On Saturday, Mrs Allnutt, who celebrates her 93rd birthday tomorrow, recalled her old school days at a combined anniversary of five schools on either side of the Waitaki River held at the weekend at Glenavy School.
About 160 people registered for the anniversary.
Glenavy School, the only one of the five which survives today, celebrated its 120th anniversary along with Waitaki Bridge School, which no longer exists, celebrating 100 years.
The other three schools involved have gone out of existence - Tawai School, which would have been 119 years old this year, Gray's Corner School, 103 years old, and Hilderthorpe School, 86 years old.
As each of the schools closed, children became pupils at Glenavy.
Mrs Allnutt was at Glenavy School from 1921 to 1928.
Her parents farmed at Redcliff and it was a good half-hour's walk to get to school.
"It wasn't much of a trip in winter," she said, but became easier when she was 10 years old and was given a bicycle.
She was at Glenavy School until she was 13 years old and then went on to secondary school, returning to work on her parents' farm until she married a Willowbridge farmer.
The anniversary celebrations started on Friday night with registrations, followed by photographs at Glenavy School on Saturday afternoon and entertainment by present pupils.
Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean opened the school's new classroom on Saturday afternoon.
It was required to accommodate the growing number of pupils.
Board of trustees chairman Paul Mulligan said pupil numbers had grown from 45 three years ago to 79, because of irrigation and dairy conversions bringing more families to the area.
He expected the number of pupils would continue to grow.
It was decided to have a combined reunion of all five schools because it was unlikely events would be arranged for the schools which had closed otherwise, reunion secretary Kathy McCulloch said.
