History comes to life at Ngakuru

Ellie Hurlston can tell you exactly what school must have been like in the early part of last century - "cold".

The 10-year-old Ngakuru School pupil and her 50 peers have been studying the history of the school to make displays for the rural district's 75th reunion being held this weekend. About 500 people are expected to attend.

Current pupils at the school have been making cubes with old black and white photographs and modern digital pictures. They've also learned about old games, produced storytelling flags and have created their own piece of history - three totem poles erected at the entrance to the school for future pupils to cherish.

Ellie told the Daily Post it must have been very cold in class 75 years ago with only a small stove for heating.

"They was no electricity so it was cold. They didn't have clothes, they only had old sacks and rags to wear.

"We are lucky because we have heaters and fires now," she said.

Unlike today, pupils from the school's early days didn't have uniforms.

"There wasn't a lot of money around like there is today," Ellie said.

Aidan Carr, 12, was looking forward to showing the flag he made about past pupil Matthew Horgan, who played the bagpipes at school. "It will be good to see all the old people come back and share their stories," he said. "They will see how different it is here now. We have roads now not dusty tracks and we have four classrooms not one."

The original school in the district was called Guthrie School and was sited on State Highway 30. It closed in 1930 due to a lack of pupils after a native school opened at Horohoro and in 1933 the original classroom was shifted to its current Ngakuru village site.

Principal Sue Berryman said in preparation for this weekend's activities the children had learned a lot about the region, dating back to 1933 when people lived in tents where the school is now. "It's been about taking them back to their roots and comparing with where they are at today in light of the hardships [in those early times]. They are really in awe. It's good comparing the old and new," she said.

People attending on Saturday will have a chance to check out the displays children have made along with a kapa haka show and speeches from current pupils. On Saturday afternoon a bus trip will provide a tour of the district followed by a dinner and dance at the Ngakuru Hall in the evening. A church service will be held on Sunday in the village followed by another bus tour of the region.