Te Kura O Hine Waiora Christchurch Girls'
High School

1876

The Superintendent of Canterbury, William Rolleston, put up £3000 for the erection of a Girls High School in Christchurch.

1877

CGHS opened in a building on the corner of Hereford Street and Rolleston Avenue. Mrs Georgiana Ingle, a widow living in Tasmania, had been selected from 57 applicants and appointed Lady Principal of the new CGHS. She was joined by two assistant teachers: Miss Kate Edgar (first woman to gain a BA and second to gain an MA in the British Empire) and Miss Hamilton.

1893

Governor Lord Glasgow signed the Electoral Act into law, giving women the right to vote in national parliamentary elections. A number of past students, and at least 14 known teachers, signed the petition, some listing their address as Girls High School.

1904

• Captain Robert Scott, Antarctic explorer, whose statue is seen on Oxford Terrace, sent a telegraph to the school in response to flowers having been sent by the girls to the officers and men of RRS Discovery. These men were part of the British National Antarctic Expedition. They docked in Lyttelton on April 1st and Captain Scott wrote to Miss Gibson on April 6th. The telegram read:

  Dear Madam, I much regret that I have not been able to write before, to thank the Christchurch Girls' High School for the exceedingly kind present and congratulation which greeted our arrival. We all felt very grateful for such a kindly thought and for the appreciation of our work. Again asking you to excuse my delayed reply, Believe me, Yours sincerely, Robert F. Scott.

  Scott later died on the return journey from reaching the South Pole in 1912.

• Due to a heavy fall of snow in the morning, girls of the school arranged a snow fight, which lasted for about 30 minutes on the tennis courts.

1908

The extension to the school on the corner of Armagh Street and Montreal is completed. The school now had 3 classrooms on the bottom floor, two on the first floor and a room planned as a science room. This would not be equipped for another year as a result of the Government not paying for furnishings. Eventually it would have microscope benches and sinks for twelve students, a demonstration bench and a physical sciences bench. It was made for twenty-six students. There was also the Assembly Hall, library, a staff room and a room for the principal. The 6th Form had a room in the turret tower. The playground was small — “wholly inadequate” in the words of Principal Mary Gibson.

1914

WWI begins. CGHS would see 3 alumni work as doctors during the war: Dr Ada McLean (née Wilkinson, Alumni 1884), Dr Jessie Maddison (Alumni 1890–1891) and Dr Jessie Scott (Alumni 1898–1900). Dr Scott was awarded the Order of St Sava by the King of Serbia in 1917 for her work on the Eastern Front.

1915

The first fifty nurses head overseas to work in hospitals in Egypt. Included in this number is Sister, later Matron, Edna Pengelly RRC, ARRC (Alumni 1892). Eight further alumni would serve as nurses and on hospital ships. They are Sister Fanny Abbott ARRC; Sister Winifred Anstey (Alumni 1896–1899); Sister Annie Campbell ARRC, MiD, Mentioned by Secretary of War for Valuable Services x2 (Alumni 1891–1893); Sister Rose Fanning (Alumni 1898); Sister Mary Gould, Mentioned by Secretary of War for Valuable Services (Alumni 1903); Sister Davidina Gunn (Alumni 1902–1908); Sister Margaret Herbert (Alumni 1901–1904); and Sister Elsie Owen (Alumni 1904–1905).

The SS Marquette is torpedoed by a German submarine and is sunk, killing 167 people, 32 of whom were New Zealanders, including 10 members of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service. These women are commemorated in the Nurse Chapel in Christchurch. Three alumni of our school — Sisters Mary Gould, Fanny Abbott and Winifred Anstey — survived the sinking.

1919

Matron Edna Pengelly is awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal, the highest award given to a serving nurse. She is one of 15 recipients for services in WWI. She had previously been awarded the Associate Royal Red Cross Medal (second highest award) for services during war in 1917.

1920

13 CGHS students are reported to be sick from the influenza epidemic in the Sun newspaper.

The house of William Strange at 85 Papanui Road is gifted to the College Board. It included 3½ acres of land adjacent to a parcel of land on Shrewsbury Street the board had previously purchased. Combining the two properties gave space of 5 acres of land. The Board considered this as a potential site for a new school, but it then decided to make it the boarding facility. The house was renamed Acland House after Mr Henry Dyke Acland, a solicitor, and the Chairman of the Board, who had been championing the needs of girls from rural locations for some years.

1921

Thirty-eight girls were accommodated at Acland House, the new boarding house for CGHS.

The inaugural Monica Thacker Shield competition was held at the Tepid Baths in Christchurch. This shield was to be won in a lifesaving competition between secondary school girls. The first winners were the CGHS A Team, composed of Verna Sucking, Gwen Bowring, Jessie Dunbier and Florence Bell. The shield was presented by Mrs Monica Thacker, the wife of Dr Henry Thacker, the Mayor of Christchurch.

1922

Nancy Reid becomes the first named Head Girl of Acland House.

1926

The board builds the south wing to Acland House. It is named “Gibson”, in honour of the principal Mary Gibson. A further prep room is built near the front gate.

1935

Further changes were made to the existing buildings at Acland House. New rooms were added to the west of the building allowing for further dormitories, spaces for staff and a larger kitchen and dining room.

1937

The school celebrates its Diamond Jubilee.

The school opens a month late due to the polio (poliomyelitis) epidemic.

1938

The Parent Teacher Association is formed at the school. They initially worked alongside the Old Girls Association for school fundraising.

1939

The school pool is opened by Mr Andrew, Chairman of the Canterbury College Council. The concept of a school pool was presented during the Diamond Jubilee of 1937. Fundraising via the Old Girls Association helped pay for it. It was built on the Montreal Street side of the school grounds, in the southern corner.

The Austrian composer and pianist Paul Schramm performed a pianoforte recital at the school. Later during the WWII years, Paul was treated poorly in New Zealand because of his German heritage. According to the Ara website, anonymous letters to the police denounced him as a fifth columnist, and threats were made to disrupt his concerts. Eventually he moved to Australia in 1946.

1940

The girls begin fundraising efforts for the war effort. Girls donated money at first and then the Lower 6th Form organised the Labour Bureau in which girls cleaned gardens and cars, painted bicycles and helped with housework. The school also held a concert. Monies raised were donated to the Red Cross and the London Distress Relief Fund. Many girls knitted balaclavas, gloves, socks, scarves and pullovers for New Zealand servicemen and refugees. To save money and paper, the school magazine is handwritten and not distributed, but a copy is held for future archiving purposes.

1942

Girls from Christchurch Girls High School and St Margaret’s College practise evacuation drills into slit trenches. Trenches were dug in Hagley Park, as well as in Cranmer and Latimer Squares, in December 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor intensified fears of a direct threat to New Zealand.

Daisy Osborn (Alumni 1903) presents a painting to CGHS called “Youth” to the school. Daisy was a renowned artist in New Zealand in the first half of the 20th century.

1943

Third Form (Year 9) is sent home due to the polio epidemic. They return on 31st March.

1944

Sister Alma Crampton dies following injuries sustained in a vehicle accident, while on active service during WWII. She is the only known student to have died on active service for New Zealand. The school holds a memorial assembly.

Lt Colonel Betty Lorimer (Alumni 1921–25) is awarded an MBE for her leadership in the YWCA during the North Africa and Italy campaigns. Betty served from 1941 until 1947. The YWCA provided recreation and support to New Zealand troops during the war.

1945

The school closes to celebrate Victory in Europe (VE) Day, signalling the end of the war against Nazi Germany.

1947

CGHS alumna Mary Wootton, aged 21, is crowned Miss New Zealand in Wellington.

1956

The Stewart wing at Acland House was opened by Prime Minister Sir Sydney Holland, providing space for a further 21 girls and 2 house mistresses.

1962

The renovated Assembly Hall is officially opened with 300 Old Girls in attendance. On behalf of the Association the president, Mrs Owen, presented to the school the memorial table and chairs and red velvet hangings for the stage, and the presidents from South Canterbury and Wellington branches each presented their chairs.

1963

A pool is constructed at Acland House for the boarders, paid for by PTA funding.

The girls are allowed to stand on Park Terrace to see Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in their cavalcade parade through Christchurch.

1965

First description in the school calendar of a “non-uniform day”. Girls had to pay a shilling fine to dress out-of-uniform.

1968

The Wahine disaster occurs in Wellington Harbour. Among those who died is Miss Agnes G. Merton, aged 79, who was both a CGHS pupil and a teacher in 1921–1923, 1931–1947 and 1948. She had taught History and English.

1970

Head Girl, and later Dux, Anne Battersby, is invited to lunch with HM Queen Elizabeth and HRH Prince Philip at Christ’s College, along with the head prefects of other Christchurch schools. Anne sat immediately to the right of the Queen, traditionally a place of honour.

1977

The opening ceremony of Christchurch Girls' High School Centennial celebrations takes place in the Town Hall. Sir Dennis Blundell, the Governor-General, declared the celebrations open. Several thousand old girls and friends of the school attended.

Eileen Fairbairn donates Bealey Crag, her cottage in Arthurs Pass, to the school. It is 2 acres of property next to the Waimakariri River.

1984

Lesley Murdoch (Alumni 1969–1974) is the first CGHS alumna to compete at the Olympic Games. She competes as part of the New Zealand Women’s Hockey Team in Los Angeles. She also played international cricket for New Zealand.

1985

Farewell Cranmer Reunion Weekend celebrates the history of school to that date with the Timewarp activities where students re-enacted scenes from the school’s past in classrooms and in Cranmer Square.

1986

Official opening of the new CGHS school on the corner of Deans Avenue and Matai Street. Girls are led from the old site at Cranmer Square to the new site at Matai Street by the principal, Miss Prisk.

1992

Alumni student Annelise Coberger (CGHS 1985–1988) wins a silver medal in the slalom event at the Albertville Winter Olympics in France. She was the only athlete to have won a medal from the Southern Hemisphere at that time.

1996

A special assembly is held to farewell 16-year-old students Lydia Lipscombe (Alumni 1993–1997) and Sarah Catherwood (Alumni 1993–1997), who were both competing at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Sarah, the youngest New Zealand Olympian at the games, competed in the 4 × 200 metre freestyle swimming relay. Lydia competed in 100m, 200m and 4 × 100m backstroke swimming events.

1997

A toxic gas leak from a 4th Form science class entered the school air ducts and forced the evacuation of the school, resulting in 190 staff and students being admitted to hospital. Mrs Newman and Sarah Johnstone (Head Prefect) were commended for saving Spaz the school cat.

Spaz the Cat dies in the school holidays.

The Grand Concert is held at the school to celebrate the 120 year anniversary.