Past and present unite for school's 125th jubilee
Weekend to remember at Stratford High as 400 gather for celebration postponed from last year
PThey said it was a fantastic weekend and they enjoyed every minute. Jubilee chairperson Brad Gibbons
ast students and staff took a trip down memory lane for Stratford High School’s 125th Jubilee. While the actual jubilee would have been last year, Covid-19 restrictions meant the decision was made to postpone the party for a year.
It was worth the wait, judging by the over 400 people who attended one, many or all of the events over the three-day weekend.
Those 400 people were a mix of past students and teachers, and while some still live locally, others came from around New Zealand and Australia.
The celebrations began on Friday evening with a mix-and-mingle event giving everyone the chance to catch up and reminisce with friends and former teachers.
On Saturday, Stratford District Mayor Neil Volzke formally opened the day’s celebrations and shared his memories from his school days at Stratford High.
While Principal Cameron Stone couldn’t attend in person, due to sickness, he joined the group via an online call to welcome all to the event on the Saturday.
Former principal Philip Keenan was given the honour of opening three time capsules former students had buried on the school grounds.
The three capsules were discovered inside an old wall during recent renovations at the front of the school.
Memorabilia inside the time capsules included an audio tape of an interview with the principal at the time they were buried, Richard Habershon.
To the delight of the audience, many of whom had fond memories of Richard, a segment of the interview was played.
The school was also open for studentled tours on the Saturday.
This gave both the former students and staff a look at how the school is now, and current students to hear from their forebears all that had changed.
The school’s kapa haka group, along with student leaders and volunteers, performed the school haka, Te Haka O Whakahura¯ ngi, and the school song, Stand Tall and Proud.
Both of these songs were composed specifically for the school, in 2010 and 2012 respectively, and are used during school functions and events.
For the rest of the day, attendees wandered the school and looked at past photographs, equipment and took part in fun activities.
A highlight from the event was the unveiling of a memorial wall created using bricks salvaged from the original high school.
Bricks from the original school building on the corner of Juliet and Fenton streets (now Mitre-10) were used to create the wall, now at the front of the school.
Brad Gibbons, chairman of the jubilee committee and owner of Brad Gibbons Builders Limited, designed and constructed the memorial wall which was unveiled by long-serving staff members Raewyn Lightoller and Wayne Smith.
Apart from a three-year break to complete teacher training, Raewyn has been at the school since she started as a student back in 1963 while Wayne has been a staff member since 1979.
Wayne officially retired in 2019 but is still often at the school as a relieving
teacher and manager of NCEA exams.
Once the wall was unveiled current head students Te Otiana Gerrard and Matthew Jones placed a new time capsule in the ground in front of the wall.
A celebration cake was jointly cut by Katie Daysh, the youngest student currently at the school and Keith Piggott, who was the 1948 head boy.
Students, past and present, also enjoyed some exercise, with a series of friendly challenges across the codes.
In basketball both the boys’ and girls’ games were won by the former students, as was the netball, while the rugby team settled for a draw.
Food trucks on site allowed everyone to sit down, enjoy lunch and catch up with old friends.
At the end of the day, the school hall became the venue for a dining and dance event which ran late into the night, with music from On Ya Bike.
On the Sunday morning, former students Allan Oliver, Maurice Ellett and Linda White joined current students to hold a church service. Alan, Maurice and Linda attended the school in the 1960s and spoke about their school days and life experiences.
With references to his school days and experiences growing up, Maurice encouraged the new generation to take advantage of the opportunities that Stratford High School has to offer. His message, looking to the future with hope, was a fitting way to draw a most successful jubilee weekend to a close. Jubilee chairman Brad Gibbons says he was “blown away” by the help of students and staff, and the efforts of the committee members.
He said that the jubilee was best summed up in the words of an exstudent he bumped into the next morning on the golf course.
“They said it was a fantastic weekend and they enjoyed every minute.”