School house, Homedale, (circa 1987) – Wainuiomata. Todd, Harry Jackson :Photographs. Ref: PAColl-6060-1-0174. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22400908
The School House was located on the grounds of Wainuiomata Primary School in Homedale. It housed the school principal. Constructed in 1908, it served as one of the earliest permanent school buildings at the site. The same year also saw the construction of the oldest surviving classroom building at the school. The building replaced an earlier home called Wainui-O-Mata School Masters House which had fallen into disrepair.
Principles and staff who resided in the the School House included was Mr Rishworth and his wife and a Mr and Mrs Anderson.
In the 1960s and 70s, Norman and Margaret Wright lived there with their little daschund, Oscar.
When I (David Johnson) went to this school, Mrs Wright sometimes taught my class. I remember once she went into great detail about her jewelry that she was wearing. I also remember this little rhyme about Mr or Mrs Wright. It went something like this:
“Mrs Wright had a fright, in the middle of the night. Saw a ghost, eating toast, halfway up a lampost.”
