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The History of Roydvale SchoolThe need for another school in the area was a result of residential expansion in North West Chirstchurch in the late 1950s and 60s - a period when newly married people established homes and families in the area. At the time, the roll of schools such as Kendal were reaching the 1000 mark and so another school in the area to reduce numbers was needed. Roydvale first opened on Wednesday, 1st February 1967. For term One of that year, the school was situated in the grounds of Kendal School while the buildings were completed at the present site. The opening roll was 120 pupils with Vivian Rowe the first pupil enrolled. The original staff of five was: Mr E.K. Robertshaw (Headmaster), Miss M Donahue (Infant Mistress), Miss Smith, Mrs Symes and Mr Taylor. The school was named after the Royds family who owned land in the area. The children and teachers moved to the present site in Term Two, 1967. The Minister of Education, A.E. Kinsella, officially opened the school on Thursday, 16th November, 1967. The strong community spirit, which exists at Roydvale today, can be traced back to the beginning of the school's history when sixty people turned up for the first PTA meeting. It was at this meeting that the school colours of bottle green and gold were chosen and it was decided that the first major project of the PTA would be the building of the swimming pool. The 25th Jubilee Committee Chairperson, Alan Mayel, wrote in the Jubilee Handbook that the parents of the first children to attend Roydvale expected the school to provide "quality education which would lay the foundation of knowledge, a respect for authority and an environment for young personalities to grow and develop." The statement below regarding life in Teesdale Street about five years before Roydvale opened, is testament to the changes in New Zealand society. "When we moved into one of the first houses in Teesdale Street, the road ended at No. 60, was unsealed and had no street lights. We had Lake Bryndwr and Ashby's digging out stones behind us and only a handful of houses between the airport and us. Burnside Road was just being deeloped into Memorial Avenue and Roydvale Avenue was still Woolridge Road." |
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