LETTER OF THE MONTH
Recently, I visited Hokitika. Forty-three years ago, I was appointed teacher of technical drawing and metalwork/engineering at Westland High School. The workshop was brand new. It was my job to set it all up and create the courses appropriate for each of the Years from Form 1 to Form 5.
The room was well equipped: five lathes, a shaping machine, two drilling machines, welding gear, foundry, and forging equipment, and all the hand tools and measuring equipment. Now, it’s all gone. The room is now carpeted and fitted out for Outdoor Education.
In the end, the school had no option. It had tried, unsuccessfully, to attract a teacher for three or four years, and so the room gathered dust. The equipment has all gone into storage at a local museum.
So, for me, big questions
