Kaimai School celebrated a milestone achievement recently with the centennial of the establishment of its upper and lower schools.

The earliest pupil present Elma Roberts attended Kaimai School's centennial celebrations.

The earliest head teacher present Mick Alder with local and former teacher Pat Breingan (Scott-Davidson) and former pupil Catherine Sage (Alder).

Among those celebrating was Kaimai Road resident Elma Roberts.

Elma started school when she was six-years-old and remembers running the three quarter mile distance every morning.

'(I remember) running to school because I was always late. I always left thing to the last minute and I had to run like mad and I got there puffing at the last minute.”

Elma was one of around 10 other students enrolled at the school in 1934 and remembers playing games with her friends.

'We didn't have any big sports because when I first went there, there was only about 10 people. We just played games. Sometimes we played Cowboys and Indians and we'd run away by the side road. There was a side road there when we were there.”

As the earliest pupil to attend the centennial celebration Elma was asked to cut the birthday cake.

The Kaimai district was not settled by Pakeha until after 1900, though Ngati Kahu and Ngati Raukura have occupied the area of the old Kaimai Village at Ongaonga, near Soldiers Rd, since well before European arrival.

Following the completion of a road linking the Kaimai and Tauranga with the Waikato in 1911, settlers began to arrive in the area and a petition for the Education Department to provide a school was launched.

Kaimai No.1 School in the upper Kaimai, near the present lower end of Old Kaimai Rd, opened on February 10, 1913 – with a roll of 12 pupils, just two of them boys.

In 1920, Kaimai No.2 School opened at lower Kaimai, near the present Ngamuawahine bridge, with a roll of 14 – nine girls and five boys.

This school soon closed but reopened in 1931. It was later replaced by a new school on the existing site in 1954.

A few years later in 1958, Kaimai No.1 School closed, and the present school is now known simply as Kaimai School.

Former pupil enrolled in 1940s - Peter Dickson, former pupil enrolled in 1950s - Clive Mankelow and Gary Breingan reminiscing over lunch. Photos supplied.

Four students enrolled in 1964 drinking milk and eating lunch. Left to right Catherine Sage (Alder), Mel Moore (Wade), Christine Tomsett (Fenton), Murray Roberts.