Watch NZH Local Focus: Hinuera School memories shared by 99-year-old

At the age of 99 Vic Maffey is one of Hinuera School's oldest former pupils.

Mr Maffey says he started at the school when he was six years old in 1924.

Mr Maffey shared his memories with Local Focus as the school celebrates 125 years of education in Hinuera.

He says they used to write with what was called a 'j-nib' ink pen and " sometimes after we'd use them we'd break the points of and have two little points on our side and use it for darts."

But only when the teacher was out of the classroom.

He also reminisces about the times his twin sisters plaited hair was dipped in the ink "which she didn't very much like".

Another memory were the times when the children came to school with sticks.

"We had all sorts of hockey sticks, and one of the girls was a bit of a tomboy and she decided she'd have a game getting amongst it, and unfortunately one of the boys hurled the ball, and hit her in they eye, just above the eye, so that was the end of that. The principal said you can take your sticks home and that's the end of that."

Mr Maffey caught the goods train from Okoroire to Hinuera School each day. It was where he learned to read and write using "scratchy slates and little black boards".

With Principal, Mrs Wade they "did a lot of poetry at Hinuera School and if we didn't learn it we got the strap with cane."

Many years later, in 1972, there was a fire that destroyed part of the school. This bought Mr Maffey back as the foreman in charge of the rebuild.

"The firm I worked for they got the contract and the boss said to me;, we just got this new fit out for the new school, you can be in charge of it."

He says it was a special project to work on because of his previous ties to the school.

"It was, it was for me , because as a pupil I started there, it was quite an enjoyable project."

The rebuild was finished in early 1974 - the year of the Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch.

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