When the wall linings to room RC140 at St Margaret's College were removed during the current renovations, the builders noticed that a few names had been written on the exposed wall including the date 1945.
Room RC140 is in the Ross Wing on the top (RC) floor, immediately adjacent to the original Main Building (red-circled window in the leading photograph above).
It is assumed that when the Ross Wing was added to the Main Building in 1945 at least three "builders" took the opportunity to inscribe their names on the wall prior to attaching the wall linings: L Larsen, F Dickson and H Currie. A photograph of Dickson's inscription is included below ("F. Dickson 1917 - 1945").
Coincidental to discovering these names, during the same week the Otago Daily Times (ODT) published a photograph (see below) of the Main Building as part of the ODT's regular "100 years ago - from our archives" column. The photograph was taken in 1917 and is titled "St Margaret's Presbyterian Girls' Hostel, showing the new wing, recently added." The "new wing" here refers to the Main Building. The adjoining Ross Wing was added in the mid-1940s with Room RC140 being the room immediately adjacent to the older Main Building (top right of the 1917 photo).
As the current Master of the College and for posterity, I thought I would add my own inscription to RC140's wall (see photograph below), possibly to be uncovered during a future round of renovations (in 2117?)!
I have also discovered a further photograph (see below) published in the ODT of the Main Building while it was being constructed in 1914 (it took three years to build). This photograph shows the then Prime Minister, Mr W.F. Massey, speaking at the laying of the building's foundation stone on 2 June 1914.
An interesting bit of history for St Margaret's College and particularly Room RC140!
(Story by the Master, Dr Charles Tustin)
