That is understandable, because the 5-year-old Christina Joyce had to walk almost 5km to school. It was luxury to take a bus to Waitaki Girls' High School for secondary schooling.
Mrs Prain was the oldest former pupil at the school on Saturday, among about 100 former pupils, teachers, staff, committee and board of trustees members, to celebrate its 150th anniversary.
When asked her age, she jokingly said: ''You never ask a lady that'', then whispered: ''89''.
The second oldest rural school in North Otago, Hampden must also be rare to still be using the classrooms that existed when it opened in 1864. Since that time, it has been remodelled and altered several times, twice in the past 25 years.
Even Mrs Prain said the classroom which was used for primer (new entrant) pupils had changed a lot since she spent two years there, before moving up to ''the big kids' room''.
Along with other children in her family, they used to meet the Gillies' children to walk to school, regardless of the weather. It never crossed their mind to have a day off, even when the weather got really bad.
''We had to go - rain, hail or shine.''
The cocoa was made each day on a log burner in the classroom (with milk during the winter months), then served to pupils from an urn. It was welcome after the trek to school.
There were no bad memories she could recall, partly because she was ''very academic''. She had no real favourites in terms of lessons.
The weekend's events started with registration at the school from 12.30pm on Saturday, then a welcome at the Hampden Hall and cutting of the cake by Mrs Prain and new entrant, Xavion Coates (5), who started school on October 13.
After speeches was afternoon tea and, on Saturday night, a meal and social at the Moeraki Boulders Cafe and Bar.
A gala marked the end of celebrations yesterday.
