First Days at Colegio Anglo Peruano

A week after my arrival the Colegio opened for the second term. The library was assigned to me as my place of study and there I slogged in at Spanish morning and afternoon, whenever I was not keeping order in some class whose teacher had not turned up. This was a job I hated as my Spanish was very limited and the boys, who were naturally frisky, delighted in having as much fun as possible at my expense. There were two Perata brothers were in the fourth year High School who led me a merry dance. Although not twins they were much alike. I would take the name of one of them, which would be called out for detention at the line up before dismissal in the afternoon. The innocent one would promptly fall out while the guilty one would make a beeline for home as soon as he reached the street. The innocent Perata would then protest that he was being accused of his brothers misdeeds and promptly be released.

All young missionaries were expected to belong to the Union Church choir at that time, and I was no exception. Mary Hutcheson volunteered to take me along to the practise after school during my first week. She was an innocent little soul and had no idea at all as to what went on just around the corner from the Plaza Francia, especially in Calle Salud. She told me she knew a shortcut to Pasahe Inclan where the Lima High School for girls was situated and there the practise was to be held. So off we set walking the whole length of that infamous street, which in those days was the red light district.  She was very short and was red headed and I am over six feet tall. The women came out of their dens to see this great sight and make comments, none of which I could understand. When I asked Mary what the explanation was, she did not know herself. However we reached the choir practise safely and I don’t think Mary ever did find out where she had been.

Renting from Bevan

Floorplan as sketched in letter home

Upon our return to Lima we had to look for somewhere to live. The inner city of Lima in 1928 was bounded on the west by Avenida Alfonso Ugarte. A few streets had been laid out parallel with the avenue on the Callao side but only a few houses had yet been built. We were able to rent an upstairs flat on Calle Ancash facing Callao. Between us and the port was a clear view of the bare pampa. Our landlord was a Welshman named Bevan, who lived next door. We were quite conveniently situated as far as the school was concerned as we were only about six or eight blocks away. At first we had an abundant water supply but as other houses were built this diminished to a mere trickle and then ceased completely during the day. The only way to ensure supply of water was by filling the bath each evening. When the situation became desperate, the municipal authorities excavated the water main and found the contractor had laid 2 inch pipes instead of 6 inch mains. This is a typical example of what they call “viveza criolla” or, creole enterprise.

The Artist

Herbert was an accomplished artist. He sketched and etched from very early days. He was an enthusiastic learner and was always keen to work in new ways and new medium. He was keen on water colour and oils but did like working in pencil. Some well remembered lessons came from Herb when pulled out a carpenter’s pencil and very cleverly showed what could be done with a broad piece of pencil lead. He was once introduced to the famous New Zealand landscape painter Aston Greathead who very generously handed some of his paintings to Herb and invited him to copy them. Ever keen to keep learning and refining his technique Herb took the most of this opportunity. I am not sure if this is a copy of Aston but it does reveal some of Herb’s talent. So too this etching of the Inferniello Bridge in Peru.(via Bramwell Cook)

Herbert and Children

Herb and Netta were not able to have children, something that was always a disappointment to them both. As their extended family noted, children would have enjoyed the richest of lives with them. Yet, and perhaps because of this, Herb had a great compassion for children and a remarkable capacity to connect with them, regardless of their age. His memoirs are replete with anecdotes of his connections with kids – perhaps not surprising given one of his core passions was primary education.

Dr Money was known in our house as “Dr Wow Wow”, an appellation he unwittingly created for himself with a toddler sibling. When she was upset this tall old man would bend down, pull faces at her and waggle his fingers in her face and exclaim “Wow wow Becky”. Dr Wow Wow stuck and he never minded being addressed as such, even many years later.

Dr Money came and spoke at a retreat held at a remote site near the Nugget Point lighthouse, in Otago. It must have been in the early 1970s. The old building we used faced out into the southern ocean from where it always seemed to be blowing a gale. Herb was caught standing there one afternoon, gazing out to sea with a guilty look on his face. When interrogated he confessed he was standing there playing postman. “You see, Frank (about 7 or so) comes along and hands me a letter. Then he disappears. When Brenda (similar age) walks past I hand over the letter from Frank and take hers in return”. In his seventies he was not above playing matchmaker and was quite content to be “helping them along”.

A Cajamarca Wedding

As soon as the news of our engagement reached Cajamarca, Rev and Mrs Calvin Mackay, who were in charge of the Free Church mission there, wrote back inviting us to spend our vacation and celebrate the marriage there, which we did. The journey to Cajamarca was quite an adventure in itself, although prior to this it had been still more so. We travelled by sea to Pacasmayo on a coastal boat, which called at every port loading and unloading cargo. First class on the boat was only recognisable by comparison with third class which was much worse. On the deck immediately below our cabins were the stalls of cows and pigs. Nowhere on the ship could we escape that stable smell.  Third class passengers lived in closer proximity still to the animal cargo. Loading and unloading the animals was an interesting experience. A loop of spliced rope was placed under the animals horns and attached to a winch. The signal was then given to hoist and the animal was pulled up head first. It’s eyes would bulge out like a couple of fried eggs and its feet would stick out at right angles in front of it as it is spun giddily above the lighter and was hoisted on board. Three days later we reached Pacasmayo.

Pacasmayo in the ‘good old days’ was quite a primitive place on all counts. The water supply was obtained from a little creek which served every purpose under the sun. The women washed clothes in it, the children bathed and the pigs wallowed in it and at relatively clear spots, water was baled out for household purposes. One look at the source of the water supply was more powerful than a law against intoxicating spirits. A friend of mine, who would not trust the water even when it was boiled, bought a half bottle of beer each night with which to clean his teeth and gargle. Naturally we did not remain in Pacasmayo any longer than was strictly necessary. Next day we took the train up the Jequetepequi Valley to the railway terminus at Chilete. The hotel there was even more primitive than that at Pacasmayo. On our return journey, our bedroom, which opened out onto the street could only be closed properly by propping a broken chair against it. A drunk tried to force his way in during the night but was unable to dislodge the chair. 

Having reached Chilete at midday or soon thereafter, we are able to continue our journey by car to Cajarmarca. The Rev Calvin Mackay had kindly come to meet us and had everything lined up for a quick getaway. Once away from Chilete we were in the zone where it does not rain. We found the road washed out here and there but this was nothing unusual in those parts. It was taken as a matter of course that all passengers, or at least the males, would chip in and overcome all obstacles. At one point I was sure we were blocked completely but within half and hour a way had been constructed around the obstacle and we were on our way again.

(Via Bramwell Cook)

At Cajamarca we found that the Rev Mackay had everything lined up for the wedding. The civil ceremony took place during the morning at the office of the mayor and the religious ceremony in the mission chapel in the afternoon. Several local celebrities graced the occasion but scarcely had the wedding breakfast commenced than a thunder storm broke over the town, the heavens were opened and down came a tremendous deluge, which delayed our departure for the honeymoon. This we were to spend in a little hotel at a place called Yumagual. It had been arranged that hosrses would meet us when we cane abreast of this valley and take us to our destination. The rain however, upset these plans and, to make matters worse, we found the road washed out near the summit with another car stuck in the hole. My first job as a married man was therefore road mending. We were able to manhandle the stranded car out of the hole, which we progressively filled with stones till road level was reached. Having surmounted this obstacle we continued our journey to the trysting place but only to find that the Indians who had brought the horses had gotten tired of waiting and had gone home. Fortunately we were able to attract the attention of an Indian family living in the neighbourhood and got a couple of men to escort us on foot to our hotel where we arrived just before ten o’clock. We were the only guests, so we came in for royal attention. The main attraction at Yumagual was its thermal springs, which we had all to ourselves. Those in charge of the hotel had thoughtfully scented the bed with rose petals. The fragrance was delightful but the dim candle light did not reveal the cause of the phenomenon. Next morning we had discovered they had placed the rose petals between the sheets which were very unevenly dyed pink and red by morning. 

Postcard sent on Wedding day from Herb to his parents

Miss Kemp

There were three ladies teaching in the Colegio. They were Miss Mary Hitchenson of Carrbridge, Flora MacLullich of Argyleshire, who is now Mrs Thomas Graham of Dublin, and Netta Kemp of Black Isle, Rossshire, who was shortly to become my wife. She arrived in Peru in 1920, being the first teacher to join Dr John A. Mackay, after the founding of the Colegio Anglo Peruano. By the time of my arrival she had just returned for her second period of service, having preceded me by exactly a month. She already had a good command of Spanish, which she spoke like a native and was an exceedingly good teacher, besides being popular among both pupils and staff. In these circumstances it was not altogether surprising that by October the second do the same year we were engaged. On January 11th we were married in Cajamarca by Rev J Calvin Mackay.

Our courtship, though brief, was not entirely free from adventure. One evening we sent for a walk in Miraflores along the marine parade, which skirts the shore at the top of the cliffs, some 100feet above the sea. A gully leads from the ’Melecon’ to the bathing sheds along which passes a road flanked with trees. We were looking for a nice quiet place in which to sit and talk, when we came to this gully which struck us ideal for our purpose, since there were seats under some of the trees. We therefore selected a nice shady tree and were really enjoying the beauty and solitude of our retreat. Above, on the Malecon, a policeman was walking his beat. Hearing the murmur of voices below in the gully , he set out to investigate. Suddenly we became conscious of someone stalking us. We could hear the crunching of the dead leaves under stealthy feet and, looking in the direction we could see the figure of the guardian of the law as he slipped from the shade of one tree to the other with his revolver at the ready. We waited in silence until he reached our tree. Then, placing himself before us and keeping us covered with his gun he spoke. “Que hace Ud. Por aqui, Senor calallero?” he asked. I was only making my first steps in Spanish at the time, so left the talking to Miss Kemp. ‘As you can see’ she replied, ‘ we are sitting on a seat’. ‘I can see that.’ He said. ‘But don’t you know this is a very dangerous place for a senorita to be at night?’ Miss Kemp promptly replied that she thought it was an ideal place. ‘No’ said the policeman, ‘this is a terrible place, anything could happen here.’ ‘ What sort of things’ she asked. ‘Things I could not tell a senorita,’ he replied. ‘Well, just tell me,’ was her rejoinder. The policeman had met his match. He had intended getting possession of my identity papers, which I would only be able to retrieve upon conditions highly unfavourable to me. But since I had not yet taken out my identity papers, but did not wish to admit this, my lady friend stalled him off again. Finally, finding that his ploy was not going to work, he made a compromise. We must vacate this shady nook and look elsewhere for a seat, which we promptly did. Neither of us repented our conduct that evening and indeed we both came to the conclusion that looking down the barrel of a gun together wasn’t as bad as some people might think.

Arrival in Lima - Setting the Scene

Herbert arrived in Lima shortly after evangelical work has commenced in earnest in Peru.  His teacher qualifications and his interest in the Peruvian Indians seemed to fit the needs of the day for writing in 1930 John Ritchie, long time resident of Peru noted not only the needs of the Indians, but the desire by those who had secured the independence of the country, to rapidly educate all their people. It was a national aspiration largely unfulfilled even in 1930 when Ritchie made these observations, but into that desire the various mission had finally tapped with some considerable success. 

But that success came about after a sputtering start. The evangelical story in Peru has the flavour of toe dipping into water quickly found cold. In 1822 John Thomson, a Scottish Baptist minister arrived and was installed as the first director of public instruction. Note the willingness to appoint foreigners to this important role. By all accounts he did an excellent job of setting up schools and distributing the Spanish Bible which arrived for the first time during his tenure from the British and Foreign Bible Society.  John was described as a gentle man and he surely must have been persuasive for he even convinced some priests and Roman Catholic professionals to carry on the distribution of the Bibles after he left Peru. Which he did after only two years, though like Paul it seems it was a destination and church to which he was always keen to return and encourage.
In 1825 the Presbyterians sent an envoy to explore opportunities in South America and Peru barely caught his eye. There appear then a catalogue of opportunities not quite properly exploited: Wheelwright from the American Bible Society in 1833, Bishop Taylor of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1849, a “liberal” Roman priest in 1851 called Francisco de Paula Gonzalez Vigil. And then in 1888 Francisco G Penzotti arrived and set up a large congregation in Calleo. Perhaps the earlier faltering starts ran up against the implacable Roman church, standing firm behind the protection of the constitution behind which, though reformed to allow protestant worship, the priests fought the spread of the gospel. Penzotti changed all that for he was arrested in 1890 charged with breaching the constitution by distributing Bibles and encouraging worship outside the Roman church. The case was escalated to the Supreme Court and then before the jury of the world when a photo of Francisco behind bars was conveniently published in the New York Times. The charges were dropped and he was released in 1891 to much acclaim and “winning the first battle of religious liberty in Peru”. 

Thereafter there was a comparative flurry of activity. In the same year as his release the first resident missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church arrived, a Dr Thomas B Wood. Wood was quick to realise the educational opportunities, slipped back  to the US and returned with a clutch of teachers who would later make significant, and dramatic inroads into Peru. The "Regions Beyond Missionary Union" got established at this time and was later taken over by the Evangelical Union of South America in 1911. Charles Bright of the English Brethren arrived in 1893, Mr and Mrs Brand from the Holiness Church of California in 1903, the Salvation Army in 1910, the Church of the Nazarene in 1914 and the Free Church of Scotland in 1916. In 1919 the Assemblies of God commenced work with the Indians while the Christian and Missionary Alliance started work with the forest Indians. The Inland South American Missionary Union established work in Inquitos as did some independent players from the English Brethren, while the Irish Baptist Foreign Mission set up in Cuzco. The Seventh Day Adventists, though bemoaned by many missions for their “sheep stealing” did a formidable work in Peru which was recognised for its effectiveness by most, including Herbert.

So two areas of work already had their turf turned in preparation for Herbert’s arrival. The first was the wide recognition of the importance of education in lifting the average citizen from his oppressed and ignorant state, while the second was a general awakening to the need to do something for the Indians.  Herbert rapidly focused on the Indians as his life’s work, and who they were and what their condition was the subject of his PhD dissertation. And the boys school at which he worked on arrival  was widely recognised as an institution of excellence. Established in 1916 by the Free Church under the auspices of Mr and Mrs John A Mackay it was quickly established as “one of the finest educational establishments in the republic and is a centre of Christian witness and activity”. It still exists today. 

Callao Reception

No sooner had we done this than a swarm of launches converged on our ship. As they drew nearer it looked as if they were manned by swarthy cutthroat pirates, such as I used to read about as a boy in ‘The Three Midshipmen’. They were at least dressed much the same, fore nefarious expressions on their dark faces and were intent on boarding our ship. They contended among themselves for a place by the gangway and fought their way up shouting and jostling one another in the mad race for the deck. All they lacked to complete the true pirate effect was pistols in their belts and cutlasses in their teeth. It was a fearsome sight as they pounced on the poor defenceless passengers, grabbed their suitcase and made off with the booty. Nevertheless, however terrifying may have been the experience for those who had never experienced it before it was not nearly as bad as it looked. The boarding party was not a hoard of pirates but baggage handlers known as ‘flateros’. The only really fierce thing in the attack was their competition to capture as much baggage as possible and convey it to the customs terminal at the landing stage where it would be up to the passengers to identify and claim their own. Since I had received a message to remain on board until someone met me, I stood guard over my belongings and witnessed the scramble of falteros and the anxiety of my fellow travellers. At length Mr Rycroft (pictured), the sub director of the Colegio Anglo Peruano, turned up. After this everything was simple. He explained the procedure to me, gave me the necessary instructions to a faltero, got me to shore and through the Customs and hailed a taxi for Lima.

Callao at that time was a very ancient looking town. Its streets were still cobblestoned, donkeys abounded, and the town was dominated by a medieval fort, complete with moat. The only road to Lima was the Avenida Progresso, which was flanked by trees. At the Callao end of the avenida buzzards were dismantling the carcass of a diseased donkey. A little nearer Lima was a monument on which were the remains of an old Ford car which had been badly smashed up in a collision. On the pedestal were the words ‘Despeciao se va lejos’ which means ‘slowly you go a long way’. It was a good lesson. Lima is about 450 feet above sea level and about 5 miles inland. The land along the coast is perfectly flat but with a definite slope seawards.

Canal Zone to Lima

After a weeks wait in the Canal Zone, I embarked on the ‘Santa Eliza’ bound for Valparaiso. Our first port of call was Buenaventura, in Colombia. The name means ‘good adventure’ but its appearance suggested just the opposite. In striking contrast to the Canal Zone, it was the dirtiest place I had ever seen.  Many of the houses were constructed on stilts or piles and at high tide could be reached only by canoe. Four days sailing brought us to Talara,  a petroleum port in northern Peru. From here south the coast was completely rainless. Not a blade of grass was to be seen anywhere. To accentuate the impression of barrenness the national flag of red and white was to be seen fluttering from every house, for it was the national anniversary. How I longed for something more reminiscent of the verdure of New Zealand! Four days after leaving the Canal Zone we anchored off Callao.

History of Involvment in Universities in Peru

While this will "out" in the memoirs it is interesting to see references such as the following emerging in current research which recognises the roles Herbert played in the Peruvian community. Educación, Año I N.° 1, Mayo 2004; pp. 7- 19 Translated with some Google tools  - which will explain the roughness. Title of the article is "Historical Notes of the Faculty of Education". Herbert (it appears) is referenced in the following paragraph:

In 1931 Dr. Jose Antonio Encinas Franco was elected Rector of the University of San Marcos. Encinas initiated structural reform of the University. A college was created based on the academic partnership between the Faculties of Arts and Sciences and whose purpose was to give students knowledge of
general culture necessary for their studies of specialization in the School of Advanced Studies was engaged in The research and expertise composed of 19 institutes (the Institutes replace the powers), one of them Institute of Education: "The institute did not intend preparing secondary teachers. But provide the greatest possible contribution to Science Education through research, whose outcome should be used in the best school organization in the country". The curriculum of the Institute of Education, approved in September 1931, consisted of the following Chairs: Principles of Education, History, Educational, History of Universities, Organization and administration of universities, British Education History, History of German Education, Contemporary Issues in Education, Pedagogy, Experimental Statistics Applied to Education and seminars of Technical Education and higher Experimental and Pedagogy. The professors who supported the Institute on a pro bono basis were Drs. Richard Westermann, Jose Antonio Encinas, Alberto Giesecke, Villanueva Alfonso Pinillos, Carlos A. Velasquez, Herbert Money y Cipriano Angles Olvea.

We can lose sight of Herbert's qualifications very easily if we think of him as a missionary but he was trained as a teacher first, not a pastor. Which makes his later awards, recognising his theological contributions all the more remarkable.  For Herbert, education was the vector by which people could hear and read the gospel, and in hearing and reading they might be saved.

Arriving in the Zone

The last thing I did in New Zealand was to act as best man at the marriage of my good friend Theo Gibbs. Since the wedding took place in Wellington , my mother accompanied me. I embarked on the “Corinthic” that evening, was given shots’ for almost everything by a brilliant young doctor friend , and said goodbye to my mother. The “Corinthic” sailed at daybreak next day. It must have been about the third week of June. The young doctor was Bramwell Cook, who was later to become my brother in law.












I was a wretched sailor at that time and fully lived up to my reputation on this voyage. I reacted most violently to the small pox vaccination, and was unable to leave my bunk for the first ten days. The only person I knew on the ship was a Miss Laurie Perkins, also of Christchurch, was travelling to Valparaiso to be married. Had it not been for her kind attention during these miserable days, I do not know what I would have done. Strange to say, after this terrible bout of sea sickness I seemed to get this trouble completely out of my system and was able to enjoy the rest of my time on board.

However a further trial awaited me. This occurred at Cristobal, in the Canal Zone. I stayed at the YMCA there and carefully followed all the instructions I had received about abstaining from native delicacies and beverages. There was a special tea a the ‘Y’ that Sunday evening for service men in the Canal Zone, after which I was asked to speak to them. Everything was served up in strict accordance with American standards of hygiene but that did not prevent me from becoming violently ill during the night with vomiting and diarrhoea. By midnight I thought my end had come. In the early hours of the morning I was taken to the Samaritan Hospital, where I spent a couple of days. This was my first introduction to a very common experience among new arrivals. In Peru this trouble is commonly called “turista”, because of its prevalence among new arrivals from the States and Europe. The treatment was simple. No food until I showed signs of improvement. Since I usually have a good appetite, I soon recovered.

Money Family Tree

An excellent family history of the Money family has just been published by Bramwell Cook and can be found here at http://www.moneyscreek.co.nz/pages/index.html.Clearly Herbert is one of many remarkable people in a diverse and talented family, and one comes to understand the pioneering DNA in Herb when the story of the wider family is revealed.

The Call to Peru or "How to Find the Will of God"

During 1926 Dr John R Mott, founder of the Student Christian Movement, made a visit to New Zealand in an endeavour to enlist Student Volunteers for missionary work in India and the East. I was one of those volunteers at a meeting for students held in the old Choral Hall in the northern end of Latimer Square next to what is now the YWCA building. Due principally to my previous contacts with men like Frederick Glass, who distinguished himself as a colporteur with the Evangelical Union of South America in Brasil, and George Allen, Founder of the Bolivian Indian Mission, which is now known as the Andes Evangelical Mission, I felt particularly drawn to South America but up to that time had received no leading as to where or in what capacity. Dr Mott did not know anything personally about the continent but he was able to put me in touch with a friend of his who was well informed in this field.

He was Dr John A Mackay, founder of the Colegio Anglo Peruano in Lima, Peru. Since Dr Mackay had recently been appointed pravelling (sic) secretary for the YMCA in South America, he referred me to the Free Church of Scotland under whose auspices the Colegio functioned. They were looking for a teacher of my qualifications at that time and, since [none] was offering in Scotland, offered me a position on the staff.

The net result was that I received a cable at the beginning of the following year asking me to proceed immediately to Peru. Since it was impossible for me to leave without giving due notice of my resignation, it was arranged that I should assume my duties in the Lima College at the beginning of its second semester in August. 1926 was a critical year in my life. I had received a good initial training and preparation and had taken advantage of all the opportunities available in order to achieve this. Now I was seeking definite guidance as to my future. Just at this time I read "The Life of Henry Drummond" and was impressed with a note he had made in the fly leaf of his Bible. It was entitled "How to Find the Will of God" and these were the points he enumerated:

1. Pray for guidance
2. Think
3. Seek advice from those more experienced than yourself but don;t accept that advice as final because you have to make the decision yourself.
4. Take into account your own inclination and don't be too much afraid of it as God may wish to use your talents
5. In the meantime get on with whatever job you have on hand because doing God's will in small things is the best preparation for discovering His will in larger issues.
6. When the time comes for decisions, act for the glory of God in the light of all the foregoing and it may seem that God has left you completely alone to make your own decision
7. Once you have made your decision, act on it and don't reconsider or turn back.

This was the line I took.  I do not agree with all that Henry Drummond taught but I have been greatly indebted to him for this bit of practical advice. As soon as I received that cable from Edinburgh, I knew that my call had come. I remember to this day how I broke the news to my mother. She was washing up the dishes and I was drying them for her. I told her that my call had finally come and that I would be leaving for Peru about the middle of the year. This was the answer to my parents prayers and my own, and we all recognised it. Neither then or at any time when we were called upon to part, were there any tears, for each parting was an answer to prayer. And God rewarded my parents in a remarkable way. Each time we returned on furlough, which was five times, the whole family was reunited at Christmas and this was the more remarkable as this involved the return from India on four of these occasions of my sister, Dorothy and her husband, Dr A. Bramwell Cook, who were missionaries with the Salvation Army. When we parted for the last time, my father was in his 91st year and my mother in her 89th. That was Goodbye to the best parents one could possible have and I thank God for every memory of them.

Dorothy Cook

Via Bramwell Cook
One of Herbert's siblings was Dorothy, born in 1912, and who spent from 1935 -1953 in the mission field in India with her physician husband Bramwell. Theirs is a remarkable and unsung story of service.

 

Jaguar - Family Pet

A jaguar was shot in about 1936–7 by Ralf Snyder, a missionary, or a colleague of [Herbert's], leaving two defenceless cubs. One cub was offered to Herb, which he accepted with alacrity and named Manitsi, the Indian jungle name for jaguar. When the jaguar was nearly a year old, and had grown in size and strength, Herb sought a better and safer home for it. London Zoo readily agreed to take the big cat, but on board the steamer Lobos the cat escaped from its caged environment. This story made front-page headline news in England:

JAGUAR PROWLS SHIP: HOLDS CREW AT BAY FOR 4 DAYS

Slinking behind bulkheads, lifeboats and deck housings for four days and nights, a Peruvian jaguar stalked the crew of the British steamer Lobos racing for Liverpool. By night the flash of the great cat’s green eyes as it prowled the decks and companion ways kept the crew in a constant state of alarm. During the day the jaguar hid away in the after part of the ship, snarling savagely when anybody approached its lair. During those four nights nobody aboard the Lobos slept. Engineers crammed on all steam to reach Liverpool before the jaguar should be driven by hunger to make a sortie by daylight against the crew. On Monday night as the ship drew near the English coast a stoker, exhausted, fell asleep on his bunk. A few moments later the snarling of the jaguar awakened him. Looking over the side of the bunk he found himself staring into two wicked eyes. Roaring a warning he leaped out and dashed on the deck. The jaguar, apparently scared, made off and took refuge on the poop. Its cage was brought as close as possible, and the animal, after being cornered, was forced into it. The beast trapped in the Andes Mountains, Peru, for the London Zoo, was caged and brought abroad the Lobos, a Pacific Steam Navigation Company’s motor-vessel, at Callao. At Liverpool yesterday he was transferred to a new cage and entrained for Regent’s Park Zoo.

Herbert laughed when he heard of the jaguar’s escapade for, as he said, you only had to call ‘pussy, pussy’ and it would come obediently to you!

Extract from White Gujaratis, Bramwell Cook

Herbert Money's Family

Via Bramwell Cook
 

Dunedin International Exhibition 1925-1926

At this time it was Dunedin's turn to hold an International Exhibition, so we visited this on our way back to Christchurch [from Milford Sound]. Later that same year I was to make a second visit to the Exhibition with a group of students from the Christchurch Technical College, the Government having made special arrangements for both our travel and hospitality. We had our meals at the Exhibition restaurant and seemed to be fed principally on sausages and tomatoes. Probably this is somewhat of an exaggeration but the fact remains that these two items were what we remembered most. Mr Joyce, the College Registrar, being somewhat of a poetical turn of mind, found this circumstance sufficiently inspiring to commemorate it in verse. This is what he wrote on his serviette:

The butcher kills the pensive pig
And cuts of ears and feet,
And into sausage turns them both,
Thus making both ends meat.

The Exhibition's waitresses
Whose waitresses are sweet,
Serves sausages at every meal,
Thus making both ends meet.

Perhaps I should have added that the male members of the party were also loud in their praises of the waitresses, more so than the butchers.

Background and Call to Peru

To help keep rough track of the timeline click here to be taken back to an earlier post.

1925 - Bright Prospects

I joined the full time staff of the Christchurch Technical College in 1925 and remained there until my departure for Peru in the middle of 1927. In 1925 I gained Diplomas in both Education and Social Sciences and was appointed lecturer in Social Sciences by the University Extension Scheme known as the Workers Educational Association and assigned to deliver evening lectures at Leeston once a week. This involved travelling to Leeston by bus after school, spending the night at the home of one of the students, who took this duty by turn, and returning to Christchurch the next morning. On the whole my prospects of advancement in New Zealand looked bright indeed.
1915 Canterbury WEA

On Habits

In those days there were six standards in the Primary School and those standards represented levels of achievement. Any individual who failed to reach the required standard at the end of the year, was obliged to repeat the year. So efficient was the teaching, however that the rate of failure was very small. Moreover, "dyslexia' was almost unknown,except in text books on Education. The reason was that incipient cases were immediately nipped in the bud. I remember coming across such as case in 1922, during a period of teaching practice as a Training College student, in one o f the city schools. In the infant department there were a couple of identical twins, who had difficulty in writing the "n's" and "s's" the right way around and in distinguishing between "p's" and "q's" and "b's " and "d's" in the lower case. Upon spotting this, the teacher in charge of the class gave me the job of concentrating my attention on these two little girls until the difficulty was overcome. In a couple of weeks they had both been re-incorporated into the class and thereafter developed quite normally. The subsequent abandonment of standards of achievement in primary schools and the adoption of 'social promotion' , has been a prolific source and cause of problems and has contributed greatly to the current prevalence of so much 'remedial' work. It has been a great mistake to neglect basic habit formation during these important formative years, in favour of the illusory 'personality development', to which it has given place. Good habits are basic to the cultivation of personality, for without them the reliability and trustworthiness are impossible.

Turnbull and Jones at Five Shillings a Week

The following year I went to work at five shillings a week at Turnbull and Jones, a firm of electrical engineers and by 1916 was earning seven and sixpence a week. In 1917 I transferred to T.H.Green and Co., a firm of wholesale grocers. My brother, Arthur, who was fifteen months younger than I, had worked there till his death at the end of 1916 and it was on account of the excellence of his work that I was offered this position. In the meantime I was attending evening classes at the Technical College in preparation for the Matriculation examination which I successfully passed in 1920. That year I was appointed probationer at the Christchurch East School. The following year I entered the Christchurch Teachers College and commenced my University studies, a major subject being Education. I graduated from Training College at the end of 1922 and completed my BA the following year, during which I taught part time at the Technical College. Under Professor James Shelley(pictured), who was an inspiring teacher, I won the distinction of being the first student in New Zealand to gain a Masters Degree with First Class Honours in Education. That year I took the middle term off in order to write my thesis on "The Effect on Children of the Transition from Primary to Secondary School".

First Schooling - Christchurch Normal School

I commenced my schooling at the Christchurch Normal School and became so attached to it that, when the family moved to our new home in St Albans, we elected to stay on there in spite of a walk of a couple of miles that this involved. The headmaster, Mr Christopher Thomas Aschmann, together with his well chosen staff were excellent teachers, all of whom commanded our whole-hearted respect and admiration. For some unknown reason, everybody live din mortal fear of Mr Aschmann's strap, although no one had ever seen it. The truth was that he never needed it for he could do more with his tongue than any teacher with a dozen straps. At least he ensured that I received a thorough grounding in the 'three Rs' and learned to be proud of my heritage as a Britisher, for which I have always been thankful. Upon concluding my primary education with a Proficiency Certificate, I spent 1914 at the Christchurch Technical College following an industrial course in which I soon reached top of the class. Half way through that year the Great War broke out.

1906 Christchurch International Exhibition

In 1906 Christchurch suddenly became the hub of the universe with the opening , early in November, of the Christchurch International Exhibition. This was situated in Hagley Park. The main entrance faced onto the end of Kilmore Street, where a temporary bridge spanned the Avon. Above the main entrance was a huge dome with a tower on either side. A heavy 'nor-wester' came when these were just completed and blew both of them down. However they were replaced in time for the opening which took place with great pomp and ceremony, including a spectacular military and naval parade. Junior and High School cadets in colourful uniforms were brought in from far and wide and camped in the park. A Maori Pa was set up on the eastern side of Victoria Lake and a notable feature of the amusement section was a Water Chute at the opposite end. Boats crammed with passengers were released down a steep include over which water continually poured and these would shoot down into the lake with a tremendous splash amid loud squeals from the ladies. Another attraction that appealed particularly to me was the diorama of the Battle of Gettysburg. Dad took my brother and me to see the reenactment of the fight, which was very realistic indeed. In the foreground of the circular enclosure were life size figures of men and horse together with all the military hardware of those times, all of which merged in to the cleverly painted background on the circular wall. A commentator recited the principal happenings of the day and, as the action commenced the flashes of fire from the guns, the loud explosions and sound of rifle fire accompanied by the acrid smell of burning powder, all contributed to make it look like the real thing. The cannonade was loud enough but this was soon intensified by a thunderstorm which burst over the corrugated iron structure. This was too much for my little brother who was so terrified that he had to be taken out before the battle was half over, much to my disappointment for that meant I had to go out too.

Early Days (1900s) in Christchurch

Christchurch at the commencement of he century was quite a small place enclosed by four belts which are now known as avenues. Beyond these in all directions there were a number of satellite villages of which St Albans was one. In 1905 the No 1 tramline was laid down between the Railway Station and Papanui. At that time my father had opened a picture framing shop in Victoria Street. One of the attractions that this place had for me was the opportunity to watch the line being laid. Since this stand did not prove to be a good one for the business, Dad was not slow in moving to more suitable premises in Colombo Street next to the corner of Kilmore Street. Not long after this move the No 2 line was laid down along Colombo Street from the foot of the Cashmere Hills to Bealey Avenue, which it followed to Barbados Street and thence along this street to St Albans PArk. We used to enjoy being taken by Mother to Cathedral Square to watch the steam engines shunting the trailers.

Early in 1905 my grandmother took me to New Brighton in a horse drawn tram that left from Cathedral Square. It was considered a great step forward when steam locomotion replaced the horses. However, it was not until after World War One that horse drawn hansom cabs disappeared from the rink in front of the Cathedral and "livery and gait stables' became a thing of the past. The principle one was in Armagh Street facing Victoria Square. The gentry from the northern suburbs and towns would come to town on Wednesdays, which were sale days at Addington, and leave their buggies at this stable while the ladies did their shopping. My first part time employment was an an errand boy at Fisher's the fruiterer and florists at the corner of Colombo and Gloucester Streets. One of my duties was to deposit purchases in the respective buggies at the stables. With the advent of motorised transport these stables were converted into the 'Rink Taxis' the site of which is now occupied by Haywrights.

View Larger Map

Arriving in New Zealand

When the time of our departure finally came, we travelled to Brisbane by train. This was a notable journey too as the oil soaked cotton waste in one of the axle boxes on our carriage caught fire and we were shifted to another car. With our goodbyes duly said to mother's relatives, we embarked on a little coastal vessel called the "Gaybow" bound for Sydney. All that I remember of that part of the journey was seasickness and the nasty smell of the boat. We anchored at Sydney not far from a drawbridge, which had to be raised to let us through the gap. [ed. Possibly where ANZAC Bridge is now located] After a wait of a few days we boarded the "Waikari", which also had that nauseating smell which characterised steamers right up till after the First World War. Father and Mother scarcely left their cabin during the whole voyage , which took about a week. My grandmother took charge of us boys so were well looked after. Tall silk hats were the fashion at the time and one of the passengers had the misfortune to have his blown overboard by a sudden gust of wind. I fully expected the ship to stop and attempt retrieve it and was very surprised to see everyone look unconcernedly as it quickly drifted from sight. Upon our arrival at Lyttelton, father went to Christchurch by train in search of accommodation for the family while mother stayed oin the ship with us boys. I had reason to remember this circumstance for I enjoyed sitting on a bollard looking at all the activity in the harbour, all of which was completely new to me. All went well until I fell from my perch and collided with the frayed end of a steel cable that punctured my leg just below the knee. it made a nasty hole but the stewardess made a neat job of patching it up. This incident left me with a scar which I bear to this day. It was November 4th and the following day was Guy Faulkes Day. I had never seen nor heard of this before but it was duly enlightened by my grandmother, who promised to mae a Guy for me the following year which she did.