At last December’s end›of›year prize giving for the pupils of the North Loburn School, Peyton (PJ) Mackintosh 13, the youngest member of the Mackintosh family still living in the district, rung the school’s bell for the last time before she headed off to start 2023 at Rangiora High School.
In 1885 William Mackintosh arrived from Scotland to work as a shepherd on the 40,000 acre Whiterock station. When the station was cut up in 1908, William stayed on and farmed Corriedale sheep on the present farm site.
In 1919 he was appointed to a sub committee at the school, to arrange the purchase of a memorial stone, a polished granite column on a square base costing £125.
The column still stands in the school grounds today and one of Williams sons, Charles M Mackintosh, is named on the original inscription.
During the 1900›1910 era, another of Williams sons, Alex Mackintosh attended North Loburn School and years later was appointed as a school board member.
A post he held for several years before becoming chairman for the next 20 years.
During the late 50s and early 60s, Alex often used his private car to transport the Whiterock children to North Loburn School before a Ministry of Education supported school bus service finally started.
One of Alex's children, Alister Mackintosh went to the school, and later as a parent, followed in his fathers footsteps and became chairman of the board in 1979.
He was chairman when the school celebrated its centenary in 1980.
Alister and Pam Mackintosh’s children all attended North Loburn School and it was during the late 60s and early 70s when two of their sons, Euan and Dougal, were team mates on the school’s rugby team which went unbeaten throughout the entire season.
This was a great achievement as a small rural school can often not field a full team.
The team scored 183 points and had only 12 points scored against them.
During the 1980’s the fourth generation of Mackintosh’s began their primary schooling at North Loburn, and a total of 11 grandchildren of Alister and Pam attended the school.
From that generation, Duncan Mackintosh’s daughter Peyton, was the last to ring the bell and pass through the school’s gate, ending a long association with the school.
By LOIS PETTIGREW
