THE arrival of a particular year one student at St Joseph's School, Stratford marks the beginning of a fifth generation at the school for one family.
When five-year-old Bella Hancock started in Room 1 of the school last Thursday, she might not have fully understood quite how significant her arrival there was.
Bella is the latest member of the Hancock family to be taught there, stretching in a long line back to the school's opening in 1897 - when her great-great-grandmother, Ida Sattler was a first day pupil.
"My mother's family, originally from Switzerland, stayed in Waipuku in the early days," said Ida's son and Bella's great-grandfather, Colin 'Collie' Hancock.
"They used to catch the goods train into Stratford and walk to the convent."
Ida eventually married Englishman Herbert Hancock and the couple eventually moved to a farm on Pembroke Road and had seven children – all of which were taught by the nuns at the school.
Also taught at the school was Collie's future wife, Cecilia Schumacher; herself a daughter of two of the school's earliest pupils.
"The old school was very cold, even though it had open fires," said Cecilia
Convent life was difficult for the nuns in the early days too, living in the cold and in close quarters every day.
"The nuns were strict at times, but they had extremely high standards and expected us to work as hard as they did. Before we left at the end of each term, the classrooms had to be spotless; we all had to clean and polish everything."
Collie and Cecilia were eventually married, took over at the Pembroke Road farm and had seven children of their own - again, all of which went to the school.
"Our son Paul took over at the farm when the time came, and he and two of his sisters, ending up sending their children to St Joseph's," said Collie.
The newly enrolled Bella is the oldest of Collie and Cecilia's great-grandchildren; daughter of their grandson, Daniel – who now works the family farm on Pembroke Road.
"I have a real sense of pride when I think that the Hancock family is still at St Joseph's. We're really pleased to see them carrying on there," said Collie.
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