A hand bound manuscript written by former pupils of Ōhoka School 83 years ago has been donated to Kaiapoi Library.

“Survey of Ohoka School District by Std 2 to Form 2 1943” was officially presented to Waimakariri District Mayor Dan Gordon at the school’s recent Matariki breakfast.

Mayor Gordon says the book is a remarkable time capsule of the Ōhoka area from a child’s perspective.

“It’s full of childhood memories and local history.

"The Council is honoured to receive it for safekeeping as an important part of our district’s history. “Growing up in Ōhoka, I got to know a number of the names in the book, such as local legends Margaret Flintoff and Loretta Walls.”

In 1943, the school’s pupils were tasked by their teacher, Aleck Forbes, with writing a survey of their district.

Shirley Mytton of Form 2 was elected ‘Editress’ of the collated writings.

She was supported by a committee of six, and the book acknowledges the efforts of the ‘Chief Workers’ who made the venture possible.

Ōhoka School Principal Amy O’Kane says the book is filled with drawings of local crops and plants, sketches of neighbourhood houses, linocuts, and a written history of the buildings that shaped the community.

In 1999, Rosemary Hales, who had been teaching at the school for six years, was instrumental in putting the manuscript into print, however, only limited copies were made.

The original manuscript was kept in a fireproof safe at the school, but this has now been identified as not suitable for preserving this important artifact.

“We've always known how special this book is, but the safe wasn't built to look after something this fragile, or this important, for future generations,” Ms O’Kane says.

“Donating it to the library means our tamariki, and the wider community, can keep visiting it for years to come.”

The manuscript will be housed in a secure display case at the Kaiapoi Library Ruataniwha Civic Centre.

 

Waimakariri District librarians Ciaran Findlay and Sally O’Connell, and Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon receive the book from Ōhoka School’s head students (from left) Chloe Clark (Head of Sport), Isaac Allen (Head of Arts), Greta Taylor (Head of Culture) and Amelia Barclay (Head of E