St George's going strong at 90 years

St George's headmaster Andrew Osmond, left, and former pupil Dave Cole in the school's new reception area. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO

It began with a handful of students in a single classroom in a Wanganui Collegiate building. Ninety years on St George's School has its own brand-new campus and a flourishing roll of nearly 100 pupils.

This weekend the school celebrated its 90th anniversary with a chapel service at the Wanganui Collegiate chapel, tree planting, plaque unveiling, the placing of a time capsule and a morning tea. The celebration was attended by former pupils and staff.

It was also a chance for the school to show off its new campus with school tours that were open to the public.

Dave Cole, a former St George's old boy and member of the Whanganui College Board, said the school was opened by the then-Governor General, Sir Charles Fergusson, in 1927.

"The school came about because there was no preparatory school for Wanganui Collegiate," Mr Cole said.

"Like Collegiate, St George's was modelled on an English public school. It's Anglican, and it's has a strong association with royalty and the Crown. So it was appropriate that it was opened by a governor-general."

The first headmaster of the school was Maurice Fell - and the first class was held in a classroom at Big School, part of Wanganui Collegiate.

The school moved to its own campus, on the corner of Grey St and London St, in 1928 and catered for 7- to 12-year-old boys. Mr Cole said most of the students at that time were boarders.

In 1980 St George's stopped offering boarding, and girls were admitted to the school. By this time it was a full primary, providing education to new entrants through to Year 8.

"In 1980 the school became co-ed and a day school," Mr Cole said. "The decision to take girls happened because the school roll had dropped. It was certainly successful - in the 1990s the roll rose to a peak of around 300 students."

In 2011, the Grey Street campus was sold to the YMCA, and for a time the school was split between the Grey Street campus and Wanganui Collegiate. For several years the school was housed in an unused Collegiate boarding house.

Headmaster Andrew Osmond said the school roll was currently at 95 and was growing all the time.

"We've had 40 per cent growth over the past three years, which is very pleasing," Mr Osmond said.

The new campus has its own entrance, on Liverpool St. Mr Osmond said part of the new campus was custom built and part was existing buildings that had been refurbished and earthquake-strengthened.

"Having our own entrance and our own school campus really restored St George's identity," Mr Osborne said.

However, it's still closely connected with Collegiate. St George's shares a chapel and a chaplain with Collegiate; and some of the school's specialist subjects, such as music, art and technology use Collegiate facilities.

Mr Cole said the connection between St George's and Collegiate was strengthened by the installation of a special window at the school chapel.

Known as the Bradley window, the window was donated to the school in 1964 by the Bradley family whose sons went to the school.

"The window used to be in the old St George's chapel, but it was removed and brought to the Collegiate chapel. Someone had the idea to put the window in a steel frame so it can be displayed in the chapel," Mr Cole said.

The large window was put in the organ loft, and can be seen from the front of the church, looking back towards the door.