Page 51 - Volume 1

sandwiches were made. This type of communal activity visit in Mr O’Brien’s time.
ceased when Mrs Anne Perry moved out of the district. During the early 1930s the school teacher Mike
On that occasion she was presented with a clock. O’Brien rode his motorbike daily from Huntly, sporting a
The Perry house was to be used for a number of leather helmet and a curly pipe. It is said that his bike had
years as the office of Downer & Company, which had only one speed. He married a Huntly dressmaker.
been contracted to work the mine from 1945. At this time two handwriting entries were sent by
Mrs Rogers recalls her older brother Tom the school to the Taranaki Provincial Show to join other
Holland—”He wasn’t even five when he started school. It entries from Waikato and Taranaki. The two Kimihia
was such a long way to walk to school that sometimes he entries scored first and second place, with Andrew
didn’t get there until lunch-time.” Kenny coming first and Joe Slee coming second.
Thirty years after starting as first teacher at At one stage Mr O’Brien arrived at school at
Kimihia School, Mr Priestley became an inspector who 10:45am following the previous night’s attendance at the
was send to inspect the schools to the west of the first Catholic Ball, to find the children heading
Waikato River in Huntly. He persuaded the other home again. He shepherded them back to school
inspector to exchange schools for the occasion so he where, it is reported, they had a very easy day!
could inspect his own school. Mrs McIntosh was the Because the teacher(s) had to walk front Huntly
teacher at the time. each morning it was not unusual for the pupils to wait
It is reported that he greeted Mrs McIntosh, looked until nine o’clock and then head back home if the teacher
around the room at the pupils, and said “I know that one. was late.
That one is Tom’s.” In one such incident the boys took off to meet
The child concerned was Tom Holland, son of Dave Holland who was returning from a successful duck
Tom Holland Snr. Mr Priestley pinned young Tom -shooting venture. He told the boys he had a live duck
Holland down for an hour on his visit, asking him about in the bag and proved it by poking his head in the
the old residents while the others played. Then he gave sack, gently thrashed about a bit and secretly blew his
them all an extra hour of play-time while he ate his own duck call!
lunch. Tom was hurt that the other kids got that extra Up until this time, when a Manual training centre
hour! Mr Priestley was to make a further inspectorial was opened at the Huntly school, the children walked to

The Yates farmstead off Kimihia Road (1941).
The house, no longer used, served as a craft cottage once newer dwellings were constructed in later years.
Photograph courtesy of Elsie Yates.