Rollo Dunlop and Steve Graveson have recreated of a photographic moment in time from 67 years ago.
Katikati Primary School property manager Steve jumped on room one’s roof while former head student Rollo Dunlop recreated his stance from 67 years ago on the garden in front of the old Beach Rd bus bay.
In August 1957, a young Rollo was the head student of the primary school. On the day the new bus bay officially opened, school students and staff were shunted outside for a customary group photo.
The photo was taken by Mr Purcell who was standing on top of room one’s roof - probably to get everything and everyone in the frame.
Rollo (third from left on the garden) is flanked by Pam Stokes, Keith Allan, Jim Jordan, Brian Walford, Sid Hopkins, John Graham and (unknown).
Sixty-seven years later, the two groundsmen were cleaning up the area and decided to recreate the photo. Steve was in the same spot on the roof taking the photo, as was Rollo in the exact spot where he was in all those years ago.
School bus bay history
The bus bay on Beach Rd, Katikati was a project which began in 1951.
At the time the six buses would unload the students at the kerb on Beach Rd, and twice a day students would cross the road to get to their bus depending on what side of the road their class was.
There was no pedestrian crossing at the time, and even though the traffic was considerably lighter, it was still endangering lives.
In August 1951, the school committee asked for a loading bay to be built on the school grounds.
An £80 grant was made by the Education Board, and it was left up to the committee to sort the issue out.
In September 1952, after discussions with the county engineer, it was decided the bus bay should be at the same height as Beach Rd. In 1955 the school committee finally built the retaining wall and steps.
In 1957, the committee created the garden and iron work in the front of the school. This was when it officially opened in August 1957 and is still there to this day.
Buses parked in the old bus bay right up until the 1990s.
The primary children lined up under a tree and then walked to their allocated bus, once the driver had arrived the bus then crossed the road and picked up the college students.
The two old school buses in the photo were part of the fleet of six local garage proprietor Bertie Fenn owned. He had the school run contract at the time. They would have mainly been driven by schoolteachers during that time.
The fretwork along the new fence in the old photo reads Katikati District High School. This is what the school was called until 1965 when the college was built across the road.
The fretwork now reads Katikati Primary School so when it was changed all the did was change the “district to “primary” and remove the word ”high” which is why today the word “school” is not in the middle of the last section.
