Three first-year pupils and three sets of twins numbered among the 250 or so former pupils, teachers, family and friends who attended the St Dominics School for the Deaf 50th jubilee over Anzac Weekend.
A number travelled long distances to be part of the celebrations, but the Koat and Craw twin boys live locally and the Overall twin girls live in Levin. The twins all have normal hearing but have been born to deaf parents.
St Dominics School for the Deaf was founded in March 1944 in Dover Street, Island Bay, Wellington, and three of its original five pupils were at the jubilee.
Pat Woods, now Mrs Pat Whau Whau from Invercargill, started at the age of four and moved with the school to Feilding in 1953 when it outgrew its Wellington premises.
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Janette Smith from Lower Hutt was the first weekly boarder and her father made the school its first group hearing aid, similar to today’s listening posts.
The other first-year pupil to attend was Carol Cotter, along with sisters Louise and Bernadette, two of the surviving teachers from the Dover Street days.
Among the special highlights of the successful weekend, the fifth reunion organised by Manawatu Catholic Deaf and Friends Association president Maree Carroll, was the pilgrimage back to the original Dover Street site and the opportunity to view old photographs. Those attending were invited to bring memorabilia.
Also at the jubilee was Chaplain to the Deaf Father David Malloy who has taken over Dominican Sister Maureen’s work with the adult deaf. He is based in Palmerston North and looks over the southern half of the North Island, including Nelson and Marlborough. Father David said the local deaf community is very strong and he is looking forward to working with the continued support of the Dominican Sisters.
