A Carterton Great
Carterton Primary Celebrates 90 Years
A Carterton Great, as a series, has so far been about people. This time we have
focused on a place. Here Elaine Day, Head of Carterton Primary School, writes
about the school’s 90th birthday celebrations.
A 90th birthday is a very special
occasion to celebrate and on Friday
10th June just like the Queen we had our
own birthday party. The sun shone as
the children gathered in the playground
for a gigantic tea party. Sandwiches,
cakes, scones, jam and cream adorned
the tables and giggles of laughter
accompanied the sloshing of juice into
cups. Our pupils will no doubt remember
this very important moment in their
lives forever. They share an invisible tie
with all the pupils of the past 90 years
and indeed those who will follow them.
As they sang their medley of war songs
they reached out to the children who
had once walked, ran and trudged up the
same path as they do today.
Those links were further cemented by
the return of Mr Southam, aged 96,
accompanied by his granddaughter,
Sally Davies. Mr Southam joined the
children to plant a tree to mark our 90th
anniversary. He was number 4 on the first
register all those years ago and made
that invisible tie concrete for a day.
In our exhibition which spanned the 90
years of the school’s history there were
lots of echoes of today – children are
children regardless of time but, for me,
it was the experiences of the children
in the early history of the school which
were fascinating. The need to walk into
town to find extra space to work, the
safe haven that the school provided
during the air raids and the different
approaches to discipline over the years.
Having read some of the extracts from
the history of the school it is clear to
me how important it was for the whole
community of Carterton. It saved many
children from a two mile trek to and
from Black Bourton school. It has been
said that the children would have had to
cross the runway at Brize twice to get to
and from school, something no parent
would ever consider allowing their
children to do today.
Our school is very much like a river;
it started as a small tributary
and then meandered gently
through time growing in
stature and presence. We
owe a debt of gratitude
to all those who have
supported the school,
past and present and
we look forward
to the school
celebrating
yet another
90 years.
We are all
only ever
custodians
of this most
amazing place.
We try to shape
and mould it
against the natural
ebb and flow of life
but when it’s time we
will hand the baton over
to the next custodian.
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