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Hutt Valley High School: Meeting the Needs of its Community

It is interesting that Hutt Valley High School and Petone College share common origins and were closely linked in their formative years.

The beginnings of co-educational state schooling in the Valley occurred when the growing industries in Petone, such as the Gear Meat Works, and the Railway workshops, required the formation of Petone School in 1904. A secondary department was added as a District High School in 1905 and operated from Price’s Building in Sydney Street. It shared the same site as the Technical school (which provided technical education for workers in the evenings) from 1915 to 1925.

Meanwhile, the Hutt Valley increased in population, due to the improved communication with Wellington; the work of the River Board in providing stopbanks; and general urban growth during this period.

From 1910 onwards there was an active group of Hutt Valley citizens who had a vision of a High School in the Valley, and who approached the council to acquire a site for the school. In 1915 the Education Department purchased the 18 acres which became the present site of the school. However it took ten years of appeals to the government before Hutt Valley High School was formed.

It was created by amalgamating Petone District High School and Hutt District High School. The new school had to stay on its Petone Site, but shifted to the present site on May 31st 1926 .and it wasn’t until further population growth of the valley led to the creation of Petone Memorial College in 1930. The school’s first principal was Mr. H. P Kidson and at that time the new school comprised nine classrooms and one laboratory, being half the proposed school.

In those early years Hutt Valley High school had a rural atmosphere, for the grounds were farmed for a year or two with the local farmers lending sheep, The first school caretaker, H.J.M. Stirling, was employed by the school until he died in 1959, at which time a memorial sundial was unveiled by the Prime minister, Walter Nash. The sundial is today a memorial to students of the school who died during their time at Hutt Valley High School.

Despite the caretaker, in those days it was expected that "The girls by voluntary labour keep the flower beds in order". This was however a subject for a school debate in the 1930’s, "That boys as well as girls should help with the school gardens".

The boys, however, were probably busy in the Cadet Company, which featured rifle-drill; parades; and was the Guard of Honour at the opening of the Riddiford Baths. This training corp, funded by the armed forces, was later added to by the formation of the Sea Cadet Corp, and the ATC. No doubt they welcomed the introduction of a Rifle Range at the school in 1955. I wonder how many of those young men of the training corp went on to become part of the school’s Roll of Honour. In the yearbooks of the 1940s there is photo after photo of smiling young men, who died in the distant theatres of World War Two.

This was also the era when air-raid shelters were part of the school environment. (They were still being maintained as late as 1955.) The school was also affected by outbreaks of Polio, closing early in 1947 and opening later in1948.

Hutt Valley High School has always had a reputation for scholarship and many honours have been awarded to it’s students. The school’s first Rhodes Scholarship was awarded to D. Vere- Jones in 1957; he had been Dux of the school in 1953.

A wide range of sporting pursuits and excellence has been another feature of the school. Some families have become noted for their involvement and development of sport; the Grant-Taylor family, for example, have a long involvement in fencing. Public speaking and debating have also been an important strand of school life.

The school has staged many drama productions over the years - Oklahoma, Our Town, Brigadoon, Bless the Bride and many others. The diversity of talent they reveal enriches school life.

Music, too, has long been a rich part of school life, from the early "Girls Choir" to today’s "All Comers Choir", from Dance Band to Jazz Band. HVHS has been swinging through the decades. Another feature of the early Years were the annual French Evenings, while more recently, changing times are reflected in the Multi-Cultural Evenings.

The Tararuas and the Orongorongos have held an irresistible attraction to pupils and teachers alike, for tramping clubs and the Duke of Edinburgh tramps. Many tramps have lured groups of students in organized excursions into the Bush. Sadly, we lost a teacher in a snowstorm in the Tararuas in the 1940s and during one Easter two students were drowned while in the same area.

In the 1930s the nationwide housing shortage was met by the construction of state housing, Naenae, Taita and Epuni being major areas of housing development. This meant there were many more teenagers. During the 1950s the need for a further secondary school in the Valley was recognised.

Hutt Valley High School Board managed the new Naenae College for a year before it became fully independent, meeting the need of the new housing areas. Further schools were established - Taita College in 1957 and Waiwhetu Girls College in 1958. There was some concern that Waiwhetu Girls College would compete with Hutt Valley High School for pupils. Despite this, the first Principal, Miss Martin, had been Senior Assistant Mistress at HVHS.

"Rebel without a Cause" hit the picture theatres and during the 1950’s the school also encountered the new "teenage culture" through new ideas and events such as, "The milk bar cowboy" and the teenage "immorality trial" of 1954. These ‘momentous’ events were of concern to the school’s Principal and Board. They responded by consulting with parents and the Minister of Education.

By 1968 the roll had grown to 1300 and accommodation was stretched. The Waihine Storm of April 10 1968 didn’t help, as roof tiles were dislodged and prefabs lost roofs, windows were blown in, and the school was closed while volunteers salvaged books and equipment.

In 1969 Hutt Valley High School became home to the "Outpost" - a Secondary Teacher training facility for those unable to train in other centres. The 1960s also saw the arrival of the first "international" student, from Malaya, a trend which has increased over the last 20 years, adding an international atmosphere to Hutt Valley High school.

Once again consultation with parents was required, as the school entered the 1970s, and the NZ Secondary Schools Student Association published "The Little Red School Book" - a hand book of "student rights". This was the era when students rebelled against hair length regulations and the uniform code. One staff member referred to such behaviour as an "outburst of defiance and insolence" but it was in tune with the era of demonstrations against the Vietnam War, and the Hippie phenomenon.

The 1980s saw further growth and expansion of the school. With the closure of Petone Memorial College, and the incorporation of the two sites under one administration, we see a further evolution of the dream envisioned by those far-sighted citizens so many years ago.