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Opening of the first and second Killinchy Schools
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TitleOpening of the first and second Killinchy Schools
DescriptionMaybe it was one person or a group of people who collected the signatures of the householders wanting to have a public school at Killinchy and presented a “memorial” to the Board of Education.
Just as happened in (Upper) Selwyn, a report appeared in the Press, 22 October 1870, stating that “a considerable portion of the inhabitants of the Killinchy district” wanted to have a public school education and a separate educational district, thus the Board called a public meeting of the “owners and occupiers of land and householders resident in Killinchy” to be held on Monday, the 31st of October, 1870, at 7 o'clock pm, at the school-room, Killinchy.
The meeting was called to be sure that there was sufficient interest in forming a school district and if the Killinchy people would pay part of the expenses.
The advertisement also defined the boundaries of the Killinchy Education District which are drawn on a Google Earth map that accompanies this article.
In places, the boundary follows the roads, in others boundaries of Rural Sections, or in 3 areas it goes straight across land that had not been sold which would have been interesting for people who bought land later and had the boundary run across their land.
This advertisement suggests that there was a pre-existing school room (first school).
It is believed that it was “a sod house in the general locality”.
A later report suggests that a school committee may have been in existence for 6 months prior to the public meeting, perhaps organising the “memorial”.
Approximately one month after the public meeting, another advertisement appeared calling for tenders for the building of a school room (second school) and a master’s house.
A District Committee had been set up and the tenders had to be delivered by the 19th of December either to Christchurch or to Amos Sherratt, chairman of the committee, at the Selwyn Station.
With the establishment of the Killinchy Educational District, an alteration needed to be made reducing the size of the Leeston Educational District.
By January of the following year, 1871, an advertisement for a schoolmaster appeared.
A report of the Board of Education for the year ending March 1871 stated that “schools are on the point of coming into operation in the Killinchy and Greenpark districts, near Lake Ellesmere”.
All went well during construction. “The contractors, Messrs Rastrick and Sons, finished the house and schoolroom on March 28th 1871, in a very substantial manner.
The buildings are lined with wood throughout, and reflect great credit on the committee, the contractors, and the district generally”.
The committee, having elected Mr. J. Maddison as schoolmaster, agreed to open the school on Monday, the 3rd of April 1871, by giving a treat to the children of the district likely to attend the school.
Unfortunately, the weather was not at all favourable.
The children began to arrive at one o'clock, and shortly afterward upwards of forty were sitting in the schoolroom, and were regaled with tea, cake, &c, to their hearts' content.
The ground being so wet, they could not have any outside amusements and were therefore soon obliged to go home.
At six o'clock a tea meeting took place, when the room was well-filled.
After tea, the tables having been removed, a number of men addressed the meeting.
The secretary read his report, and with the balance appearing on the right side, everyone was pleased.
The meeting dispersed about 11 p.m., generally satisfied with the entertainment provided.
Mike Noonan & Sandra Opie,
Ellesmere Historical Society
Date2021SourceThe Ellesmere Echo
DescriptionMaybe it was one person or a group of people who collected the signatures of the householders wanting to have a public school at Killinchy and presented a “memorial” to the Board of Education. Just as happened in (Upper) Selwyn, a report appeared in the Press, 22 October 1870, stating that “a considerable portion of the inhabitants of the Killinchy district” wanted to have a public school education and a separate educational district, thus the Board called a public meeting of the “owners and occupiers of land and householders resident in Killinchy” to be held on Monday, the 31st of October, 1870, at 7 o'clock pm, at the school-room, Killinchy.
The meeting was called to be sure that there was sufficient interest in forming a school district and if the Killinchy people would pay part of the expenses.
The advertisement also defined the boundaries of the Killinchy Education District which are drawn on a Google Earth map that accompanies this article.
In places, the boundary follows the roads, in others boundaries of Rural Sections, or in 3 areas it goes straight across land that had not been sold which would have been interesting for people who bought land later and had the boundary run across their land.
This advertisement suggests that there was a pre-existing school room (first school).
It is believed that it was “a sod house in the general locality”.
A later report suggests that a school committee may have been in existence for 6 months prior to the public meeting, perhaps organising the “memorial”.
Approximately one month after the public meeting, another advertisement appeared calling for tenders for the building of a school room (second school) and a master’s house.
A District Committee had been set up and the tenders had to be delivered by the 19th of December either to Christchurch or to Amos Sherratt, chairman of the committee, at the Selwyn Station.
With the establishment of the Killinchy Educational District, an alteration needed to be made reducing the size of the Leeston Educational District.
By January of the following year, 1871, an advertisement for a schoolmaster appeared.
A report of the Board of Education for the year ending March 1871 stated that “schools are on the point of coming into operation in the Killinchy and Greenpark districts, near Lake Ellesmere”.
All went well during construction. “The contractors, Messrs Rastrick and Sons, finished the house and schoolroom on March 28th 1871, in a very substantial manner.
The buildings are lined with wood throughout, and reflect great credit on the committee, the contractors, and the district generally”.
The committee, having elected Mr. J. Maddison as schoolmaster, agreed to open the school on Monday, the 3rd of April 1871, by giving a treat to the children of the district likely to attend the school.
Unfortunately, the weather was not at all favourable.
The children began to arrive at one o'clock, and shortly afterward upwards of forty were sitting in the schoolroom, and were regaled with tea, cake, &c, to their hearts' content.
The ground being so wet, they could not have any outside amusements and were therefore soon obliged to go home.
At six o'clock a tea meeting took place, when the room was well-filled.
After tea, the tables having been removed, a number of men addressed the meeting.
The secretary read his report, and with the balance appearing on the right side, everyone was pleased.
The meeting dispersed about 11 p.m., generally satisfied with the entertainment provided.
Mike Noonan & Sandra Opie,
Ellesmere Historical Society
Date2021SourceThe Ellesmere EchoConnections
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Opening of the first and second Killinchy Schools (2021). Selwyn Stories, accessed 29/05/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/5312