Clinton School 150th jubilee secretary Joy Carruthers said the school community celebrated its 140th jubilee a year late, in 2015, after they missed the date inadvertently.
However, she said a strong committee was formed as a result of the minor mishap, which had continued to work together to make for a ‘‘fantastic’’ 150th attended by about 250 this weekend.
‘‘As you can see from the atmosphere, everyone is enjoying catching up with old friends here, and we’re very pleased with the turnout for all events. We had good numbers for the initial meet-and-greet [on Friday] night, about 250 here at the main ceremony today, and we’ve got 200 places laid for the celebratory dinner at the Clinton Community Centre [Saturday].’’
She said the weekend had been packed with anecdotes and reminiscences from nine decades of attending former pupils and teachers.
‘‘I had one lady tell me about her teacher Mr Buchan in the 1930s. Apparently he had one leg, but nonetheless taught the children to swim in the old baths, which were creek-fed.
‘‘She said Mr Buchan was ‘one of nature’s gentlemen’, although the eels from the creek in the bottom of the pool were less pleasant.’’
Jubilee chairman Sean Williams said the 150th also celebrated five other local country schools that had amalgamated with Clinton over the years.
‘‘We’re also celebrating those who went through Slopedown, Kuriwao, Taumata, Wairuna and Popotunoa schools here today. We’ve got a great crowd from right across New Zealand, and I know there are some over from Australia, too.’’
Although the jubilee cake was cut by oldest former Clinton School pupil Alma Steele, the oldest former pupil present was 97-year-old Frances Yeoman, who attended Wairuna School.
She said there were about 20 pupils at the ‘‘single-room shed’’ when she started in 1933.
‘‘We had one teacher for all ages, Miss McLaren, and the older children helped the younger ones. You walked to school in those days — about a mile and a-half for me and my brother — and we were all pretty well behaved. There was always the threat of the strap if you stepped out of line, but Miss McLaren rarely used it.’’
Board of trustees parent representative Chris Hunt spoke on behalf of the school.
Mr Hunt said rural schools like Clinton endured as they were ‘‘hubs that connect the wider community’’.
‘‘Clinton School is one of the few that remains open, on the original site, after this long. It’s heartening to see so many local names carried down through the history of the school into the current generation, and the unique sense of camaraderie that persists to this day.’’
