ABOVE THE BAY

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12615, 27 November 1926, Page 4

ABOVE THE BAY

ROSENEATH SCHOOL OPENED HON. R. A. WRIGHT PERFORMS OFFICE “SECOND TO NONE” Amidst decorations, to the singing of childish voices and before a good attendance of the outside world the new Roseneath school was opened officially hy the Minister for Education yesterday. When calling upon Mr T. Forsyth, M.P., to speak, the chairman of the school committee (Mr H. V. Batten) told how the previous school had been destroyed by fire. Many of the residents had taken its loss philosophically, he said, for though they were not equal to taking such a drastic step as burning it down, they would not have minded had the school been blown away. They now had a school which Was as good as any of its size in New Zealand and they had a site which was second to none. It might be a little windy at times, but this was ! compensated for by tho splendid sea View. FOR TWO REASONS Mr Forsyth confessed to playing a dual role, that of chairman of the Education Board, nnd that of member of Parliament for the district. When the school was erected his job was finished, because his job was to convince the Minister fop Education ot the necessity of a school, and therefore he was pleased to be present. In this case the departmental officers had been very sympathetic and the Education Board had undertaken the erection of the building with its own staff. He believed that this had been a good move and that it had given them a first-class building. He hoped that they would all support Mr Brown, the headmaster, and nis staff in their efforts to make Roseneath what it ought to be, the finest school in Wellington, and with the keen committee which the school possessed lie trusted that before long they would see the place a community centre for Roseneath. OLD AND NEW The Minister for Education (Hon. R. A. Wright) spoke next. It was a very pleasing duty for him to go up there to declare the building open, he said, much more pleasing than going übout the country listening to the complaints of school committees and having the deficiencies of schools pointed out to him. The residents ot Uosencath should be glad that they had a building which was comparable to any of its srtie in New Zealand. The position certainly was exposed, but there was no danger of the children suffering from lack of fresh air. ihe okl school, which had been destroyed by fire, had consisted of four classrooms of 21x2 square feet. The Government had grunted the sum of £lfoiso for the erection of a new building of five rooms ot 24&4 square feet, and the whole of the work had been carried out by tlio Education Board day labour. While the new building nad beeu going up it had been necessary to send the children somewhere else, nnd the congregational schoolroom in Cambridge terrace had been rented at 30s a week for a classroom, while the Wellington Harbour Board had very generously given them the use of one of its sheds at Baltina Bay. the department finding the necessary money to turn this into a classroom. HIS FIRST JOB The site on which the new school stood was the property of the Defence Department, which, since it was not making much use of tho land, iiad very generously given it to the Education Department for its use, and would remain with that department except m case of war, which he did not think would eventuate in the lifetime of anyone there. He believed that tho school had been well and faithfully built, and that it was the first structure to he erected by Mr G. It. Powell, the building supervisor of the Education Board .since lie had beeu appointed to that position. If Mr Powell went on in that manner everyone would be delighted. The last speaker was Mr W. B. Brown, tlie new headmaster. He believed that they had one of the best schools in Wellington, said Mr Brown, and they would do their best for it.