall and tightrope. I spent make lunch breaks playing tag around the old course. Also missing were the pool and interestingly the bike racks. It seems a sign of the times now that the mass media deems it unsafe for our children to make their own way to school. Now in our modern age roads are choked as SUVs lining the lanes around the schools to drop of their darlings each morning and afternoon.
The old brick partition walls remain between the original classrooms. These served as a great place the play hand ball and the game would get quite serious during recess. With tennis ball in hand you’d through the the ball toward the base of the wall, it would bounce off the ground, hit the wall and project upward and back toward your opponent. The trick was to sant between the ball the you opponent so the they could see the throw and would miss catching the ball.
One room that although modernised still echoes to the past was the woodworking room. No matter how much technology has advanced, to hammer in a nail requires manual labour.
We’d make tool boxes and model air planes, and to this day my eldest son still has the plane I made displayed on a shelf at his house amongst other wooden project he built at school.
Cooking, sewing and science have all had a facelift. Now it’s all gas cooktops. We we were at school it was electric, and this was where I perfected the kiwi pikelette and scones with dates inside. The secret to making great scones was a recipe started in the classroom and then perfected by my nana. My nana reckoned the best scones were made with lemonade, and you know what…. She was right.
Walking through the the technology block I’ve just discovered that Science can be fun. As a young current student demonstrated various experiments I passed comment to a teacher why didn’t I train to do this for a career. With several practical experiments on the tables both teachers and past pupils all became kids again as we were mesmerised by what each experiment would do. Honestly if I had my time at school again, this would be my room of choice.
Catching up with old classmates and teacher is an interesting affair, people my get older, but in their eyes they are still all young at heart. Walking around the tables during our meet and greet their was a tap on my shoulder. “Hello Wayne do you remember me?” … Mrs Roberts, although not my teacher, Mrs Roberts (Jocylene) lived across the road and had known me since I was 2 years old. It was incredible to see a face I hadn’t seen in years. “I used to swim in your pool” was my reply. Jocylene was the longest serving teacher at Pukekohe Intermediate, 42 years in fact. On the evening of our formal dinner, I managed to get reacquainted with her husband Brian. Years have past and fond memories of playing in our street seemed like yesterday.
With formal group photos and countless hours of coffee and cake followed by dinner and more discussion I came to realise one important thing.
Schools are what we make of them, you can love them or loath them. They can be daunting or delightful. You can struggle or have success.
I’m so glad to have come. As one of the former teachers said….
We are the generation who went to school without the help of Google.
The events went by too fast, and now over I wish I was a kid again, I wish I could never leave, these really were the best days. We discovered so much we grew and developed and it was with these mentors and guides that we honed our futures as we set fourth on our path….. Thank you Miss Stephenson and Mr Jung and all those who guided me though what has become an incredible Intermediate School.
Bring on the 75th Reunion….. I will be there!
Fond memories of Pukekohe:
- Shepard’s Corner 4 square
- Hill Diary and Mr Stones 2 fingered hand picking lollies
- Riding bikes to school
- Earning money delivering the Auckland Star newspaper
….and so many more…..
