1963 Rosedale Intermediate Students Get Together

Former pupils of Rosedale Intermediate School from its first intake of students in 1963 have met up in the south for a reunion.

The reunion is for first day pupils of class IH and 2H who had Mr Hillstead as their teacher.

Organised by Alison Beaumont, who now lives in Arrowtown, the original 60-year reunion planned for Rosedale never happened because James Hargest took over the site for its junior campus in 2004.

After many years in the making, a total of 13 classmates from all over New Zealand finally got to catch up on Anzac Day, and are enjoying three days together touring around Southland.

It has been a real adventure for Alison tracking down her old class mates, and out of a total of 43, nine people have died, and surprisingly only two are still left in Invercargill (that could make the reunion).

Describing it as a very special time, she said there has been many exchanging of stories, and visits to places old and new.

“It’s just marvellous.  We’re all like a bunch of old friends again.”

Alison remembers fondly the brand new school that her class were able to use as the first pupils back in 1960s.

There are currently no more intermediates left in Invercargill, after a major education shakeup in 2004.

Rosedale Intermediate opened in 1963 with 556 students after 10 years of planning for a second Invercargill intermediate to cater for the North end of the city.

It all started with a post Alison sent the Old Invercargill Facebook page and then we did a story here Looking For Rosedale Intermediate Pupils From 1963