Historical Images

This certificate, awarded to MG Jenkins in 1922, was donated by his son Neil. As well as being signed by the Headmaster, it was signed by GS Coldham who is described as the Sports Secretary. George Coldham was the senior French Master.

The crew won the Thirteenth Annual Head of the Harbour on the Tamaki River.

RC Anderson (stroke), BE Jones (7), BH Ashby (6), JW Ashby (5), RN Stanish (4), D Phillips (3), LR Beck (2), RW Katterns (bow), MY Smith (cox).

Each member of the winning team in the Earl Roberts Full Bore Competition received a medal. The obverse depicts a side face of Fredrick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts. He is wearing the plumed hat of a Governor (he was, briefly, the Governor of Natal.) The inscription reads: FIELD.MARSHALL.EARL.ROBERTS.VC.KG.KP.GCB.OM.GCSI.GSIE.

These images was sent to us from Australia by a relative of one of the winners. Since the images were taken, we have received an actual medal. It was donated by Leslie Fallon, daughter of Bob Jones-Parry, who was the Fire Director on the Earl Roberts team.

The reverse of the Earl Roberts medal shows a female figure representing winged victory standing on the world. In her left hand is a palm leaf symbolic of the victor and in her right is a trumpet to proclaim his victor

On the steps: Headmaster Gamble, Mrs Ward Baker (benefactrix of the school), JH Harvey (raincoat,cap), Mr Ward Baker (Board member, hat,obscure), AR Gatland (pipe, dark suit), CP Worley (pipe, light suit), W Caradus (trilby hat), HL Towers, CC Lees, CT Harris. In Front: JH Jenkin (standing), JM Tait (leaning on desk), HF Brock, GS Coldham, WRH Martin, RB Hardy (standing, looking at stopwatch) WCJ Perry, EH Boulton.

Mr GJ Moran, SA Walker, JW Turner, CC Ingram, BI Belsham, MY Blyth.

Newspaper and photographer unknown. A gift of Alan C Thom 1937-1940.

The annual School Concert was a large event and filled the Town Hall. It was on one night only, this example, over two nights, was unusual. A few early concerts were augmented by outside artists. The first report of a concert was in The Albertian of 1923. There were two concerts at the start of the second term and the first performance by the School, after all had sung God Save The King, was “… An overture in the shape of the march ‘Under the Double Eagle’…”.

The earliest programme we have is 1926 “In Aid of Tennis Courts Fund” The concerts were money-makers, the 1923 concerts raised 160 pounds, an enormous sum at the time. The last Town Hall concert was in 1967, they were killed off by television.

As well as picture evenings, the Old Boys’ Association ran dances. These were formal affairs with a printed dance programme.

The caption refers to the bouts being in the “gymnasium”. They were held in the hall. The school did not have a gymnasium until 1954. That gymnasium has, in recent years, been turned into classrooms and renamed C block. The property office occupies the original foyer and showers.

More information on each of these masters can be found in:
Brown, JG (1971), Golden Jubilee . Mount Albert Grammar School.
Stone, RCJ (1997), Mount Albert Grammar School: The First Seventy-five Years. Mount Albert Grammar School.

The trophy for shooting was donated in 1926 by A Afford Esq. This target is that of R Jones-Parry, the fire director of the 1931 British Empire Cadet Champions. The target is a gift of Leslie Fallon.

This photograph came from Neil Jenkins along with the report and certificates of his father, MG Jenkins. The form master in the photograph is CP Worley, who was Jenkins form master in 4C in 1922. That would make it our oldest class photograph. It is in remarkably good condition. Many, more recent images are less favourably preserved. Note that the boys in the front row are sitting on what maybe canvas, rather on the rough stones.

Gifted by Roger Moses in 2001. His father SL (Syd) Moses was a member of the team. Syd Moses became a champion motor-cycle racer and was Chairman of the Decimal Currency Board 1964-1968. This team was the first to win the Auckland Secondary Schools’ Championship.

In the original staff cloak-room/toilet there were named coat-hooks for masters’ gowns which were worn to the two assemblies each day, and they were frequently worn throughout the day. This is HL Towers’s hook.

The cloak-room/toilet is now the commerce office.

In the refurbishments of the early 90s the staffroom was moved to the original library as the original common room was separated into two parts as part of the seismic upgrade. The two parts are now the classroom called B7 and staff toilets. At the same time the corridor was blocked off.

Herb Towers taught for almost all of his 57 years on the staff in B6. For a few years it was converted into a women’s toilet. It is now a classroom again and is renamed B8.

The building in the background is the shelter shed, with prefects’ room on the left and tuck shop on the right. It was demolished at the beginning of 1974 to be replaced by the library building which opened in 1976. The original library is now occupied by the staff room.

The steeplechase has been renamed the cross country.

The image is a gift of Joan Joass, April 2004. Her father, Hector King, is in the back row, far right. The Form Master is JH (“Bunny”) Harvey. He was the English Master and editor of the Silver Jubilee history. The “little black dog” belonged to the photographer.

In 1931 a team from the School won the Earl Roberts Imperial Challenge Shield. The photograph shows: Fire Leader Sagt-Mjr R Jones-Parry (back), Sgt RF Wakefield, Cpl WH Jenkin, Cpl JM Jenkinson, Cadet CJ Robieson.

Headmaster FW Gamble with winners of life-saving certificates, 1937.

MG Jenkins English certificate for coming first in English in 4C in 1922. Also donated by his son Neil. As well as being signed by the Headmaster (then Head Master), it was also signed by Professor APW Thomas, Chairman of the Auckland Grammar School Board of Governors.

These two images were published in the 8 O’Clock which was the pink-page sports edition of The Auckland Star. The Star was Auckland’s evening newspaper for 128 years. It folded in 1991. The 8 O’Clock was so named because it came out about that time on Saturdays and was sold from newsstands. It had at least eight broadsheet pages jammed-packed with the day’s sport. The text was set by linotype and all the pictures had to be developed in a darkroom. To have it written, edited, designed, set, printed and on the streets in about three hours was remarkable.

Although there is no date on the paper, The Albertian of 1950 mentions that the event was on, probably, 22 April 1950, which was a Saturday. The Eight won the Head of the Harbour. The members of the winning First Four were: RL Grey (stroke), ET Hughan (3), JA Fraser (2), TI Jones (bow), CB Jones (cox). The Second Four also won their event, they were: CR Beamish (stroke), RY Baird (3), DM Bernard (2), R Tuck (bow), NE Cordes (cox). In all three races the school that was second was Sacred Heart College.

With the help of the West End Rowing Club (Mount Albert Grammar School) and the Waitemata Boating Club (Sacred Heart College) the Auckland Secondary Schools’ Rowing Association was formed, and the inaugural regatta was held between the two schools in 1937. The newspaper clipping was a gift of Ted Hughan, August 2005.

We have two copies of this image from The Auckland Star’s Saturday sports edition, the 8 O’Clock. One of them is from Graham Burgess and the other from Alan Thom. This was a time of boxing matches between the School and King’s College. DW (Dud, Doug) Rollinson, who was Head Prefect, was the Auckland Cruiser Weight Champion.

In later life, Ward and Gibson both became doctors, and Archer was the studmaster for Sir Woolf Fisher. Private Ray Amoore, 24 Infantry Battalion, 2NXEF, was killed in action on 26 March 1943, aged 21. He is buried in Sfax War Cemetery, Tunisia. Flying Officer John David Rudling, DFM, RNZAF posted to RAF No 136 Squadron, was a Spitfire pilot and was shot down and killed, on 29 April 1944, aged 22. He is buried in the Taukkyan War Cemetery, Burma.

Alan Thom, Ron Hemus, Maurice Yates, Jock Gardner, Graham Burgess at the Old Boys’ Luncheon at the Newmarket Club in March 1977. These luncheons are still being held four times per year, currently (2012) at the School House. They seldom attract fewer than 70 Albertians, and, at times, considerably more. A gift of Alan Thom,April 2004.

The School and the Hall, including the hammer-beams, were designed by the Auckland Grammar Schools’ Board of Governors architect, WA Cumming. The beams are modelled, to some extent, on those of Westminster Hall, built in the 14th century. The beams are supported by the curved braces from the walls. The outer walls were supported by buttresses in the seismic upgrade of the early 1990s. When the Hall was reopened in 1991, the then Old Boys Association named it the FW Gamble Memorial Hall in honour of the foundation headmaster, Frank William Gamble.

In his annual report of 1926 (the year the Hall was opened) Gamble said “…the attempt to inculcate the proper ideals would be supremely difficult without this central rallying point.” and again, “…I have clear visions of the time to come when this hall will be to boys a storehouse of memories and the inspirational point of loyalty and honour.”

The Farm opened in 1933 with a course in Agricultural Science taken by eight third form boys. Long before this certificate was issued, the old School House at 807 New North Road was supplied with milk. In was carried in cans by gig (a small sprung cart drawn by one horse).

The trenches being dug are foundations for a two-level building. The lower level extends the library and the upper level is to open from the new wing and serve as a science workroom. May 2006.

The rough-cast planters are part of the 1976 upgrade that accompanied the opening of the library. The seats and barrier are of an earlier vintage. May 2006.

As a consequence of an earlier gradient, three steps were built to to give a more even grade. They are now being removed to facilitate construction. May 2006.

This work is being constructed to give strength to the floor to support the framework of the upper level. June 2006.

A general view of concrete being pumped into the formwork of the new building. June 2006.

The boxes and connectors are for computers. June 2006.

This exterior alcove became incorporated into the library extension. June 2006.

These steel members are being put in place to support the upper level of the new building. June 2006.

This ribbed galvanized steel will support the ceiling tiles of the lower level library extension and the floor of the upper level. July 2006.

Access to this room will be from the corridor of the new wing. It is to be a science workroom. July 2006.

Sitting in the front row, fourth from left, is the smallest boy in the School, RD Muldoon. He was to grow up, become the Member of Parliament for Tamaki in 1960 and the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand (1975-1984).

The ivy was removed from the walls in 1956, in preparation for the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh. The School was painted for the first time, mostly white, but the west wall of the quadrangle was pink (so was a good part of the map of the world).

A gift of Dame Thea Muldoon

Gifted by John Willmott (Albertian), son of R (Bob) Willmott who is second from the left in the front row.

Albertian Mike Blamires (1951-1956). Mike joined the staff in 1961. He coached the team for ten years and won five championships. He was at Suva Grammar School from 1966-1968, and returned to school for three years. His 1970 team was the first to win the New Zealand Championship.

Young chemists at work. Help! Who are they and when was this photograph taken?

The image is a gift of John Willmott, whose father, Robert, was the choirmaster. In the photograph Bob Willmott is in the middle at the back.

Until relatively recently the annual ball was run by the prefects and held in the hall. The double ticket price was eight shillings. New Zealand changed to decimal currency on 10 July 1967. Eight shillings was the direct equivalent of 80 cents. Using the how-many-candy-bars-would-that-buy formula, eight shillings would be more like $32 today.

The ticket is a gift of Lindsay Nash in May 2008. He was at School 1948-1952.

Library passes from pre-computer, pre-photocopiers, pre-women-on-the-staff times. These passes were saved by Warwick Gibbs. They were produced (as was everything else) by typing onto a wax stencil, using a typewriter that didn’t plug into a wall outlet. The only person who typed the stencils was the Headmaster’s secretary since she was the one with the typewriter.

The stencil was used to make copies, on newsprint, by mimeography, on a Gestetner machine, earlier models were turned by hand. This inky technology ensured that there was no blizzard of printed paper.

The annual concert at the Town Hall on the evening of 10 August 1939, began like all the others, with the singing of the National Anthem, God Save the King. The first concert item was the whole School singing Gaudeamus. After interval it was time for Spotlights From History.

The pictured item was the prefects in At Madame Tussaud’s. On the face of it, it looks like they formed a tableau and no further acting required. However, this was a studio reconstruction and they may have been more active on the night.

Ron Hemus was here as a student from 1932 to 1937. He returned here to teach in 1952 and retired in 1988.
Greg Taylor was here as a student from 1960 to 1964 and returned in 1988 as the first Albertian to be appointed Headmaster.
Ron was Greg’s history teacher, he was also HOD History and Social Studies, Senior Housemaster for 13 years and in charge of rugby for a generation. Greg was dux in 1964.
The occasion was the retirement of Greg, as the fifth Headmaster, on Wednesday, 12 April 2006.

The Mount Albert fire station about 1910. The bell in the bell tower was donated to the school by the father of foundation pupil Les Kinnear in 1927.

It is our School bell.

This Certificate was awarded to Norman Shaw,1927-1931. It is a gift of his daughter, Alison Kelso, June 2007. It was printed by Unity Press whose name was on 1922 publications and last appeared as printers of the 1985 magazine.

The south wing of the main building was the original laboratories. The upper level was the domain of Mr W Caradus MSc. Bill Caradus (known as Granny to the boys), was the Senior Science Master and also the Second Master. He was given responsibility for establishing the farm as an educational arm of the School. He was the author of two text books which were used for many years. On the retirement of Mr Gamble he became the second Headmaster in 1946.

Later, this large area was made into two labs, UL1 and UL2, separated by a small prep room. The space is now occupied by B1, B2 and B3. During the seismic upgrade of the 1990s there was an extension to the building that incorporated an internal stairwell. This allowed for the end of the top corridor to become part of an enlarged B1. The emergency exit was closed off and the external metal fire escape removed. The ghost of the door can be seen by standing near the door of the Property Office (Old Gym) and looking up at the end east wall.

The image is a gift of Mrs Rachel Collis, daughter of Philip A Jones 1933-1937.

Colonel JE Duigan presents the Earl Roberts Imperial Cadet Trophy to Sergeant-Major R Jones-Parry. (Bob Jones-Parry was also presented with a medallion, as were Howard Jenkin, Arthur Jenkinson, Cecil Robieson and Ron Wakefield.) Jenkinson later explained that the competition consisted of “…shooting the opening application snap and running man exercises, and a run down the range firing one shot at each 100 yards.” A brief history of the shield reported that it,”…bore the names of all the Dominions associated with the competition. The shield bore the inscription ‘The Roberts Trophy for competition by British Schoolboys in the Mother Country and in the British Possessions beyond the Seas’.”.

The 6A rugby team 1930, winners of the 6A championship.

The 1945 rowing crew. A gift of Bill Tinnock, August 2005.

This certificate in science for PA Jones of 6B is signed by both Professor APW Thomas and FW Gamble. The certificate is a gift from Rachel Collis, daughter of Philip Jones.

The Reg and Ian Grant Memorial Trophy for the Open Sprints Champion.

Donated by the family of Wing Commander Reginald Joseph Cowan Grant, DFC and Bar, DFM of 65(RAF) Squadron, who was killed in action, aged 29, on 28 February 1944 and who is buried in the Brookefield Military Cemetary, Woking, Surrey, England.
And
Flying Officer Ian Allen Charles Grant of 485(NZ) Squadron RAF, who was killed, in action, aged 27, on 13 February 1943, while flying under the command of his brother Reg, and who has no known grave but the sea and who is commemorated at the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England.

(A third brother, William Edward Grant, died of illness on 2 February 1932 while serving with the Royal Air Force.)

The second image is of Wing Commander Reg Grant. It was rephotographed from a print on display at RNZAF Base Auckland at Whenuapai.

Notable people in this photograph include Ron Hemus (see another image in this series), Murray Marbeck ran the family music store into his 80s, Richard Dell became one of New Zealand leading malacologists with about 150 scientific papers to his name.

The image is a gift of Mrs Rachel Collis, daughter of Philip A Jones 1933-1937.

This is the only copy of the Calendar and List for the First Term 1922 known. It belonged to Les Kinnear and on his death, it was gifted to the School. by his sons, Bob and Alan. There is a set of bound copies of the Calendar from 1922 to the last printed issue in 1979, but this begins with the issue of Term Two 1922. In the early years, there was one each term, then as more information was included, two per years and in later year, one per year. In-school copies persisted into the early 1980s.

The entranceway to the grounds was designed by WA Cumming, the architect for the Auckland Grammar School Board of Governors.

He also designed the original four buildings; the main building, the caretaker’s house (which became unsafe and was replaced by the present Lockwood house), the “sanitary” building (still standing) and the shelter shed (demolished to make way for the 1976 library building).

Mr Cumming also designed most of other Grammar Schools’ buildings on their present sites.

Note, too, that the inner pillars have been removed, the long grass on the verge, the paved crossing and the gravel street, which, at that time, was called Rob Roy Street.

The Albertian reported that “… The play outlines the events directly leading to the mutinous outbreak on the Santa Maria and the subsequent quelling of it by Columbus himself. The whole Club took part in this, and the vivid garments of the many and varied characterisations resulted in a very colourful group. …”

Newspaper and photographer unknown. A gift of Alan C Thom 1937-1940.

The label from the cover of the first Testimonial Book. While the Headmaster, F.W. Gamble, wrote testimonials before this date they were hand-written and no copies were kept. 1929 was the first year that references were typed and we have carbon copies from then until 1987.

The Book is an alphabet journal. The second image shows the As for 1929 in date order. Under this is the As for 1930. The next page starts with the Bs for 1929 and so on.

The text of a letter of congratulations of 20 June 1932 from the Governor-General of the Dominion of New Zealand, Lord Bledisloe.

The envelope for the letter from the Governor-General. It did not require a stamp, as it bears a seal with the Royal Coat of Arms and the words Government House.

This cricket ball was used by Brendan Raj of the 1B team to take six wickets for 39 runs off 18 overs in a match against Howick College.

This newel post was at the foot of the stairs of the old School House at 807 New North Road. It was “rescued” by a House Boy, and returned to the School much later. It now stands inside the front door of the present School House.

It is one of only two known wooden artifacts associated with the old House.The other is the original sign, which is framed and hangs in the new House.

This pass allowed the named child to travel free to and from school between the designated stations. It is a gift from Graham Burgess, August 2002.

A Lion cut from the pocket of a rep blazer which belonged to NS Shaw (1927-1931) who was a sprinter. It is a gift of his widow, Marguerite, in July 1991.

The School House, in its second year, 1928, performed its first item at the School Concert at the Town Hall. They performed a Spanish dance, “La Careno”. The House Notes in that year’s The Albertian reported that “…Evidently the star performers, the gay maidens, caused not a little amusement with their graceful curtsies and dainty steps. …”

A receipt for school fees, gifted by Max Weston in December 2010. Max was in Special 5A in 1949. His Form Master, HF Brock, was the senior Latin Master from 1922 until his death in 1951. He was widely known as Parvis, the Little One. The fee for each of three terms was 7/6 (75c).

Very few ephemeral documents of this type survive and even though this one has some silverfish damage it is still legible and a valued artifact.

From 1925 to 1934 the annual swimming sports were held at the Tepid Baths, and in 1935 the event was held at the Mount Eden Baths for the first time.

In a 33-line poem, Verse for a School Attaining its Silver Jubilee, AW Beasley wrote:

“…At first a shell of bricks and mortar – grim,
Set in a mass of rubble, grey and bare, …”

( The Albertian, 1946 p. 14.)

The names of the 1931 Earl Roberts Trophy winners.

This image was gifted by Brett Kingstone in July 2000. Brett’s father, Colin, is in the photograph.

This 1936 athletic sports programme was gifted by Jack Connell in July 1996. It is a commercially-produced 32-page booklet, inside the front cover are lists of previous cup winners, then a list of officials (reproduced here), followed by eight pages of 733 numbered competitors. The rest is taken up with 86 named events and spaces for writing in names and times or distances. Jack Connell has written his name and class, 3C, on the back page.

Pictured are the five surviving Hanson brothers; Andrew (1961-1964), Robert (1957-1962), David (1958-1963), Peter (1956-1960), Mark (1966-1971). The eldest brother, John (1954-1959), is deceased. The five brothers returned to School on 6 August 2010.

They were later to attend a Memorial Service for their mother, Betty, who was, for many years, a member of the Auckland Grammar Schools’ Board of Governors, the body responsible for the governance of this School.

The brothers are seldom together as Robert and Mark live and work in the UK. David is holding the Hanson Cup which was donated by the six brothers in 1971. It was given “For Endeavour and Progress”. It is awarded annually.

The D block quad, early morning, 26 April 2011, showing the hall and what was for most of the School’s life, the science wing. This quad had a comprehensive makeover in 2004.

The old School House at 807 New North Road. It was built in 1844 as a gentleman’s residence. The first Headmaster, FW Gamble, persuaded the Grammar Schools’ Board to buy it from the Child Welfare Department (who had run it as home for destitute children and had built new accommodations elsewhere).

The House opened in 1927 with 22 boys. It grew, and remained on that six acre site until 1970, when the new House was built on a hockey field at School.

The old building was demolished and a fragment of open space remains as the Alice Wylie Reserve.

The first three years of Liddell Scholars returned to the school on 28 February 2011. From left to right: Katherine Reynolds (2008), David Eade (2010), Rachel Peeters (2009), Geoff Gunn (2009), Chris Liddell (1971-1975), Jonathan Wrigley (2008), Ella Davis (2010).

Chris Liddell was, at the time, CFO of General Motors. While he was back in New Zealand he announced an increase in the level of the Scholarships (there are two each year and for a period of three years).

Later in the day there was a gathering in the library of Chris’ school friends, the Scholars, and others to present Chris with the Albertian of the Year award.

The large varnished tables had yellow vinyl tops and were in later years used, in the mezzanine, as reading tables. Originally they were partitioned into four by low MDF walls and served as private study carrels.

During the reconstruction they were useful as work benches and for displaying plans. The other work being done is the removal of some lower exterior windows. May 2006.

 A section of the north wall of the library cut out preparatory to extension. The Acrow props are holding up the roof. May 2006.

A digger demolishes a concrete wall at the eastern end of the library to incorporate a storeroom into the main body of the library. May 2006.

A general view of part of the work area. June 2006.

Cables for power, lights and computers being threaded through framing in the refurbishment of the library. The small room being divided off will be for textbook storage. The original green wall in the foyer has been battened so that a new wall can built over it. July 2006.

This curved motif is found under the archway on the walls of the portico to the main entrance. The raised circles is one of Cumming’s recurring themes. A more recent use of the curved design can be seen frosted onto the glass doors and partitions installed in the foyer.

Fasces of laurel leaves were carried before the Roman Emperor. This image of a laurel fasces is one of many in the fabric of the main building. The most prominent ones are those found under the front archway. The archway itself has a large swag of laurel leaves in front of it. Just outside the opposite doorway (to the quad) is another archway, also festooned with bound ovoid laurel leaves. Here the discrete fasces are truncated, without the basal flared cylinder.

The prominent decorative corbel with its rococo swirls, flowers and oak leaves and the central year of foundation oval connects the neoclassical oriel window with the archway laurel swag.

 When the main building was renovated in the early 1990s, new vinyl floor-covering was laid in the foyer and surrounding areas. Just inside the front door was an inlaid emblem. In April 2008 the foyer was carpeted and a new, brass, emblem, flush with the carpet, was installed. This image shows both emblems.

 This monocrome lion is found on the half-way shelters used by the First XI soccer team. It is essentially the same lion as the now hidden inlaid one in foyer, though the shading on the motto scroll is a little different.

This embroidered gold lion (or the blue colourway) is widely used. This example was used for a 1980s style rugby jersey which was presented to to a notional team selected as First XV Team of the 80s. The presentations were made at an Albertians Dinner on 30 July 2010.

As well as presentations to the players , boxed jerseys were also presented to the coachers. Pictured are Bruce Lovett, Alex Bing and Ness Toki.

This blue and silver lion is at the corners of a decorative tablecloth that is commonly used on a small table on the stage when certificates, medals or trophies are being presented. This lion, because it is bicolour. is more distinct than than the gold one.

This large lion was erected on the north-east pediment of the refurbished E Block on 16 June 2011. It went up in three pieces, each of which was threaded onto steel rods coming out of the wall. The position of the rods can be seen by the positions of the 10 buttons, three on each piece of the motto scroll and four on the shield.

During the cadet years, and especially during wartime, the members of staff were cadet officers. In 1941 a number of masters were on active service. Many of the senior boys in 1941 would have been in uniform the following year and, after basic training, shipped off to war.

The men in the photograph are:

Back Row: 2Lt. FE Coulthard, 2Lt. GL Weir, 2Lt. J Horrocks, Lt. HL Towers, Lt. NB Body, Lt. MJ O’Sullivan, Lt. JH Jenkin, 2Lt. CB Floyd, Lt. WE King.

Front Row: Lt JG Brown, Capt. WR Martin, Capt. HL Calder, Major CT Harris, Capt. JM Tait, Capt. R Willmott, Lt. WCJ Perry.

Absent: 2Lt. JJ Harvey.

The photograph is a gift from the estate of Nelson Body.

These two paragraphs about the Balopticon came from The Albertian editorial of  1935 entitled ‘The School and the Future’.
The second image is of a 1925 advertisement for a home Balopticon. The advertised one is an opaque projector of the epidiascope type. The type suggested in the editorial is of the through- the-lens magic-lantern type. (The manufacturers, Bausch and Lomb, still have their international headquarters in Rochester, NY. They now make contact lenses and other eye products.)

The dirigible that is 4A has already flown over the foothills of the J.F.P., the Junior Free Place. A Junior Free Place was awarded to any pupil who passed the Proficiency examination by a certain age. This examination was at the end of Standard 6. (Which became Form 2, which became Year 8.) Any child who did not get enough marks to enter a “secondary school”, either had to pay to go to a such a school, or try to get into a Technical School, or give up the idea of continuing with school.

The Free Place system was abolished by the First Labour Government in 1935, giving every child the right to a secondary school education.

This image is rephotographed from a copy of one that appeared in The Auckland Staron Monday 5 April 1937. It was a gift of Alan Thom, in July 1999, who is the brother of Norm Thom, the Senior Campion.

This plaque was erected by the then City of Mount Albert in a tiny fragment of the grounds of the old School House. An old House Boy of the period claimed that the oak he remembered was planted elsewhere in the grounds. (The only way to know for sure is for core samples from candidate trees to be examined by a dendrochronologist.)

The Albertianof 1937 reported on a ceremony in the Hall on the day of the Coronation of King George VI, (12 May 1937). After that ceremony, The Albertianreported that:

“After the address in Hall Sir Algernon Thomas planted the Coronation Oak in the grounds of the School House. He referred to the historic significance of the occasion and explained that the tree had been grown from an acorn from Westminster Park.

“Miss [Constance] Jackson, who was present at this ceremony, had also attended the planting of oaks in the School House grounds on the occasion of the coronation of King Edward VII. [22 January 1901] and of King George V. [22 June 1911]. There are now three coronation oaks in the School House grounds.”

Miss Jackson was there because she was related to Sarah Jackson, who was in charge of what became the School House when it belonged to the Child Welfare Department.

When the photograph was taken there had been acts of avian lese majeste.

The Hall was opened in 1926. In 1991 the then Mount Albert Grammar School Old Boys’ Association (MAGSOBA) dedicated the Hall to Frank William Gamble, the first Headmaster.

In its first year the First XV wore Oxford Blue Jerseys with a Cambridge Blue sash. The following year the team had all Cambridge Blue Jerseys.

The photograph was taken in the quadrangle which had rough gravel at the time.

Medallions in ‘gold’ and ‘silver’ (500mm diameter) with a raised image of the School on the obverse and the name in a roundel were ordered by the then Director of Services, Evan Gray. The ‘gold’ ones were given to boys – in the 1990s – who had won prizes or trophies. The ‘silver’ ones were given to International Students who graduated. The reverse had a small School Emblem at the top and, tied at the bottom was an incomplete circlet of laurel leaves. In the middle was space for an engraved name and the award. The image shows the obverse.

The Chemical Balance is in first class condition with all parts intact and in the original case.

The box of weights is complete and the original box is beautifully crafted.

Both balance and box were gifted on 17 October 2016 by Dr Simon Marshall (1973-1974) who is a physical chemist working in Perth W.A.

In 1924 the fledgling Old Boys Association produced a professional invitation to a picture evening at the Lyric Theatre.

The Old Boys of the Day would have been late teenagers, yet the committee had tickets printed and mailed out, got responses and likely made a block booking. It is known from correspondence that the evening was a success, sufficient funds were raised, caps were commissioned and the President (then called the Convenor), HW (Herb) Salmon came to the School and awarded the caps to the First XV. The ticket refers to Football Caps. ‘Football’ meant Rugby Union Football. The First XV had won the Championship in 1924. The first team to do so. This became a tradition, the giving of caps to members of 1A or Premier teams that win a Championship continue to this day.

The card mentioned that the programme began at 8 but the issue of The Auckland Star for that day, 19 September 1924 (Papers Past), stated that the event began at 7.45, some Old Boys may have been a bit late.

“Going to the pictures” was hugely popular, it was a relatively new-fangled entertainment as a mass medium. There were 17 ‘Picture Palaces’ advertising ‘Picture Shows’ on the same day, plus two theatres offering variety concerts.

This sterling silver Prefect’s Badge with the long pin in a sheath was awarded to R.J. Parry – his name is engraved on the back. Robert Jones-Parry was also the Fire-Director of the victorious Earl Roberts Trophy winners. It was presented by his daughter, Leslie Fallon on 28 January 2014.

This timepiece was produced by Eddie Wilson, who had retired as Deputy Headmaster and became the Bursar. Just as the French teacher had become an Economics teacher, so the Soccer buff had become a Rugby devotee, so much so that he organised several First XV trips to Alberta and British Columbia. The watch was a fundraiser. There were return visits from Earl Marriott Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia. It was Eddie who organised the exchanges with Earl Marriott, known as ‘the Home of the Marriners’ because of its rugby team. The Marriners had a great time in Auckland thanks to Eddie’s detailed organisation.

This is the third pair of cufflinks produced by the School. These ones were produced by the Commerce Department in 2012 as part of the 90th Jubilee Celebrations. Other memorabilia included a pair of number-plate surrounds, MAGS4LIFE, and several beverage containers. The other cufflinks were produced for earlier events.

This image was taken by Nelson Body, who was both an Old Boy and returned as a teacher. Not only did he take photographs of School and School House life, he wrote details on the back, as this other image shows:

The photograph is from his estate and is a gift of his daughter, Mary Jones in April 2014

The Peer Educator programme was instituted by Science teacher Shirley Heslop in the early 1990s. Those who completed the training were issued with this badge and could be approached for a listening ear. Mrs Heslop had a strong belief that a child who is stressed cannot perform well in class. Such a boy – there are only boys – might confide in older, and hopefully, wiser, pupils rather than an adult.

While other items in this collection endure from year to year, this one, of course, no longer exists. It was the central item of the dinner on the night of 9 June 2012. The other images show the details of each layer, the emblem and the roses were edible.

These side-by-side images from the New Zealand Herald of 18 April 1956 –a Wednesday – are a gift of Alan Kinnear on 28 November 2015. E.E. Davidson winning the 100 yards and A. Aston and M. Macky, first and second in the 880 yards.

This poster was erected so that people driving out of the School would be able to see it. It does not have the year date, 2014.

A medal was awarded to each player in the Girls’ Futsal team. They won the New Zealand Championship in 2013.

Although this Shield for form competition began with the 1925 win by Latin 3B, it was actually presented by RD Brown in 1927.
3B won the Shield for the next two years. The form teachers of these boys were Mr WRH Martin 1925 and 1926 and Mr S Black in 1927. Both of these were inspirational motivators. The Competition for class points in the finish of the Steeplechase went beyond the life of this shield, but as the School grew in size it became impracticable to continue. The original Steeplechase began in Ireland as a horse race. The horse – and rider – would run from one town’s church steeple to another. It became an Olympic athletic sport, and is also run in such multi-sport events as the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. Our race is more correctly named a Cross-country, and it is so named.

The Lion is a biannual 64 page publication which was first produced in June 2014. It was originally edited by Communications Manager, Estelle Sarney.

This rosette is a gift from Max Weston (1947-1951) on 12 November 2015. It may have been made by his mother.

The Beswick Shield was resented by Mr RM Beswick in 1928. Mr Beswick was an instigator of Association Football in schools. The Shield was for the winner of the Auckland Secondary Schools Competition. Mount Albert Grammar were the first winners and have won it more times than any other school. The image showing Mr Beswick is from a team photograph of the Auckland Football Association’s Principal Secondary Schools Representatives, 1929. The photograph of the team was bought at auction. It is from the estate of Mr WRH Martin.

The second image is of Joseph Simpkin, Captain of the 2005 winning team with the Beswick Shield. The School paid to have the shield refurbished and for an especially designed wooden carry box.

The caption reads: ‘PRIME MINISTER AT MT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL: The Prime Minister, Mr Holland, addressing the large gathering in the assembly hall of the Mt Albert Grammar School before opening the war memorial pavilion yesterday. Rain prevented the entire ceremony from being held out of doors.” The windows are original, there is a large speaker which, in the photograph, is above the Prime Minister’s head. There is an Air Force Band, refreshments on a central table and almost all the ladies are wearing hats and boys and men have short-back-and-sides haircuts. Many of the adults would be relatives of the fallen. The photograph is from The New Zealand Herald, 26 April 1956, and is a gift of Alan Kinnear in November 2015.

The School House formal crockery was used on the Housemasters’ table and also used for visitors for morning or afternoon teas. As can be seen from the second image it is good quality English china. There were matching saucers and side plates. All these items are on display at the School House. These items were a gift of Ron Hemus in his later years. Ron was Senior Housemaster from 1957-1972, so he was there for the demolition of the Old House and the establishment of the new House. He was simultaneously Head of History and Social Studies.

All the copies of the 10 issues of the 1980s had the same cover design. The Headmaster,

GM (Maurice) Hall saw the lion as ‘striving for excellence, strength, endeavour, courage” and the motto as “effort, reward’. As to the lower symbol, Mr Hall pointed out that the outer elements represented the Māori Koru, an opening fern front; “life, growth, sharing, hope”.

The central part of the design is of Pasifika origin, which could represent several things; a throne, “dignity and value” or a man astride with arms aloft “confidence assurance, endeavour, support for those who need it, a sense of worship, striving”. Mr Hall added: “we progress to the 1980s acknowledging what are owed to all those who are now our school.”

This symmetrical, elegant design was used throughout the 1920s. The original would have a hand drawing using geometrical instruments, compass, divider set square, rule. The shading of the pillars would have been done by hand as would the intertwined letters, MAGS. The only elements not done by hand would have been the lettering, which would have been done by letterpress. Also the Lion would have a stock printers element.

The Auckland Grammar School Chronical for the Second Term 1921, pp8 and 9 had a lengthy piece about the laying of the foundation stone for this School. Most of it is not new, but the last paragraph, depicted above, is new.

The boys were at the Annual House picnic at Milford in early December 1936. The photograph is a gift of the estate of Mr NB Body, Old Boy and Housemaster and keen photographer. He has a sense of history and wrote information on the back of all his photographs. The boys were named as: Bull, McClure, Williams, Watkins, Jones, Wickham and Genge.

Ben Stallworthy (at right), President of the Albertians Association, presents the Old Boy of the Year Silver Tray to Dale Griffiths, a former President and Member of the Board of Trustees. Dale has been a tireless worker for the School. 29 October 2012.

This receipt for ten shillings, paid by H.W. (Herbert) Salmon (1922). It is signed by both HM (Hec) McNeil, Hon Secretary and VC (Vic) Butler, who was President of the Old Boys’ Association. This is a gift of Sue Gasquoine, who is Herb Salmon’s granddaughter. May 2015.

Professor Russell Stone and Hon. Dr Michael Bassett. Each is the author of a considerable number of books with historical themes. Both are members of the Hall of Distinction. They were here for the induction into the Hall of Distinction of John Stacpoole. October 2013.

This undated rare colour photograph of a function at the Old School House was a gift from Graham Kidd, May 2012. G.E. Kidd entered the School House in 1945.

The main rugby field was named the BG Williams Field in a ceremony on 20 May 2017.
As a part of the festivities there was the annual First XV match between the School and Auckland Grammar School.

This photograph of nine of the 10 boys in 6A [YRS13], 1937 was taken on the front steps. Their signatures, all legible, are on the back, as is that of their form teacher, Mr Caradus. J.L. Nicholls was absent.

Hemus and Shaw were prefects, Bearley, Jones, and Shaw were John Williamson Scholars. Shaw, third from left, standing, with prefects’ badge, was Dux. Did Nicholls take the photograph? Also on the back is a developers stamp. PRINT BY/ D.G. BIERG / 21 OCT 1937 / 14 FORT STREET / AUCKLAND NZ. The photograph is a gift of Ron Hemus, who is sitting, on the left.

In a ceremony in the Staff Room on 28 August 2015, Mr MD Dempster, 1990 was welcomed into the company of staff members who had 25 years service to the School.

At age 22 Fl/Sgt Toon was raised to Pilot Officer. The second image is a newspaper item reporting his promotion.

These were loan items from his family, so that they could be copied.

The photograph is unusual in that the metadata is not printed but is done by hand with white ink. This item is from the estate of Mr WRH Martin.

These House Old Boys at a get-together in 1935 were all in suits and some in raincoats. They are on the side veranda of the Old School House. This is a Nelson Body photograph and on the back is the date, August 1935. Four or five years later, many of them would be uniform, in ships and planes and on the ground fighting for King and Country.

This is the work of WA Cumming FNZIA, August 1921. He was the architect of the Auckland Grammar School Board. The second image is of an enlarged fragment.

The plan is framed, so both images were photographed through glass. The original laboratories were in the south wing.

Head Prefects Katie Budgen and Liam Ferguson lay the School Wreath at the Mount Albert War Memorial. The Community ANZAC Service is held each year. This one was 25 April 2014.

This was a multi-use card, for thanks, for congratulations, and for sympathy. It was replaced by a landscape card in full colour.

The Premier Netball team 2013 were Auckland and New Zealand Champions.

At the Senior Prize Giving, 5 November 2012, David Tuipulotu, won the Barbara Clapperton Library Cup, The Isaac Gray Cup for Service to the School and The Walker Cup for Spoken Chinese.

The 2010 SADD Group had the usual ‘crashed’ car with ‘injured’ people trapped inside, but they went further, they had fire fighters in full kit cutting the roof off the car to get at the ‘victims’ and NZ Police, with an incident car, ‘arresting’ the ‘drunken’ driver, handcuffing him and putting him in the back of the car. It was the most elaborate demonstration ever organized by a SADD committee, and a salutary lesson to the large audience.

An Appeal Office was set, several years beforehand, for the purpose of raising funds for the School’s contribution to the Aquatic Centre. A professional fundraiser, Gordon Travett, was appointed, assisted by Kathy Farrell. Kathy also worked for the Old Boys’ Association as an Events Manager. As well as this business card there was a letterhead and envelope, with the same logo and in the same colour.

In the Auckland Secondary Schools’ Mountain Bike Relay Championships held at Woodhill Forest on 4 September 2005 Adrieen Hooper and Katherine Reynolds, riding as MAGS Wheels, were placed first in the under 16 girls section.

The winter morning fog shows the first iteration of the E Block.

“1987 has seen the Board of Governors of the Mount Albert Grammar School for Boys established by Gazette Notice of the Ministry of Education. It was an historic occasion for the school when the first meeting of the new Board was held in the School Library on Tuesday 11 August this year, Dr Peter McGeorge was elected the first chairman….” said Maurice Hall, Headmaster. Mr WF Green BCom, ACA, ACIS was the Secretary to the Board. He had been secretary to the pre-existent Auckland Grammar School Board. Professor Duncan McLennon took over as Chairman in November 1987. The Board went out of existence with the introduction of Tomorrow’s Schools in July 1989.

The 2005 Sports Dinner was held in the hall and at each table there was gold-painted sports equipment. The dinner, and the sports equipment, was organised by Chris Metcalfe.

Leavers’ Jerseys were introduced in 2002 by Caleb Hamilton, Head Prefect. He had the first one designed and they were a hit and became an annual thing. There was a different design each year, while the 2005 edition was rather drab, the Lions of ’05 were not. ‘Goodie’ was Head Prefect, William Good, ‘Co-Caine’ was Caine Hazwood and ‘Drama Queen’ was Kayleigh Haworth.

The girls played in borrowed strip in this year. The following year they had Mount Albert Grammar School uniforms. (This mirrored the 1922 First XV). This game was played at Western Park on 12 May 2005. The team played Auckland Girls’ Grammar School 2 and won 14-1.

This image is of the crown of the two tall phoenix palms at the front of the School. There is a broadleaf epiphyte growing in it. The palms are Phoenix canariensis and are endemic to the Canary Islands. They are also known as the Canary Island date palm.

Junior rugby in the rain and mud of a lower field 2007, Mount Albert Grammar School plays King’s College.

At an Arts Alive Concert in the Auckland Grammar School Centennial Theatre, three Year 10 Theatresports players did a Pythonesque skit called To Love a Duck. Here Emily Ridgeway does an have-I-got-a-deal-for-you spiel informing the audience that they could get top price on their old yellow plastic duck as a full deposit on a sale price new one. In the other image Vincent Aballe and Byron Gibbons continue the sales pitch.

Members of Year 12 Biology study a line transect at Te Muri Beach – near Warkworth.

Oscar Hemingway performs one of his own songs at a concert in the Hall, June 2006.

The School has had a regular ANZAC Service every year since 1957. Two wreaths are laid, one by the School and one by the President of the Old Boys Association/Albertians Association.

In the 2007 ANZAC Service The Last Post and Reveille were played by Spencer McGarry.

The School’s only Aerobics athletes to perform at the top level. They are also the only girls in their sport to win Silver / Sport Lions, Jennifer Ayres (2004). Michelle Barnett (2005), Stephanie Sokolich (2007).

Orinico Fa’amausili-Banse-Prince’s first foray onto the world stage was in 2006 at the First Fina world Youth Championship in Rio de Janeiro in August 2006. In Year 13 he became our youngest Olympian being select for the New Zealand Swimming team for the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. He returned to School with the same equable, sunny, good-mannered way in which he approaches all situations.

Carl Perry, fullback in the 2007 First XV scores in the corner.  Carl went on to be Director of Rugby at MAGS in 2016 and 2017.

These are the medals of Major Newton Wickham CBE, loaned to us to be photographed. Major Wickham, universally known as Wicky was a noted Albertian and benefactor to the School, he set up two scholarships and gave cash grants for various projects that took his fancy. He was a dental officer during the Second World War and a periodontist for many years after. He was a member of the Mount Albert Grammar School Hall of Distinction. The medals are: The 1939-1945 Star, The Africa Star with 8^th Army Clasp, The Italy Star, Defense Medal, War Medal with Oakleaf (mentioned in Dispatches), New Zealand War Service Medal. The second image (below) shows the late Dr Wickham speaking to the School on the occasion of his induction into the Hall of Distinction August 2009.

Head Girl, Mary-Grace Aballe pins the Head Prefect badge on William Good. Both Mary-Grace and Head Boy William went to Medical School and both graduated on the same day.

At the Auckland Athletic Association Annual Prizegiving on 15 May, 2005 in the Under 16 Girls’ division Te Rina Keenan and Andrea Koenen were Auckland regional joint champions and in the Under 13 Girls’ division, Rachel Peeters was the Auckland regional champion.

Miles Mason, Ivan Luketina Johnston and Jamie Lamb were lighting operators at the School’s fifth entry in the annual Stage Challenge (the New Zealand franchise of the Global Rock Challenge), at the Aotea Centre on 16 June 2005. It is rare for them not to be performing. Each was equally at home acting in a Shakespearian tragedy or a knock-about farce, and other art forms. Each went on to successful university careers.

The practice of giving out a sports caps to members of 1A or Premier champions began in 1924 when the fledgling Old Boys’ Association raised money to give caps to the members of the First XV Rugby boys, who won their first championship. Caps have been given out ever since. This one is for the successful Table Tennis team of 2006.

This ticket was for a different take on an oft-played tragedy though the lovers are still star-crossed-and more or less dead, as Tybalt and Mercutio. The Capulets and Montagues are cast as rival gangs, Paris sings snatches of I Love Paris, and there are other songs, too. There were dances, from the ethereal to the hard-out. There was original music composed by two boys, John Zheng and Jeronomo Pontifasio. Actors, dances, musicians, all exhibited a high-level skill.

David Griffin and Dale Griffiths, who was David’s predecessor as president of the Albertians Association. Both have also served as members of the Board of Trustees.

Junior Girls waiting to go on stage to perform, March 2007.

Art tickets for this event were named. The evening took the form of an auction of student’s work, carried out by a professional real estate auctioneer. The following year, 2014, there was the first Fine Art Show, with works of professional artists sold on commission. It was a more up-market affair and designed as a fundraiser. It was over three days and the ticket in this image is for the Friday night cocktail party.

There were joint winners of the first Dux Artium (Girls). They were the actress Samantha Lawson and the musician Zyia-Li Teh.

There were a number of events surrounding the 90^th Jubilee. This ticket was for the Saturday luncheon which preceded a First XV game, which was followed by another ticketed event, an after-match afternoon tea.

Professor Russell Stone (1936-1940) has been a prolific chronicler of Auckland for many years. As for as this School is concerned, he is the author of Tradition and Change: Mount Albert Grammar School: The First Seventy-Five Years (the co-author, NAC McMillan was the compiler of the Almanac). The cover depicted here, As It Was: Growing Up in Grey Lynn and Ponsonby Between the Wars: is a memoir includes his time at this School. Dr Stone is a member of the Hall of Distinction.

Tino Ape, First XV 2006, receives a Sport / Silver Lion and Certificate from Associate Principal, Paul McKinley (1996-2017).

Alexi Petrie holds the Intermediate Cross-Country Cup, which was gifted by Mrs W Ward Baker in 1927. She was the wife of a member of the Auckland Grammar School Board. The Ward Bakers took a great interest in this new School and showed that in a practical way by their many benefactions. Alexi is also holding a certificate as a personal momento. Around his neck he is wearing the bronze medal of the Auckland Secondary Schools’ Triathlon, which was represented on the same day.

Matt Bertram managed to get into his office. He took it in good part. He left to take up a senior position at Scots College, Wellington.

On the front page of the Central Leader for Friday 21 May 1999 it was announced that the School would be open to girls. It was not until a letter from the Minister of Education on 29 July 1999 that the decision was formalised. The Hon. Dr Nick Smith wrote to the Chairman, Peter Thorp. Part of the letter reads: “Thank you for your application to change the status of Mount Albert Grammar School from a boy’s school to a co-education school.

“I am pleased to inform you that I have approved the application. On 1 January 2000 Mount Albert Grammar School will become a co-educational school and cease to be a single sex boys’ school.”

The letter was handed over on the front steps of the school.

This image of the cricket nets in an almost complete state was taken on a film camera in December 1999. Earlier cricket nets were next to the original swimming pool, the site of both (and the rifle range come to that) are now covered by the E Block.

Mr Vince McGlone, was a sailor who fought on HMS Achilles during the Battle of the River Plate, which was the first naval battle of the Second World War in December 1939. He is with Commander Frank Rands, RNZN. ANZAC Service, April 2011.

There is an inter-school team chess competition. This 2007 game was between the School and Auckland Grammar School played at School.

This dance group performed at a School concert in the Auckland Grammar School Centennial Theatre in 2007. The concert included Pasifika performances, as well as musical and dramatic items.

This badge was first awarded to captains of Premier or A1 competition, in 2007.

Masters and their wives at the Old Boys’ Ball at the Peter Pan Cabaret 1937. The masters are; EH (Ted) Boulton, JH (Jack) Jenkin, WRH (Bill) Martin, MD (Murray) Nairn, JG (Goldie) Brown.

A Mufti Day to raise funds for charity. The word mufti refers to an Islamic Scholar. It was adopted by the British Army in the 19^th Century for colourful dressing gowns and tasseled caps worn by off-duty officers. They called it “Mufti Dress”, meaning “out of uniform”. That meaning has been used ever since.

As the sign shows, the School House was, for a time, renamed Towers Hall, in honour of the first (1927) Housemaster, HL (Herb) Towers, who was also an original Housemaster in 1922 and remained here for 57 years.
The name was bestowed at the beginning of 2001 and it reverted to School House at the beginning of 2009.

In 2012, the parents’ evening was on 9 February.

In the early days of the School the front door, opening on the portico and the other foyer door leading to the quadrangle, were both half French doors. They were replaced by doors in the Brutalist style, with large panes of wired glass. In the first decade of the new century they were replaced by doors that followed the earlier, more elegant style.

This film camera image of work on the tennis/netball sand–filled courts was taken in May 1999. This was the third location of tennis courts. The first court was on the platform where the library building now stands. The second iteration was six asphalt courts which were built for the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh, in 1956. Those courts are now covered by a car park and the aquatic centre. In 2020 a new Science Block opened on this site and tennis courts have been moved again to near the cricket nets.

The late Les Laurenson was a member of the 1947 First XV, which won the Auckland Championship.

Here, he examines the Jubilee Cup for games against Auckland Grammar School. In 1947 the team defeated Auckland Grammar School 20-0. In 2007 the competition winning team defeated Auckland Grammar School 21-13. The second image of the 1947 team has Les Laurenson fourth on the right in the front row. He came back to teach at the School.

The third image is of the 2007 game. A member of the team, Carl Perry, came back to teach at the School.

One of several big trees to be planted in large pits in the revamped E black quad.

This team played 22 games and won them all. They could have had a strong chance of winning the Rankin Cup, the premier New Zealand Secondary Schools hockey trophy. However, the tournament was cancelled because of a measles epidemic.

This was the inaugural year of Boys’ Lacrosse competition. The male form of the game is more robust than the female version, use the helmets. This game was against Michael Park School.

The late Dr Ted Bollard, Professor Russell Stone and Head Prefect Abby Manley at a quarterly luncheon for Senior Albertians at the Commerce Club, Remuera, April 2008

This group of 15 prefects to quote Gamble, “were within the military limits of age”. While Head Prefect, Dudley Rollinson was in uniform, though his poor eyesight meant he had limited duties. Those with more active roles were:

Second Lieutenant L.I.D. Collard
Second Lieutenant K.L. Shaw
Flight Lieutenant A.F. Tucker
Lance Corporal H.J.H. Irving
Ordinary Seaman D.A. Anderson
Gunner K.L. Pulman
Leading Aircraftman C.L. Cleal
Flying Officer K.H. Hemus
Flying Officer W.H. Hickson was taken prisoner.
Private Ray Amore, aged 21, was killed on 26 March 1943.
Second Lieutenant Owen Gordon McGregor, aged 22, was killed on 19 December 1943

The Bell is taken down, in April 2009. This was the first time it had been removed since it was first erected in 1927, it was cleaned and restored in July 2009.

A robotics competition in the Hall, 2009.

The programme cover of the Assembly to award Arts Lions. The Sport Lion was reintroduced in 2002, the Scholar Lion in June 2007 and the Arts Lion in November 2007.

The Big Sing is an annual school choir competition in the Auckland Town Hall. In 2008 there were 63 schools competing. Our choir, Harmonize was conducted by Miss Bridgette Carmody and accompanied by the late Peter Su’a. The choir sang Ava Maria (Schubert), When You Believe (Schwartz) and the Peter Su’a arrangement of E Hine E.

In 2005 Macbeth was staged, and, as with many other shows, actors were made up. Here Prolene Maharaj works on Danver Braganza, who played the Sergeant in Duncan’s Army.

Our 2008 entry to the Stage Challenge was called The Art of Sport celebrating the fact many sporty boys and girls are also performers. These two clowns proved to be very athletic.

It has become a ritual to have white shirts and blouses signed by leaving Lions on their last day at School.

During the seismic upgrade of the early 1990s, classrooms along the front corridor, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 were turned into offices. Large apertures were cut through the masonry and hidden lintels put in. In the first decade of the new century these offices were gutted, waiting rooms were curtailed and a number of news offices were shoehorned into the old classroom spaces. The second image shows the early stages of converting A3 to offices.

Greg Taylor 1988-2006, Dale Burden 2006-2015, Maurice Hall 1970-1988

A Junior Netball game played in the early morning in June 2010 on a remote court at the Auckland Netball Centre, Allison Ferguson Drive, Mt Wellington.

Pilot Officer Kenneth Fredrick Morgan

Killed 5 August 1944. Aged 21

At the School 1936-1937

Girls making finger food for an occasion 2008.

A section of the 2007 orchestra.

This crew won the Second Four race in the 1941 regatta. They are: Back Row: JF Carter (3), Mr JH Jenkin, FW Aiken (Bow). Front Row: DA Allely (Stroke), AC Mitchell (Cox), PN Farley (2). The image is a gift of Al Mitchell (1941-1945) in May 2009.

This image is in preparation for a son et lumière. The second image shows performers bathed in red light.

The light might have been yellow lime green, grey, sepia or combined colours.

Prefects slept out in cardboard boxes and under tarpaulins for the night of 19-20 May 2008, to raise funds for a charity.

A part of the first page of Lindsay Nash’s 4A Second Term Algebra Examination script, in which he did quite well.

Professor Norman Wong presents a University of Auckland Scholarship to Emily Du.

The 2011 Arts Dinner was held at Sorrento in the Park, Cornwall Park. The image shows the Boys’
Dux Artium, Adam Naughton and the Girls’ Dux Artium, Courtney MacKinnon. Adam also won the Best Male Actor Cup and the JCNB Clark Cup for Excellence in Dramatic Work. Courtney also won the Distinguished Service Award: Photography, Leadership in Painting and the Senior Art Cup. She also made the clothes she is wearing

The original Steeplechase was mostly a road race but the modern Cross Country has incorporated the Farm to the extent that much of the race is on farm land.

Senior Albertians at their April 2011 quarterly luncheon.

A reflection of School in the rear window of a hatchback.

The first image is of a card and the second image is of a group of invitees. As can be seen the 2009 lunch was held on Daffodil Day, 29 August 2009.

The sign was on two posts and was just inside the front gate of 807 New North Road, on the right, in front of a large totara. It was ‘liberated’ by Houseboys and suffered some damage. It was returned through John Sumner (who was not a Houseboy). It has been framed to protect it from further damage and is now on a wall at the new School House. Had the boys not taken it in the first place it may have ended up in a skip.

Market days and barbecues and the like are used as fundraisers for sports team or some other purpose.

Printing of the 2008 The Albertian at Keyprint Printing Ltd, Eden Terrace.

The boys of School House did an end of year haka as the seniors left on study leave, 8 November 2011.

This field dental chair from the Second World War was used by Major NE Wickham of The Royal New Zealand Dental Corps. Dr Wickham graduated from the University of Otago and completed a post-war Doctor of Dental Surgery at the University of Toronto. He returned to New Zealand at set up practice as a periodontist. This is a most generous gift, as such chairs are rare and sought after.

An association football match between Old Boys and the School included two staff members in the Old Boys team. In front is James Bellingham, behind him is Reuben Ploeg, and behind him is Joshua Smith (the red-headed boy) who is a member of the First XI.

The late Len Castle, CBE, CNZM, BSc, with his Hall of Distinction Charter. He was inducted into the Hall in 2005. He was here as a boy (1938-1942) and as a teacher (1948-1958). He left teaching and became a fulltime potter and one of the foremost New Zealand potters.

This event was staged by the Lions of ’09.

John Pipe plays Richard John Seddon. The second image shows ladies of the period (more or less).

Junior 3A included boys who had skipped a class during their primary career and arrived here younger than their peers, although there are some taller, older-looking boys in the front row. Their Form Master is Robert Willmott MA, father of Albertians John and David. The second image is the class list.

The half back is Scott Patterson

President of the Albertians Association, Dr Maelen Tagelagi, presents an engraved plaque to Prefect Orinoco Fa’amausili-Banse-Prince, who had been selected for the Beijing Summer Olympic Games. He swam the fourth leg of the 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay.

This item was performed at the Hit the Ground Running Dance Concert at TAPAC, Western Springs, at the end of Term One.

The 1937 First XI won the Senior Championship and the Knock-out Trophy (The Beswick Shield and the AFA Award). They were: Standing: CM Bishoprick, M Manson, WB Adair, Mr WRH Martin, HJH Irving, OJ Housby, KL Piper. Seated: TN Arnold, W Macfarlane, JC Mansfield (Captain), HD Huchinson, DD Taylor. Absent: LR Oswald. They were undefeated with 42 goals for and 4 against.

Before the building of the new addition to what was the D Block and yet another revamp of the 1970 original building, the first thing a visitor to the School would see would be this end-of-D-Block emblem and name. It has been replaced by a cement emblem and motto scroll, such as was first used on the E Block.

This event was part of the promotion of the School Cookbook, MAGS Flavours. Albertian Michael Meredith was one of the judges.

Junior Cross-country Champions Jochim Nobel and Rachel Head with their trophies and certificates.

These branches, with epiphytes, hang over the pedestrian path leading to the lower gate.

This extensive menu is undated.

This photograph includes several men who were on the original staff, as well as more who came in the 1920s. There are more who were rising stars and who were destined to remain  at the School until retirement. They played a pivotal role in the history of the School. They were: Back Row: GW Heron, LR Castle, NAC McMillan, CR Hemus, J Horrocks, TJ Foran, WH Wendelin, RP Kelly, GG Harvey, CT Hopkins, RG Smyth, DE Davies, RB Martyn. Middle Row: WF Boaden, VB Herbert, B McLeod, TG Moorcraft, WS Mitchell, FE Coulthard, LH Yorke, RN Patterson, AG Blamires, AF McSkimming, PA Jones, DA Anderson. Front Row: WE King,  NB Body, EH Boulton, JG Brown, HL Towers, CP Worley, W Caradus (Headmaster), RB Hardy, HL Calder, JH Jenkin, R Willmott, JLD Woolloxall, GL Weir.

The first image is of a sign showing them where to go.

The girl in the red top is Rachel Peeters. Five years later she was Head Prefect.

This programme cover for the 2008 Arts’ Assembly was the second annual awarding of Arts Lions, which were introduced by Headmaster Dale Burden on 2 November 2007.

The front and north side of the main building were dug up to lay new drains to prevent rising damp and periodical flooding.

There was a staff barbecue on the School Farm to farewell the Farm Manager, Malcolm Roundtree, after five years of service. The first image is of staff at the barbecue and the second image is of Headmaster Greg Taylor, presenting a gift to Malcolm while HOD Agriculture, Michelle Farmer looks on with her gift ready.

The Auckland Rugby First XV Championship Final was played at Eden Park and the school defeated King’s College 40-10 and went on to win the New Zealand Championship and the Moascar Cup.

The first image is of preparation for a lock. The second image shows the doors to the quad being painted. They are white on the outside and polyurethaned on the inside.

The Distinguished Service Order is a high honour for bravery. It is for line officers only.
We have four Albertians who have received it. They are Major GS Carter DSO, Wing-Commander SD Watts DSO, DFC, Major GB Nelson DSO and Group Captain CWK Nicholas, DSO, OBE.

The Library was packed up and put into storage so that there could be extensive renovation and extensions to the Library.

The staff member is JLD (Laurie) Woolloxall, an Albertian, who came back to teach hereSix along from him, in the same row is a boy with glasses. He is KH (Kel) White. He, also, returned to teach here. Laurie Woolloxall was Head of Science, Kel became Head of Languages.

Kevin Fallon, Coach, with members of the 2003 Association Football First XI team at an after-match function in the staffroom.

Outgoing President of the Albertian Association, Maelen Tagelagi, hands over the Chain of Office to Ben Stallworthy, the incoming President.

From the photograph it can be seen that the conditions were dreadful. This was the 1946 final.

Someone has written the date 21.8.46.

The six men on the front steps were: “Dave Sumner, H.G. Vivian, Mr Gamble, Merv Wallace, G.L. Weir and G.T. McNiel, after presentation to Vivian, Weir and Wallace, members of the New Zealand Cricket team travelling [to] England. Sumner and McNiel, President and Secy. Of Old Boys’ Association”. The text on the back and the photograph are the work of Nelson Body who had the presence of mind to write on the back of all his photographs. This, and others, are a gift of his estate.

Warwick Elley of Education and John (Jack) Sinclair of Physiology.

Piles of magazines ready to be distributed in early December 2004. They are in A5, a room that has now been divided and is part of the International Office. It was, for generations, the abode of JG (Butch) Brown.

The men in the background are Allan Sangster (obscured) and Paul Ferner, Head of Guidance. Allan, an Albertian, is Head of Mathematics. Allan and his wife have a large bach which they allow to be used to accommodate the prefects. The camp is in early February.

This informal orchestra group was photographed for promotional purposes.

The team played 10 games, won 9 and lost 1 and scored 212 points and had 32 points against them. The team was: Back Row: REW Elliot, RH Brown, LR Beck, DL Harry, JB Patterson. Middle Row: NE Lawrence, JG Digby, BF Hibbard, PRL Davison, JH Sinclair, GC Cummins. Front Row: Mr JLD Woolloxall, RV Walker, JG Williams (Vice Captain), PB Johnston (Captain), RY Collins, OH Costley, Mr HL Calder. In Front: WA Massey, GG Massey, JD Watkinson.

Girls from the top Year 9 class discover coloured precipitates.

There are two documents here, the Golden Jubilee Trust brochure and a pledge card.

The assets of the Golden Jubilee Trust and of several other Trusts were amalgamated and incorporated into the Mount Albert Grammar School Foundation, which is the School’s single, more fit-for-purpose fundraising entity.

Delivered sand is being loaded onto a sand spreader. It was done in March 2010 at a time when the fields were hard and dry.

This is an informal group. There are 23 of the 26 boys. The Senior Housemaster Mr HL Towers and the Matron Mrs M Walker are present. Mrs Walker was chosen from a large group of applicants. She was there for just the inaugural year. The Headmaster said of her in his annual report: “The resignation of the Matron, Mrs Walker, will be a severe loss to the House, but the sure foundation she has laid this year will remain always as a reminder of her skilful and wise management.”

Warwick Gibbs, long-time language teacher has been involved with cricket for many years and can be seen here changing the scoreboard

Ivan Luketina-Johnston receives the Boys Dux Artium award from Headmaster Dale Burden.

Headmaster Gamble shakes the hand of David Solomon, who, with a leather suitcase, is about to depart to Great Britain as a member of the All Blacks.

This high-energy group was created and coached by the late Peter Su’a.

The late Arnold Wilson addressed the School in 2007. Arnold was Head of Art here. When the then Old Boys’ Association gifted the large Honours Board on the South Wall of the Hall at the time of the Golden Jubilee, the large carving in the middle was Arnold’s work. In the second image, Arnold is joined by two Albertian painters, the late Sir Peter Siddell and Ian Kingstone.

The guest speaker at the annual Leavers’ Dinner in 2005 was Albertian Simon Mercep, broadcaster and journalist. The inaugural Leavers’ Dinner was in the Golden Jubilee year, 1982
It was held in the Auckland Polish Association’s Hall in Morningside. It was inaugurated by Evan Gray who ran it for many years. (Simon Mercep’s mother was Polish).

Within 14 years there were 25 Assistant Masters up from 11 in 1922. The Masters were:
Back Row: JW Bailey, WE King, JG Brown, JM Tait, R Willmott, WRH Martin, T Scott, EH Boulton. Middle Row: WCJ Perry, CT Harris, JH Jenkin, JB Body, HL Calder, MD Nairn, MJ O’Sullivan, JLD Wooloxall. Front Row: AD Trendall, RB Hardy, GS Coldham, W Caradus, FW Gamble (Headmaster), JH Harvey, HF Brook, CP Worley, HL Towers. Inset: WS Fleming

This has been done every year in recent times in order to raise funds for cancer research.

Getting trophies engraved, after deciding who the winners are, and then having them cleaned and ordered on the table is a series of skilled operations. The Director of Sport is responsible for Sports Trophies. For many years Greg Cave has been responsible for the many subject and general academic awards.

Three sleeping piglets on the School Farm. The second image is of cartoon little pigs for a production staged in 2006.

This Intermediate A team won the Championship and the Knockout Cup. They were: Standing: Mr JG Brown, HJH Irvine, LR Oswald, HD Hutchinson, RK Dell, K Manson. Seated: JT Wallace, TD McMurchy, JG Boddy, A Stuart (Captain), TR Shaw, WN Pearman, CM Bishoprick.

Albertian Servicemen saluting the playing of the Last Post at the School’s ANZAC Service.

The School’s first foray into Secondary Schools Equestrian Competition. We had our own horse blanket.

The team won all of its 10 games. It scored 68 goals and had 7 goals scored against it. The team was: Back Row: JM Mannall, PC Sinclair, RMcL Burnett, AH Denz, BM Gibson, DN Armstrong. Front Row: EF Franklin, BR Healey, CS Bish (Vice Captain), WG Bailey (Captain), KB Spark, DL Andrew, Mr NB Body.

It may look as though two young people have very spikey hair. Each of them is standing in front of a potted plant.

This preliminary work led to the building being gutted and rebuilt inside. As it turned out, there was another complete rebuild when the other side of the building was constructed. The double building was now one new structure and was renamed for Maurice Hall, the fourth Headmaster and a fine mathematician.

Graham Burgess, John Goulding and Henry Palmer, have all been notable in Old Boys’ affairs and now all, sadly, deceased.

As an Intermediate TeRina Keenan threw 39.65m in the Discus. The Senior Champion in that year threw just 26.73m. TeRina won an Athletic Scholarship to the University of Hawaii.

Prime Minister Sidney Holland was here to open the War Memorial Pavilion (the ‘Grandstand’). He is accompanied by Selway Andrews, President of the Old Boys’ Association. There is a guard of honour of cadets with .303 rifles with fixed bayonets. Headmaster Murray Nairn is behind with his wife Nancy.

Albertian Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon, returned to the School to open the Library. He is accompanied by Headmaster Maurice Hall. The Prime Minister Also opened a Gymnasium in 1980.

Prime Minister Jenny Shipley was here to open the then Philips Aquatic Centre. She is accompanied by Headmaster Greg Taylor. Les Mills, Mayor of Auckland is obscured behind the Prime Minister. Paul Harrop, Chair of the Trust that legally owns the pool has his hand on the door handle.

Prime Minister Helen Clark presented a Girls’ Foundation Year Badge to Hayley Holm, the first girl to enrol. The ceremony was in the Headmaster’s office. The artwork behind is by Chris Roy, art teacher.

Prime Minister John Key was here to open a gymnasium. He is seen here with the plaque and is accompanied by Headmaster Dale Burden and Board Chairman Greg Moyle

This was a lunchtime picnic for International Students. It took place at the beginning of the year when the days were warm and dry.

The School was a competitor in the 2008 Stage Challenge at the Aotea Centre. Preparation was an all-day affair.

In the early evening pizzas were delivered. As they were on the front steps of the Aotea Centre, four guards were assigned.

Brothers David and John Willmott at an Albertians Lunch. They are the sons of Bob Willmott, a French and English teacher who was also the Choirmaster and in charge of Hockey and ran the bookroom in pre-free textbook days.

School Concerts began in 1926 and continued until 1967 when they were killed off by television. For most of the time they were held in the Town Hall. Items sung by this jumbo Choir were listed in the programme as ‘The School’. In the 1941 concert they presented four brackets. In all they sang: Caudeamus, The King is Still in London, The Army the Navy and the Air Force and then There’s a Boy Coming Home on Leave and The Woodpecker Song. The third bracket was Bridge Builders and the hymn O God our Help in Ages Past. The last numbers were Ferry-Boat Serenade and O Ain’t it Great to be in the Navy. I was war time and all these songs would have been well received
In the last concert in 1967 there was the likes of Ruby Tuesday, And I Love Her and finally there was The Carnival is Over.

Standing: J Stacpoole, LJH Wright, GS Finlayson, Rev JC Guiness, MV Hutchinson, T Smith,  CR Ward. Seated: WM Lowrey, TV Fitzpatrick, HTJ McNeil, D Sumner (President), J Horrocks (Secretary), WM Tongue, NB Body.

For most of the School’s history there have been Form Notes as a regular feature of the annual magazine, The Albertian. They were written by a boy from each class, although they were in abeyance for the war years. For the most part the headings were commercially derived but now and then a hand-drawn one would appear, as in this one for Four Science. There was also one for Three A Science as the other image shows.

Both were drawn by JTM. The only boy with those initials was JT Martin of Lower Five Non-Latin; a class described by what it was not.

This paragraph is from the 1922-1946 Silver Jubilee Souvenir, page 72. The N.Z.E.F.I.P. was the 2^nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Pacific. In 1976 the Gilbert Islands became Kiribati and the Ellice Island became Tuvalu, two independent members of the Commonwealth.

The New Zealand Cricket team line up at Lords. King George V shakes hands with GL Weir. HG Vivian is nearest the camera.

This was the first time that a Girls’ Lacrosse Team, from the School, competed in this Auckland-wide tournament at Parrs Park where there were a number of fields, so that several games could go on at the same time. The second image shows action against Avondale College.

The Cup commemorates an annus mirabilis in sport. Those in the photograph are: D Sumner, WH Tongue, Mr FW Gamble, Mr W Caradus, RC Aiken, NB Body, VC Butler.
In that year we won the Senior Championship in Cricket, Rugby, Association Football (both the Championship and the Knockout Cup), Hockey (all 22 games), the inter-secondary Schools Senior Athletics and the Rowing Head of the Harbour.
No other sports had the inter-school competitions then, but in swimming PS Hannon won the New Zealand 100yd Freestyle Championship. It was a clean-sweep year for the school.

This exact form continued until 1957, after which there was a larger format and some different presentations.

This informal photograph shows competitors being marshalled for a race and masters and boys who are spectators. It is at the Mount Eden ‘Baths’.

This is the famous winners of the Earl Roberts Shooting Shield. The first New Zealand team ever to do so. Those in the photograph are: Standing: Major CP Worledy, Sergeant R Jones-Parry (Fire Director), Captain E Boulton (Coach). Seated: Sergeant RF Wakefield, Corporal WH Jenkin, Corporal AM Jenkinson, Cadet CJ Robieson.

Everyone in this photograph is smiling. They were in a commanding lead against Auckland Grammar School and they went on to win the Championship. Those in the photograph are: Mr JH Harvey, RC Aickin, HG Vivian, D Hetherington, RW Browne, JN Fraser, D Webb, RG Bush, AM King, GL Weir (Captain), LE Vivian, MT Wilson, Mr W Caradus.

CR (Ron) Hemus and WS (Bill) Mitchell in their later years. Bill is seated and Ron is standing. They were at an Old Albertians lunch at the Commerce Club, Remuera.

Sonny-Bill Williams played Rugby League, Rugby Union and Boxed. He represented New Zealand in all three sports. He presented Black Caps to New Zealand representatives, including Ianeta Hutchinson, Water Polo, Assisting is Samantha Chapman.

The team played 11 and won 11. They scored 95 goals and had just 1 scored against them. They won the Championship and the Knockout Cup. The team was:
Standing: Mr JG Brown, WB Adair, OJ Houseby, JA Howie, TN Arnold, TR Shaw, FJ Lea. Seated: WH Edgar, CM Bishoprick, HD Hutchinson (Captain), HJH Irving, DD Taylor.

These girls are wearing dresses made from unusual materials under the guidance of Natalia Brodie, HOD Technology.

Larney Palmer, the Farm Manager organised a barbecue for neighbours whose houses back onto the Farm.

MAGS Flavours is a high-end cookbook in which every recipe was tested at the Auckland University of Technology Culinary Arts Kitchen and photographed by professional photographer Sean Shadbolt. It was a massive operation. The idea for the book came from Development Director Chris Long, who was the Production Leader. The second image shows the Production Team:

The Green Room was an original production that ran over three nights. It was staged at the Auckland Grammar School Centennial Theatre.

Albertian Ashley Lawrence BSc LRMS (1948-1952) receives the Tagore Gold Medal from the hands of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. The medal, for Music, was gifted by the Bengali scholar, politician and philanthropist Sir Jatindamohan Tagore. He has other gold medals for Law and for Physical Science. Lawrence was an outstanding conductor of Ballet at the highest level.

Those in the photograph were:
Back Row: RM Pickering, JR Phillips, SB Stevens, LC Hunter, ID Parlane, DJ Watson.
Middle Row: AT Watherspoon, J Mowlem, GB Walford, SJG Davis, GG Crawshaw.
Front Row: JL Creswell, TRT Williams (Deputy), MD Nairn (Headmaster), RA Lamont (Head Prefect), JH Gaukrodger.

Mr WE King BSc was universally known to the boys as Weka King and to staff as Bill. He was one of two members of staff who always wore a bow tie, the other was JG Brown. Weka taught Junior Science. In his early days he worked for a stock and station firm in South Canterbury. He was a willing helper in rugby, cricket and athletics, as well as directing, at different times, the chess club, the astronomy club and inspecting home gardens for an annual award. Mr King was a benign gentleman, who in 1963 died in office, so he has a plaque in the Hall as the second image shows.

Hundreds of notes were written by students of all levels and stuck on glass panes all over the Albertian Quad and beyond. This is a random sample of heartfelt love.

WH Kedgley entering the School gates and winning the 1931 Steeplechase. The inner pillars have been removed. A modern truck could have not otherwise got in. The unsealed road and rank growth does not daunt the cyclists. Old-style electric poles had more wires than modern ones. The house on the corner remains.

Warwick Gibbs, Greg Cave and Andrew Fox at lunch.

In 1922 there were eleven Assistant Masters. In 1932 the number had risen to 25 with AR Gatland as Second Master and in Charge of Mathematics. Science, English, Latin and French all had senior staff in charge of those four subjects. In 1942 there were 32 Assistant Masters, W Caradus was Second Master. Seven masters were on leave in the armed services during World War II.

Headmaster Gamble shakes the hand of David Solomon who, with a leather suitcase, is about to depart to Great Britain as a member of the All Blacks.

The report on Scout Dunningham said that he was at the Dominion’s Premier Troup, Grey Lynn.
He was a King’s Scout and won 31 proficiency badges.
In May he sailed by the S.S. Arawa via Panama, and “according to letters received he has toured the British Isles and has been the guest of Lord and Lady Liverpool for a week. He has visited Denmark and other parts of the Continent and sailed for New Zealand via Suez, by the S.S. Moreton Bay on September 23^rd …. Before his departure for the Old Country he was tendered a brilliant farewell …. It is not often a boy of Dunningham’s age is given such a good opportunity to see the world ….”

Hundreds of notes were written by students of all levels and stuck on glass panes all over the Albertian Quad and beyond. This is a random sample of heartfelt love.

This deckle-edged card was for the 60^th Old Boys Annual Dinner, so the first one was in 1927. The First Leavers’ Dinner was also in the Polish Reception Lounge.

An announcement of the death of Sir Alan Stewart KBE, CBE on 13 September 2004. He was the Schools first Rhodes Scholar. He was Principal of Massey Agricultural College 1959-1963 and founding Vice-Chancellor from 1964-1983 during which he guided the institution through its transition.

The 1970 D Block façade had not been changed thought the interior had been changed. The original large double art room space was the only area designed by its user – Neil Grant. After he left, that room was divided into two. The large double space upstairs was likewise divided in two after ‘team teaching’ fell out of favour. Downstairs at the western end the music department was developed. When that went elsewhere, offices took its place.
In 2004 there was a major upgrade to the lower floor, the façade and the quadrangle. The second image shows the gutted Guidance Counsellor’s office. The birch trees (Betula pendula), though beautiful, had to go as their roots were very shallow because of earlier earthworks.

This 15-month calendar was from July 2005 to September 2006 was curated by Brian Murphy, Archivist. The School owns the copyright. It was produced by the late Nick Rosenburg whose now-defunct company produced such items. There are 15 pictorial cards plus the introductory and end cards.

This teapot is an early work by Neil Grant who taught here from 1962 until the end of the Term 2 1973. Neil was also a talented cartoonist and could do beautiful lettering. The second image shows companion pieces to the teapot.

That is a milk jug, sugar bowl and teaspoon holder. The third image shows his ‘colophon’, a letter G.

Names are on the back.

This is a gift of Dr Roger Harris (Urologist) who is in the front row, number 6. Many of these boys went on to notable careers.

This image is the frontispiece of the 1932 The Albertian. There are groups of present boys and Old boys. They are watching a game. There are several ladies too. There are three motorcars. There are two phoenix palms on each side. One was favoured and the other removed. There is a tear in the bottom of the photograph, and it has been repaired from the back, probably with glue-backed paper tape.

This creature is being held by its creator, KJ Inta of 4WA. Noel Walker was a technical teacher.

JD Collester, 1926-1929, 6ft 4in, 13 stone 6lb and WE Ball, 1929-1932, 4ft 1½in, 4 stone 11lb

6ft 4in = 76 inches or 1.93m

13 stone 6lb = 188lb or 85.3kg

4ft 1½in = 49.5in or 1.3m

4 stone 11lb – 67lb or 30.4kg

Headmaster Dale Burden is prepared to take a ducking as part of a red and black dress-up day to raise funds for Avondale School, Christchurch, as a charity cause as a result of the Christchurch earthquakes.

This report of the unfortunate circumstances leading to the amputation of an active young man’s leg. In the 1926 The Albertian reported that: “Unfortunately the malady could not be arrested, and during the runner vacation of 1925 the School was again saddened by the news of the death of another of its Old Boys.”

In modern times with antibiotics and advanced care there would have been a happier outcome.

They are DW (Don) Austin, WA (Bill) Lake, PM (Peter) Ruhen, all Junior Housemasters and CR (Ron) Hemus, the Senior Housemaster. They would have been served by a duty boy who was described as being “on Masters”. Junior Housemasters had rostered Duty Days as were on duty one weekend in three.

There were a number of cartoons in early issues of The Albertian. It shows a boy with a long face called up to the Master’s desk. It was drawn by GVK Davies of 5B.

The School was the venue for a visit by the Duke of Edinburgh on 14 December 1956. It was for pupils of other Schools too. This grainy newspaper photograph shows the ducal stand-in, Mr RA Keir, a Secondary Schools’ Inspector. There were also understudies for the Minister of Education and the Mayors of Mount Albert and Auckland. The Duke’s double inspected the cadet guard of honour and was conducted through the three hour ceremony by the District Superintendent of Education Mr L.LeF. Ensor, and the Headmaster, Mr MD Nairn.

The image is in very good order and the metadata is clear. The cardboard mount is not good quality and has foxed. The photograph was taken in the Schmidt Studios. Those sitting are in ornate chairs, arranged in a wide arc. The Captain is sitting in a chair of a different kind. There are 14 boys in the photograph, but no absences are noted. The Albertian list includes EA Hurley and McL Lowry as members of the team. Those in the photograph are:

Back Row: GH Fisher, HT McNiel, JN Fraser, LE Soloman, HL Jenks, EC Laurie

Middle Row: AC Shepherd, JA Mass, LE Vivian (Captain), APS Bell, HR Halls, Mr HL Towers

Seated: AM King, JS Wilson, LD Nola

The Albertian of 1926 pulled no punches: “The tackling of the team, as a whole, was very disappointing, and on many occasions the forwards particularly might easily have imparted more vigor in their play.”

Ben Sinclair, singer, guitar player. He also plays piano and clarinet. He is from a musical family. He later did a music degree and came back to teach here, looking rather different with short hair. Ben now plays with The Beths and sings and plays with his friend Ivan Luketina-Johnston’s group Sal Valentine and the Baby Shakes.

This paragraph is from a larger piece which was about the glory of the Empire and New Zealand’s great fortune to be part of it.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by American Harper Lee (1926-2016). It was her only work, but it was a blockbuster, selling over 30 million copies. In the US it was purchased by many Boards of Education for distribution to High Schools in their districts, as set texts
It was adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel (1918-1993). It took him 20 years with many rewrites. It was staged over four nights in April 2019 and with alternate casts playing the 18 roles. The players were all from Year 12

This is a home-made header for cricket. Headmaster Gamble regarded cricket as the finest game a boy can play. William Caradus was a fine cricketer himself. John Hooper Harvey was a first-class umpire. Cricket was the only summer team sport. Tennis, swimming and athletics were, by and large, individual sports. It was reported in 1926 that the championship was won for the first time. There was a reduced number of games because of a polio epidemic.

This plaque is attached to the flat surface of a rock close to where the front steps of the Old School House. It reads:

“MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL HOUSE

SCHOOL HOUSE

This plaque stands at what were the front steps of Auckland’s first boarding establishments for a state school. Schools House opened in 1927 with 28 boys, Housemaster HL Towers and Matron Mrs Mary Walker.

JG Brown was Housemaster for 23 years, CR Hemus for 14 years and Miss Beryl Normanby was Matron for 22 years.

Over 1200 boys lived here between 1927 and 1970. In 1971 a new School House opened in the School grounds.

Per Angusta ad Augusta”

Some of the front area including the turning circle, the trees out the front and refurbished gate remain as do the oak trees down as far as Birch Street. Much of the stone wall of this area also remains. All the rest of the site has been sold off for housing.

A new Prunus is now growing over the area of the Plaque

This condensed biography is from Mount Albert Grammar School: Golden Jubilee 1922-1971, edited by J.G. Brown. William John Scott, QSO, was known as Jack. On leaving school he became a farmer before winning the Rodney electorate. He was in the second National Government under Keith Holyoake.

During the first concert, The Merchant of Venice, Act 1, Scenes 1 and 3 were performed.

“Our thanks are due to Mr F Dickeson for assistance in ‘make-up’ and to the Auckland Amateur Operatic Society in the matter of costumes.”

The players were

WMcC Warin (Lorenzo), PA Eaton (Salarino), RS Harrop (Shylock), OS Hintz (Antonio),

AW Reed (Bassanio), CG Prior (Salanio), JM Spottiswood (Gratiano).

Brian Murphy, HOD Technology and Brian Murphy, Archivist.

Boys sweep some debris from the top of the steps leading down to the library. The roughcast planter on the left has been removed as have the steps. There is a master supervising. He is wearing shorts and long socks.

Brett Kingstone’s office was in the original bookroom between what was A5 and A6 at the north end of the bottom corridor. It has gone through a number of iterations over the years. The other images show Brett as Head Prefect of both School and House. Brett was also Captain of the First XV as was his father before him.

Many years later 6A became known as Form 7 and then as Year 13. At the start of 1928 the maximum number was 10. One of them, CJ Young left during the First Term 1928. He was a Senior National Scholar. CC Watt was absent from the photograph. The eight here are:

Standing: DR Connell, AK Tulloch, AF Spence.

Seated: JAW Bennett, WS Rapson, SN Spence, RC Aiken, JR Nairn.

It is hard to identify the cartoonist, but the idea is obvious, from trams to buses to an aeroplane. In 1926 boys were fascinated with flying machines. They were still relatively uncommon and the sight of one should have created great interest.

This team won the Championship, so their photograph was in The Albertian for 1938. They played a league against five teams: Auckland Grammar School, Seddon Memorial Technical College, Otahuhu Technical High School, Sacred Heart College A and B. One game was won by default, so they played 9, won 7, drew 1, lost 1, points for 82, points against 27.

The team was:

Back Row: AL Thomas, JB Sawers, EA Moore, BA Wolfgram, RW Lockie, PG Spicer,

RG Southwell, DS Grinter.

Middle Row: JKH Goulding, LH Larsen, KM Davies (Vice-Captain), Mr JLD Wooloxall,

JR Shaw, RJ Goff, JB Christie.

In Front: CW Orr, KG McLiver.

Inset: LR Belsham (Captain).

This was first of a series of security gates being lifted off a truck.

The image shows the Hon Nikki Kaye and the fourth Headmaster Maurice Hall who had been Head of Mathematics here and taught in the D Block. The new parallel building was joined to the refurbished original 1970 building by an atrium. The new building is the HQ of the Mathematics Faculty. The plaque has a permanent home at the new entrance.

The image is of Mayor of Auckland Mr GW Hutchinson planting the first tree of the Citrus Test Area. The ladies on the right (of the viewer) are the Misses Kerr Taylor. The Citrus Test Area was two acres of the Farm leased to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (the DSIR). The trees were supplied by the Citrus Fruit Growers Committee of the Auckland Horticultural Society. It lasted for a number of years before it reverted to the Farm. There is a quite comprehensive report in the 1933 The Albertian, which reported on many spectators on the day – 10 August 1933.

Mr Minns’ hope that he would welcome an Old Boy Rhodes Scholar to Oxford was not to be realised. The first pupil Rhodes Scholar was to be years away. Percy Croft Minns went to Balliol College. The first pupil was the later Sir Alan Stewart, 1941, who went to University College. Then came Charles Bentley Cato, 1974, who went to Worcester College and then Jonathan Bruce Good, 2004, who studied at Magdelan College.

Harry and William Beech began their schooling in England and emigrated to New Zealand and ended up at Mount Albert Grammar School. William was very young and should have been in primary school, but he was allowed in here where he stayed for seven years without a single absence. Harry played Justice Shallow in a scene from

Henry IV Part II and William impersonated Miss Edith Carlton in The Island of Romance.

This text was by OS Hintz of 6A (Year 13) and it was printed in The Albertian. OS Hintz later became the editor of The New Zealand Herald.

In Little Red in the Hood, Little Red (Mieke Johnston) returns to Utopia to find a dystopic world. She is assured by Peter Pan (Clay Roberts) that goodness still exists, but it is not strong enough to counter the evil of the Big Bad Wolf. The mysterious Muffin Man (Samuel Gerwitz-Byrne) makes episodic appearances and all his muffins have the same fortune-cookie-like message: ‘Look inside yourself’. The Wolf (Redmund Taulu) is looking for Happily Ever After but he and the two gangs – the Gruffs and the Pigs (‘Who you calling Little?) don’t get it. But all the rest of the motley cast get that Happily Ever After is ‘inside yourself’ and it overtakes the power of evil. It ends with a celebratory chorus dance, Utopia and Happily Ever After prevail.

For most of the School’s history complaints about the tuck-shop food were frequent. Even one of the youngest boys in the school, L Haythornthwaite has something to say about it. They would not have been able to imagine the quality of the food in the early 21^st century, some of which would not be recognizable then.

Mr Minns’ hope that he would welcome an Old Boy Rhodes Scholar to Oxford was not to be realised. The first pupil Rhodes Scholar was to be years away. Percy Croft Minns went to Balliol College. The first pupil was the later Sir Alan Stewart, 1941, who went to University College. Then came Charles Bentley Cato, 1974, who went to Worcester College and then Jonathan Bruce Good, 2004, who studied at Magdelan College.

Ella Davis was in the First Eleven Girls’ Cricket team while in Year 9. She is holding the mounted ball in which she took 5 wickets for 6 in a game against another school. Ella was also a Junior A Netball player. Five years later she was a Prefect and the 2020 Girls’ Dux and Liddell Scholar.

The redoubtable JG Brown MA, Head of English, Goldie to the older staff, Butch to the boys, inhabited A5 for generations of boys. He compiled three anthologies. This image is of the second. He noted that “this volume has been compiled with the aid of carious forms at my school, certain modifications have been made from their reactions …” the books were published in London by Longmans Green, in their Heritage of Literature series. The books had brisk sales internationally. This copy is the Sixth impression. The second image is of the title page.

Dr Nigel Evans, Secretary of the Woolf Fisher Trust with the 2009 Mount Albert Grammar School’s Woolf Fisher Trust Scholar, Ashwin Marwah, the 2008 Dux.

This is one of two books by William Caradus, Head of Science and second Headmaster. He had a first-class MSc in Physics. He was in office from 1922-1946 and became Headmaster on the retirement of Mr Gamble. These two books were very popular. This copy is a third edition. Earlier editions had red simple board covers. This edition has a grander look, and this copy is signed by E Tremaine of S.M.T.C. (the now defunct Seddon Memorial Technical College).

The second image is of the undated title page. It shows that it was published (and printed) by Whitcombe and Tombs Limited who had offices in Melbourne, Sydney and London. It also had contacts in the US. This title page also shows the elaborate W&T colophon. The firm was established by George Whitcombe and George Tombs in 1882. The printing and publishing firm of Coulls Somerville Wilkie Ltd was founded in Dunedin in 1872. In 1971 the two firms merged to form Whitcoulls which operates as a retailer today.

Although these boys are running beside the road, it was part of the Senior Cross Country that also took them up and around the farm.

This image is a gift of Newton Wickham, who was himself aboard this departing ship en route to the Western Desert (North Africa). Family members lined the wharf never knowing whether or not they would ever see their loved ones again. Hundreds of other young men of the school left New Zealand on such troop ships.

The back staircase (from near the Hall entrance) had previously had their edges strengthened. In 2009 they were carpeted.

Lisa Oakden, Foundation girl, lawyer, member of the Albertian Association Executive and member of the Board of Trustees presents the Albertian of the Year Plate to the retiring Greg Cave, Albertian, HOF Classical Studies and Associate Academic Dean. The occasion was the Albertian Christmas Luncheon on 26 November, 2019.

The cartoon shows a boy running for a tram, riding it, dropping his ferry ticket and then just missing the ferry. It was drawn by AW Reed, one of the 13 boys in 6A. He had two other full-page cartoons in the same issue of The Albertian, plus a report on the 6A debates and a report on the concert. Boys and Girls from the North School had to come by bus, ferry and tram to go to one of the four Grammar Schools. In 1927 Takapuna Grammar School opened on the North Shore and pupils from the four city Grammar Schools who travelled by ferry transferred to the new school.

In later life AW Reed joined his uncle AH Reed in a hugely successful publishing business, the largest in Australasia. Alexander Wyclif Reed was known as Clif, a short form of his second name. He designed the well-known Reed colophon and wrote a number of books himself. He was inducted into the Hall of Distinction.

This Year 8 pupil is working through the Raven’s Progressive Matricies, a non-verbal test that requires young people to pick the right piece to complete a pattern. Set A is easy; Set E is difficult. It is a test of general intelligence. The multiple choice patterns were designed by John Raven in 1936. This test was part of a wider battery of Year 8 tests.

This paragraph is from the class notes of 6B, the lower sixth form bright sparks [now Year 12]. It is surprisingly innovational for the time. Their English teacher may have been the scholarly and inventive John Hooper Harvey. They also performed two plays: The Old Boy and Rory Aforesaid. In addition to that some of them could sing. There was a 6B ‘quartette’.  In the Notes for the class there is a Dickens’ quote: ‘My life is one demd horrid grind.’ It was said by Mr Mantalini in Nicholas Nickleby. Boys in 3A [top Year 9] would have read several Dickens’ novels and boys in 6B would have read most of the novels.

This ticket to a ‘film night’ was for a different kind of event to the Picture Evening of 19 September, 1924 at the Lyric Theatre, Symonds Street (see Set 21 –  ‘An Old Boys’ Promotional Card 1924’).

There were notable people in this team. Broberg, along with Shae, approached the Headmaster to beg for the introduction of Association Football as a sport in the school.
Since they were both in the senior Cricket team, Mr Gamble was predisposed to listen to them as he believed that cricket was the finest game a boy could play. Broberg became the Captain of the first team in 1924. There were two other schools that had teams, too. Shae did not play, he went along for support as he was a Prefect, as was Monk. Monk and Butler also played for the First XV Rugby team.
Weir was Head Prefect in 1926 and Captain of both Cricket and Rugby in that year. Bush was Head Prefect in 1927 and was also Captain of both Cricket and Ruby as well as Tennis Champion.
In later life, Barnes became a trade unionist with a national profile, and links with the ILO. Bush and Butler represented New Zealand at Rugby Football and Weir represented New Zealand at Cricket. Bush, Butler and Weir served in conflict zones as mid-ranked officers during the Second World War. Bush was taken prisoner of war. Weir became HOD English here, then Deputy Headmaster and Acting Headmaster. Butler returned to teach here and became inaugural Headmaster at Mount Roskill Grammar School.

A candid photograph of a group of boys as part of a class assembled for a class photograph.

A candid photograph of a group of girls as part of a class assembled for a class photograph.

This is just the beginning. There are more than 100 lines, in the style of Longfellow’s epic poem. It was written here by WPF 3A, which is remarkable for one so young, even the clever WP Foster.

This group of boys are typical of the Pasifika boys who arrived here in numbers in the 1970s and 1980s. They have become an integral part of our school and their own children have come here in their turn.

The team played just two friendly games against more experienced teams, Mount Roskill Grammar School and Mangere College. The scores were not recorded. It was not until 2018 that Girls’ Rugby came of age. The Girls’ 10s played ten games, won them all and were Auckland Champions. The Girls’ 7s played six games, won them all and were Auckland Champions.

The small oval image shows the party. There are three images of Ngauruhoe and the fourth is Ngauruhoe from the clouds on Ruapehu. A visit to the Tongariro National Park 1926 was not for the faint hearted. Messrs Worley and Tait led a party of boys. They arrived at the Waimarino Station at 3.45am one Saturday morning and set off immediately for the Whakapapa huts “The night was pitch black, but nothing could be seen save the blurred mass of the mountain … as we walked along in little groups, stumbling and splashing in the darkness over the rough road.” The next morning, after breakfast they set off at 5am to climb Mt Ruapehu. They got to the rim of the crater with a stiff cold win during the whole assent.
The next day they set off to the Silica Springs. There was an eruption on Ngauruhoe. “We were over ten miles distance from the mountain, yet great masses of lava being hurled thousands of feet into the air was plainly visible.” The next day they tramped to the mountain and started climbing it. Health and safety did not exist. “We climbed a good deal up the side of the cone but … a shower of rocks which bounded down the side warned up that it was not safe to proceed farther.
When it was time to go, they had to leave for the train at 5.30pm in the pouring rain for Waimarino Station and boarded the train about midnight.

The play was performed in the FW Gamble Hall over four nights. It was written by the Swiss dramatist Friedrich Durrenmatt (1921-1990). The play has been described as “a grotesque fusion of comedy and tragedy.” Our production had a cast of 29 with some roles played by different players on alternate nights. The cast had both juniors and seniors. As can be seen there were both children and adult tickets. It was also performed again in 2018.

This rendition was confined to Year 13 students. Each was quite different in their costumes and direction, but each was equally well performed.

The New Zealand Club was a 1930s institution (1932-1939). There was no room for any such reports in the wartime austerity issues. Meetings would have continued. The club was dedicated to the study of New Zealand history (and civics?). There were talks by members of the staff, visiting speakers and probably the boys themselves.

In the heading it looks as though it might be 1928 but there is no doubt that it is 1926, from the class list.
It is of Form IVAii (i.e. Form 4A,2) whose Form Master was Mr JD Tate MA. ‘The Dog’ aka ‘The Little Black Dog’ belonged to the photographer and sat quietly. The ‘dog’ it seems was well regarded by boys and probably by boys and girls from other schools.
However, it was in the 1928 Form Notes for V1B that F.J. Ness showed how widespread was the regard for ‘the Little Black Dog’.
“We have been in mourning ever since we heard of the death of the photographer’s little dog. How much less a comfort in our old age will our form photos be, deprived of this almost proverbial animal.”

These twin advertisements appeared in The New Zealand Herald on 25 May 1999.
It preserved the original ideal of two separate schools with one Board. The vesting letter from the Minister of Education Nick Smith 29 July 1999 noted that: “On 1 January 2000 Mount Albert Grammar School will become a co-educational school and will cease to be a single sex boys’ school.” [See also Set 35.4].
That may have been the Minister’s view, but we have been true to the original ideal. We are, in a sense, a hybrid. We maintain separate classes for boys and girls at all levels, although in the actual subject classes in the Senior School there are both boys and girls.
There is a boy and a girl Head Prefect and boy and girl Duces. It may well be that we are the only school with this model. It works; since pupils and parent alike support it.

Manu Ngakuru-Syder, First XI Cricket entertains Caine Hazelwood at the 2005 Sports’ Dinner in the Hall. (See also 30.1)

The whole of the lower floor was gutted and rebuilt. Six people can be seen working on steelwork, framing up and block work.

Jonathan Wrigley and Cedric Bournville both get High Distinctions in the 2004 Australian Schools’ Science Competition run by the University of New South Wales. Both boys were in Year 9. They were the only ones to get High Distinctions. Other (Year 9 to Year 11) got Distinction, Credit and Achievement. In all 67 got Certificates. There were 147 other competitors.

In the heading it looks as though it might be 1928 but there is no doubt that it is 1926, from the class list.
It is of Form IVAii (i.e. Form 4A,2) whose Form Master was Mr JD Tate MA. ‘The Dog’ aka ‘The Little Black Dog’ belonged to the photographer and sat quietly. The ‘dog’ it seems was well regarded by boys and probably by boys and girls from other schools.
However, it was in the 1928 Form Notes for V1B that F.J. Ness showed how widespread was the regard for ‘the Little Black Dog’.
“We have been in mourning ever since we heard of the death of the photographer’s little dog. How much less a comfort in our old age will our form photos be, deprived of this almost proverbial animal.”

The colour used by Billy for the blue is darker than the colour of the band, but then the cap blue could have faded. The colour in the work looks very like a colour sometimes known as Picton Blue with the Hex (Hexidecimal) Code #57ADD3.

Aggie and Murray Boxall and their daughter Casey at the Leavers’ Dinner, Alexandra Park in November 2004. Casey was Victrix Ludorum that year. Both their sons also went to School and both became New Zealand representative Football players at the highest level. In 2019 Michael was playing for Minnesota United FC (St Paul), a team in the Major League Soccer. Niko was playing for Viborg FF in the Danish First Division.

This image is a gift from Colin Chipperfield in February 2020. The members (From The Albertian 1931) are: Standing: WA Briggs, HG Callam, GG Harvey, J Penman, EMW Horan, JC Sawers. Seated: JM Storey, RJ Parry, FM Tatterfield, RJ Walton (Senior Prefect), W Lange, JD Jepson, CS Sharp.
Colin noted that HG Callam (Howard Graham Callam, known as Graham), became an accountant. In WW2 he was a Gunner, though he was transferred to the New Zealand Army Pay Corps as Private Howard Graham Flemming Callam 462520. He became President of the New Zealand Society of Accounts and in 1980 he was a CMG for ‘Services to the TAB and to the Community.” He is related to Colin’s wife.
There are others in the photograph who we know something about: GG Harvey (George, Standing, third) came back here and taught here. TC Sawyers (Standing, sixth), went to Sydney University to study Veterinary Science, he joined the Australian Army, Trooper Tracey Campbell Saywers was killed in action. WA Briggs (Stand, first) was an excellent mile and cross-country runner. Private Briggs was taken prisoner of war. RJ Perry, later Jones-Perry (Seated, second) was an outstanding rifle shot and as a boys led the team that, in 1931, won the Early Roberts Trophy for the best team in the Empire. He was also a talented singer. RJ Walton (Seated, fourth) joined the NZ Police and became Commissioner. He saw active service during WW2 and remained a territorial Force Colonel. He had a military OBE, an EDG (Companion of Saint Michael and Saint George) in 1983. JD (Jack) Jepson (Seated, sixth) represented New Zealand, just once, as a soccer player in1936 against Australia. He was a Captain in 24 Battalion, wounded and MIA. Others may have notable careers but no information could be found of them.

Sam taught English from 2002 to 2006. He was an outstanding volleyball coach. In 2004 he donated a trophy for the Best Player in Senior Girls’ Volleyball. It is called the Lille May Walls Trophy. Lille May Walls was his mother. He was not able to return home in time for her funeral, so he gave this trophy in her memory.

Good-natured girls played the game in the same spirit in which they ended it.

David and Barbara Martin seen here with Prefects Katie Strachan and Hamish McIntosh at the Auckland Cenotaph.
Mr and Mrs Martin were visiting New Zealand from Essex. They research the men of Royal Air Force Station Fairlop which was near Ilford, Essex. It was operational from 1941-1945.
One of the men stationed there was Albertian Sergeant Godfrey Alan McKoy (our photograph of him wrongly has him as McKay). He was in 64 Squadron and was killed on 26 January 1943 aged 22.

The second image shows our photograph of him with the Martin’s Cross of Remembrance with the New Zealand version of the Flanders Poppy.

Logan Waetford-Wilson awarded a Silver Lion for Swimming. 2004 was the first year that a Silver Lion was awarded for swimming.
The first Silver Lions of the modern era were first awarded in 2002 for a range of sports.
As sports qualify, the award for new sports are awarded for the first time in that sport.

This brick veneer wall being broken down was the first big makeover of the 1970 D Block.
The red painted bricks were exterior and the white painted bricks were interior. The interior bricks were originally natural, they were painted white much later. The painter wore full breathing apparatus.

This miniature cup was a gift from RJ Knowles, who was in the crew that won both the Head of the Harbour and the Maadi Cup in 1955.
It is mounted on a truncated pyramidal rewarewa [Knightia excelsa] base made by Jack Jenkin, who was both a skilled woodworker and the Master in charge of rowing. He made the same truncated pyramidal base, also in rewarewa for the Maadi Cup itself.

Three senior students won Awards of Excellence in this quiz which is open to competition from a range of countries. This image shows: Jessica Daly Year 12, Headmaster Greg Taylor, Conan Zhang Year 11, George Hay Year 13 and Janet Davidson, senior Chemistry Teacher.

Sarah Nelson, Captain of Girls’ Soccer; Matt Cortesi (Coach); Regan Nathan, Best Player in First XI Girls’ Soccer

Girls started in 2000 and 2004 was the final year of the originals. This image is of a group of Prefects. They ard Darnica Atkins, Alexandra Aimer Seton, Katie Bowskill, Anna Tait, Nusrat Kabir and in front Amber Williams-Spiers and Head Girl Sosefina Foamasili. Girl Prefects not in this photograph were Hayley Holm, Vivian Schaff, Jennifer Clark and Bridget Taylor. Jennifer and Bridget were both Deputy Head Girls.

The crew of TC Engle (Stroke), K Ashby (7), J Smith (6), W Tinnock (5), GL Jarratt (4), AS Lawn (3), R Cobb (2), G Watts (Bow). B Cato (Cox) won the Head of the Harbour by a length from Sacred Heart College.
Kerry Ashby, Bill Tinnock, Tom Engel and Grahame Jarratt from this crew were all in the 1950 British Empire Games Men’s Eight in Auckland that won a Silver medal. Murray Ashby, Kerry’s younger brother was also a member of the 1950 crew. So, Five of the nine men (eight plus the Cox) in the crew were from this school.

A large multi-trunk exotic tree was removed from the front of the school. It was a specimen of Syzgium smithii, also known as Acmena. It is a member of the myrtle family.
Birds spread the seeds and dense stands can result and it can crowd out other species. It is commonly known in New Zealand as the monkey apple tree and in Australia, where it is endemic, as the common lilly pilly.
Here it is being cut into logs and probably sold as firewood, but it is useful timber for framing and indoor uses. The fruit can be made into jam, jellies and drinks.

Ray Clarkson organised the MAGS Idol. He had different judges for each session. Here the other judges were Kate Todd and Amanda Bunce. They are all obviously captivated by the performance.

Uili Lousi visited the school with his work called The Dancing Stars. Uili is a Tongan Albertian and his works, which are sold internationally, are based on Tongan Royal Motives.

This little poem by DJM – Senior V (DJ Montgomerie) was published in The Albertian of 1945 p28. It expressed a widely held belief of the time. The pool site is now covered by the E block.

The ‘tractor tyre’ sports uniform, made by Lenco was used for most sports teams at the time.

Tihou Messenger-Weepu holds the Reg and Ian Grant Memorial Cup donated by their father WE Grant Esq. in 1945, for the Open Springs Champion (Boys). He also won the senior Athletics Championship (a Certificate) and the HL Towers Cup presented by LR Mills MBE. He also won the Open 400m presented by the Mount Albert Grammar School Old Boys’ Association in 1931.

As can be seen, the Dinner was in honour of two Albertians, fifth Headmaster, Greg Taylor and Chairman of the Governing body Peter Thorp. Both of them retired during 2006.

9 November 2020 was the last day for Year 13 before Exam Leave. They were assembled in the Albertian Quad. They were entertained by staff performers. They were: Vocalists: Camilla Rye, Carmela Hughes, Judith Bottinga, Joshua Grace. Musicians: Jason Knowles, Soren Wislang, Michael Walden, Neil Watson. There was also traditional shirt signing and a barbecue.

This report, from Papers Past of The New Zealand Herald 18 August 1924, page 10. This is just the start for a piece that went on for 18 column inches. 1924 was the first year that the School won the Auckland Rugby Championship.

A tree was gifted to the School by the Lions of 2006. The message they left on a plaque showed a wisdom beyond their years. An earlier planter box put on this site had a large tree in it and it had a rough-cast finish in keep with the library finish that mimics the main building.

This photograph, from an album page, shows a group of supporters at the 1949 School’s First VIII rowing crew.

The second image, a newspaper report, gives the reason for the jubilations. Both items are gifts of Lew Beck in 2005.

Danielle Koifman receives the Year 11 prize for first in Music, from Prime Minister Helen Clark. Greg Cave keeps everything running smoothly.

This large, lidded trophy, the Championship Cup, is for the annual game between Mount Albert Grammar School and Auckland Grammar School. The winner takes that trophy for that year.

The staff on stage are: Allie Wright, Theo van Zyl, Natasha Phyn, Mark Horrocks, Elizabeth Grigel, Kerry Baker, Chris Metcalf; and in the back row, not obscured are Te Aroha Keenan and Mark Rivalland.

The erection of the sails in the Albertian Quad.

A display of Māori kites in the Library. All of them are the work of a Junior Girls’ Visual Arts class.

This was part of the School House notes in The Albertian of 1945. The putting green was an elusive thing, but the site did have a vegetable garden of sorts. The author was not named but it could well be D.J. Montgomerie, who was a Houseboy who wrote the Swimming Pool Ode in Set 80.

Ron Williams checks the money while Kim Ryder accepts lunch money from Russell Stone. They are using the School House Snooker table with a heavy cloth over it.

The image shows two long-time friends: Byron Gibbons, Most Conscientious Drama Student, and Rebecca Reilly, Best Sheilah Winn Performer.
Byron Gibbons did a BA in Sign Language at AUT (there are deaf people in his family) and Rebecca K Reilly is the first alumna to write a published novel. In 2022 her first book, Greta & Valdin, won the Hubert Church Prize for fiction and the Aotearoa Booksellers’ Choice Award.

Over the years, many portable buildings, classroom and offices have been delivered to and removed from a range of locations, from the early days of the School to the present day, and, no doubt, into the future.

Representatives of the winning side hold the trophies of the four sports played that year. The School won the Rugby Union and the Old Boys won Association Football, Hockey and Basketball trophies.

The representatives were:

• Tamana Tetine, Rugby
• Lance Eason, Association Football
• Owen Hayward, Hockey
• Jeff Anderson, Basketball.

This mug has the School Crest and can be used for either hot or cold drinks. It is comfortable to hold, but it does look like a giant inkwell.

The girls are holding College Sport Certificates for their performance in the Central Zone Junior Girls’ Volleyball Competition. They are: Maota Filiga, Morgan Roberts, Danielle Colbert, Julia Moss, Alega Eliu and Angelina Lamositele.

Richard Roberts, Ian Bogue and Ray Clarkson are enrolling students in commercial subjects.

The wood for this coaster, and others, was from the demolition of the interior of the second iteration of the Science area which occupied the whole of the ‘new wing’ as the 1950s/1960s addition to the main building. This was a major refit of the original rooms. The 2022 refit has a staffroom and a lower level for Dance and Drama.
The back of this coaster shows that it was made by Shaun Bailey, the HoF of Technology.

The invitation to the opening of the GL Weir Sports Centre.
While it is for a number of sports it is first and foremost for Cricket.
GL Weir played First XI Cricket and First XV Rugby. He went on to play 11 Cricket tests for New Zealand.
Gordon Lindsay Weir (known as Lindsay) came back to teach. He became Head of English and, for a time, Acting Headmaster.
To cricketers and boys, he was known as Dad (he went bald early in life). It is fitting that such a building was named after him. In the few years before his death, he was the world’s oldest living test cricketer. The second image is from inside the building with the name reversed to give an idea of part of the interior.

This line-out took place in the match against Auckland Grammar School, which the School won 21-13, thus ending a long streak of AGS wins and of holding the Trophy for games between the two schools.
The Mount Albert Grammar School First XV went on to be Auckland Champions and New Zealand runners-up.

This ephemeral mixed-media piece was one of the works on display during Open Day 1 August 2007.
There were also performers and open classrooms and other types of displays. The second image shows a Chemistry Lab with Ian Scoltock in charge, and visitors passing through.

One of the unique features of Mount Albert Grammar School is the presence of a good quality astronomical telescope.
The observatory is the brainchild of Albertian scientist Dr Grant Christie. This image is of an early stage of construction.

Yet another refreshment of a part of a former classroom.
The whole of North/South corridor of the lower floor of the main building is now offices and administration. The only room that has not changed its function is the Headmaster’s Office.

The original pink nosing on the front steps is, in this image, being removed, as the steps were to be upgraded.

The second image shows the new style landing with the grouting in and the grout spacers still scattered about.

The third image shows the kerb stones in place and the beginning of the tiling of the lower level.

Bill Sharrock was photographed on a visit back to the School. He was here to visit family.

He had been a teacher here and was Guidance Counsellor from 1980 to 1987, when he left to go on leave to the UK. On his way he sat by a man who turned out to be the Chairman of the Board of Governors of an English Public School. He offered him a job and a house on campus, there and then. He has been there ever since.

These young men were getting ready for a School House photograph during the Towers Hall period. They are: Rob Green, Robert Cortesi, Eion Jennings and Gavin Milne. They are wearing the five-dorm-in-a-pentagon ties. The second image shows this tie.

Girls enjoying their time in a Technology class.

The 1976 library re-invigoration was mentioned in Sets 6 and 7. This new image shows the breakdown of part of the external wall.

This image of the crew lined up. They were: R.C. Anderson (stroke), B.E. Jones (7), B.H. Ashby (6), J.W. Ashby (5), R.N. Stanich (4), D. Phillips (3), L.R. Beck (2), R.W. Katterns (bow), M.J. Smith (cox).

The second image shows the crew, who won the Head of the Harbour, throwing the cox, Max Smith, into the air for the traditional ducking. Both images are a gift of Lew Beck in 2005.

This view of the revamped and renamed Albertian Quad is from the bottom of new wide steps looking down the new paved walkway to the back central door of the main building.

Do Young Gwak, a prefect in 2007, plays the gayageum, a 12-string traditional Korean instrument.

This tableau of five people was set for the start of a production of The Visit a three-act play by Friedrick Dürrenmatt. The original tableau, and music, was re-established at the end of the play. This made an enigmatic ending, as though the beginning and the ending were the same thing.

The crowd is watching a performance of the Drumline. This photograph was taken during a lull in the performance.

The girls posed outdoors. They were skilled performers.

This group of boys ran a BBQ in the quad (before the quad makeover). It was a fundraiser. Soon after there was a more elaborate one run by Reg Korau, HoD Te Puna o Wairaka.

This was a Young Enterprise caper.

After the Leadership Assembly when prefects were presented with their badges. Head Girl Anna Poulgrain was photographed with her parents.

Head Boy Malcolm Richardson was also photographed with his parents.

This was the Schools Athletics Sports at Mount Smart

This shows John Reed and his sister Heather Lane. They are the children of noted publisher Alexander Wyclif Reed, known as Clif or AW Reed, who along with uncle AH Reed, founded a publishing house that flourished for many years. Clif designed the well-known Reed colofon of crossed reeds that distinguished all their publications. Clif was the author of a number of works himself. The correspondence between nephew and uncle has been preserved. It is said to be the most extensive correspondence between two people in New Zealand.
John came from Sydney and Heather came from Wellington. John spoke at assembly. They were both overwhelmed that the School had honoured their father in this way.
At the same ceremony Dr Rebecca Hayward spoke about Professor Jack Arthur Bennett, who, as a lecturer in English, she had studies and she had written a research paper about him. She accepted his charter on behalf of Bennett’s son Edmund, who lives in Oxford, England.
Also inducted that day was Christian Karl Stead. Professor Stead is a noted poet and novelist. In the second image Dr Hayward and Professor Stead are in discussion in the Albertian Quad.

On a Saturday afternoon when both the First XV Rugby team and the First XI Soccer team were playing at home, one BBQ was raising funds for Underwater Hockey.

The other raised funds for Girls’ Soccer.

Ian Scoltock and one of his students inspect a bridge of drinking straws between two lab stools and able to take a weight.

The lift is being erected at the junction between the main building and the 1950s extension in a different architectural style. A new, and more up-market elevator replaced it. The new one was commissioned in 2022.

This was a purpose-built display case in the Foyer. This display of sporting paraphernalia was designed to induce pupils to take up a sport.
The case was adaptable to all sorts of display. It had a grid at the top to suspend items on fishing line. There were downlights that could be bright or dimmed. There were three panels of strong perspex along the front, and the door at the side was lockable. With the upgrade of the foyer, there was no place for it and then the front corridor became out of bounds for pupils.
The case, which was on wheels, was moved elsewhere and it fell into disrepair.

Follow-the-Leader on the ASB MAGS Farm.

This Old Skool T-Shirt was produced by a group of loyal Albertians living in Australia.

This cup was prepared and boxed for Allie Wright, Director of Sport. The second image shows the lid with a plastic top with a sliding panel for drinking from.

Alan Dunkley is shown here with the trophy for the Senior Yamaha Light Race which he won in the Auckland Kartsport Championship held at Rosebank road Raceway in June.

Seventy boys of the School’s Artillery Cadet Battery went into camp at Narrow Neck during the May school holidays. This was the first year of this unit. The drivers went through a course of riding, driving and caring for the horses. The gunners had a live shoot.
“The keenest and certainly the most hectic period of the day was the forty minutes or so devoted each morning to cleaning the huts and camp. There was an inspection of huts each morning about 10am, points being awarded for general appearance, for blanket folding for cleanliness and lastly for orderliness in arrangement of clothes and gear.”
Also: “From first to last the camp was very successful from every point of view. There was no doubt that it proved of immense value to the boys who were all of the opinion that it was well worth a week of school holidays.”

Here Belamohan Shingade is playing Alfred Ill, a worthy-yet-doomed-shopkeeper in Friedrick Dürrenmatt’s play The Visit.

In the other image Balamohan is singing German lieder in 2008. He is also a trained singer in Hindustani Classical Music with a graduate diploma in that art from Gandharva Mahavidylaya, Mumbai. He has an MFA from the Elim School of Fine Art, the University of Auckland. He was a professional Teaching Fellow there from 2012 to 2015. He is a writer. Several of his pieces can be read on the Photography Punch website. He is also a curator. He was manager and curator of the Malcolm Smith Gallery, Howick, then Assistant Curator St Paul’s Gallery, The University of Auckland. He paints and has works at the Auckland Art Gallery and the University of Auckland.

The Albertian 1952 p30 report that: “The School’s new boat now arrived from Australia, has had three coats of varnish to place it in excellent condition for many years to come.”
The image shows Mrs Gladys Jenkin cutting the ribbon to launch the boat, crewed by various recent Old Boys who had been members of School 8s in their day. Mrs Jenkin is the wife of Jack Jenkin who is assisting her. Jack Jenkin was ‘Mr Rowing’ in his time on the staff of the school.

Nanaka Inaba holds the Evan Gray Cup for the Best All-Round International Girl. The cup does not leave the school but there is a certificate that can be kept as a memento.

George Bowen was taught by Harry Calder and caught the History bug from him, as did so many others. George has been a high school teacher of History all his working life. He is the author of eight school textbooks. The image here is the cover of one of them. The second image is of George himself.

In the Centennial Year, the Prefects have a smart new blazer with Cambridge blue chalk stripe. It was first worn for the opening of the Centennial Walkway on 1 February 2022. The flag was raised on the new flagpole for the first time.

The tie has diagonal lines of small light blue lions on a navy-blue ground. Just one lion is larger and overlaid with the numeral 100 in yellow/gold. It was available in early February.

For some decades The Albertian Old Boys Notes included short pieces on the doings of a hundred or two Old Boys. Getting it all together must have been a monumental task. Five names from the general list are given as examples of the type of short notes that were common.

A.M. Kirkpatrick after six years with the Winnipeg Y.M.C.A. is now general manager of the Galt [Ontario] Y.M.C.A.

T.V. Fitzpatrick is doing legal work in Apia, Samoa.

G.A. Fenton is New Zealand Representative for Wrigley’s Chewing Gum.

A.N. Breckon has received his commission in the R.A.F.

G.A. Crum, Brickmaking.

The image is of those who are in Dunedin in 1936.

Although it is quite a long piece it is given here in full as it concerns Old Boys who are studying Medicine or Dentistry or, in one case, Divinity.

While we may not have examples of these, the tie and blazer were for Old Boys’ only and were not part of formal school wear.

Roy Clements was an English teacher here and, with the help of boys, developed land on the edge of the school and planted it in native trees. The Auckland City Council erected this sign, which is now weathered.

This Waterford Crystal Bowl was a Jubilee gift from Dilworth School.
The image shows the gift with a frosted representation of the School’s shield and motto scroll. On the opposite side is the emblem of Dilworth School whose motto is Firmiter et Fideliter, strength and steadfastness.
Our motto is also used by the 218^th Field Artillery Regiment of the US Army, who translate it as “Through Difficulties to the Field of Honor.” As might be expected from an Army Regiment. Dilworth shares its motto with the 337^th Field Artillery Regiment of the US Army who translate it as “Steadfastly and Faithfully”.

This ancient worthy with his pipe blowing smoke-rings and his Old Boys cap adorned the start of the Old Boys section of early copies of The Albertian. So called Senior Old Boys would have hardly been out of their 20s.

This Centennial sign faced the road, it went up in February 2022. Originally the date was for May but with an outbreak of the Omicron variety of the Sars-Cov-2 virus (Covid 19) it was put off until September.

This updated piece, probably from The New Zealand Herald shows a young Graham Vivian being congratulated for his selection in the NZ cricket team in 1965 by Lindsay Weir as Headmaster Murray Nairn looks on. Mr Weir was in the New Zealand Cricket Team as was Giff Vivian, Graham’s father.

This is part of a report for the first ever such dinner, reported in the 1935 The Albertian.

For a good part of the School’s history there was a flagpole at the top of the front pediment.
There is a famous picture of the Standard of the Duke of Edinburgh on the day of his visit in December 1956. For several decades the flagpole was absent. It may have become a danger. It was reinstated in 2020 and the national flag (and sometimes the school flag and other flags) fly there. In 2022 the Centennial Walkway, opened in February, had a large flagpole as the central element. The image shows both flags flying in a fickle wind.

As can be seen, this is for the 19^th Annual Regatta of the Head of the Harbour and Maadi Challenge Cup Race. The Head of the Harbour began in 1938 and was a race for Auckland Schools eight-oar crews.
Mount Albert Grammar School won the Head of the Harbour and qualified for the Maadi Cup eight-oar race which is for New Zealand Schools. The School won that too.
During the Second World War, members of the rowers of the 2NZEF raced against Cairo clubs. There was friendship on both sides. A gifted cup from the Cairo Rowing Club was brought back to New Zealand and, in 1947, became the premier cup for New Zealand Secondary Schools rowing.
Jack Jenkin, Woodwork teacher here, created a truncated rewarewa pyramid for the cup to represent the Great Pyramid of Giza.

This menu, A4 in size, was provided for the post-ANZAC Service luncheon at the end of Term 1, 2021 at School House.
Several decades ago, what would then Old Boys thought of broccolini? Soon after this time the nation went into lockdown for an extended period due to a Covid-19 outbreak.

This original 4 in x 2 ½ in print was taken by Nelson Body and it is a gift of his estate.
The buildings on the school farm include the woolshed and the pigsty. The citrus block can be seen near the School. In the far right there is a part of Rangitoto Island.

This was a set of six cards, blank inside, with six envelopes. Each card has the name of the artist and the title of the work. The card in front is folded up and on the back, as can be seen in the second image are thumbnails.

This is Set B, there is also a Set A, 12 cards in all.

For a good part of the School’s history there was a flagpole at the top of the front pediment.
There is a famous picture of the Standard of the Duke of Edinburgh on the day of his visit in December 1956. For several decades the flagpole was absent. It may have become a danger. It was reinstated in 2020 and the national flag (and sometimes the school flag and other flags) fly there. In 2022 the Centennial Walkway, opened in February, had a large flagpole as the central element. The image shows both flags flying in a fickle wind.

This newspaper piece from 19 September 1956 is a gift of Alan Kinnear. As the caption shows they were both to play the Town Hall Organ for the Annual School Concert. The first concert was in 1923 and they continued until the mid 1960s when they were killed off by television. The idea of a School concert in the Town Hall, at night, would be unthinkable today. The nearest thing is the Big Sing. See also Prefects Concert Group 1939 9.4 / School House Concert Group 1928 14.3 / Big Sing 2008 39.5 / Massed Singing 1958 58.5.

In the earlier days of the School news of Births and Marriages were announced in The Albertian, especially for significant Old Boys. Deaths among young people were more common before antibiotics and more sophisticated medical intervention.

For a decade or so, into the new century, the School House was named Towers’ Hall after Herb Towers, the first Housemaster. During that time a healthy Australian tree was cut down. It was sawn up for firewood. It would have made excellent lumber. On the side of the building is the 5 dorms logo, which was common at the time.

This was the heading for a 9-column-inch piece on the itinerary of a four-day visit of the Duke of Edinburgh. He was to first open the Melbourne Olympic Games. This piece, from 7 August 1956, concerned the planned visit to this School in the following December.

The velvet cap with the gold tassel was awarded to the crew of the victorious Mount Albert Grammar School Eight in the 1955 edition of the annual head of the Harbour regatta. The embroidered, interlaced letters are for the Auckland secondary Schools Rowing Association. This body administers the regatta. The crew also went on to win the Maadi Cup which is for New Zealand crews. This particular cap was awarded to RW Knowling, as the image below shows.

The velvet cap with the gold tassel was awarded to the crew of the victorious Mount Albert Grammar School Eight in the 1955 edition of the annual head of the Harbour regatta. The embroidered, interlaced letters are for the Auckland secondary Schools Rowing Association. This body administers the regatta. The crew also went on to win the Maadi Cup which is for New Zealand crews. This particular cap was awarded to RW Knowling, as the image below shows.

This stamp is the Common Seal of the Mount Albert Grammar School Golden Jubilee Trust. The Golden Jubilee Trust, and others were incorporated into the Mount Albert Grammar School Foundation. So, the Seal is now redundant. It is held by a blue handle. It is now an historical object.

This short notice is about a third of A4 wide calendared card. The artwork used here was also used to advertise other products for the Art Show that year.

The front of the paper shows that it was set by the Universities Entrance Board who also prepared the Scholarships Examination. It can be seen that there are 10 choices of Essay topics. Section b was multi-choice questions, a new-fangled idea then in New Zealand. The remaining two sections had choices. There was a Shakespeare’s set of questions and two poems to write about.
The New Zealand Universities entrance Board was replaced in June 1990 by the New Zealand Qualification Authority – the NZQA. It has a mandate to set all levels of qualifications, for trades, professions and schools.

Nelson Body, who was a fulltime teacher here, performed miracles with recorded details of servicemen. He used many methods, including sending messages like this to bases and writing to families. The names are recorded in the pages of the Silver Jubilee Souvenir. Around 2000 men are recorded with a series of symbols. They are in alphabetical order. He must have had names on cards. The computer-age was decades later.

This photograph shows the Form Master H.L. Towers and the new Headmaster William Caradus, who was from the earliest time Head of Science (the 2020 Science Building is named for him). There are 12 boys here, there were 13 in the class, one was away, On the back are the names of the boys:

At least four of them became medical doctors: Ross Moore, Whitley Otway, Dick Lawrence and Ross Fairgray. The third image is the list from the 1949 Calendar.

From the list it is clear that ‘Me’ is B.M. Brown, by whose good offices we gained this photograph. From the list it can be seen that Fairgray, Otway, Philips and Ward were prefects.

This sports top has the Lenco logo and the embroidered emblem. The top tab inside back reads: Lenco. Made in New Zealand  M and on the back Manufactured by Lenco Sports NZ Ltd. PO Box 104-167 Henderson, Auckland. A rolled-up second tag has Polyester ® Made in New Zealand. On the back is the numeral 20, as the second image shows.

This short notice is about a third of A4 wide calendared card. The artwork used here was also used to advertise other products for the Art Show that year.

This badge is richly engraved on the back with details of the Silversmith and some additional marks that are too faint to decipher.

What can be easily seen is:

D.O.H. MITCHELL

BLOCKHOUSE BAY

AUCKLAND

The name HANSON  is in a rectangle.

At the bottom are the marks STG SIL, Sterling Silver.

The following year Robert was Head Prefect and wore the Badge of this office. There is nothing on the back except an 8CT mark, which is here highly magnified.

This is of significant size, about three feet long. It is on a sheet of building product known as ‘hardboard’ which was a basic brown colour. The lettering could have been done by Neil Grant, Art teacher, potter, cartoonist and a very capable letterer. The letters look as they were done fairly quickly. They are well formed, well-spaced and the brushwork is in a dead straight line.

This is a book plate designed by David Willmott, son of the long serving Robert Willmott. There is a well-designed trophy but David funded a book to go with it but it fell into abeyance as David, an engineer, was working in another country. The donated book had this book plate pasted inside on the flyleaf.