In the early 1920's logs being taken from the school by bullock team to the railway station. At weekends Mr Kelly grazed his bullocks in Scott's paddock. .
Getting a ride as far as the Newstead Creamery by horse and cart with my father and then walking on to school. Stan Hogan
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1925: I remember organising dance and card evenings each week in the old school in aid of a district hall. Music was supplied by Mrs Vaile (Snr), pianist; Frank Lusby and Ted Ticklepenny on accordians. The work entailed shifting all desks to one room, sweeping and washing the floors before and after preparing the floor for dancing. The ladies supplied supper and all had a great time.
1926: It was a great day when the hall was completed and officially opened by Mr Young (Minister of Health), in the afternoon, followed by a ball at night with music supplied by an orchestra from Hamilton.
At this time there were several trains a day on the Cambridge line. If we went to the movies in the afternoon we caught the 1 p.m. train at Newstead Station, returning on a later train. Our visitors from Auckland and Pukekohe etc. used to travel by train to Newstead Station to be met there. When I went to the Post Office to collect our mail I would help Mrs Manktelow with mailbags at the station.
We had an Old Girls basketball (netball) team in the district. The team used the school courts for practice and home games and did very well competing against ot her teams. The Tennis Club had quite a good number of members and played on Mr and Mrs Fagan's court.
After the hall was built Newstead had an orchestra named the Adelphi, formed by young people of the district - Kath Morelland, pianist; Charlie Davison, violin, Roy Davies, violin, Charlie Nott, banjo mandolin.
One day the famous Clarke brothers were returning from a representative cricket match when their first car was struck by the 4.30 p.m. train. The C.W.l. committee was having a meeting in the hall, one member took off her white petticoat and they tore it into strips to bandage the injured. Don, the famous rugby fullback was driving the second car and had to detour along· Ruakura Road to get home to milk their cows.
Phyllis Osborne
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When walking to and from evening functions at the school before the hall was built a fine view of glow worms could be seen on the southern embankment of the school gully.
In the 1920's school pupils went to Auckland by special train to see HMS Hood (later sunk by the Bismark).
Charlie Davison
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Rabbiting with Clive Scott in the 1930's using his uncle's (John Scott's) Buick car to gas burrows, overfilling the crankcase with oil to make smoke.
Murray Levis
SILVER
Bakers faithful horse that over the years took all six Baker boys to Newstead School.
Silver
Silver, our palomino horse, had taken my five brothers to school before it came to my turn. By then she had learnt a lot of tricks. She knew where to cross the road at set places and where it was the most comfortable to run. The only two areas that she would break into a good gallop was from the school gate to the horse paddock at the back of the school (originally in trees, now it is the sports field), and from our oak trees to the house at home. If ever she was asked to go back to school again it took a lot of persuading.
For a 7-year-old boy putting the bridle on Silver after school was no easy task and she was cunning. Leaving the bridle on through the day, I thought, would save me time after school (against my dad's advice). One afternoon when I came to go home Silver was waiting at the gate without her bridle on. After spending some time looking for it to no avail , I finally went over to Mr Clive Scott's for help. Because he knew the horse well he gave me a piece of rope to put around her neck and assured me that she would know her way home. He was right. She went left handside of the road to Scott's corner, then over to the right (now the orchard) and back to the left at Burr's corner (now Marshmeadow Rd turn-off). The closer she got to the oak trees the faster she went, reaching a gallop through the road gate and then full gallop to the house. One very relieved 7-year-old to be home, needless to say. In those days (1953) there were fewer cars than today.
Dad told the story that one day while in town he was told that one of his sons was seen riding Silver back to front with a stick bouncing on her rump. The traffic was light and the speed slow.
Silver was finally retired at about 26-28 years of age.
Norman Baker
A Home Guard "Dad's Army" was formed during the Second World War. They were issued with six rifles and the rest used broom sticks for training. Trenches were dug each side of the School Gully-one in front of the school and the other in the corner of where the cemetery is now. There was quite a dip in the road then where it crossed the gully. Logs were kept at the bottom ready to place across the road in case of an enemy invasion.
Charlie Nott
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There was an air raid shelter in poplar trees to the rear of the school. Pupils had a small kit to take with them containing, among other things, a rubber. This was to bite on in case of a bombing attack.
In the late 1940's the petite lady who drove the school bus, her fawn Oldsmobile car, was sent back to the school by a traffic officer on one occasion to offload some ofher passengers- which numbered into double figures, Her generous nature would't allow her to pass a child walking without offering a lift.
Ken Baker
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A school bus driver in the 1950's was one of New Zealand's leading grand prix racing car drivers. One day those waiting to catch the bus home were amused to see his grey station wagon roar up the gully and disappear into the distance at an extremely high speed, he then returned at a more sedate pace from the other direction to collect his passengers.
When school was held in the Newstead Hall a close-up view of a steam engine could be got at playtimes if one was shunting. Sometimes the driver would squirt steam over the interested onlookers standing just inside the hall fence.
One day when Burmesters bread truck crossed the railway line the trailer door carne open and a crate of bread fell on the roadside in front of the hall. Pupils ate half a loaf of fresh, crusty bread each during classes.
In the 1960's Melbourne and Caulfield Cups winner Even Stevens was to be presented to the Queen Mother, but while working out at Te Rapa he broke a leg bone. His owner, Sir James Wattie, bought a property at Newstead and formed the Newstead Stud. Tourist buses called to see Even Stevens there and an Australian television crew came to film him. Sir James used to v:isit the horse whenever he was passing through, one day the stud manager's large family of children were seen clambering over the top of Sir James' Rolls Royce parked in front of the house.
Colin Osborne
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At a time when about 14 pupils rode horses to school, Carl left the horse paddock gate open and some of the horses headed for home, minus their riders.
After one boy had an argument with the headmistress he backed his horse up against her car and persuaded the horse to give it a kick.
Sylvia and Carl Baker
MODEL T FORD
Tom Osborne's Model T, bought during the 30's for £5.