The History of Education in Gisborne. A programme on the history of Gisborne High School, and later the separate Boys' and Girls' High Schools.
This programme appears to have been made to mark the 50th Jubilee of the school in 1959.
[Originally recorded on discs, there are several incidences of re-tracking and skipping throughout the recording.]
Part 1. The programme begins with a 30-minute radio dramatisation of discussions among early European settlers about setting up schools in the Gisborne district. Mr J.C. Graham was a first day pupil on Feb 28th 1888, when he was 14 years old. He names the other students on that day and recalls early sports activities.
Part 2. An unidentified male narrator describes the roll of the school when it opened and reads the names of other early pupils.
One of them, Harry Delatour, describes what the school was like in 1893 when he began.
Boys were keen to join the Cadet Corps, a division of the East Coast Mounted Rifles. In 1901 cadets watched local men, march off to the South African War. The names of officers and one nurse are read.
A new school building was built in Derby St in 1904 but in 1909 it was decided a more modern Gisborne High School should be set up. [Dramatisation of a board meeting. The original disc recording has several incidences of re-tracking and skips at this point.]
In 1914 many old students rushed to sign up to fight in the World War I. A partial Roll of Honour of those who lost their lives is read. A separate building for girls was set up and a hostel for boarders was built. In 1919, L.T. Bernard joined the board. He talks about development of playing fields and the school baths.
Incidents and members of the school's rugby teams are recalled. George Langhorn, a former sports master who joined the staff in 1924, talks about introducing hockey at both the boys' and girls' schools.
Agriculture classes began in the 1920s. Alan Webster recalls his school years during the Depression [Multiple disc skips throughout this excerpt.]
Manual and technical classes began.
World War II saw more ex-pupils sign up, and more names from the Roll of Honour are read. Successes by former pupils in sports, culture and academia are named. Mrs Beryl Sutton was the first woman elected to the school board and gives her views on the subject.
The school was separated into two single-sex schools in 1956. Miss F.F. Duff, the first headmistress, speaks about Girls' High School [Multiple disc skips throughout this excerpt.] The two schools still work together in many regards. Mr Gray, the Rector of Gisborne Boys' High School, speaks [Multiple disc skips throughout this excerpt.]
Part 3.
Mr Gray continues with his views on the state of the Boys' High School in 1959. The programme ends with pupils singing 'Land of Hope and Glory'