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Memories from a former student at the College (Les Billing)Before starting at the Otahuhu Techinical High School (O.T.H.S.). I attended a Maori school at Pukehina in the Bay of Plenty - The Pukehina Native School - from Primer One to Standard Six. My parents split up when I was 10 years of age and when I was due to go to 'High School' I was sent north to attend O.T.H.S. My father drove from Papatoetoe where I was to board with Mr and Mrs Banks at 20 Wallace Road. I went to O.T.H.S. by train from Papatoetoe to the Mangere Station. When I started at Otahuhu, I quickly discovered that the subjects I had learned at Pukehina were of no use whatsoever. These were Gardening, Farming, Maori Arts, Crafts, Singing, Simple Arithmetic and English. My first class at Otahuhu was 3 Industrial D and progress over the next years were 4 Industrial C, 5 Industrial B and finally, in my fourth year, I attained the proud status of 5 Industrial A. Sadly, I could not pass School Certificate as I found it difficult to achieve an adequately good mark in English. My school days at O.T.H.S. were not entirely happy at all, due to my earlier life, but in my fourth year I came top of the class in Metalwork and left school with a Certificate of Attainment in Metalwork together with a Certificate for my first place in the subject. On leaving school I commenced an Engineering Apprenticeship at Reid New Zealand Rubber Mills Ltd at Ellerslie, along with serveral others of the 20 Apprentices who had also been educated at the O.T.H.S. In my third year of apprenticeship I passed a 2nd Class Steam Certificate and went on to gain certificates in Industrial Management, Automotive Electrical, NZ Trade Certificate. At the age of 29 I successfully applied for the Chief Engineer's position in a large plant at New Lynn. In the last 15 years of my working life I was Boiler Operator at Auckland City Hospital and also Greenlane/National Women's Hospital. In 1975 I was sworn in as a Justice of the Peace for New Zealand. I am proud of my days at O.T.H.S. In my 3rd and 4th years at O.T.H.S. I was Storekeeper in the Engineering Workshops for Mr Bowler. I started at O.T.H.S. in 1944 and left at the end of 1947. There are many more interesting stories that could be told. Kia Tamatane and kind regards Maybe there are others out there who could submit articles telling of their days at the College. We would love to add them to the website.
Posted: Thu 05 Nov 2009 |