St Augustine’s reunion a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”
Happy reunion organisers Sharyn Snowden, Kate O’Byrne and Faye Turnbull. Photo: Neil Wilson.
More than 100 former students of St Augustine’s Primary School gathered in Takaka last weekend for a reunion that participants described as “brilliant”, “fantastic” and “amazing”.
People came from as far away as San Fransisco, Perth and Brisbane. The reunion marked the 40th anniversary of the closing of St Augustine’s.
Local women Kate O’Byrne, Faye Turnbull and Sharyn Snowden have been organising the reunion for more than a year. They said that the success of the weekend’s events had made all the hard work and worry well worthwhile.
Amber Sirha (nee Smith) from San Francisco said that the reunion was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“It’s just wonderful to see all the people who are so happy to be here,” she said.
A highlight of the weekend’s festivities was the luncheon on Saturday. As people reminisced over their meals, a couple of counterfeit “nuns” (Sister Anita and Sister Rosie) came down the drive, ringing a handbell. When everyone was paying attention, the “sisters” insisted on a drill session just like the pupils of St Augustine’s used to enjoy all those decades ago. Some people reported that their suppleness and flexibility appeared to have deteriorated over the years.
The school operated between 1946 and 1968 on a site in Commercial Street. The current home of Te Whare Mahana used to be the convent that housed the nuns from the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions. The school’s roll boomed in the 1940s and 50s but began to decline in the 60s. When St Augustine’s closed, its main building was shifted to a site behind the Catholic Church, where it is now owned and operated by the Senior Citizens’ association.
Neil Wilson
