Tales of yesteryear as Weber School prepares for its 125th anniversary celebrations

Weber School prepares for its 125th anniversary in early April.

Weber School opened on April 17, 1894 and will celebrate 125 years on April 6 and 7.

On that first day, 16 pupils were enrolled, eight girls and eight boys. There were eight in the infant class and eight in what was called the second class.

The first teacher at Weber School was Miss Harriett Lambert who stayed on as teacher until 1896 and went on to marry Will Mabbett, the first school committee secretary, who had the Weber Post Office store.

The first teacher at Weber School, Miss Harriett Lambert left. She began in 1894 and stayed until 1896, and went on to marry Will Mabbett, the first school committee secretary.

For the first 35 years the only way for pupils to get to school was by riding a horse or walking. A large number of pupils rode at least five miles there and back every day.

Former pupil Tom Pinfold was one of 10 in his family to attend the school. He started late in 1948 and continued through until the end of 1956 when he came into Dannevirke to high school.

"We lived about a mile away from the school and there was no school bus, so we would walk," he said. "However, we were lucky the Gainey brothers, who drove the Dannevirke to Herbertville and Dannevirke to Pongaroa buses, would sometimes give us a ride to school. We'd walk home, luckily it was downhill."

Decade photo taken at the Weber School centennial in 1994. Tom Pinfold (back fourth from left). His brother, Noel (front fifth from left) and Tom's wife, Lyn, (middle row, sixth from left).

Tom received his first bike when he was in Standard 5, making his journey to school easier - that's if the roads allowed.

"The roads were all metal and it was soft papa stone from the Akitio River," he said. "In winter it turned to mud, in summer it was dust."

Life at Weber was isolated.

"We made our own fun, but when I was in Standard 4 we went to Ti Tree Point School to play sport and in my last year at Weber School we came into Dannevirke's Rugby Park. It was a big thing for us. I was the smallest and so had to play halfback, but I didn't know much about my position," Tom said.

The creek alongside the Weber School was a favourite spot to play, with the children catching eels.

"We pretended not to hear the school bell when it rang to go back to class," Tom said.

Everything revolved around the school, which had a maximum of 34 pupils in Tom's day, most farmers' children. Tom's mother taught sewing, mainly oven cloths and his dad spent "years and years" on the school committee.

"I only had three teachers, Jim Campbell, Sam Burley and George Broome," he said.

The Broomes recall the day in October 1953 when they arrived in Weber in their canvas body Austin 7, from Oxford in the United Kingdom. They used borrowed camp stretchers until their furniture arrived and said landing in Weber which had no power, no septic tank and poor roads, taught them to be very self-reliant.

That 1934-36 Austin 7 was fascinating for the older boys at the school Tom recalls.

"Mr Broome used to park it in the shelter shed where we ate lunch and one day us older boys lifted the back wheels and the axel up onto blocks. I don't remember getting the strap for our escapade and it was funny to see Mr Broome trying to rev up and drive away."

Summer swimming meant a mile walk each way for the pupils to the Akitio River, which also played a big part in the lives of the Pinfold family.

"We lived in the river all summer and if we were short of water our mother would take a cake of soap down there for us to wash up," Tom said. "It was pretty primitive."

Although Tom's father drove a county council metal truck for 37 years, it wasn't until he retired that he purchased a car.

In the past 25 years Weber School has seen massive change, with pupils from Horoeka, Motea, Akitio and Waitahora transferring there when their respective schools closed. The school has been rebuilt and the hall and the church have been moved into the village by the school.

"There is no more slogging it out a mile there and a mile back to the hall," Tom said.

Weber School 125th celebrations:

● Saturday, April 6, 9am arrival of guests. At 10am everyone welcomed back to school, with tours and the digging up of the old time capsule, cake cutting, year photos and old-fashioned games.
● In the evening the 125-year dinner - a three-course catered meal and the evening will include speakers, dancing and a cash bar. Tickets to this event are limited.
● Sunday, April 7, church service at 10am, morning tea and reburial of the time capsule.
* Online registrations are open until March 15. For further details see Facebook page 'Weber School 125 Years' or email 125weber@gmail.com