After a series of fortunate coincidences, Netherby School has its original school sign back at its front gate.
It was bought online.
Principal Phil Wheeler said the sign, likely to be the original Ministry of Education school sign from 1959, has brought with it a feeling of nostalgia and excitement among teachers, old and new.
‘‘Wendy Langely saw it and said she remembered the sign from when she taught here in 1993,” Wheeler said.
Over the past year, he said it was a series of events and coincidences that led to it returning home.
Wheeler, who was on sabbatical at the time, said acting principal Melanie Parekura saw it by chance for sale on Ashburton Buy Sell.
“She contacted me to see what I thought and I said, let’s get it.”
‘‘We were lucky she saw it.”
It was in pretty bad shape, so school caretaker Graeme Dowie took charge of sorting it out, Wheeler said.
‘‘Graeme then went about cleaning it down and painting the old rusted pole.”
Unfortunately, the old custom wood sign had not survived, so Heartland Print recreated the design, original wording and font on a weather proof material.
To get the new sign attached to the painted pole Wheeler said he set off to one engineering workshop but — for reasons he can’t explain — went to Horrell Engineering instead.
‘‘It is here that the coincidences happened as I learnt Blair Horrell’s grandfather built it originally.”
‘‘Knowing this, Blair kindly mounted the sign and altered the pole so it could be concreted into the ground, all for free.”
‘‘Now we have what is likely to be the original Netherby School sign reinstated in the front garden,” Wheeler said.
