taken from Bay of Plenty Beacon, 29 October 1943

NOTES
* first-day pupils are shown with *
* pupils who started later that month are also in this list
* some birth dates may be approximate, based on age at death

OPOURIAO SCHOOL opened 46 years ago
the ORIGINAL PUPILS
... Last week in the Beacon we published a list of **original settlers in the Opouriao Valley. It may interest readers to know that the Opouriao School was opened on May 10, 1897. At that time the school was called Opourian South, to avoid confusion with Opouriao North School, now Taneatua

? Edward ADDISON
? Joseph ADDISON
? John ADDISON

? * David ERNEST (1891-1918)
- son of Thomas & Anne ERNEST
- David served in WWI as Private 52398 with the NZEF, 27th Reinforcements E Company, embarking from Wellington 12 June 1917. He enlisted from Taneatua, Whakatane, his next of kin was his mother Annie Ernest of Campbell Road, Onehunga, Auckland. David was Killed in Action 3 April 1918 in Somme, France. His brother, Thomas Ernest, Private 21235 Died of Wounds in France 10 months prior.
? * Elizabeth Marian ERNEST (1885-1962)
- Elizabeth wasn't married
? Henry ERNEST (1882-1958)
- Henry married Kathleen Hazel Arnot MAHONEY (1893-1936) in 1923
? * Susanna Winifred ERNEST (1886-1983)
- Susanna married Ronald Lane McDONALD in 1920

? Francis FLOWERDAY
? Nessie FLOWERDAY
- Nessie married Walter Henry RICHARDSON in 1914

? William GARLICK

? * Isabella May PEEBLES
- Alexander Peebles

? * Alice RUST
- Alice married Thomas Bernard GREIG in 1912
? * Lena RUST
- Lena married George JENNINGS in 1911
? * Mabel RUST
- Mabel married Edward Randall CUBITT (1884-1968) in 1911

? Kate Lottie SECCOMBE (1883-1960)
- Kate married Fred Arthur WHARFE (1888-1978) in 1915
? Thomas Thorne SECCOMBE (1888-1978)
- Thomas married Mary McKenzie MILLER in 1915

? * Arthur Bernard SEMMENS (?-1918)
- Arthur married Muriel SYMONS in 1908
- their known children:
1910 - Venice Eve Semmens
1911 - Thelma May Semmens
- Arthur served in WWI as Lance Corporal 12485 with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 6th Reinforcements 2nd Battalion, F Company. He embarked from Wellington 6 May 1916, his next of kin was his wife Muriel at Whatatutu, Gisborne. Arthur was killed in action 30 Aug 1918 in Bapaume, France
18 Sep 1918 The news of the death of Corporal Arthur Bernard Semmens, who was killed on August 30th while fighting in France, was received in Gisborne with general regret. Corporal Semmens left Gisborne with the 12th Reinforcements. He was well known in Whatatutu and is a brother of Mr E. Semmens, Wharekopae. He leaves a widow and two children
? * Daisy May SEMMENS
? * Sydney Martin SEMMENS

? Louise SMITH
? Marion SMITH
? Ruby SMITH

? * Herbert Lionel THOM
? * Janet Ellen THOM
? * John Henry THOM
parents (originally from Scotland):
David Meikle THOM (1862-1938) & Margaret Phoebe PEEBLES (1865-1935)
- their known children:
1888 - Janet Ellen Thom
1891 - John Henry Thom
1893 - George Peebles Thom
1897 - Margaret Emily Thom
1898 - David Meikle Thom
1900 - Walter Thom

? * Dorothy WILSON
? * Olive WILSON
? * Raymond WILSON


** - the ORIGINAL SETTLERS of OPOURIAO
... it is interesting to recall the fact that the district was settled by no less than sixty-one settlers whose names were:-

? William ADAIR

? G. D. BALL
? B. BIDDLE
? R. W. BLANCHARD
? Ernest BRODRICK (1859-1946)
? Miss Amy A. BUNTING
? Eli BUTTERWORTH (1837-1914)

? Alfred Metcalfe CAPPER (1870-1916)
- born in Opotiki, Alfred married Rose MERRIMAN (1872-1945) in 1889 & had 2 daughters:
1891- Caroline Ada Capper
1893 - Maud Capper
- Alfred served as Private 3266 with the Australian 53rd Battalion, enlisting from Sydney 2 Nov 1915. His next of kin was his wife Rose at Taneauta. Alfred died of wounds 20 July 1916. In 1919 Rose remarried, to John Peebles
? Sidney Cecil CRAPP (1844-1907)

? David DAVIES
? Thomas DAVIES
? John DILLICAR (1868-1941)

? Thomas ERNEST

? V. W. FLOWERDAY

? Alfred GILL
? W. T. GILMOUR

? James HAMILTON
? Alice HAYLOCK
? Mrs Jane HOWELL

? C. A. JACKSON
? J. JOHNSON

? Henry KEEGAN
? P. KEEGAN

? Olivia Maria LAMONT (1867-1951) (transferred to Alfred John Sisam 29/6/97)
? G. C. LORD

? John Henry MARPLE (1851-1912)
? Alfred MASON
? James McCREADY
? Mrs M. J. McCREADY
? A. F. McCOUGAN
? Mrs E. McGOUGAN
? Miss B. MITCHELL
? Alfred MOODY
? John MOORCOCK
? Mrs MOORCOCK
? Miss J. E. MORRISON
? W. MORRISON (transferred to W. Reid 23/3/97)
? A. B. MORTON
? R. D. MORTON
? Thomas MURRAY

? Olsen OLDEN

? E. H. J. PEEBLES
? W. PHILLIPS
? Henry Henderson PITCHER (1871-1915)

? E. H. RAWSON
? Don ROSS
? A. E. RUST
? J. F. RUST

? Eliza SEMMENS
? N. J. SEMMENS
? Miss Rose SEMMENS
? W. SHEPHERD
? Alfred L. SMITH
? George A. SYKES

? David Meikle THOM (1863-1938)

? John WALKER
? W. WARDLAW
? George WILSON
? J. R. B. WILSON
? Robert G. WILKIN


PHOTO
David ERNEST, Private 52398 (1891-1918)