Audrey's childhood in Kerikeri
(Chap.8)

'Canon Balls' - Moeraki Beach  - NZ


JOAN HYDE'S ELDEST DAUGHTER, AUDREY, STORY OF HER CHILDHOOD IN KERIKERI
 
Chapter 8 : NORTHLAND COLLEGE - KAIKOHE 1952 - 1953

Chapters:
Chap. 1: Early Day's in Kerikeri    Chap. 2: Coolalie and Twins  
Chap. 3: Dad's Army    Chap. 4: Early School Days   
Chap. 5: N.Z. Friends School  
Chap: 6: Rivervale School and Pony Club
Chap. 7: Marist Convent    Appendix I: David on "Life in Kerikeri"   Appendix 2 - Coolalee's sale tender document
 
Index for this page: I. Decision to attend Northland College
Julia Hyde - circa 1962

Julia had had her one year at Friends and been to Northland College for the first term, before I started .at the school and it was decided that I was to go into the same class as Julia, because she was my sister! How ridiculous is that! This was the ‘Academic’ class.

I, not being at all academically minded, wanted to do Commercial but Father would have none of that! So instead of learning to type and do short-hand, I had to learn French, physics algebra etc. The one exception was art. ‘Academic’ didn’t have art as a subject and it was the only thing I was any good at, so instead of Latin, they let me take art with the fifth formers which I enjoyed.

II. The Bus trip.

I have read quite a few articles lately on the long bus ride we had to make everyday to get to Kaikohe. There seems to be quite an argument on who was the first to board the bus! Here I will try and put the record straight. Wally Clinac was the driver and he would leave the town for Darwin Road on the Keri Keri Inlet Road. Here he would pick up the Dixon girls, Madeline Gross and her brother Michael; Fiona Edkin (later Kidman) and Elaine Riddle.

Then it was our turn to be picked up on the corner of Shepherds road, back to Central for Hazel and Topsy Waha; past the Old Stone Store to pick up the Zivcovich’s; Next it was to the turnoff at Riverview to pick up the very pretty Henderson girls and the ‘Fonz’ of the day Richard Civil, and the Draper twins. From there we went to the Puketi road turnoff to pick up the Hanham’s and the Keightley’s. Waipapa was next for Joan Skipper, whose father owned the Waipapa store, and then the drive took us down Springbank road to pick up Teddy Juranovich and his sister Maude, and at Bulls road it was the Henson’s and Arthur and Gary Cottle’s turn.

I think it was the Edmunds past Puketona Junction and Pakaraka was next, and then Ohaewai and the last stop was Ngawha where Charlie Panaho and the Clarks were picked up. The bus was full by then. At the moment I can’t think of everyone’s names but it would only be of interest to those who knew that bus.

The whole journey took us 35 miles each way and usually took an hour and a half. We had to be at the bus stop at 7-30. All the roads were unsealed and on very wet days it would flood at the soda springs, near Pakaraka, and to nearly everyone’s delight, we would have to go home. No school for us! I really don’t think many of us liked Northland College, but we had to go. The Keri Keri high school didn’t open until about four years later; after Julia and I had left Northland College.

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III. Northland College.

The school itself was made up of prefab buildings which had been built by the Americans for an army hospital during the war, and I believe, the School was opened about 1947/8.

Sylvia Townsend_Warner

When I first attended Northland College, I was very shy because I had had nothing to do with boys over the last few years, and found it very hard to ‘compete ‘with them in the classroom so I tended to clam up and dream of other things instead of concentrating on school work. Homework was always done on the bus because Dad gave us no time for that sort of thing once we were home. Funnily enough once I left school Julia was allowed all the time in the world!

My favourite part of this schools curriculum was Military Drill. Every fourth Tuesday, the whole school had to do Military Drill instead of P.E. All the girls were ‘C’ Company and the boys were divided up into Air; Sea and Army cadets. We were taught to march in step, salute, turn on our heels etc and we also learned all the old battle songs. Only the very senior boys were allowed anything to do with rifles. Many a time we marched around the streets of Kaikohe singing our hearts out while trying to keep in step. It was great fun and a change from school work.

I must say we did have some good teachers although Mr Tucker was not a favourite, of ours, because he was very strict. He was our maths teacher and to this day I cannot see the sense of algebra in the normal run of things. .Mr Lubeck was another teacher and his daughter Penelope was in our class. She was very bright and so was Jennifer McNickle, the Kaikohe dentist’s daughter. She went on into an academic career and is now based in Melbourne working at the Victoria University.

Our form Teacher was Mr Holmes and liked by us all. He was our French teacher and in later years I wish I had listened to him, particularly while travelling in France. I enjoyed French but not being able to do homework properly was a stumbling block, because I needed time to assimilate what was being taught. Once Julia and I copied homework done by Jennifer McNickle and Mr Holmes tumbled to it when he realised we all had the same mistake. If I remember rightly he was lenient with us and we weren’t sent to Pitt for the cane, however, it was a good lesson for us not to cheat!

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IV. Music and Clocks

I continued to take piano lessons with Mrs Wynne Goodson who lived down the road from our house but one day at home, I was meant to be practising a piece she had taught me. Thinking Dad had gone out I started to play some modern music which I had picked up. In the middle of the never to be forgotten piece called ‘For Ever and Ever’, Dad walked in and that was the end of any more music lessons, and the following week the piano was sold! We were never allowed to listen or play any of the hits which all our friends knew, however if Dad and Mum went out, we would turn the radio on and tune into 1ZB, but with one ear listening to the music and the other listening for the car, it wasn’t really enjoyable. Before turning off the radio we were extremely careful to tune it back onto 1YA!

Sylvia Townsend-Warner's cat clock

Since wartime Dad had a ‘thing ‘about clocks, which could be very confusing and quite pointless. Our household never went by the standard time throughout the country. Oh no! We had to be ahead of everyone else in the land by an hour, so if we went out to ride ‘over the hills’ we were told to be back by 4 o’clock. Everywhere else it would be 3 o’clock! Dad did this for the rest of his life with sometimes hilarious results.

Years later, Julia came out for a visit from England and stayed with Dad, while Mum had a short holiday with us in Blenheim. It was over the New Year period and Julia was invited to a New Years Eve party. She was asked, by Dad, to be back by midnight his time! Julia came back at 1am (real time) and he asked her the time when he opened the door for her to come in. She realised he had no glasses on so blithely said 11o’clock. I don’t blame her because at this time she was well into her 40’s and it saved a to-do!

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V. Moari friends & lipstick off limits

On weekends, Julia and I helped Mum with orchard work and we were both absolutely mad on horses. Pony Club was still going strong but we did most of our riding around the Riddell Hills. Often we’d go and see our friend Arthur Cottle of whom Dad approved. He had a pony, but apart from him we were banned from going anywhere else, particularly to visit our school friends. I once brought my good friend Elaine Riddle home and Dad ordered her off the property. I think it was because she had a trace of lipstick on however that was the, first; last and only time, I took anyone home until just before I married at the age of 26!

Colour combinations with lipstick

Unknown to our Father, Julia and I would ride out to Springbank Road and go right around Keri Keri to Riverview, and visit our friend Isobel Cook and her lovely family. Tommy Cook, her father was a handsome kindly man, and his wife who we called Mum, was a lovely homely person and both always made us feel welcome. They lived in an old corrugated iron shack and the floor was earthen but Mum kept that place spotless. I feel very privileged to have known Mr and Mrs Tommy Cook and their large family. We would have never dared tell Dad we had been there, because they were a Maori family. Fortunately he never found out.

Most of Northland College was Maori but in those days we all considered ourselves equal and there were no frictions, between the different races at the school, and it never mattered to any on of us what colour, or race, you were. I found the more that Dad went on about Maoris in his bigoted way; the more I would go and visit Maraea and Kenny next door etc. I guess it was a kind of defiance. To this day I do not like racial slurs of any kind.

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VI. The Headmaster & the Welfare Department

The Headmaster was Mr Pitcaithly in my first year and in about the third term of 1953 Mr Buxton took over. Mr Pitcaithly was transferred to a school in Auckland.

Graham Hyde - 1917

He was a big man but I found him quite approachable although many didn’t. Many times Dad wanted me to work in the orchard instead of going to school so I had to give my ‘excuse letter’ to Pitt, as we called him, when I returned to school. One day I wish I had never gone near him.

Things had gone from bad to worse between Dad and me. I was 16 and one morning Dad was in bed suffering from sciatica, I believe. He continually yelled out orders for this and that, from his bedroom, while we were trying to eat breakfast. This happened frequently and Mum would get very harassed. Times were very difficult for her!

Anyway this particular morning he yelled. “Bring me my tea you blonde bitch!’ There was only one blonde in the house. I was livid and had had enough. I picked up his cup and saucer; walked to the door of the bedroom, and threw the contents, plus the china at him! It missed him but he leapt out of bed and came at me with fists flying.

I copped it fair between the eyes and was knocked out. I was not to go to school for the next few days because I had two very purple black eyes, which Mum tried to alleviate by putting slabs of steak on them!

Graham Hyde aged 60

When I returned to school, my eyes were still a shade of purple but I had to take my ‘excuse note’ to Pitt. He looked at me and asked, “Who gave you those black eyes?” I answered, as though it was the most normal thing in the world, “My Dad”. He then said he was going to call in the Welfare Department, and that was the first time I had ever heard of the Welfare Department.

Pitt explained to me what the Welfare Department was and after his explanation, I was terrified, and pleaded with him not to call them in, because in my mind, I was sure I would land up in a Reformatory. Dad, over the years, had many times threatened me by saying he would send me away to the Reformatory, and although I wasn’t sure what a Reformatory was, it always sounded very ominous!

I hate to think what would have happened if the Welfare had turned up on our doorstep! Fortunately Pitt listened to my pleas, and told me if he ever sees any bruises on me again, he will certainly call in the Welfare.

There were other episodes but best forgotten.

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Evening Star
VII. Mrs Agnes Starr, (Starry)

After some of these ‘episodes’ I would run away, from Dad, to a dear lady called Mrs Agnes Starr whom we all called Starry. She lived about two miles away from our home, in a couple of converted army huts in Darwin Road. Jo Johnson shared the ‘cottage ‘with her because her family had grown up and left home. She always had a happy disposition and the patience and knack of relating to other people, particularly children.

Starry owned a number of horses which she rode everywhere because they were her only means of transport, and in the summer, she’d pack her bags and boxes of groceries onto the horses; including the hens, which she placed in cages attached to a saddle of one of the horses, and ride many miles to her other home on a farm down at the Keri Keri Inlet. She would stay there for a month or two, doing up fences etc. I think she ran beef cattle on this farm.

When I ran away from home, after some dreadful row with my father, Starry would settle me down and I would feel safe in her presence. .Later Mum would cycle round to take me home. She would sit down; have a cup of tea with Starry, and confide to her about what was going on, knowing it wouldn’t be broadcast all around the countryside, so it was good therapy for Mum. Later, between the two of them, they would talk me into returning home, although once back there Father wouldn’t speak to me for weeks on end, and I must say, that didn’t particularly bother me!

I have seen a couple of books about Keri Keri women but there is no mention of Starry, and I think she should be included in any future editions, because she was a well known and beloved character in Keri Keri, and liked by everyone. I don’t think she had an enemy in the world. She died in1996 at the age of 97.

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VIII. Dismissed from Home

About a month or so before the end of the third term, I went home from College as normal, but no sooner had I got inside the door, Dad told me to, “Pack your bags. Tomorrow you are leaving home because I have got you a job nursing in Kaitaia!” I must admit I gladly packed my bags, although I had never been to Kaitaia, I had a vague idea where it was. The next morning I was given one pound forty pence; put on the Road Services bus and told to go and earn a living! Many years later Julia told me she couldn’t understand where I was because she went to school the next day, only to find I had vanished when she came home. She was utterly bewildered!

Joan Hyde with her Grandchildren - circa 1974

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