Photo dating - New Zealand

[Gwenn02]

This photo has been take in Eastern Bush, Southland , NEW ZEALAND

I don"t have the date ....

any guess ?

Thanks :-)

[terry h]

Sorry can't help, just bumping you back up. 

Terry

[beluga07]

Not sure if this helps at all, but this listing of NZ teachers in 1906 suggests that Eastern Bush school had one sole teacher at that time - a Lena Fahey (ie. female).

http://shadowsoftime.co.nz/teachers2.html 

I guess given the male teacher in the photo, that it means you can rule out 1906 as the date of the photo, and maybe? a year or two either side of that if Ms Fahey was the teacher for a couple of years... Again, probably not a lot of help, but I'll have a look and see what else I can find.

[beluga07]

Another possible clue - this letter to the editor dated November 13, 1912 suggests there was a campaign on to move the school "to the cross roads, a short distance further south".

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OSWCC19121119.2.28.1&l=mi&e=-------10--1----0-all

Someone who knows more about such things than I might be able to make a guess from the photo as to whether that building had been relocated. If so, it must be 1913 or later...

[Hibee]

There is another copy of this photo on the net, with a suggested date of 1900.

Hibee

[robbo43]

Just bumping this up a bit in the hope some of those with more knowledge of clothes fashions etc will have a look at it.  It seems possibly later than 1900 & 1906 to me.

Robert

[Gwenn02]

Thank you Robbo for your answer

yes the costume of the teacher seems older than eraly 1900 .....

[robbo43]

Thank you Robbo for your answer

yes the costume of the teacher seems older than eraly 1900 .....

Also the boys' short trousers & long socks and the length of the girls' dresses. 

Robert

[beluga07]

Am getting nowhere with my own research, so I thought I'd procrastinate and look at your request again...

1. Eastern Bush School's admission, progress and withdrawal registers for 1892 – 1928 are held by Invercargill City Libraries and Archives. If you do want to find out the names of the pupils, this would be your best bet.
More details including contacts here: http://thecommunityarchive.org.nz/node/73308/summary

2. Have a read through "Papers Past" - its a great online collection of old New Zealand newspapers. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast

The area you are looking for is covered by the Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle (1905 - 1932). Just a quick look through myself I could find out:

The school was built in 1891, to accommodate 50 pupils. Only ever a sole teacher, and here are the ones I could establish (again, you could probably rule out the years where the head teacher was female):

1892 – 1893 Mr Meiklejohn
1893?  – 1898 Mr Barraclough
1899 – 1900 Mr John McFadden
1901 - Miss Taylor
1902 – 1910 Miss Lena Fahey
1911 - 1912 – Mr R M McIntyre
1925 – 1928 Miss Leila Rout
1928 - 1930 – Mary E Young
1931 - 1932 – Mr Ernest A Boon (there were 16 pupils in 1932 - so similar in number to your photo)

Some big gaps there, but it might help. A number of the articles also include lists of school pupils participating in school picnics etc.

Good luck.
Heather