Newspaper Article 1995 – Taught together, retired together

It’s called a silver wedding when you’ve been married 25 years. When you’ve taught together for 25 years at the same school like Angela and Peter McQuarrie, the occasion deserves such titles as “special event” and “‘retirement celebration”. Neither are adequate descriptions of what happened.

Nothing was spared to make the whole of last Saturday a day to remember for the retiring principal and his deputy. Hundreds of ex-pupils and friends from the past as well as present pupils spent from 2pm until the wee small hours in a massive marquee on the school grounds saying goodbye and thank you.

Taught together, retired together

By Marion Morris
Staff Reporter, Hastings

Angela and Peter McQuarrie’s quarter of a century of teaching together at Eskdale School is only part of the story of the two inseparable teachers.

After they married in 1961 they joined the Maori Schools Service which was administered from Auckland. It was not under Education Board control.

What followed was a time they enjoyed.

“It was like being part of a big family. There wasn’t the administrative pyramid of the State system. Opoutere on the Coromandel was a wonderful time of our lives,” said Peter.

By this time they had two children, Sally and Ian, and a desire to broaden their experience. They went to England in 1965, children in tow, where Peter taught at St John’s School in Stockton and Angela taught at Cleveland Private School in County Durham.

When they returned they went back into the Maori school system and taught, again together in a two-teacher school at Moawhanga [Moawhango], near Taihape.

“The Maori school system was disbanded in 1968 and we came to Eskdale in 1970 at the end of the first term.”

Despite his association with Maori schools, Peter does not think that Maori language should be a mandatory subject.

“If you legislate for something there is always resistance. It is too soon to have a second language in this country.”

However he believes teachers should have a working knowledge of the language and should be encouraged to learn Maori but legislation, firmly “no”.

Peter says he doesn’t speak fluent Maori, but it was fluent enough to reply to the Maori welcome accorded them at the afternoon function in Maori.

He thinks it is possible that there may be a return to a Maori schools system – total immersion schools.

Peter took to the Tomorrow’s Schools scheme like the proverbial duck to water but then it wasn’t difficult at Eskdale.

“There has always been a tremendously supportive community here and there has always been quite a bit of self-management.

“We have had two great boards of trustees and another about to take over which will be equally as good,” said Peter.

“When Tomorrow’s Schools came in I felt like a principal for the first time. I could make decisions. Under the Education Board’s management it wasn’t possible to do anything without permission. I couldn’t even take the kids to the pictures without getting board approval.

“However it has made stress levels for teachers much higher and has taken its toll on many.”

For Angela the children whom she has taught who have grown into adult friends is the most rewarding part of her teaching years.

“It is wonderful when they come back to see me as friends on an equal footing,” she said.

Eskdale School itself, apart from its staff, has a few special features of its own.

Peter thinks it is the oldest primary school in Hawke’s Bay. (There was an earlier one established in Napier and sited where Collections […] is) but it closed after eight years.

“The old school house in which we lived is now buried under the playing field. It was the oldest school house in New Zealand.

“And of course our hall which has brought notoriety to the school which the kids love.”

Peter said the Paris Magdalinos-designed hall was the result of a boisterous association with the architect with the final product winning a national architectural award.

Peter and Angela will take their last classes on Friday. Then it will be goodbye in a special ceremony by the pupils.

But they won’t be far away. They chose to build their own home (the first they’ve owned) on a section down the hill from the school.

The time of being mum and dad to their large school family will be over.

Photo captions –

Angela and Peter on the balcony of the award-winning Paris Magdalinos-designed school hall. In front are pupils Karn MacKinlay, 8; Roderick Walter, 8 and Christine Haseltine, 8.

Peter and Angela McQuarrie get a rousing sendoff in Eskdale School’s locker room.

Peter and Angela McQuarrie relax in their garden which they will landscape during their retirement.