Paeroa Old Pupils' Association

Ohinemuri Regional History Journal 36, September 1992

By C W Malcolm

In Journal 33 (September 1989) there is an article by Gordon Mathieson entitled: PAEROA HIGH SCHOOL - OLD BOYS AND GIRLS ASSOCIATION [see Journal 33: Paeroa High School Old Boys and Girls - E]. This was founded on 2 March 1933 and held its last meeting on 19 November 1940.

During the centennial celebrations of the Paeroa District High School (Wood Street) in 1975 an exercise book was circulated by old pupils from Auckland seeking the names and addresses of those interested in forming an association in Auckland.

On 26 May 1975 fifty Auckland residents met at the Schooner Tavern in Quay Street and the Paeroa Old Pupils Association (Auckland) was formed. Mr Ted Short was elected president, Mr Roy Neil Chairman, and Mrs Joyce Lush (nee Pasley) Secretary-Treasurer. The position of Chairman very early merged into that of President and Mr Neil was confirmed as President, occupying that position till October 1981. Two past teachers of the school, Mr Will Malcolm and Mr Edgar Preston were elected Patrons and given honorary membership. Mr Malcolm has continued as Patron until the present.

The first full meeting of the Association was held on the evening of 19 September 1975, a wine and cheese evening, at the Mt Roskill Municipal Hall.

The pattern has become two meetings annually, the annual general meeting on the first Saturday of May and the "Christmas" gathering on the last Saturday in November. The first "Christmas" gathering was held in the Farmers Blue Room on 16 December 1975 with light luncheon costing one dollar a head. These gatherings continued until 1984 when the location ceased to be available and they were transferred to the same place as the annual general meetings. These were first held in the Great Northern Hotel, Queen Street, then the Royal International Hotel, Victoria Street. The next location was the Professional Club rooms in Kitchener Street, a further change to the South Pacific Hotel at the comer of Customs and Queen Streets, and finally the Masonic Centre in St Benedicts Street, City.

These are daytime meetings with midday meal of adequate and varied menu. Attendances at times exceed the one hundred mark and the list of places from which members come is remarkable: Australia, Cambridge, Gisborne, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson, Paeroa, Pukekohe, Papua-New Guinea, Palmerston North, Rotorua, South Island, South Africa, Tauranga, Thames, Wellsford, Whangarei and Waihi Beach.

Other activities have been a couple of garden parties, a gathering at the Museum of Transport and Technology (Motat), and a coach trip to Paeroa and Karangahake on a Sunday in February 1986.

A particularly valuable possession of the Association is the collection of old and historic photographs donated from time to time. These are neatly mounted in a series of volumes by the Librarian, Mrs Phyllis Adam (nee Murphy) and placed on display at meetings and are a source of great interest to members.

The membership (1992) is 186.