New Zealand Memories Issue 149

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EDUCATION Antics at Boarding School Ted Shields Waitaki Boys’ High School is situated a few kilometres north of Oamaru, immediately between the sea-coast and the Main Trunk Railway Line. There were approximately 260 boarders in attendance during the early 1950s and, in addition, the school was responsible for the education of day boys from an extensive area of North Otago. Whilst many past pupils have achieved long standing responsibilities in society, whether it be with sport or academic positions, this narrative is more about the mischief which some of the boys, more especially myself and my three mates, would get up to outside of school hours. I spent almost two years at Waitaki Boys’ High School as a boarder (1951-1952), which in some ways was an unique experience, but I would not enjoy repeating it. I was nicknamed ‘Jock’ because, initially, I did not know any names of the older boys and always responded to an order to ‘fag’ 1 with “OK Jock” – hence the nickname. We had plenty of fun outside school hours; much being a lot plain mischief by breaking the rules and testing authority. 1 ‘Fag’ definition: a junior pupil at school who does minor chores for a senior pupil. Author Ted Shields is seated in the second row, fourth from the right, in this 1951 Waitaki Boys High School class photograph. 22
EDUCATION “Broken biscuits were plentiful; in those days retailers purchased the product loose in large square tins.” Prior to going to Waitaki, motorcycle speedway racing was a popular spectator sport in the main centres and was carried out on quarter mile cinder circuit tracks. Young boys would form ad hoc cycle clubs and imitate the speedways by using bicycles. Accordingly, a club was set up at Waitaki and became extremely popular as a lot of the country boys had never experienced such an activity. I took my old bike with ‘apehanger’ handlebars and a box of spares to Waitaki and it was not long before I obtained permission from the rector to form a track at the back of the school. This was done on what was known as ‘The Mansions’, a few acres of waste land adjoining the school property. With a few trees, a bit of scrub and a narrow creek, this was the ideal set up and several of my mates formed the track with me by using the necessary tools from the gardening shed. As soon as the track was completed, it was all on. The popularity was phenomenal. After the evening meal a lot of the boarders would head for ‘Jock’s Speedway’ and race their bikes on the new track. My bike was stripped bare and it was not long before many others followed. Within a short time, many previously good bikes were virtually wrecked due to the crashes and reconstructions. Military training was part of the school curriculum and we had a double period of military drill every Wednesday afternoon. Whatever we did was done mainly on the eastern playing fields where we were exposed to the cold easterly wind that blew constantly in the summer. It was so cold that we often wore two jerseys. This military drill did not appeal to me. My mates and I would usually bunk and head for the farm next door and hide amongst the box thorn whilst sitting out the time on fruit boxes. It was there that we would indulge in smoking until the time came one day when we were caught. This was followed by three strokes of the cane from the rector for bunking military drill and then four more straight after from the head prefect for smoking. There was an old apple orchard adjacent to the school and from here we would pick apples and make apple cider. Sugar was accumulated by sneaking leftover sugar from the dining room tables, The brew was made in beer bottles, which after bottling were buried in the ground in the native bush so as to be hidden from other ‘brewers’. It was common practice to have your cider stolen. Food was always an issue; we were always hungry. On a Thursday boarders were issued with one shilling (10 cents) pocket money, sometimes more if a ‘reserve account’ was funded by our parents. It was usual to bike into town on Friday after school and buy food. Often broken biscuits from Woolworths or else a trip to one of the Tea Rooms to buy some hot buttered toast. Broken biscuits were plentiful; in those days retailers purchased the product loose in large square tins. They were not packed, as they are today, leading to breakages which were sold cheaply. The pieces of broken chocolate biscuits were eaten first of course. 23
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Page 3 and 4: Editor Wendy Rhodes Graphic Design
Page 5 and 6: ARTICLE It was December 27, 1849, a
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Page 11 and 12: No Shortage of Accommodation The to
Page 13 and 14: DANCE competitions. In June 1952, M

New Zealand Memories Issue 149

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