Remembering the days of the old school yard
A century after her first day at school, Palmerston North woman Aileen Kars still remembers being a model pupil.
Kars is 105 years old and believed to be the oldest surviving pupil from Tokomaru School, which is celebrating its 125th jubilee this weekend.
Kars, who was Aileen Schwass in those days, started at Tokomaru 100 years ago, and while she isn’t able to attend the celebrations, she can still recall her school days, which started after World War I had just finished.
‘‘I never got into trouble,’’ she said. ‘‘I was always everybody’s friend, I truly was.
‘‘We had homework and you always did your homework. I wasn’t very clever.’’
She was born on a farm near Tokomaru in 1913, when the school was a mere 20 years old.
‘‘They were happy days. We had to walk a mile to get there.’’
She said the school had grown since her day. There were 12 pupils in her class, but she couldn’t remember how big the school was.
‘‘I’ve got a good memory and I’ve got all my faculties, but I can’t remember that.’’
That was under headmaster Mr Phillips, who lived on the school grounds.
Kars and her late husband Les both went to the school. Their families were both farming in the area and used to get together to play cards.
Kars played tennis and said the school built a swimming pool while she was there.
The school’s celebrations started yesterday, when visitors were shown around and pupils’ work was displayed.
Today is an activity day at the school. Photos will be taken and the school’s kapa haka group will perform.
Then tomorrow there is a church service. A remembrance tree will be planted before a hangi and a farewell.
Esma Stevenson, 84, was a relief teacher at the school for 40 years until 2006.
Her children were the third generation of the family to attend the school, having gone there in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her late husband Colin and his father also went to the school.
She said the school used to be made up of an even spread of village and country children, but now there was a higher percentage of village children.
A new part of the school was built in 1975 and it is now in need of an extra classroom to help with its growing roll.