When 101-year-old Doug Morrison attended Whangarei Boys' High School from 1917 to 1918, six whacks on the bottom with a cane was a standard punishment.
It also wasn't uncommon for older boys in his boarding hostel to order the younger ones to polish their shoes.
If they didn't comply, they'd get a
clip around the ears.
Fast forward to today ...
One of the school's youngest students, Cam Clarkson, 13, boards at Carruth House but the older boys wouldn't think of ordering him around.
Those days, like the old cane, are history.
Their vastly different stories are sure to be repeated by thousands of former Whangarei Boys' High School and Whangarei Girls' High School students when their 125th jubilee is held on Queen's Birthday Weekend next year. The two schools were combined until the 1940s.
Boys' High headmaster Al Kirk said many people - including some from Europe - were expected to converge on Whangarei for the three-day event.
Former pupils would be shown around the schools, attend a mix-and-mingle social, play sports against current students, and attend a dinner.
The jubilee will conclude with a church service.
The centenary in 1981 attracted around 7000 visitors and Mr Kirk expected thousands would attend next year's event. "We want this to be a huge success. We really want the support of the locals because they tend to forget that people come a long way to see them," he said.
Register to attend Whangarei Boys' High School and Whangarei Girls' High School's 125th jubilee at www.wbhs.school.nz and www.wghs.school.nz
