ABOUT THE TOWN

Chronicle (Levin), 16 November 1946, Page 3

ABOUT THE TOWN

T. S.

D.)

SHANNON SIDE-LIGHTS

(By

Last week we read of ahen with three wings on a poultry farm at Tasman Beach, Otaki. This is something . of the unusual. The third wing is very distinct and is directly between the other two. Fate also played tricks with one of the kittens born to a cat belonging to an Awapuni- resident. The kitten arrived into the world with only three- legs. It is perfectly formed in other respects, and there is a smali stump where the fourth leg should be. The birth took place about two weeks ago and the tlireelegged kitten, is now getting around in good style, despite its handicap. In order to make up for its mistake with the kitten, Fate then brought into the world at Russell, a chicken with four perfectly normal and fully-developed legs. At the age of one week it is just as lively as the other 23 chicks in the same brood. It is a black orpington and lets all four legs c.arrv its weieht.

Local sheep farmers will be interested to hear that a pet Dorset Horn sheep, kept by Miss E. Sutton, of Redoubt Road, Wiri, has produced two sets of lambs this season. The first, a single lamb, was born on May 1 and last Sunday triplets were born to the same sheep, which has now had six lambs in sixteen months. This should make local sheepfarmers sit up and take notice. We are. informed that the Dorset Horn sheejp commonly rears twin lambs, and' is the only type which may occasionally breed twice in the one season. The Shannon School It is interesung to review some of the early history of the Shannon School, and we find that when Shannon first became a settl'ement the problem of a school was foremost in the minds of settlers. However, the township soon had a sufficient population to justify the ouilding of a school house, and the one-roomed building which was to serve for many years was opened on Wednesday, July 17, 1889, with Mr. Voysey as teacher. . The following pupils. were enrolled on this first day: Mary Crowther, Edwin Crowther, Fred. Tarrant,. Arthur Tarrant, George Tarrant, William, Alfred, Edward, Edith and Eva Gascoigne, Evelyn, Edith and Lionel Hay, Bavid Rae and Albert Wells. • — By 1891 the roll had increased to 58 and Miss Dunlop was appointed pupil teacher. The following year an addi'tional room was built and Miss Bubck,. replace|. Miss Dunlop. A further ihcrease in thei .roll to 80 in 1896. resulted in an a.dditional teacher being appointed, the staff then being Mr. Voysey, Miss Slater and Miss Newton. By May, 190$, the roll had reached 141,- and afi ovefcrowding of the school resulted in a meeting of householders being called. This meeting appointed a deputation, consisting of Messrs. Richardson, Murdoch and Toomath, to visit Wellington an'd stress the necessity for a new school being built. A report on the building in 1904 stated that the old building was one of the original £50 buildings erected when the district was first settled. The building was unlined and unfelted, with the result that the rain beat in through the walls in wet weather and on colfi frosty mornings drips came down from the roof on to the pupils. In fact one room was condemned. By 1905 the necessary additions were made, and a further two rooms were officially opened on April 12 by Mr. Job Vile, in the unavoidable absence of the Prime Minister, *Rt. Hon. R. J. Seddon, who arrived in Shannon that night, when he addressed the residents iivthe Town Hall and the pupils of the school next day. The opening of thesc new rooms allowed the pupils, who had been in tcrnporary occupation oi' a building in Vance Street, to once more attend the main school. In 1914 thc roll was 284 and a further room was added. By 1916 there were 310 pupiLs attending the school, and the teaching staff numbered seven. Another room was added in 1917, this year also being that in which the Shannon Borough Council came into being. On June 24, 1920, a new service from Kingston Road to convey children to the school was inaugurated. During this year one of the heaviest floods ' in the district occurred, and the service had to be suspended until the flood waters had subsided. .. .. The new infant school was opened on August 1, 1921. About six weeks later Mr. I. Gelhor began the service to convey children from Mangaore to Shannon, while the service from the Buckley area began on October 7, 1925. During the early part of 1929 the school was remodelled, the pupils of standards I and II during these operations being accommodated at the Druids' Haff. July 18, 1930, saw the completion of the dental clinic, this being opened by Mr. J. Linklater, M.P., on August 11' of that ,year. The school was first visited by a Minister of Education on November 5, 1930, the Hon. H. Atmore, then Minister of Education, visiting the school on that date. The present Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, as Minister of Education, visited the school during July,, 1938. The bicycle sheds were added in 1937 anff the swimming baths" Were completed in 1939. From a very

modest beginning of one room and one teacher and fifteen pupils, the school has grown in the past fiftyseven years of its existence'-to one of eight class rooms, eight teachers and almost 300 pupils.