Dunedin’s Early History Historically, Kāi Tahu used the head of the Ōtākou harbour as either the gateway to the route to Kaikarai (Green Island) or when off on other mahinga kai expeditions. The soft slope of the foreshore and the tidal flats in the upper harbour where the Toitū entered the sea was bisected by a prominent hill (called Bell Hill by colonists), the foot of which lay at the very edge of the high water mark. The upper Ōtākou harbour was surrounded by heavy bush. Ōtepoti is the Māori name for the Upper Dunedin Harbour, which stretches from Taiaroa Head and Aramoana to the bush clad hills with the low lying shoreline. This is an area that has been occupied by Māori for over six hundred years. Kāti Mamoe-Kāi Tahu had several landing places in the Ōtākou harbour at the time of colonial settlement of the region. The first Caversham School Dunedin…, a wealthy little city where the rich inhabited the hills and looked out to sea and the poor inhabited the flat and looked at each other. The Dunedin suburb of Caversham is ‘New Zealand’s oldest and most densely populated working class community’. The suburb was founded and named by wealthy pioneer William Henry Valpy, the first settler on the south Dunedin flat. Valpy took up extensive areas of land on the flat, and he named his two large farm properties ‘The Forbury’ and ‘Caversham’. Caversham grew rapidly in the 1860s because of its location en route to the Central Otago goldfields. In 1861 under the auspices of the Otago Education Board, Caversham Public School opened. The school was one small room that has previously been used by Mr R. Mitchell to run a private school for local children. The room, 19 x 7 feet (5.8 x 2.1 metres) wide, accommodated 62 pupils. It was beside a muddy track which later became College Street. Overcrowding saw a new school built in 1863 on land that had been set aside as a school reserve in 1862. The reserve was bordered by College and Maria Streets (now Ranfurly Street). The new school was built of Caversham sandstone and required extensive repairs after only a few months of use. Caversham sandstone was of only a moderate hardness, and not suitable for building. Throughout the 1860s Caversham district continued to expand and another room was added to the school in 1869. By 1880 there were five rooms. In 1883 the headmaster’s residence, which was on the school site facing Lomond Street, was demolished to make way for three more wooden classrooms. The Campaign for Physical Education in Schools The first indoor gymnasium dates to 1852 when Adolph Spiess, an enthusiast for boys' and girls' gymnastics in schools, built a structure specifically for gymnastics in Hesse, Germany. In England the philosophy of gymnastics in schools was slow to evolve as the British were more interested in outdoor competitive ball games than indoor exercise. It was not until the early twentieth century that indoor exercise was introduced to primary schools. Harsh winter climates in the north of the United States of America saw the idea received more positively. By 1860 Harvard and Yale Universities had school gymnasiums. In 1885 the American Association for the Advancement of Physical Education was founded to campaign for compulsory gymnastics in public schools. By 1900 more than 50 of America’s largest cities had gymnastics in the curriculum. In Dunedin the campaign began in 1885. University of Otago Medical Professor John Halliday Scott, in a lecture to Otago’s Educational Institute, reported that ‘the germ of a physiological education had begun to sprout’. Modern education, he said, was turning towards better means of training children’s minds, which included the physical: ‘If the proverbial result of all work and no play were all that we had to fear then this need not concern us much; but disease is too serious a matter to pass over in silence.’ Scott supported the growing international argument that ‘overtaxed minds’ were breaking down the body and the mind, causing physical and mental ill-health. He believed overcrowded classrooms were ‘foul’ and ‘poisonous’ to the body. Not only were schools unhygienic but, Scott argued, the provision of outdoor playgrounds did not go far enough. Children should be trained in physical activities to ‘provoke activity in mental as well as in physical action’. In an early nod to gender equality, Scott concluded that ‘for girls, too, games are essential if they are to be physically what nature intended them to be.’ Other Dunedin physicians also campaigned for the importance of physical education in preventing disease and training the mind. Dr Colquhoun wrote a paper on ‘The Physical Factor in Education’ in which he referred to the encouraging effect of exercise on various types of childhood ‘temperaments’. In 1890 the president of the Otago Educational Institute, Mr A. Wilson, again emphasized the importance of physical education. Wilson also described gymnastic education in terms of gender equality: 'Boys’ exercises it is said are meant to strengthen the body, girls’ exercises’ to make it beautiful. But surely a boy ought to be as beautiful as nature meant him to be, and a girl as strong – so that the physical education of the two sexes ought to present no points of difference except what comes from the limitations of strength in girls. The exercises [in a gymnasium] – rings, ladders, ropes, parallel bars, dumb-bells, clubs, and so on – are identical...’ In the late 1880s Dunedin primary schools added their voice to the campaign and argued for the addition of gymnasiums to school grounds. They heralded gymnastics as an ‘excellent exercise for the young’. As a result of the campaign Albany Street School’s gymnasium opened in 1892; Union Street’s and St Clair’s in 1897; North East Valley’s and Forbury’s in 1898; and High Street and George Street’s in 1899. Regrettably, the vast majority of the gymnasiums have since been demolished. A brief survey of Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives indicates that Dunedin may have been ahead of the rest of New Zealand with respect to gymnasiums. During the late 1890s and early 1900s, Otago was the only Education Board province that reported on physical exercise and the ‘greater number of commodious and well-furnished gymnasiums attached to many of the schools in and around Dunedin’. Other New Zealand school inspectors might mention physical exercise but not the use of gymnasiums. No doubt Dunedin’s vaguely inclement weather was an added stimulus to the provision of indoor areas for exercise. In 1899 the Otago School Inspector wrote: Drill and exercises, including gymnastics in schools provided with apparatus, are regarded as equal in value to any literary subject of the syllabus…A gymnasium is a class-room of the school to which it belongs; and as in other class-rooms, there must be affixed to the wall a timetable showing the work done in the gymnasium, the teachers in charge of the work, and the times at which the work is done…we are dealing with the formation of character, the most important of all school functions… In 1904 the Otago inspector of schools reported to the government that ‘great praise is due to some of the Dunedin and suburban Committees for what they have done in providing gymnasiums…’ In 1906 the same inspector reported that gymnasiums were seen as important and that if ‘fairly regular practice of the exercises with backboards, horse, bridge-ladder, and parallel-bars are recommended by the Board were carried out, the injurious effects alleged to be produced by the use of non-hygienic desks and seats would, no doubt, be more than counteracted’. Yet it was not until 1912 that a formal physical education syllabus was introduced to all New Zealand state schools. The Caversham Gymnasium The Caversham School Committee first proposed a gymnasium for the school in August 1897. A Gymnasium Committee was formed including Mr A. Morrison, M.H.R. In September 1897 the first meeting of the Committee made ‘arrangements for canvassing the district for subscriptions’. A month later they reported that the canvass had been successful and they ‘were very hopeful as to results’. The Otago Education Board was also approached for funding assistance. Gymnasiums were not routinely funded by the Board as they were deemed unnecessary to the running of the school. After considering Caversham School’s request, the Board’s Gymnasium Committee reported in October 1897 that they had ‘carefully considered the question of erecting one central gymnasium for the Flat...’, which would include the Caversham School area, but they were ‘unanimously of the opinion that the proposal is impracticable, and, even if otherwise successful, then it would be more costly to the board than the present system of granting pound for pound to separate schools’… The Board’s Gymnasium Committee also proposed, however, that as the Board was committed to the ‘pound for pound’ system, grants should be made to the schools that had already applied. As a result, Caversham School was granted £150. The Otago Education Board also agreed to direct its architect to prepare plans and specifications free of charge. John Somerville (1834-1905) was the Otago Education Board’s architect from 1878 until 1901. He was the first person appointed to this official role and his obituary noted that ‘in every district in Otago are to be found school buildings designed by him and erected under his supervision’. Emigrating from Scotland in 1858, Somerville set up business as a building contractor and architect. One of his early designs was the first Knox Church manse for Rev Dr Stuart. Somerville’s appointment occurred at a key time for school building: the 1877 Education Act had established New Zealand’s first compulsory and free national system of primary education. Somerville was prolific and few of the Otago schools erected in this era were not his own design or at least overseen by him. Caversham School Gymnasium is a rare example of the range of structures Somerville designed over a relatively short time period. The vast majority of gymnasiums for primary schools were built between 1897 and 1900. Sommerville retired in 1901. While fundraising continued, in February 1898 the Caversham School Committee wrote to the Board seeking approval of the plans for the gymnasium. The Board’s architect, John Somerville, reported that the site chosen by the Committee was on the front angle of the section and the new gymnasium, would ‘stand in front of three of the windows of one of the classrooms. The wall of the gymnasium will be about 10 ft from the school’. Despite the architect’s doubts as to the gymnasium’s positioning, the Committee had its way and the site remained on the corner of College Street and Ranfurly Street, right next to the 1863 stone school. By March 1898, £103 had been raised and the architect was asked to call for tenders. Two were received but considered too high. Clearly more money was required and so fundraising continued apace. Donations were made from organisations such as the Caversham Cricket Club and the [T.K.] Sidey Reception Committee. ‘Large and enthusiastic’ Town Hall meetings of Caversham householders appointed committees to stage jumble and hobby shows. Some of the area’s finest families were represented on these fundraising committees, including the Glendinings, Rutherfords, Scoulars and Cowies but many more were humble working class parents. The children were also involved in fundraising and were praised at one Hobby Show for presenting the ‘action songs very creditably’. Another event staged by the pupils was titled ‘Grand Concert and Gymnastic Exhibition’ and held at the Agricultural Hall. One hobby show and jumble sale ran for five nights in the Caversham Hall. The ‘Young Men’s Committee’ ran the stalls; the ‘Entertainment Committee’ drew up programmes; the Colonial Secretary permitted ‘certain articles’ to be raffled and ‘several valuable paintings had been promised’; and ‘the ladies’ were ‘all busy making up articles, holding sewing meetings once a week’. The event even drew a ‘detachment’ from the Caversham Industrial School, where the boys ‘went through physical drill and bayonet exercises very creditably’. Regrettably these fundraising efforts raised the ire of some in the community. One gentleman attacked the hobby show raffles as giving the children ‘an elementary lesson in gambling’ which was ‘surely very much to be deplored.’ The writer suggested that they were able to build a gymnasium ‘without having recourse to the infamous expedient of raffling... it might be well that our school committee should limit themselves more to the regime of the Three R’s. It certainly is an unwise departure to introduce this fourth R...You may say it stands only for raffles; but when you go in for raffles you cannot tell how you will come out; and hence R may stand not only for raffles, but also for Ruin.’ By the end of 1898 plans for the gymnasium had been modified, the coffers had been enlarged, and in December fresh tenders were called for. In January 1899 Mr G. Thorn’s tender of £450 was accepted with £11 for extras, including levelling the ground. Although not specified, no doubt the stone wall upon which the gymnasium was built also dates to this time. The School Committee’s annual report in April 1899 showed that the Gymnasium Committee had raised £291 11s 7d. There was still a deficit of £20 and the cost of internal fittings had yet to be found. On 6 July 1899, the ‘Caversham Gymnasium Hall’ opened with a concert in aid of the fund. The Mayor congratulated the residents of Caversham on being the ‘possessors of such a fine building in which their footballers and athletes might train’. He also thanked ‘the ladies to a large extent for the erection of the building, for it was to that the success of the recent hobby show was principally due. At this the handsome sum of £180 was raised.’ There remained about £100 to be raised for a stage and gym equipment but monthly entertainments would be held in the district to cover the remainder. Nevertheless, children’s ‘physical training’ would start at once. The completed structure was wooden and of a simple rectangular design. The entrance porch was low and sloped down to the ground on the south elevation. On the eastern end of the south elevation was a set of double wooden doors. Windows ran along the length of the south and north elevations, while the east and east elevations each included just one long narrow window. The interior of the gymnasium measured 60 x 26 feet (18.29 x 7.92 metres) with walls 18 feet (5.49 m) high. Below the hall were two anterooms and a bath room ‘so that every convenience is at hand’. The walls were horizontal tongue and groove. The windows were top awning. A staircase led from a small foyer to the basement below. In 1901 the School Committee reported that the gym was ‘thoroughly fitted up and equipped with apparatus second to none in Otago. The work of fitting up and furnishing the material was entrusted to Instructor J.C. Smith, who has carried out his contract to the entire satisfaction of your committee’. Subsequent fundraising efforts by the district succeeded in clearing off the last of the debt by 1900. The total raised was £574 8s 2d; the total expenditure £573 10s 7d. Use of the Gymnasium/Community Hall From its inception, the Caversham Gymnasium was more than a place for the school children to exercise in. The School Committee expressed the desire that ‘the residents of Caversham will take full advantage of the opportunity’ provided by the gym. And so they did. The gymnasium and hall was used for activities as diverse as public lectures, concerts, bazaars, young men’s meetings, a polling station, the Caversham Brass Band, harriers’ clubs, the Anglican Club and other local club meetings (including the ‘Fern-Tree Centre’), to name a few. The Gymnasium Committee continued to exist as an adjunct to the School Committee to manage community bookings. Community gymnastic classes were also held for adults and children wider afield in the district. The first instructor of these public classes was Mr J.C. Smith and he was later followed by Mr Ferguson and Mr Wildey. The average attendance was 35 juniors and 30 adults. The fees charged were adults 10/- and juniors 5/- for the period of six months. As one commentator noted in the 1960s, ‘The gymnasium proved an asset to the School and the district.’ The gymnasium was also the home of the nationally famous Caversham School Choir. In 1912 the Caversham School Committee spent £3 on song books and the School Choir was officially born: There can have been few investments made by any committee in the hundred years of the School’s history that yielded so rich a return of pleasure to the children, their parents, and the public, and so effectively brought the name of the School before the people of Dunedin. For many years after its formation, Caversham’s school choir was ranked as ‘one of the leading School Choirs in the Dominion with few, if any, equal to the standard it set’. They sang in local theatres to large audiences. They were also booked by various organisations to help with their own concerts and functions. Their performances were used to raise funds for war, patriotic and the Red Cross. In time, choir performances expanded to include dancing, drills, and other physical displays. Partly due to their success, by 1941 choir work was a feature in all Dunedin schools. In the post war years the gymnasium was also used as a classroom, accommodating two regular classes. By 1961 it was still in use as a general purpose room and two classrooms. The end of Caversham School As the old Caversham School deteriorated and problems of overcrowding arose, a new site was found for the school on the corner of Main South Road and Surrey Street. In 1927 a new two-storied brick school was built. The buildings on the Caversham School site were used for the infant department. In 1937 the old school was replaced by a new Infant School. In 1959 this building and the gymnasium were separated from Caversham School and became College Street Primary School. In 2012 College Street School merged with Calton Hill, Caversham to form Carisbrook School. When new buildings on the former Caversham School site were completed in 2013, the College Street campus was closed. In 2016 the entire campus was leased to Ara Te Uru Whare Hauora. Arguing that the existing healthcare model does not fit for Māori, the centre provides community health services specifically aimed at Māori. The first of its kind in Dunedin, it offers free health, education and social services, focusing on the health and wellbeing of whānau. The centre also makes good use of the former gymnasium. Access to the gym is free to all whānau enrolled on the programme. Personal trainer sessions are also available in the gymnasium including individual exercise programmes and nutritional advice. Once again the gymnasium is in service of the community.

Current Description The gymnasium sits on a prominent corner above the Caversham township. It once sat, cheek by jowl, against the 1860s Caversham School building. Now, it has open space to the front and is a short distance from the 1937 Caversham Infant School, which also holds historic significance. The gymnasium is one of the few physical reminders of this early community alongside the Infant School, Caversham Presbyterian Church (List No. 7319), Carisbrook (List No. 7782) and the Caversham Gas Works (not listed). By 2015 the gymnasium remained largely intact in its original design. It is known that in 1961 the gymnasium was largely unchanged - the centennial booklet noted that a ‘look inside the old building is sure to awaken memories for those who knew it as pupils in the earlier years of the century’. By the 21st century, the exterior appeared original apart from a new roof. On the interior, particle board had been laid over the original tongue and groove walls up to picture rail level. Pinex board had been laid above. The ceiling was pinex panel with pinex battens which may have been laid over the original ceiling. A new wooden floor was laid over the original floorboards. Windows and catches were original, although the window frame surrounds appeared to have been added to. The stairs to the basement had been replaced although the stairwell itself was original. The original two anterooms and bathroom had been altered to form one large classroom area. An outside door remained, as did a small door to the foundations. The foundation’s piles still showed signs of the original wooden shuttering.