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Memories of being pummelled on the rugby field, forming a title winning hockey team and helping the Home Guard carry rifles up Richmond Hill came flooding back to Dave Rogers when he attended Te Kura o Matuku Takotako Sumner School’s 150th anniversary.
The 90-year-old was the oldest former pupil at the Christchurch school’s reunion and cut the celebratory cake with the school’s youngest pupil, five-year-old Felix Mårtensson.
Said Dave: “It was really good, although there was very few people that I knew.”
He was among generations of students, staff and families who came together last week to celebrate 150 years of Sumner School, reconnecting with old friends and sharing memories.
The school welcomed more than 300 visitors over its jubilee week, with former pupils and teachers travelling from as far afield as the Netherlands, United States and Australia, as well as across New Zealand.
Dave only had to travel down the road from his Sumner home where he has lived for most of his life.
He attended the official mihi whakatau on Friday before exploring the school, which had been transformed into a living museum for the event.
The culmination of a term’s learning, the school’s history, along with that of Sumner itself, was brought to life through the stories, discoveries and creative work of current pupils
Dave returned on Saturday, when the school grounds were filled with former pupils spanning many decades, enjoying refreshments, music and the chance to catch up with old friends.
The weekend culminated in a gala evening of food, conversation and entertainment.
“The number of people there was marvellous, really. It was pretty successful in that respect,” said Dave.
He attended the school from 1941 to 1949 and was the first of three generations in his family to do so.
His brothers Bob, Lawrence, Keith, Colin and Bill also went there, as did his children Mark, Dan and Trudy.
Trudy’s daughters Kimberly, Caitlyn, Briana and Jemma also attended Sumner School.
Dave remembers his school years fondly and has maintained a connection through his children and grandchildren.
Some of his clearest memories from that time are of World War 2.
His father, Harold, had a large map pinned to a wall in their Richmond Hill home, which the family updated daily to track the movements of various armies.
They would meet members of the Home Guard at their gate and help carry their rifles up the hill, where the volunteers would act as a last line of defence in the event of an invasion.
As a small child, Dave was less fond of lunchtime rugby on the school field.
“They’d put me on the wing but I’d still get kind of smothered,” he said.
He and several other boys approached the school’s women’s hockey coach, who taught them to play and helped them form a team.
“We created a revolution,” he said.
“We went to third grade the first year and won that, so they put us up to the first grade and we won that.”
Dave also attended the school’s 100th anniversary reunion. His eldest son, Mark, was the youngest pupil at the time, having started school just two or three days earlier.
When it came time to cut the cake at this year’s celebration, Dave had to hoist Felix onto the table so he could reach it.
“I spoke to him, but he was very shy, he was only a young fella. I think he didn’t know what was all happening,” he said.
